In 2023 there were many premieres and new car products that attracted the interest of authoritative European and world experts. However, not all new products lived up to expectations.
Experts, thanks to their experience, as well as subjective impressions of a particular model, evaluate and share opinions about the new car. So this does not mean that these new cars are bad cars.
Journalists from Autoblog compiled their own list of cars on the US market that did not live up to their expectations.
Honda Pilot
The new Honda Pilot did not impress experts at all. The new model received significant upgrades in handling settings, new design and interior. However, experts came to the conclusion that the previous model was more successful than the current one.
That's because the new model has noticeably sluggish steering response and a more austere design that's harder to find its supporters.. Although the car has a powerful V6 engine, it still looks rather unattractive compared to competitors in the class of three-row family crossovers, of which there are quite a lot on the American market.
Mercedes-AMG C 43
World auto journalists and experts unanimously call the AMG C 43 one of the worst Mercedes-AMG cars. Most of them complain that the car has a stiff suspension even in standard driving mode. Due to poorly tuned suspension, the car literally loses traction in sharp turns, so the ESC system has to intervene.
However, the biggest disadvantage that everyone who gets behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG C43 notices is the operation of the gearbox. AMG transmissions are usually so good that in Sport+ mode they do all the work for you. They downshift willingly, often multiple gears, when braking into a corner, and quickly upshift exactly when you want them to.. However, with the C43 everything is different.. Experts noted that during active driving “with all the money”, the transmission constantly switched to the wrong gear. Moreover, all this was accompanied by twitching and tremors.. One might assume that the C43's mild hybrid system, integrated with the transmission, is to blame for this, but in any case, competitors have no such comments.
Alpina XB7
True connoisseurs of German cars will probably be surprised to see one of the Alpina models on this list. A company that makes luxury versions of BMW simply can't make bad cars.. However, the world's auto journalists have a different opinion about the XB7.
It's hard to believe, but according to experts, the XB7 both rides and handles worse than its X7 (M60i) siblings.. Thanks to the combination of a modified suspension and massive wheels, the car has worse dynamics than its regular counterpart.. However, the Alpina XB7 is even more luxurious in the cabin, so it will definitely find its connoisseurs.
Toyota Crown
The premium sedan from the Japanese company Toyota has become an object of interest not only for automobile critics, but also for ordinary car fans.. After all, the new Toyota flagship was supposed to be the most technologically advanced model in the line. However, when the car was officially unveiled and experts tested it, they concluded that the new Crown offers a similar level of equipment and comfort as the Avalon model.
However, the cost of the new Crown seems simply astronomical, because for the same money you can already buy a representative of the Lexus line. In particular, the ES 350 model costs about the same as the flagship from Toyota. And it is precisely this positioning of the model that makes it absolutely unnecessary, because the Toyota Crown is losing competition to its own premium Lexus line. Of course, connoisseurs and true Toyota fans will choose the Crown, but the ES 350 will definitely be no worse, and perhaps even a better option for the same budget.
BMW M4 CSL
It is worth noting that the BMW M4 is a wonderful car, perfectly balanced, capable of giving its driver extreme emotions not only during city driving, but also on the track. However, the special edition CLS cannot offer the comfort during normal driving that the standard model does.
The fact is that the CLS version has different suspension settings that help the car show all its capabilities on the track, as well as carbon sports seats that are not adjustable in any way. This was the reason that the car made a mixed impression among critics. Sure, the M4 CLS is a roaring beast, a delight for the mind, and it's undeniably something special, but is it worth $140,000 if you're unlikely to ever use it on the track?