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25 Worthless Foreign Vehicles

Nissan Titan

Nissan Titan

Consumer Report's worst compact truck, the Titan, has a predicted low reliability as it ages. The Titan faces complaints of a rough ride, unoriginal styling, and the lowest max-towing capacity in its class. 

Nissan's Titan was an attempt at dethroning domestic rivals, but it ultimately fell short of its goal. Maybe with a little more innovation and originality, it could have done so.

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Mercedes GLA

Mercedes GLA

You would expect better from Mercedes. We did but not everything they do turns out great. The GLA received the lowest owner satisfaction score on a survey conducted by Consumer Reports, and only 44% said they'd ever consider purchasing another GLA. 

This car is small, cramped, and expensive with a stiff ride, a loud interior, poor visibility, and a bad gearbox. That's just the tip of the iceberg of complaints.

Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Mercedes CLA

Mercedes CLA

Another Mercedes model that fell short of the mark. Evidently, luxury isn't everything. The CLA has below-average reliability, plus sluggish and lagging acceleration. 

All that coupled with a cramped interior just makes the base price tag seem even less worth it. 

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Mini Cooper Clubman

Mini Cooper Clubman

The Mini Cooper is a fun car that people around the world adored, so they released the Clubman version about seven years after the original. The Clubman is essentially a stretched-out version of the original with a couple of extra doors slapped on it. 

Add to that a high price tag, poor gas mileage, and the usual mini problems (transmission failure, particularly), and it's not surprising this car makes this list.

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Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

Released in the U.S. in the early '90s, the Sportage was seen as a lightweight, affordable SUV with minimal comforts and a severely underpowered engine (though it had four-wheel drive, so that's something). 

Even now, with a few more bells and whistles, this car continues to underperform, and many find its competitors more fun to drive. It also has considerably less cargo space and worse fuel economy than its rivals.

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Land Rover Discovery Sport

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Land Rover is typically a brand that's known for creating quality SUVs, but this one fell flat on its face.

A finicky engine, boring interior, and sub-par overall acceleration and handling capabilities land the Discovery Sport on several worst lists.

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Toyota Tacoma

Toyota Tacoma

Toyota is normally known for its durability and reliability, but here sits the Tacoma. Consumer Reports has found that this truck had a worse-than-average reliability, stiff rides, a noisy cabin, and uncomfortable seats. 

Good thing a facelift finally came in 2020. The results were spectacular and now it's one of the most popular trucks on the market.

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Subaru WRX

Subaru WRX

The WRX is the least agreeable car in the Subaru showroom and just seems overall underdeveloped when compared to more sophisticated models. 

The WRX gets poor reliability ratings from both J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. Not to mention it's a pricey little car, and there are easily other cars that do better for a better price.

"Subaru WRX STi"/FotoSleuth/CC by 2.0/Flickr

Fiat 500E

Fiat 500E

Fiats are little cars with big reputations...for being terrible. The 500E is Fiat's attempt at an electric version of their car in response to growing demand. Unfortunately, this little car has fallen flat. Insurance agencies often claim the vehicle totaled in the lightest of fender benders. 

These cars also often suffer from a choppy ride, noisy interior, and the driving position is usually considered awkward among drivers. Fiat's CEO doesn't even like this car.

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Fiat 500L

Fiat 500L

Another Fiat makes it onto the list. The big brother to the 500E, this car has only gotten worse every year on Consumer Reports's overall reliability rating. 

This tiny car packs a massive headache of problems with the brakes, in-car electronics, power equipment, and mechanical parts being particular problems. It might be cute but the repair bills won't be.

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Volkswagen Touareg

Volkswagen Touareg

The SUV craze sweeping the nation resulted in the Volkswagen Touareg, which debuted in the U.S. back in 2002. Its powerful engine resulted in a complex layout that required the entire block to be removed to fix even the simplest problem. 

To us, that seems like a design flaw. Plus, it raises the cost of any repair work that's needed.

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Chery QQ3

Chery QQ3

Chery is a Chinese brand that's known for putting out cars made from cheap, low-quality parts that are usually severely underpowered. The QQ3 is the lowest of the low for this brand. 

In 2008, this was the cheapest new car in the world and could be purchased for $4,000 in 2012. Just don't expect anything over 70 horsepower from its three engine options or any type of safety features that usually come standard on American cars.

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Mazda RX-8

Mazda RX-8

With a rotary engine that allows for well-balanced power, you would think that this car would be a dream, right? Wrong. Rotary engine seals wear out quickly, and even those with way under 100,000 miles can lose a lot of compression. 

There’s also a risk of the oil mixing with gas in the combustion chamber. Welcome to engine problems galore!

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Kia Cadenza

Kia Cadenza

The Cadenza is Kia's response to the Chevrolet Impala and the Toyota Avalon. On the plus side, the Cadenza is roomy and quiet with easy handling. 

On the other hand, it's only an average car. The Cadenza is known for issues with engine cooling, the climate system, and emissions/fueling systems. Studies have also found that owners of the Cadenza had to bring their cars in for unscheduled repairs twice as often as other full-size cars.

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Volkswagen Golf TDI

Volkswagen Golf TDI

It may be popular but it probably shouldn't be. The peppy Golf TDI often has transmission problems at higher mileages (mostly in older models). 

The rear brakes have also been known to wear out quickly, and there's a whole host of other problems. We recommend looking elsewhere.

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Mitsubishi Mirage

Mitsubishi Mirage

The Mirage entered the U.S. in 2014 and was met with only a lukewarm reception. The car is known for its bargain price, but that's the only compliment it'll receive. 

The car’s handling has been described as weak and clumsy, the interior is cheap, and the car, in general, is noisy with sluggish acceleration. It often ranks at the bottom of all major car review lists.

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Yugo GV

Yugo GV

The GV was made in the former Yugoslavia. When it arrived in the U.S., the goal was to market the car as the cheapest vehicle on the market. What Americans got, however, was headache instead of an economic deal.

 The GV had terribly build quality, and Consumer Reports called it "a barely assembled bag of nuts and bolts."

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Smart ForTwo

Smart ForTwo

When this car was introduced to the U.S. market, it was marketed for its 38 miles per gallon fuel economy, but even that wasn't enough to save this tiny thing. 

This car's transmission is known for being one of the worst in the world, coupled with horrendous design and absolutely minimal storage space. In our eyes (and lots of others, apparently), this car is in no way worth it.

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Suzuki Samurai

Suzuki Samurai

This one's an older car, but it's worth talking about because of just how bad it flopped. Originally introduced in 1985, the Samurai was actually successful until 1998 when Consumer Reports absolutely annihilated it. 

Consumer Reports found that the Samurai was dangerously unsafe for American roads. The car was ultimately recalled and abandoned.

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Nissan Armada

Nissan Armada

Basically, the Armada is a clone of the Infiniti QX80, except that the Armada is quiet and has great towing capabilities.  That's something...

The downside? This thing has the worst fuel economy (excluding heavy-duty pickups) with only 14 miles per gallon combined. To make matters worse, it also has clumsy handling.

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Jaguar F-Pace

Jaguar F-Pace

Jaguar’s first attempt at an SUV, the F-Pace was released in 2017 and was quickly declared unreliable by Consumer Reports. After a year of real-life testing, the F-Pace remained among the worst. 

The car’s noisiness and driving systems gave it a bad name, and it was quickly deemed as a pricey new model that was ultimately behind the times.

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Volvo XC90

Volvo XC90

Similar to the Jaguar F-Pace, this luxury SUV has yet to live up to its promise. The car does have a strong engine and transmission, which win it some points, but the interior technology couldn't be worse. 

According to Consumer Reports, the XC90s in-car electronics had the lowest rating the tester could give. Power equipment and portions of the basic electrical system also fell short for what was expected of a luxury brand.

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Jaguar XE

Jaguar XE

Named as Consumer Reports 2019 Worst Compact Luxury Sedan, the XE falls short in several categories. Interior materials and assembly are both considered subpar in comparison to competitors.

The XE has a glitchy infotainment system, the back seat is cramped, and the engine auto stop-start is defined as abrupt and unrefined.

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Alfa Romeo Giulia

 Alfa Romeo Giulia

We have several luxury cars that are making this list, and it's honestly really surprising. The Giulia received a dismal rating from Consumer Reports, and many reviewers reported major mechanical issues during their tests. 

This is only the most recent in a long line of Alfa Romeo cars with major reliability issues. Stay away.

Guillaume Vachey from Chalon sur Saone, France, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mitsubishi i-MiEv

Mitsubishi i-MiEv

Trust us, there's a reason you've never heard of this car. A cheap electric car with a range of fewer than 60 miles and an overall golf cart-like driving experience, the i-MiEV received a super low road test score. 

This car couldn't even compare to competitors such as the Chevrolet Bolt or the Nissan Leaf. Plus, its bulbous design was an embarrassment. Might as well get a Power Wheels.

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