The Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback doesn’t just give the mirage of being cheap, it actually is. Despite having a very good fuel economy and being one of the cheapest cars you can get when on sale, the Mirage has been criticized for having very slow acceleration speeds, a rough and noisy engine, excessive road noise at highway speeds, and a low-buck interior.
All the above ultimately landed the Hatchback on our list of less than worthy cars of this year. Kelley Blue Book’s expert review gave the car just a 3 out of 5.
Ford Mustang GT Premium
The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic and legendary cars that truly symbolize America for its appetite larger than life performance at a budget price. This $26,000 beauty goes up to $45,000 in the best models and will take you from 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds. If you don't mind the plastic interior, mediocre technology and horrible back seat experience, this car is the closest thing you can find to a monster performer that gives you a true V8 muscle-car experience.
The car pictured above is the new 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, an even more vicious version of an already powerful car. The only major drawback to the car is the fact that it drinks fuel faster than a dehydrated man who finds water in the middle of the desert. If you're looking for the most well-rounded muscle car on the market and don’t mind paying extra for gas, the Mustang is definitely one way to go.
Toyota Tacoma
This midsized truck is considered a staple of the pickup truck category for its rugged off-road driving, with an easy to manage interior controls and a top-level V6 that doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately, the car suffers from being quite uncomfortable and lacking in the interior tech department. In spite of its flaws, Edmunds praised this quintessential pickup truck and rated it as their Best Off-Road Truck for 2019.
The harshest review for the Toyota Tacoma came from MotorTrend. The car magazine didn’t like the Tacoma one bit, giving it a measly 1.5 out of 5 and saying “The Toyota Tacoma isn’t offered with a diesel, like rivals Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, meaning it won’t be as fuel-efficient nor will it offer as much torque for hauling and towing.” If your goal is to mostly drive off pavements, go for the Honda Tacoma. Otherwise, it seems skipping this one would be your best option.
Nissan Armada
It seems that Nissan can't catch a break with its big vehicles this year. Let's get the first thing out of the way - this V8 Armada has one of the worst fuel economies you can find this year and was placed in the “worst fuel-efficient in mid-sized/large SUV” category with 14 MPG for city and 19 for the highway. While it does compete well against other SUVs in its class, the severe fuel consumption and lackluster infotainment systems put it slightly behind the Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe and related GMC Yukon. Unless you're a die-hard Nissan fan, it might be a good idea to skip this behemoth of a vehicle.
Car and Driver gave this one a 3.5 out of 5. “It’s still a big-bodied, fuel-thirsty family dreadnought,” writes Car and Driver. “But the three-row Armada has a serene, expensive interior and an upscale exterior that enable it to undermine high-rent rivals when it comes to price.”
Acura ILX
While being a comfortable car to drive and having reliable and easy handling, the Acura ILX is primarily based on a last-generation Honda Civic, which makes it a very underwhelming car. Edmunds was disappointed by the ILX, "Acura has not been able to cover up all the cheap, hollow-feeling plastics or compensate for the worse-than-average cabin noise levels. Acceleration from the ILX's four-cylinder engine is also subpar."
While the idea of a luxury sedan in a small car sounds good on paper, it doesn’t live up in its execution, reminding us of a small and messy apartment that was temporarily tidied by violently stuffing everything into the closets. It may give a good impression at first, but once you spend some time there, the chinks in the armor start to appear. Kelley Blue Book says that “if you want a small luxury sedan that’s big on safety and value, the 2019 ILX fits the bill.”