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Old 01-05-11, 12:05 PM
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Post MSN: Worst new-for-2011 vehicles

http://autos.ca.msn.com/specials/buy...entid=26838278

2011 Infiniti QX56


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Actually, I'm half-tempted to name the Honda CR-Z as my top dud of 2011. That may shock anybody who knows me as both a fuel-economy zealot and the devoted 20-years owner of a Honda CRX. But the CR-Z, instead of a delivering a best-of-both-worlds blend of fuel-frugal sportiness, falls between two stools: it doesn't deliver enough of either attribute. Still, that doesn't make the CR-Z a bad car, just a frustrating one. For bad, I'm going with something completely different - the Infiniti QX56.


Actually, the QX56 is a fine example of what it's intended to be. What it is, however, is a full-size luxury SUV. And since the QX56 is the only new-for-2011 full-size luxury SUV, it gets to be the scapegoat for my disdain for the entire breed. On a planet plagued by poverty, pollution, overpopulation and pending Peak Oil, these rolling monuments to conspicuous consumption are offensive. Vulgar and ostentatious status symbols, they hog gas, accelerate climate change, and increase the harm to occupants of smaller vehicles in collisions. Yet the cruel irony is that their clumsy handling and proneness to fall over negates the "safety" that is the alleged justification for buying them in the first place. -- Jeremy Sinek for MSN Autos



2011 Scion xB


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The 2011 Scion xB brought out the curmudgeon in me. This second-generation xB is more rounded than the original (sold only in the U.S.) but still looks like the stylists drew their inspiration from gluing two cardboard boxes together and then kicking them around until the corners were blunted. Do the young people it's supposedly aimed at really want to spend $18,270 to ride around in something this obviously ungainly, unattractive and unappealing?


What's more is that the xB experience doesn't improve from the driver's seat, which in typical Toyota fashion isn't that comfortable. Drivers also must look to the centre of the dash to find the instruments and down to the right to find audio and climate controls and the gearshift, which juts out in minivan fashion. Under your right foot is a 2.4-litre engine which, with the four-speed automatic transmission that most will opt for doesn't feel like it makes the 158 hp claimed and takes about 10 seconds to get to 100 km/h. Steering response and handling are about as entertaining as you'd expect - even if your expectations were rock-bottom, which they would be if you bought such a vehicle, you'd still likely walk away disappointed. -- Bob English for MSN Autos
2011 Toyota Avalon


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Toyota can blame its ongoing string of recalls for its poor sales performance (down 20.5 per cent in Canada this year in a market that's up 13.6 per cent) till it's blue in the face. But stodgy product, like the "new" 2011 Avalon sedan I drove this summer, is also at the top of the list of what's ailing the Japanese automaker.


Since it arrived in 1995, the Avalon has been a carrot for pissed-off Buick owners. And its purpose hasn't change one iota in 16 years. Not that anyone under the age of 65 would notice, but allegedly Toyota has updated the $41,100 Avalon for 2011. There are some styling tweaks. And it also boasts of the segment's only reclining rear seats - just the thing for napping on that long drive back-and-forth to Florida that retirement-age Avalon owners will likely perform. But other than that, it's the same old, same old for what is basically a stretched Camry. The Avalon gets a 268-hp V6 from said Camry that's as smooth as prune pudding, while the brakes, steering and handling have all been anesthetized. Any sense I was piloting a motor vehicle, instead of a leather-upholstered La-Z-Boy recliner, was absent from the Avalon's driving experience. Look, if you need a better Buick, just go buy a Hyundai Genesis. Please. -- John LeBlanc for MSN Autos



2011 Ford Fiesta


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At first blush, I must be nuts to swim against the tide by criticizing the Ford Fiesta. Yes, it's a smartly designed subcompact that is bound to convert a lot of Americans into small-car disciples (we Canucks are already anointed). It's nicely refined and packed with innovative features, including an optional six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. Priced from $16,799 for the hatchback, Ford will sell a million of 'em in every retina-scorching colour they have.


But here's the thing: I can't fit in it. Okay, I'm big, but then again so is the average North American - and we're growing bigger. The front seats are decent enough, but when I try to squeeze through one of the rear apertures to the back seat, I'm astonished by the lack of space. How did this escape the notice of any right-thinking journo? The fact is, if you're going to drop $20,000 on a gas-saving hatchback you have a right to expect to transport four adults in reasonable comfort. On this count, the Fiesta fails miserably. I had planned to buy one (used) in a few years' time when my daughter earns her licence. Instead, hello Honda Fit - which does. -- Mark Toljagic for MSN Autos


2011 Infiniti M



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    The Infiniti M alarms me. It's not a safety issue, it's a style issue. First there is the festering front end - all puffed out like Louis Armstrong blowing a trumpet. Then there is the jukebox-diner centre console which assaults the driver's eyes.


    Barging around in the M is supposed to make you forget the BMW 5 Series, the Benz E-Class - both elegant and beautiful - but even the loaded $73,400 M56 Sport, topped up with 420 horsepower, is as exciting as having your stuffy aunt over for Sunday dinner. It just looks busy, bulgy and old fashioned next to the sculpted metal of the German flotilla. -- Kathy Renwald for MSN Autos
    2011 Nissan Juke


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    In my books, the Nissan Juke compact crossover wins the worst new vehicle of 2011, mainly because of its styling. One word sums it up - ugly. It's an eye sore. Its exterior design and squat stance is outright unattractive. From any angle - the front, rear, or side - it looks mismatched and unbalanced; there's just too much going. The inside is no better, filled with hard cheap plastic that leaves much to be desired. And the centre console painted to match the exterior (bright red in my tester) further cheapens the cabin. Some will disagree with my harsh assessment - most likely guys. After all, this four-cylinder cute ute is aimed at men. Maybe that's why Iloathe it, but I guess it doesn't matter - I'm not the target market.


    Granted the price of the Juke is reasonable, starting at $19,998 for the base front-wheel-drive version, but I'd rather spend my hard-earned money on a Nissan Rogue. Design-wise it's much easier on the eyes, yet is practical and costs just a few thousand dollars more. Plus it comes with more standard equipment than the Juke. Personally, I think the Juke should have been called the Nissan Joke. -- Petrina Gentile for MSN Autos
    2011 Chevrolet Volt



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      While the much-ballyhooed Volt is just now rolling into select U.S. markets, it won't be in Canadian Chevy showrooms until summer. My advice: Skip it. Yes, the Volt is a potential game changer. Yes, a commuter could go weeks without ever needing to pull into a gas station given that the Volt has a range of more than 60 km in electric mode. But the bottom line is the bottom line. And the Volt's price tag makes this pseudo E-car a brutal buy.


      Do the math: While GM Canada hasn't officially announced prices yet, south of the border, the base MRSP of the Volt is a somewhat shocking US$41,000. To put that in perspective, consider that the similarly-sized (and gas-sipping) Chevrolet Cruze is $14,995 (Canadian funds). That means the price differential between these two Chevrolets is more than $26,000 (taxes in). Let me reframe it for you:

      $26,000+ buys a lot of gasoline over the lifetime of a car. Thus, if you really want Chevy's whiz-bang electric technology, you'll pay dearly to be a trailblazer. And remember how much a VCR cost back when those gadgets debuted in the late '70s? Patience, people, patience. -- David Menzies for MSN Autos




      2011 Infiniti QX56



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        This is just what the world needs - an $80,000, 6,000-lb body-on-frame luxury SUV! Sales at Nissan's Infiniti division have been outpacing the economic recovery and it is betting there are enough people who want a large vehicle capable of carrying more than five people in luxury and comfort to justify the cost of developing a new generation of its über-ute the QX56. Infiniti says the goal was to replicate the feeling of an executive jet. "Five-star travel for up to eight passengers," was the catch phrase touted during development.


        Well a jet might actually be smaller than this giant. There is so much real estate to cover when you look around the exterior that Infiniti even provides cameras that show a 360-degree view around the vehicle. The 400-horsepower V8 uses fuel at the rate of almost 16 litres every 100 km in city driving - if you are careful. Stretching almost 5,300 mm from bumper to bumper and more than 2,000 mm from door-to-door this is a very inefficient way to carry seven or eight people or tow your toys. The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is the answer to a question nobody asked. -- Richard Russell for MSN Autos


        2011 Scion xB



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          It's not the Scion xB is a really bad vehicle. Or that the concept for the Scion brand is particularly flawed. It's that the entire process of launching this brand in Canada is seemingly without purpose. Scion, for anyone left wondering - and considering how popular the brand has been since its launch, that's most of you - is ostensibly Toyota's youth brand. When it was launched - to much fanfare, by the way - in trendy California in 2003, there was also a purpose behind Toyota launching a third brand. Its products - as well as its Japanese competitors - had grown stagnant and unattractive to the youth market. Enter the xB; its boxy mini-cube-van look was all the rage amongst California surfer dudes.


          Fast-forward to today and the xB's time is past. It's surrounded by cooler products - Nissan's Juke and Cube, and Kia's Soul come to mind - and its once funky looks no longer resonate. None of its technical features attract nor is its pricing particularly appealing. And Toyota Canada's launch of the brand was the best-kept secret since the Stealth Bomber. Considering that only 247 Scions were sold in October across our entire country, chances are you didn't even know the xB was for sale in Canada. Poor timing, virtually nonexistent marketing and dated product does not make for a successful brand launch. -- David Booth for MSN Autos


          2011 Scion xD


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          Scion was a brand specifically created by Toyota's marketing team to get young people like me off the streets and into a blank-canvas car, which can then be customized. Sounds good. Except the canvas called the xD isn't good. Why? Well, fundamentally it's not a bad car - it's a Yaris with a Corolla engine wedged under the hood, so it's economical, affordable and reliable.


          So why pan the xD? Because it's just that - a Yaris with a Corolla engine. It has none of the charm or innovation that new small cars should have. Yeah, I get that you're supposed to add personality through the accessories catalogue, but that's akin to judging the personality of someone by the clothes or accessories they wear rather than the content of their character. And when that character happens to be vapid ... well, you get the idea. -- Justin Couture, MSN Autos
          2011 Mitsubishi RVR


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          Photo: Mitsubishi



          Understand that "worst" is a relative term as there are few really bad cars anymore. But the RVR disappoints, on one major - deal-breaking - front. The powertrain reminds me of my scouting report as a hockey player: "He's small, but he's slow." As in, the RVR's 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is weak, but it's noisy. And the continuously variable transmission (CVT) doesn't do the engine any favours.
          Now unlike a lot of my colleagues, I am not a member of the Anti-CVT league.



          Some of them work very well. But presumably in an attempt to let some performance escape from the engine, this one lets said engine rev the whee out of itself, adding to the din (without much effect, I must say). Mitsubishi claims the rationale / justification is best-in-class fuel consumption, but it simply isn't worth it. It's a shame, really, because the RVR looks good inside and out, is sized right, equipped right, priced right - and warranted right.
          But in one of the toughest and fastest-growing segments in the industry, you cannot afford to be this far behind the competition on such an important attribute. -- Jim Kenzie for MSN Autos


          2011 Volkswagen Jetta



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          When Volkswagen announced that it was changing its strategy with the new Jetta to be larger and less expensive, we knew something had to give. When we discovered the return to a beam-axle rear suspension, rigid trunk arms and harder interior plastics, we knew that was the price to pay for that $15,875 price tag. But did it also have to include the ancient 2.0-litre eight-valve engine too? It's been around since the Reagan era, and was supposed to have died an inglorious death with the departure of the City Golf / City Jetta.


          That underpowered and underwhelming 2.0-litre throws off the whole Volkswagen vibe. It's loud and unrefined. Surely in all of the brands that VW owns, there isn't one modern, inexpensive engine that could be pressed into service? Nowhere? It's a shame because the turbodiesel engine really grows on you with its torque-rich delivery and epic fuel economy. But it's only offered with the plusher Comfortline and Highline trim levels, which plumps the price tag up by a minimum of $8,000. -- Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos
           
          Old 01-05-11, 12:21 PM
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          Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
          The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is the answer to a question nobody asked.
          And yet it's the best selling large LSUV right now by a landslide. Luxury is never about being sensible. I think this author just plain doesn't understand what it means to review something for what it's designed for. The same goes for the Avalon review.
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          Old 01-05-11, 12:22 PM
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          LIMS407
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          ummm not feelin new infiniti designs at all,,,
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          Old 01-05-11, 12:24 PM
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          No Acuras on this list? Bogus!!
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          Old 01-05-11, 12:27 PM
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          Originally Posted by Mister Two
          And yet it's the best selling large LSUV right now by a landslide. Luxury is never about being sensible. I think this author just plain doesn't understand what it means to review something for what it's designed for. The same goes for the Avalon review.
          I found it funny two different authors seemed to name that vehicle. FYI the Caddy is the best selling in class and the Benz GL outsold it last month.

          Scion also got panned
           
          Old 01-05-11, 12:34 PM
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          Originally Posted by Mister Two
          .... I think this author just plain doesn't understand what it means to review something for what it's designed for. ...
          Felt the author was LOST... or a part of "LOST"

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTFWkObCXVU
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          Old 01-05-11, 12:45 PM
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          The QX, M, Juke, XD certainly rank down low....
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          Old 01-05-11, 01:04 PM
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          Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
          I found it funny two different authors seemed to name that vehicle. FYI the Caddy is the best selling in class and the Benz GL outsold it last month.
          Oops was relying on your well-organized summary in the sales thread and noticed you just added the Escalade and GL after this post. Well at any rate I think the QX can be considered a sales success for Infiniti. (Even though I can't decide if I love or hate the styling, it's certainly unique and has character.)
          Scion also got panned
          I don't think those two Scions are new-for-2011--both the xD and the 2nd-gen xB have been here since 2007 and little or none has changed for the 2011 models, so they shouldn't be eligible to be on the list in the first place, despite their worthiness to be on the list.

          Last edited by Mister Two; 01-05-11 at 01:17 PM.
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          Old 01-05-11, 01:14 PM
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          PhilipMSPT
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          Surely, this should have been on the list:


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          Old 01-05-11, 01:26 PM
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          IS-SV
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          Ugggggg ^^, is that nightmare a real production car or just a very bad concept car?
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          Old 01-05-11, 01:31 PM
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          This is a Canadian list, Scion only just started up here hence why they included them.
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          Old 01-05-11, 01:39 PM
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          Originally Posted by IS-SV
          Ugggggg ^^, is that nightmare a real production car or just a very bad concept car?
          That is a real production car.

          The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet will be on sale later this year.


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          Old 01-05-11, 01:50 PM
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          ^OK for this I can agree that it's not about being unique and having character but about being plain blind and distasteful.
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          Old 01-05-11, 01:52 PM
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          I agree that the QX and vehicles like it are obscene. But people are still buying the things and that simple fact justifies its existence in a strictly business sense for right now.

          Be it new for 2011 or not, the Acura ZDX trumps everything on this list and I mean EVERYTHING.
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          Old 01-05-11, 02:03 PM
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          I think QX56 sales will suffer in a year or two. I can't see this model having much sales longetivity or consistency. I saw one on the road the other day and it looked like an angry whale . IMHO I'm getting really sick and tired of certain Japanese automakers designing their models to look like animals or cartoon characters. Mazda and Nissan/Infiniti, I'm looking at you.

          Weird list MSN came up with.
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