What cars, in your view, are pointless?

[AudiMan2011]

The Zarooq Sand Racer.

An Arab-built supposed off-road "supercar" that the rest of the world never needed or asked for.

 

[C-ZETA]

I would say 'every crossover ever', on the basis that they combine the size of a hatchback with the ruggedness of an SUV to give you something with neither of those things, but the trouble is, as soon as one comes out, everyone laps it up. We can thank the Nissan Qashqow for that.

(There are some crossovers which still manage to be genuinely pointless though: thank mainstream companies' marketing departments for that)

 

[Sage Ages]

An Arab-built supposed off-road "supercar" that the rest of the world never needed or asked for.

I don't think the rest of the world was it's intended market to begin with.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Well, I saw the Murano Convertible listed. So, I thought I would put this here with it.
Though, it at least is a better looking vehicle than the Murano.

Also, I kinda think this was pointless. I guess other people thought the same thing since Dodge didn't sell many of these.

 

[ToyGTone]

The Zarooq Sand Racer.

An Arab-built supposed off-road "supercar" that the rest of the world never needed or asked for.

I didn't even know it exists...

...says a lot about this car.
-----------------
Speaking of arab market, here's some useless trim models we get over here:

Toyota Corolla X a.k.a a "sporty" edition of the Corolla made for some South East Asian Markets as well as GCC market.

I don't see why they even consider this to be a sporty version or why would anyone wants one but somehow more people bought this car than Prius which's cost a little bit more.

Toyota Land Cruiser TRD

Basically they took the highest or higher trim model available and threw in some extreme cosmetic parts and called it a day.

 

[Joey D]

I don't think the rest of the world was it's intended market to begin with.

They are going to attempt to sell it globally. I could see some SoCal buyers getting one I guess.

I didn't even know it exists...

...says a lot about this car.

It made its "official" debut last week and info was pretty hit or miss up until then.

Toyota Land Cruiser TRD

Basically they took the highest or higher trim model available and threw in some extreme cosmetic parts and called it a day.

It has bespoke off road suspension though and a 25mm lift. If it's anything like the other TRD Off Road models Toyota offers it will be even more capable off road than the standard Land Cruiser. I think it also has reinforced skid plates. The tires are appalling bad though.

 

[ToyGTone]

It made its "official" debut last week and info was pretty hit or miss up until then.

Still, when would those people start making some actual everyday car and not "look at me, I'm yusuf amir" guy. I'm sick of it and i wish if I could change it in any sort of way. If they already have money then why no one's bothering with investing in something like that?

It has bespoke off road suspension though and a 25mm lift. If it's anything like the other TRD Off Road models Toyota offers it will be even more capable off road than the standard Land Cruiser. I think it also has reinforced skid plates. The tires are appalling bad though.

I'm aware of the suspension changes but why have tires like that?

I mean I'm not sure if this is better in any sort of way as I'm not an expert at all but I believe it should be similar to this one.

 

[Sage Ages]

Maybe it's just my lack of knowledge on their usage, but I never understood the point of having armoured trucks with pickup beds.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Thanks for bringing that up, I just remembered something just as silly:

 

[Joey D]

I'm aware of the suspension changes but why have tires like that?

I mean I'm not sure if this is better in any sort of way as I'm not an expert at all but I believe it should be similar to this one.

A lot has to do with cost, road noise, and harshness while driving. Good all-terrain tires are terrible on the road and are super loud.

 

[Turbo]

Nissan Serena Nismo





What on earth is the point of a sporty minivan? If you want something fast but can also carry your kids and grocery bags, why not just buy a sporty wagon? They are lighter and more aerodynamic than minivans are. Also, giving a minivan the NISMO badge taints the NISMO brand name.​

 

[The Chosen One]

Nissan Serena Nismo





What on earth is the point of a sporty minivan? If you want something fast but can also carry your kids and grocery bags, why not just buy a sporty wagon? They are lighter and more aerodynamic than minivans are. Also, giving a minivan the NISMO badge taints the NISMO brand name.​

Maybe some executive at Nissan got bored one day?

 

[ToyGTone]

Nissan Serena Nismo





What on earth is the point of a sporty minivan? If you want something fast but can also carry your kids and grocery bags, why not just buy a sporty wagon? They are lighter and more aerodynamic than minivans are. Also, giving a minivan the NISMO badge taints the NISMO brand name.​

As pointless as a Nismo Sentra or Patrol.

 

[Turbo]

As pointless as a Nismo Sentra or Patrol.

The NISMO Sentra had the potential to be a competitive car and live up to the NISMO name, but it was hopelessly underpowered. The Serena and Patrol NISMO, on the other hand, were pointless from the beginning.

 

[Sage Ages]

I’m not sure if the Sentra being underpowered was an issue. I’m more curious about how the chassis/suspension holds up.

 

[ToyGTone]

The NISMO Sentra had the potential to be a competitive car and live up to the NISMO name, but it was hopelessly underpowered. The Serena and Patrol NISMO, on the other hand, were pointless from the beginning.

Why would a cheap Nissan with CVT driven by grandpa's be a competitive car in the first place?
I mean, the only time I ever heard of a "sporty" Nissan Sentra was from NFSUG2 but that's it.

The Nismo Patrol is nothing more than a top trim model Y62 Patrol with slighty more performance and a lot more focus on the interior and the exterior look. I heard that it had a better acceleration but not that much in top speed over the normal one. That's how I imagined most other nismo's would look like. Of course people bought it for showing off and luxury rather than performance. People who wants performance on a Patrol would rather own the Y61 and just throw a turbo into engine anyways.

This is why I always tend to think that NISMO road cars nowadays are nothing more than a bit more "sporty" look with some few extra Horsepower and torque. There's few exceptions tho.

So that minivan things is probably going to be the same case i guess.

 

[Sage Ages]

Why would a cheap Nissan with CVT driven by grandpa's be a competitive car in the first place?

Because it had a manual and a turbo-4 from the Juke. No idea on the chassis itself.

I mean, the only time I ever heard of a "sporty" Nissan Sentra was from NFSUG2 but that's it.

No direct experience with one, but from what I’ve heard, those things were awful. There was however, a Sentra SE-R built in the early 90’s that had gotten a fair amount of praise.

 

[Turbo]

I’m not sure if the Sentra being underpowered was an issue. I’m more curious about how the chassis/suspension holds up.

I am too, but is 185 horsepower from a car carrying the NISMO badge really acceptable? Especially when there are cars the same size as the Sentra making much more power.

 

[wvmgmidget]

Any car with a Landau roof.

 

[Sage Ages]

I am too, but is 185 horsepower from a car carrying the NISMO badge really acceptable?

There’s been plenty of Nismo cars with less power than that, although I am a bit curious that they didn’t bring it up to the Juke RS specs. Whether or not the rest of the car delivers seems like a bigger issue.

 

[SVX]

Also, giving a minivan the NISMO badge taints the NISMO brand name.

If that's the case, it's been tainted since the 90s.

 

[Turbo]

How has the El Camino not been mentioned yet?





As cool as these are, a Malibu with a truck bed is as pointless as can be.

 

[TexRex]

As cool as these are, a Malibu with a truck bed is as pointless as can be.

If it's pointless*, why's it cool? Presumably a Ford Fairlane treated similarly is equally pointless*, so is that not cool despite inspiring GM to break into the market that Harley Earl actually proposed (unsuccessfully) several years earlier?

*It's not. Wagon-turned-pickup models filled a need. Historically, they provided more economy and inspired significantly more confidence than their truck counterparts. Not everyone who benefitted from an open bed needed to stack 4x8 plywood a foot high or needed to haul a load of gravel.

Remember that these predated wide use of compact or midsize pickup alternatives by a considerable margin.

 

[Tornado]

An El Camino was a much nicer place to be inside, especially when driving, than any pickup made before the GMT-400s.

 

[RocZX]

The SS variant was popular because you can have a muscle car without paying the higher rates for insurance cause it was classified as pickup truck.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

In Classic Game Room's words, there's not many other muscle cars that let you haul three alligator carcasses and kegs of beer in the back without issue.

 

[eiriksmil]

The Zarooq Sand Racer.

An Arab-built supposed off-road "supercar" that the rest of the world never needed or asked for.

Imagine driving in the sand dunes in that thing though..!

I find most cars serve a purpose.. But people really having the need for the specific car they buy or not, that's another story.. Plenty of dudes (in particular I guess) for instance driving around in expensive pick up trucks, never hauling anything or driving the cars enough to warrant* what the trucks provide.

I will say, the BMW X6 is on the short list of pointless cars though.

* Of course the level of comfort, engine, performance etc. one wants or needs is subjective and we cannot judge one another too much. Having said that, looking at the planet and how we **** it and also at our economies and growth in world debt, it seems we cannot really keep on living like we do. It doesn't seem sustainable either financially or ecologically.

 

[Turbo]

Chevrolet Avalanche


Picture says it all. Who actually bought these? I guess it's for the buyer who couldn't decide between a Tahoe and a Silverado? What's the point in a full-size truck with much less bed space and versatility than a standard Silverado? Even a Pontiac Aztek had less obnoxious cladding than this.

These became even more pointless when GMC rolled out the Envoy XUV three years later.



You could technically buy a new Avalanche today. It's the Silverado High Desert package, basically the same idea as the Avalanche 15 years ago.

​

 

[Tornado]

Who actually bought these?

Hundreds of thousands of people for the first generation. Considerably less so for the second generation where the advantages were greatly narrowed vs the Silverado; since the GMT900 was designed more blatantly for passenger car usage in mind.

I guess it's for the buyer who couldn't decide between a Tahoe and a Silverado?

The person who wanted the running gear and much better driving manners of a Suburban but at least most of the load ability of a Silverado.

What's the point in a full-size truck with much less bed space and versatility than a standard Silverado?

An Avalanche had a (locking, covered) 5 foot bed that you could occasionally put 8 foot things in so long as they would fit between the wheel wells of a normal truck and through the midgate.
The Silverado 1500 Extended Cab had a wider 8 foot bed with horrible interior utilization while riding worse and being 10 inches longer.
The Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab had a wider 6.5 foot bed that you could not put 8 foot things in at all, while riding much worse and being 10 inches longer.
The Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab had a wider 8 foot bed while riding much much worse and being over 2 feet longer.

Even a Pontiac Aztek had less obnoxious cladding than this.

And that is why Chevrolet rushed a version with no cladding to the market halfway through the second model year.

These became even more pointless when GMC rolled out the Envoy XUV three years later.

No, the XUV (an underdeveloped and overly complicated answer to a question that no one asked, as was par for the course for "innovative" ideas with GM at the time) was the pointless one of the two, which is probably why it flopped and was withdrawn after a year on the market. It had the interior space of an Envoy with the footprint of an Envoy XL (which was itself already a questionable design compared to the Tahoe GM already sold) and you paid extra for the pleasure.




The title of the thread is not "Turbo doesn't understand market conditions of the time periods he calls out cars as being pointless in."

 

[TomBrady]

All electric cars. They will never be as practical, or enjoyable to drive as a real car and they will always sound like complete trash. I hope all electric cars die in a fire

​

Hundreds of thousands of people for the first generation. Considerably less so for the second generation where the advantages were greatly narrowed vs the Silverado; since the GMT900 was designed from the start with passenger car usage in mind rather than hastily converted after the fact.

​

The person who wanted the running gear and much better driving manners of a Tahoe but at least most of the load ability of a Silverado.

​

An Avalanche had a (locking, covered) 6.5 foot bed that you could occasionally put 8 foot things in so long as they would fit between the wheel wells of a normal truck and through the midgate.
The Silverado 1500 Extended Cab had a wider 8 foot bed with horrible interior utilization while riding worse and being 10 inches longer.
The Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab had a wider 6.5 foot bed that you could not put 8 foot things in at all, while riding much worse and being 10 inches longer.
The Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab had a wider 8 foot bed while riding much much worse and being over 2 feet longer.

​

And that is why Chevrolet rushed a version with no cladding to the market halfway through the second model year.

​

No, the XUV (an overweight, underpowered, underdeveloped and overly complicated answer to a question that no one asked after the Avalanche had already been selling very well for several years) was the pointless one of the two, which is probably why it flopped and was withdrawn after a year on the market.




The title of the thread is not "Turbo doesn't understand market conditions of the time periods he calls out cars as being pointless in."

I know an Avalanche owner when I see one