Good cars that sell poorly

[Drew Dowdell]

Which car models do you think should sell better than they do?

Why do you think they don't sell better?

Limit of three models and must be in production (not just leftovers still on sale but not currently being built).

[FAPTurbo]

cadillac ats, cadillac cts, cadillac xts 

good cars, not great cars

[Intrepidation]

Pretty much all of Mazda's lineup, especially the 6.

[balthazar]

A6, A7, A8.

[oldshurst442]

Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet Impala

Honda Accord

 

Probably the victims of their respective brands equivalent CUVs cannibalizing their sales.

Also, the Malibu and the Impala probably  compete with each other for the remainder sedan sales. And for the Impala, we add the Lacrosse and now the Regal... 

As for the Accord, we could add that the new larger Civic also steals sales. AND, the TLX...for those that want a sedan from the Honda corporate company but prefer having the Acura badge instead of the Honda one.

[frogger]

VW Golf and its variants including the Sportwagen, GTI etc. Very popular abroad.  Somewhat popular in Canada.  Not so much in the US.

 

[A Horse With No Name]

10 hours ago, frogger said:

VW Golf and its variants including the Sportwagen, GTI etc. Very popular abroad.  Somewhat popular in Canada.  Not so much in the US.

 

GTI/Golf R would still in ways be my car of choice...

[ccap41]

Lincoln Continental - A little pricey but also in a dying segment. It does what it was designed to do but I think the lack of sportiness hurts it in professional reviews.

Cadillac CTS - Good car, poor sales. I think Cadillac is still struggling with brand image to those outside of the automotive world and CUE has been an issue since day 1. Even if it is better now I bet it rubbed a lot of people wrong. Also, not real buttons.. 

Colorado/Canyon - it isn't that it has poor sales(well the Canyon kind of does - 32,103 in 2017) but I'm surprised it never took more from the Tacoma. I guess I'd say they're lower than expected because they're lower than the Tacoma even though they're pretty much better in every standpoint AND the're an American branded truck company. 

[A Horse With No Name]

I could really agree with Colorado and Canyon-I have a couple of co workers who own them and love them.

[ccap41]

The only reason I'd buy the Taco over The Twins is looks. I think the Taco looks so much better even though it does pretty much everything worse. 

I'm ready for a turbo engine in these mid-size trucks. I'm not sure how the little turbo 4 will do in the Ranger but I think a small turbo 6 would be perfect. Even with a very conservative tune making only like 280hp but with like 320tq+ seems like it would be a huge segment hit. Come to think of it, I think that's almost exactly what the 2.3 in the Ranger will do but let's be honest, turbo 4's in larger vehicles still have no proven themselves to get advertised mileage. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Chevy Cruze - Honestly one of the best cars in the segment, certainly the ability to option up to the nicest interior in the class. The Civic stole the show and people just buy Corollas automatically without considering alternatives.  Lacks the visual distinctiveness of "little car that looks like a big car" that the previous generation had. Chevy would rather sell you a Trax.

Jeep Cherokee - It's going far better than the Liberty did, but it still lags way behind the CR-V, Escape, and RAV4.  More engine choices and some true off-road ability options make it a compelling offering. The interior is one of the better ones FCA does. Still, the early transmission problems and unconventional looks have held it back. The update may help significantly. 

Cadillac CT6 - A car as big as the DTS that weighs as little as a 335xDrive. It handles great, has 4 great powertrain options, optional 4-wheel steering, one of the best interiors in the GM lineup, starting price equal to the next size class and engine class down over at the makes from Deutschland. Super Cruise.  Styling grew stale rather quickly and Cadillac does virtually nothing to advertise it, the advertising dollars are for Super Cruise, not CT6. The striking new look may help, but not if Cadillac doesn't get the word out.

[A Horse With No Name]

All of Drews suggestions are things I would proudly put in my driveway.

Cherokee especially....!

[ocnblu]

GM is doing the same thing to their new midsize trucks that they did to every other generation before them... letting them grow stale.  We are in the fourth model year of zero design changes, in a segment that needs help regaining and maintaining its former position.  Here's hoping they spend a little money to refresh these trucks for the 2019 model year.

I think the Duramax should be available on all cabs and trim levels.  It would be great for fleets, for example.  And why is it available on ZR2 extended cabs but no other extended cab?

The Tacoma, if you look at it, is a very old-school truck in body proportion, with low bed sides and a high cab floor, putting the driver "legs out" instead of at chair height.  It is more like the mini-trucks of old in that way... but look at those sales... DOUBLE that of Colorado.  And I have to hand it to them, they're doing it with very little tangible benefit over the GM twins.

Those of you who've been around here know I waited with baited breath for the new Colorado, and ordered one in December 2014.  It was a very good truck for me, but to be honest, I was never comfortable in it.  The seat constantly dug into my left leg, and the traditional GM truck offset steering column, meant to ease ingress-egress (and finally done away with on the 2019 Silverado/Sierra), really put me in a weird position when driving.

OK sorry... I do agree with all of the suggestions so far.

As far as the Cruze, I've noticed on my local lot (admittedly a tiny sample of reality) that when the new style first came out, they were all about the manual transmission, high trim level cars... same when the hatch first appeared... now in the last year or so, all they stock is base model automatics, in sedan and hatch... barely any jazzy RS models to be found, and ZERO manuals.

The Cherokee came on the scene with a unique face and it gained attention, but it has clearly fallen off after spending time in daylight.  The refresh helps it, both front and rear.  The interior needed little change and I'm glad they didn't alter it too much.

The CT6 is only now receiving the look and presence it needed from the very beginning... and the new V8?  It should have been there from DAY ONE.  Was a near fatal flaw not offering an eight cylinder.

[frogger]

I think the Cherokee's smallish cargo area limits its appeal to families.  With the Compass as good as it is now and almost the same size, the Cherokee should grow a bit next gen and better compete with the class leaders.  It is very appealing otherwise IMO.

 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

3 hours ago, frogger said:

I think the Cherokee's smallish cargo area limits its appeal to families.  With the Compass as good as it is now and almost the same size, the Cherokee should grow a bit next gen and better compete with the class leaders.  It is very appealing otherwise IMO.

 

 

That's a good point about the Cherokee

[Robert Hall]

The oddball front and rear styling of the Cherokee no doubt hurt sales...

[ocnblu]

Cherokee's cargo hold is larger after the refresh.

[frogger]

21 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Cherokee's cargo hold is larger after the refresh.

Yep, still smaller than thee Compass apparently, 25.8 cubic feet where the CRV,RAV4,Rogue are almost 40.  I don't think any other compact is as small.  

 

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, frogger said:

Yep, still smaller than thee Compass apparently, 25.8 cubic feet where the CRV,RAV4,Rogue are almost 40.  I don't think any other compact is as small.  

 

Compass is 27.2 cubic feet, Grand Cherokee is 36.3 cubic feet.