The Agony and Ecstasy of Car Ownership: A Personal Review of Recent Model Years

As I sat in my test car, trying to make sense of the experience, I couldn't help but think about how quickly cars can go from being a joy to be hated. Take, for instance, the latest Honda Civic. Once a stalwart in the compact sedan class, it's now been transformed into a bland, boring machine that fails to live up to its former self. The CVT transmission and odd radio system are just two of the many quirks that made my test drive an exercise in frustration.

But what really gets my blood boiling is when car manufacturers promise the world and deliver nothing but disappointment. Take, for example, the Chevrolet Tahoe. I was excited about the Magnetic Ride Control suspension, which promised to make a big difference in the driving experience. But at $9,000 extra, it's just too much to ask. Suddenly, this isn't a Chevy Tahoe anymore; it's more like a BMW X5. And yet, I'm still paying for that "Chevy" brand, when in reality, I'm getting a car that feels more like its luxury counterpart.

And then there's the Ford MKC, which was another disappointment in my book. Its poor fuel economy, combined with the hefty price tag of titanium trim options, made it feel like a money pit. Not to mention the transmission and steering adjustments, which seemed to be just added as an afterthought. The short seat cushion was just the final nail in the coffin.

But what really gets me is when car manufacturers try to cut costs by sacrificing quality. Take, for instance, the Mercedes-Benz CLA. This tiny coupe may look great on paper, but trust me, it's a letdown in real life. The back seats are too small, the interior lacks any semblance of luxury, and the ride is stiff and unyielding. It's like they took all the fun out of driving and replaced it with a soulless, cynical experience.

And then there are cars that just fail to deliver on their promises. Take, for example, the Maserati Ghibli. I was excited to get behind the wheel, but what I got was a dull, unresponsive ride that lacked any real excitement. The handling was subpar, and the interior felt like an afterthought. It's a shame, really, because Maserati is supposed to be all about luxury and performance.

Of course, not every car is going to be a disappointment. But when it comes down to it, I think what gets me most annoyed are cars that promise people something and then don't deliver. Take, for instance, the Infinity Q50. It's a shame, really, because Nissan should know better by now. With its poor reliability and lack of owner satisfaction, this car is a real letdown.

As I looked around at my collection of test cars, I couldn't help but think about what went wrong. Was it the manufacturers? Was it the buyers? Or was it something else entirely? Whatever the answer may be, one thing's for sure: there's nothing quite like the agony and ecstasy of car ownership to bring out the best (and worst) in people.

Our next episode will take us from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, where we'll get an exclusive look at the latest and greatest models from some of the biggest names in the industry. It promises to be a wild ride, so stay tuned!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe wrap up the year looking at the automotive designs that are gifts that keep on giving and we look at the gifts that we want to take back next on talking cars hi everybody Welcome to talking cars with Consumer Reports I'm Tom mutchler I'm Jonathan linkov I'm Gabe shenhar and I'm Ryan pelowski you're Jonathan really uh this is our year- end episode this is when we go back and we take a look at the cars that we liked the most during the year and the ones that we didn't really like at all just a warning this is our personal list this doesn't have to be the top rated they don't have to be reliable this is just what really sticks out to us Ryan how about you kick off what cars did you like the most this year I have to go first huh yeah uhhuh well I'm going to start with the most obvious one I'm going to call it my 911 it's your 911 I call it mine your Porsche 911 M Porsche 911 I um I mean we don't even have to go into it fully but that is the car that stuck out to me this year I was I got to buy it and it was everything I had hoped um that's good it would be a real shame if it was disappointing wasn't disappointing at all no I I just love that car that was one of the best ones this year gab disagrees completely obviously so well I chose Ryan to buy that car for a reason so yeah no it sounds awfully biased but I just really love that car um it was it was a blast what's your number two yeah the um the second car is going to be the car that's behind me m235i no not that one that almost made the other left um I actually bought that car too kind of weird but wow interesting yeah Gabe knows his customers I guess so that that's a tremendous car uh more way more realistic in terms of price and the per performance is almost there by a 911 um at least on the street for fun fun factor that car is tremendous yeah I mean that that that BMW m235i that's going back to what BMWs always excelled at always you know that livability some semblance of practicality and the sheer Joy of driving yeah but you you can get in that car every day and drive it every day assuming you put some snow tires on could you do that with a 911 I could at least I'm still 28 years old yeah exactly I'm still 28 years old so I guess I maybe you know as I got older maybe not but um I could drive that car every day there's other it is loud it's a you know it's loud it's a little bit rough but it's a a hardcore sports car so no the m235 I definitely silkier definitely oh yeah easier to live with way easier to live with Choice number three back to another Porsche the Maan I mean that's the one to live with every day that that is that car I love driving in that car it sounds good it shifts like a a Ferrari I mean it's just it's unbelievable it's a really good dual clutch yeah it's a great dual clutch and it's yeah it's not practical it's outrageously priced but um well it's more practical in a 9 11 it is but for an SUV you'd expect you know I I can barely sit in the backseat but i d i don't ever sit in the back seat so what do I care right no it's a that's a that's an awesome car of course it's practical yeah it's almost affordable for a Porsche too too yeah everything is relative I guess those are my three that stuck out to me this year not a surprising list right no any R but that's that's okay Mr Gabe your list yeah so yeah I have to uh I mean it's easy to go to these cars that I've been uh coming back to I mean you can actually see the seat molded to my physique there bot so yeah that's why I couldn't get into some of these cars so okay I gave the 9911 to Ryan so I'll skip that one uh but I found myself really uh going back a lot to the Rain Rover this year and I really like that car at first I thought this is such a pompus snub uh appeal kind of a car but that's why you like it that's why it has a personal plate right it's the only plate but uh I mean in in reality that car really works it really delivers I mean it rides beautifully it uh it's it's it's got great visibility it has an effortless acceleration it's um has a great interior great seats uh it's it's a wonderful car let me ask you is it worth the premium over an X5 cuz I mean this year we tested the redesigned X5 which is also a delightful SUV right um there are totally two different cars completely I mean the uh the Range Rover is a much more of a relaxed uh Cruiser kind of kind kind of car the X5 is is BMW it's it's more uh there's something a little uh little stiffer and edgier about it okay I can see that I'm with you on the Range Rover by the way this is the first Range Rover Big Range Rover that I've driven in a while that's actually kind of lived up to the hype yeah I I think I I put my more my fair share of miles on that car um yeah so uh next uh I would second uh Ryan on BMW m235i that car is spectacular I mean it's fun to drive it's livable it's uh I mean the engine just super creamy smooth um the shifter the seats everything about that car that is uh is fantastic and uh the third one I'm going to break the rules a little bit here because I'm going to throw two cars and lump them together it's the um he already had the Porsche I know he I can't count the 911 because so I I'll count the GTI and the golf in as one entry here because uh I mean the car is really impressive the golf and here's a car that actually rides more comfortably than the Camry it's even quieter and yet it handles better than the Mustang and the fit and finish is is you're saying that the normal golf handles better than the must in my book and the normal the normal Mustang the normal Golf and the normal Mustang okay okay all right and the GTI I mean that really is an impressive car I uh I take that car every you probably noticed that much every weekend my my name is on that when you in the r or the 911 or the m235i yeah um yeah you know I got a question the other day on Twitter is the GTI worth the premium over the golf well it depends if you if you an Enthusiast kind of driver it's uh it's not a matter of money it's a matter of that that's the kind of the right car for youhm so you got to decide who you are basically right and how much money you have yeah I mean the regular golf is you're not going to feel short shifted in any way shape or form but you should $26,000 for the one we bought but if you don't want a performance car you don't want to um live with some um some you know firmer kind of ride louder exhaust and if it's not for you then the golf would just do fine do you have any more is that the end of your I'm not breaking any more rules Jonathan oh I want to hear this Thomas what's on your list my friend um okay so I was impressed with the Highlander Hybrid kind of a common man's vehicle here in this group I'm bring it down just really impressed by it's a it's it's a significant improvement over the last generation as far as materials as far as ease of use of the cabin been really impressed with the mileage flexibility I mean I got two little kids I have a 2-year-old or almost three and almost five so I'm worried no I'm you know there there's other people who wrote me into that problem um what I'm what I'm thinking about is ease of access for the kids things that stood out for me but also livability in a in a parents world and they really stood out that stood out for me and that there was room for them they weren't kicking the seats um they could get up in in the vehicle it wasn't such a high climb you know now if my daughter was here my 5-year-old she would say Range Rover cuz she loved that truck and she loves gab and she loves gab well that's another podcast um so that was the first one now okay is the hybrid worth the extra money I think the hybrid is it's all the money it's it's a lot of money it gives you some more features um but I wouldn't go with a regular Highlander at that I I might I might drop down to a Santa Fe if I was looking for a non-hybrid vehicle in that class yeah I like the Santa Fe as well um I mean need to be so I really like I like the Highlander Hybrid I I'll justify that vehicle and its size because of the fuel economy the price premium is not only for the hybrid because the way Toyota merchandizes the hybrid is only with the limited have to get the limited top but I mean I would I would get a normal Highlander Limited I would probably skip the hybrid you know which is another five $6,000 almost true you know so your choice is wrong choice your choice is wrong yeah that's okay um I'm sorry what's next so uh so let's see the other vehicle I was I was kind of impressed with Mini 3 cylinder the Mini Cooper with the three cylinder engine yeah I I was really surprised and pleasantly surprised about how much performance it delivered with that small engine you didn't miss the fact that it was one less one fewer cylinders um and AR had an automatic I mean yeah it was a fun car you know it's not a GTI but again it's it's a car that stood out to me like wow you know unlike the you know other other engines I guess the fiesta you know with its three-cylinder and such like here's a car that shows you can you can have a smaller displacement engine and a smaller cylinder count um and it still delivers fun you know I'm not a fan of the mini controls you know and I'm looking at things that are more out they've gotten better but when you start down here you know the bar isn't much very high to uh to achieve um and after that the is the Macan you know that's just a fun car that is like we wrote you know it it's almost a sports car in an SUV body it's a tremendously guilty pleasure I took it on a 5day vacation with my wife you know plenty of room for stuff for shopping for the holidays you know the comfortable supportive seats decent not good but decent fuel economy seats in that car are amazing the front seat they're great no tire you know drove up to main no no problems with my back or anything like that really nice um yeah the radio could be a little better or something like that but you know just flipping flipping down on on the on the you know the um the paddle shifters and you hear it snort and and almost backfire you know that that gives you the viseral feel and I'll tell you what it it's a car that you know you want to attack oddly cambered turns and stuff like that because it's is is rewarding you don't feel like oh I'm going to be leaning and like the X5 you get that where it's sporty or even the Big Range Rover Sport you know it's sporty but still you feel the mass now this thing lower you know it it's it puts the Q5 in that platform in in a different place and I wasn't too sure how the MCH was going to be different than the Q5 and even the SQ5 it's a different vehicle huge difference sure my list uh I like to pick cars I can afford to be with the common man as to say because I very much in one I was amazed by the super Outback I was not a fan of the 2010 to 2013 Outback they never got the r handling right it it got iged it was just this this huge thing um slow as the interior was cheap uh they fixed all of it they fixed everything for 2015 I mean the four-cylinder is a nice car for its 27 28 grand but our six cylinder is like about $37,000 with everything all the high-tech safety gear you want it's smooth it's comfortable it's quiet it's got a ton of room in the back I mean it's a lovely car yeah the six in are completely transformed that car yeah I mean I I wouldn't the the four fine the four is fine but the six is really sweet you know for the eight people who a year who will buy it uh the second choice is I'm going to I shouldn't have made fun of You for Cheating Gabe because I'm going to do the same same exact thing uh GTI in the golf I drive the GTI and for lack of a word I feel rich I mean we bought a Top ofe Line GTI but it feels nicer than our Audi A3 I mean it's just it's it's a great seat it's it's it's a nice interior it's fun to drive I know Mike Quincy did the big thumbs down thing but you know what that's him that's him he's alone there that's right he's not he's on an island that's right um the more I drive it the more I enjoy that car and I could easily see myself buying one uh third is that M2 35i that that is terrific fun uh and I'm I'm going to really cheat and I have two I have an honorable mention I'm going to cheat for you what about that Buick Regal no that was last year and i' I I like the Regal very much um but I also like the Chevy SS Chevy SS is a is a lovely lovely car big car fast car sounds great plenty of grip Good Times yeah Ryan what don't you like um I had actually had I had to like really think about the cars I didn't like and I have to differentiate them from cars that let me down um so like cars that actually annoyed me um I'm going to start with the Chrysler 200 uh 4cylinder um because it didn't know the transmission in that car doesn't know that it's a transmission it doesn't even it was just terrible and then I I I don't fit in that car that well I I feel like I can't see out the windows very well and um it's just a boring terrible car um other than that it's great next choice other than that it's great yeah other than that um my second my second most annoying I'm going to call them annoying annoying car was probably the XV hybrid oh subu XV hybrid cross trk however you say it um flare the the just not a good hybrid system and the XV was never that great anyway and this makes it heavier and um just boring to me a choppy ride it's just I'm just annoyed because you're spending 3,000 bucks more for just three miles per gallon more that's forgot to mention that's insulting if that yeah you forget about that but that's yeah it is insulting um anything else am I the third I'll give you one of mine that's very nice of you gave six no I'm going to it's another hybrid it was the Accord Hybrid oh I was really let down by that car cuz the four the regular four cylinder we had was tremendous nice CVT um just an easy livable you know and fairly inexpensive car and then the this the hybrids like it flares up it's similar to the XV flares up it doesn't feel like it has any power um and then it's just boring handling it's just it feels different than the four-cylinder even the chassis I don't know what is that much different about it but it's um that just that sticks out to me as um a let down major let down a car that did let me down I was expecting much more out of it zap the gibl it sounds good GI it sounds good especially when it shifts that's about where it ends it was okay on the track it wasn't anything spectacular Maserati sounds good too just the name Maserati I yeah when we got it I was like oh my God this is going to be awesome like you know you expect I was expecting it to be like pretty great no not so much I mean you have Jeep Grand Cherokee Windows switches in the thing like I mean pretty much right the control everything's just like it's very Chrysler Gabe yeah I haven't been going back to the Maserati gibli um so but anyway um so there you have it I'm uh uh the Lincoln MKC is probably at the top of my uh disappointments and annoyances because I mean the car really starts out with a forth Escape which is great and uh and then it kind of falls apart uh I mean it it me the that it has just such a short cruising range the um the ride is never right even though it has three different modes and um just uh the controls are so annoying of my Lincoln touch that thank God be retired let's go away uh and the car is no uh no less expensive than any of its peer vehicles from much much better uh there are much much better like from BMW and Audi and uh and what have you yeah no I agree with you the MKC is a big disappointment what else do you have um the Chevy Tahoe the Tahoe is uh yeah I mean it's an old school kind of a car it's uh the third row seat is is Tiny the car rides stiff it's uh all you have all all that's going for it is is it's quiet the power train is feels so lethargic if you if we had bought it with the uh Magnetic Ride Control suspension would that so that's another $9,000 that makes it a $70,000 car instead of a $60,000 car even $60,000 that's Chevy towel why am I paying for a Chevy towel what I'm paying for a BMW X5 I'm not Chevy I know I don't know I don't know okay Sim down s it's okay it's okay uh anything else so and yeah um and one car that really surprised me that I was so annoyed with it was the Honda Civic this latest uh freshening that uh gave it the CVT and the and the odd radio that car annoyed me so much I was so done with it after my first driving it that uh how can you do that you know the H Civic used to be like this at the top of like like a no-brainer a default choice of the top compact sedan in in that class and now it's nowhere near that um you're reaching back a bit with the Civic yeah but uh but it used to be like a very uh crisp fun car car to drive and now it just uh such a such a boring annoying car well it's gone from horrible to not as horrible but not great either Jonathan your choices so the gibly um that's why I parked it here yeah youno everybody yeah you know like Ryan said you know you play with the transmission you you know spits it spurts it it it Yelps and then and then you got to drive it out of the parking lot and you're like you know so we'll just cross that one up um MKC as well in the sense in addition it gets worse fuel economy than the uh Escape Limited we tested it costs more titanium excuse me titanium you know it costs more um the the transmission uh shift adjustment the steering Shi adjustments the uh um suspension adjustment it's all Pandora's Box you know just because you can do it doesn't mean that you should open that box and go there and like so many others it's just not right it's almost scly locks like you know um so yeah that that and the short seat cushion just I have no I mean it's it's worse than these chairs actually there's just no support um the vehicles I really really test are the GLA CLA mercedesbenz Mercedes-Benz GLA CLA the the CLA small Coupe a small Coupe like four-door and then the GLA crossover hatchback SUV tiny cost cutting they have to play in the market but you know it's almost they they they it's like the Mercedes has their floor usually is a bit higher and their floor now as far as pricing and and what standard is just down as low as it can go and then they start Ling on the options to give you any semblance of luxury it's tight in the back you know it's it's I know it's a two person vehicle or for a single who's outdating but it's just really sullying the brand I I I Really they may have to be there for a business decision but it just is lacking they're very cynical cars I mean they look great but there's just not too much to them uh my list uh I am most upset by cars that promise people something and then don't deliver it first one list is Zach gii I'm completely with you you know I don't want to drive that again and a Maserati I should want to drive a Maserati but you just get in and it just drones and the the handling is not that good and the ride is stiff and the interior is really not all that special it just it's a big let down uh the second car I think is a huge let down is the Infinity Q50 that car they messed it they are Nissan is screwing up Infinity I had that on my list I couldn't remember if was right year I mean the Rel maybe they need another name change that that could do it I mean the reliability is bad the owner satisfaction is bad the fun is taken out of it uh finally I'm with you on the CLA the Mercedes-Benz CLA that is just cynical and sad and you know people who are buying it thinking I can finally get a Mercedes-Benz you're not getting a mercedesbenz there's so many there's so many better things you can get for that money yeah and I I think that you're going to see it in that they have a lot of great first year sales and it's going to drop off significantly I think so that's going to wrap it up for this episode our next episode we're going to come to you from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show we really look forward to bringing you that show we see you then thankswe wrap up the year looking at the automotive designs that are gifts that keep on giving and we look at the gifts that we want to take back next on talking cars hi everybody Welcome to talking cars with Consumer Reports I'm Tom mutchler I'm Jonathan linkov I'm Gabe shenhar and I'm Ryan pelowski you're Jonathan really uh this is our year- end episode this is when we go back and we take a look at the cars that we liked the most during the year and the ones that we didn't really like at all just a warning this is our personal list this doesn't have to be the top rated they don't have to be reliable this is just what really sticks out to us Ryan how about you kick off what cars did you like the most this year I have to go first huh yeah uhhuh well I'm going to start with the most obvious one I'm going to call it my 911 it's your 911 I call it mine your Porsche 911 M Porsche 911 I um I mean we don't even have to go into it fully but that is the car that stuck out to me this year I was I got to buy it and it was everything I had hoped um that's good it would be a real shame if it was disappointing wasn't disappointing at all no I I just love that car that was one of the best ones this year gab disagrees completely obviously so well I chose Ryan to buy that car for a reason so yeah no it sounds awfully biased but I just really love that car um it was it was a blast what's your number two yeah the um the second car is going to be the car that's behind me m235i no not that one that almost made the other left um I actually bought that car too kind of weird but wow interesting yeah Gabe knows his customers I guess so that that's a tremendous car uh more way more realistic in terms of price and the per performance is almost there by a 911 um at least on the street for fun fun factor that car is tremendous yeah I mean that that that BMW m235i that's going back to what BMWs always excelled at always you know that livability some semblance of practicality and the sheer Joy of driving yeah but you you can get in that car every day and drive it every day assuming you put some snow tires on could you do that with a 911 I could at least I'm still 28 years old yeah exactly I'm still 28 years old so I guess I maybe you know as I got older maybe not but um I could drive that car every day there's other it is loud it's a you know it's loud it's a little bit rough but it's a a hardcore sports car so no the m235 I definitely silkier definitely oh yeah easier to live with way easier to live with Choice number three back to another Porsche the Maan I mean that's the one to live with every day that that is that car I love driving in that car it sounds good it shifts like a a Ferrari I mean it's just it's unbelievable it's a really good dual clutch yeah it's a great dual clutch and it's yeah it's not practical it's outrageously priced but um well it's more practical in a 9 11 it is but for an SUV you'd expect you know I I can barely sit in the backseat but i d i don't ever sit in the back seat so what do I care right no it's a that's a that's an awesome car of course it's practical yeah it's almost affordable for a Porsche too too yeah everything is relative I guess those are my three that stuck out to me this year not a surprising list right no any R but that's that's okay Mr Gabe your list yeah so yeah I have to uh I mean it's easy to go to these cars that I've been uh coming back to I mean you can actually see the seat molded to my physique there bot so yeah that's why I couldn't get into some of these cars so okay I gave the 9911 to Ryan so I'll skip that one uh but I found myself really uh going back a lot to the Rain Rover this year and I really like that car at first I thought this is such a pompus snub uh appeal kind of a car but that's why you like it that's why it has a personal plate right it's the only plate but uh I mean in in reality that car really works it really delivers I mean it rides beautifully it uh it's it's it's got great visibility it has an effortless acceleration it's um has a great interior great seats uh it's it's a wonderful car let me ask you is it worth the premium over an X5 cuz I mean this year we tested the redesigned X5 which is also a delightful SUV right um there are totally two different cars completely I mean the uh the Range Rover is a much more of a relaxed uh Cruiser kind of kind kind of car the X5 is is BMW it's it's more uh there's something a little uh little stiffer and edgier about it okay I can see that I'm with you on the Range Rover by the way this is the first Range Rover Big Range Rover that I've driven in a while that's actually kind of lived up to the hype yeah I I think I I put my more my fair share of miles on that car um yeah so uh next uh I would second uh Ryan on BMW m235i that car is spectacular I mean it's fun to drive it's livable it's uh I mean the engine just super creamy smooth um the shifter the seats everything about that car that is uh is fantastic and uh the third one I'm going to break the rules a little bit here because I'm going to throw two cars and lump them together it's the um he already had the Porsche I know he I can't count the 911 because so I I'll count the GTI and the golf in as one entry here because uh I mean the car is really impressive the golf and here's a car that actually rides more comfortably than the Camry it's even quieter and yet it handles better than the Mustang and the fit and finish is is you're saying that the normal golf handles better than the must in my book and the normal the normal Mustang the normal Golf and the normal Mustang okay okay all right and the GTI I mean that really is an impressive car I uh I take that car every you probably noticed that much every weekend my my name is on that when you in the r or the 911 or the m235i yeah um yeah you know I got a question the other day on Twitter is the GTI worth the premium over the golf well it depends if you if you an Enthusiast kind of driver it's uh it's not a matter of money it's a matter of that that's the kind of the right car for youhm so you got to decide who you are basically right and how much money you have yeah I mean the regular golf is you're not going to feel short shifted in any way shape or form but you should $26,000 for the one we bought but if you don't want a performance car you don't want to um live with some um some you know firmer kind of ride louder exhaust and if it's not for you then the golf would just do fine do you have any more is that the end of your I'm not breaking any more rules Jonathan oh I want to hear this Thomas what's on your list my friend um okay so I was impressed with the Highlander Hybrid kind of a common man's vehicle here in this group I'm bring it down just really impressed by it's a it's it's a significant improvement over the last generation as far as materials as far as ease of use of the cabin been really impressed with the mileage flexibility I mean I got two little kids I have a 2-year-old or almost three and almost five so I'm worried no I'm you know there there's other people who wrote me into that problem um what I'm what I'm thinking about is ease of access for the kids things that stood out for me but also livability in a in a parents world and they really stood out that stood out for me and that there was room for them they weren't kicking the seats um they could get up in in the vehicle it wasn't such a high climb you know now if my daughter was here my 5-year-old she would say Range Rover cuz she loved that truck and she loves gab and she loves gab well that's another podcast um so that was the first one now okay is the hybrid worth the extra money I think the hybrid is it's all the money it's it's a lot of money it gives you some more features um but I wouldn't go with a regular Highlander at that I I might I might drop down to a Santa Fe if I was looking for a non-hybrid vehicle in that class yeah I like the Santa Fe as well um I mean need to be so I really like I like the Highlander Hybrid I I'll justify that vehicle and its size because of the fuel economy the price premium is not only for the hybrid because the way Toyota merchandizes the hybrid is only with the limited have to get the limited top but I mean I would I would get a normal Highlander Limited I would probably skip the hybrid you know which is another five $6,000 almost true you know so your choice is wrong choice your choice is wrong yeah that's okay um I'm sorry what's next so uh so let's see the other vehicle I was I was kind of impressed with Mini 3 cylinder the Mini Cooper with the three cylinder engine yeah I I was really surprised and pleasantly surprised about how much performance it delivered with that small engine you didn't miss the fact that it was one less one fewer cylinders um and AR had an automatic I mean yeah it was a fun car you know it's not a GTI but again it's it's a car that stood out to me like wow you know unlike the you know other other engines I guess the fiesta you know with its three-cylinder and such like here's a car that shows you can you can have a smaller displacement engine and a smaller cylinder count um and it still delivers fun you know I'm not a fan of the mini controls you know and I'm looking at things that are more out they've gotten better but when you start down here you know the bar isn't much very high to uh to achieve um and after that the is the Macan you know that's just a fun car that is like we wrote you know it it's almost a sports car in an SUV body it's a tremendously guilty pleasure I took it on a 5day vacation with my wife you know plenty of room for stuff for shopping for the holidays you know the comfortable supportive seats decent not good but decent fuel economy seats in that car are amazing the front seat they're great no tire you know drove up to main no no problems with my back or anything like that really nice um yeah the radio could be a little better or something like that but you know just flipping flipping down on on the on the you know the um the paddle shifters and you hear it snort and and almost backfire you know that that gives you the viseral feel and I'll tell you what it it's a car that you know you want to attack oddly cambered turns and stuff like that because it's is is rewarding you don't feel like oh I'm going to be leaning and like the X5 you get that where it's sporty or even the Big Range Rover Sport you know it's sporty but still you feel the mass now this thing lower you know it it's it puts the Q5 in that platform in in a different place and I wasn't too sure how the MCH was going to be different than the Q5 and even the SQ5 it's a different vehicle huge difference sure my list uh I like to pick cars I can afford to be with the common man as to say because I very much in one I was amazed by the super Outback I was not a fan of the 2010 to 2013 Outback they never got the r handling right it it got iged it was just this this huge thing um slow as the interior was cheap uh they fixed all of it they fixed everything for 2015 I mean the four-cylinder is a nice car for its 27 28 grand but our six cylinder is like about $37,000 with everything all the high-tech safety gear you want it's smooth it's comfortable it's quiet it's got a ton of room in the back I mean it's a lovely car yeah the six in are completely transformed that car yeah I mean I I wouldn't the the four fine the four is fine but the six is really sweet you know for the eight people who a year who will buy it uh the second choice is I'm going to I shouldn't have made fun of You for Cheating Gabe because I'm going to do the same same exact thing uh GTI in the golf I drive the GTI and for lack of a word I feel rich I mean we bought a Top ofe Line GTI but it feels nicer than our Audi A3 I mean it's just it's it's a great seat it's it's it's a nice interior it's fun to drive I know Mike Quincy did the big thumbs down thing but you know what that's him that's him he's alone there that's right he's not he's on an island that's right um the more I drive it the more I enjoy that car and I could easily see myself buying one uh third is that M2 35i that that is terrific fun uh and I'm I'm going to really cheat and I have two I have an honorable mention I'm going to cheat for you what about that Buick Regal no that was last year and i' I I like the Regal very much um but I also like the Chevy SS Chevy SS is a is a lovely lovely car big car fast car sounds great plenty of grip Good Times yeah Ryan what don't you like um I had actually had I had to like really think about the cars I didn't like and I have to differentiate them from cars that let me down um so like cars that actually annoyed me um I'm going to start with the Chrysler 200 uh 4cylinder um because it didn't know the transmission in that car doesn't know that it's a transmission it doesn't even it was just terrible and then I I I don't fit in that car that well I I feel like I can't see out the windows very well and um it's just a boring terrible car um other than that it's great next choice other than that it's great yeah other than that um my second my second most annoying I'm going to call them annoying annoying car was probably the XV hybrid oh subu XV hybrid cross trk however you say it um flare the the just not a good hybrid system and the XV was never that great anyway and this makes it heavier and um just boring to me a choppy ride it's just I'm just annoyed because you're spending 3,000 bucks more for just three miles per gallon more that's forgot to mention that's insulting if that yeah you forget about that but that's yeah it is insulting um anything else am I the third I'll give you one of mine that's very nice of you gave six no I'm going to it's another hybrid it was the Accord Hybrid oh I was really let down by that car cuz the four the regular four cylinder we had was tremendous nice CVT um just an easy livable you know and fairly inexpensive car and then the this the hybrids like it flares up it's similar to the XV flares up it doesn't feel like it has any power um and then it's just boring handling it's just it feels different than the four-cylinder even the chassis I don't know what is that much different about it but it's um that just that sticks out to me as um a let down major let down a car that did let me down I was expecting much more out of it zap the gibl it sounds good GI it sounds good especially when it shifts that's about where it ends it was okay on the track it wasn't anything spectacular Maserati sounds good too just the name Maserati I yeah when we got it I was like oh my God this is going to be awesome like you know you expect I was expecting it to be like pretty great no not so much I mean you have Jeep Grand Cherokee Windows switches in the thing like I mean pretty much right the control everything's just like it's very Chrysler Gabe yeah I haven't been going back to the Maserati gibli um so but anyway um so there you have it I'm uh uh the Lincoln MKC is probably at the top of my uh disappointments and annoyances because I mean the car really starts out with a forth Escape which is great and uh and then it kind of falls apart uh I mean it it me the that it has just such a short cruising range the um the ride is never right even though it has three different modes and um just uh the controls are so annoying of my Lincoln touch that thank God be retired let's go away uh and the car is no uh no less expensive than any of its peer vehicles from much much better uh there are much much better like from BMW and Audi and uh and what have you yeah no I agree with you the MKC is a big disappointment what else do you have um the Chevy Tahoe the Tahoe is uh yeah I mean it's an old school kind of a car it's uh the third row seat is is Tiny the car rides stiff it's uh all you have all all that's going for it is is it's quiet the power train is feels so lethargic if you if we had bought it with the uh Magnetic Ride Control suspension would that so that's another $9,000 that makes it a $70,000 car instead of a $60,000 car even $60,000 that's Chevy towel why am I paying for a Chevy towel what I'm paying for a BMW X5 I'm not Chevy I know I don't know I don't know okay Sim down s it's okay it's okay uh anything else so and yeah um and one car that really surprised me that I was so annoyed with it was the Honda Civic this latest uh freshening that uh gave it the CVT and the and the odd radio that car annoyed me so much I was so done with it after my first driving it that uh how can you do that you know the H Civic used to be like this at the top of like like a no-brainer a default choice of the top compact sedan in in that class and now it's nowhere near that um you're reaching back a bit with the Civic yeah but uh but it used to be like a very uh crisp fun car car to drive and now it just uh such a such a boring annoying car well it's gone from horrible to not as horrible but not great either Jonathan your choices so the gibly um that's why I parked it here yeah youno everybody yeah you know like Ryan said you know you play with the transmission you you know spits it spurts it it it Yelps and then and then you got to drive it out of the parking lot and you're like you know so we'll just cross that one up um MKC as well in the sense in addition it gets worse fuel economy than the uh Escape Limited we tested it costs more titanium excuse me titanium you know it costs more um the the transmission uh shift adjustment the steering Shi adjustments the uh um suspension adjustment it's all Pandora's Box you know just because you can do it doesn't mean that you should open that box and go there and like so many others it's just not right it's almost scly locks like you know um so yeah that that and the short seat cushion just I have no I mean it's it's worse than these chairs actually there's just no support um the vehicles I really really test are the GLA CLA mercedesbenz Mercedes-Benz GLA CLA the the CLA small Coupe a small Coupe like four-door and then the GLA crossover hatchback SUV tiny cost cutting they have to play in the market but you know it's almost they they they it's like the Mercedes has their floor usually is a bit higher and their floor now as far as pricing and and what standard is just down as low as it can go and then they start Ling on the options to give you any semblance of luxury it's tight in the back you know it's it's I know it's a two person vehicle or for a single who's outdating but it's just really sullying the brand I I I Really they may have to be there for a business decision but it just is lacking they're very cynical cars I mean they look great but there's just not too much to them uh my list uh I am most upset by cars that promise people something and then don't deliver it first one list is Zach gii I'm completely with you you know I don't want to drive that again and a Maserati I should want to drive a Maserati but you just get in and it just drones and the the handling is not that good and the ride is stiff and the interior is really not all that special it just it's a big let down uh the second car I think is a huge let down is the Infinity Q50 that car they messed it they are Nissan is screwing up Infinity I had that on my list I couldn't remember if was right year I mean the Rel maybe they need another name change that that could do it I mean the reliability is bad the owner satisfaction is bad the fun is taken out of it uh finally I'm with you on the CLA the Mercedes-Benz CLA that is just cynical and sad and you know people who are buying it thinking I can finally get a Mercedes-Benz you're not getting a mercedesbenz there's so many there's so many better things you can get for that money yeah and I I think that you're going to see it in that they have a lot of great first year sales and it's going to drop off significantly I think so that's going to wrap it up for this episode our next episode we're going to come to you from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show we really look forward to bringing you that show we see you then thanks\n"