Engineering Explained: 6 Cars That Make No Logical Sense

Some cars should never have left the concept room, but somehow, this lot ended up on our driveways anyway...

04 Dec 2015

Engineering Explained: 6 Cars That Make No Logical Sense

Car buying always has been, and always will be, an emotional experience. Whether or not you even like cars, logic is often thrown out the window when you arrive at the dealer lot. Here are six cars which make no logical sense, matched with the car that should be bought instead.

VW Beetle R-Line
Cadillac ELR
Mustang V6
Lexus IS250
Kia Forte Koup
Aston Martin Cygnet

1. VW Beetle R-Line

My favourite of the group, and the inspiration for this article, the VW Beetle R-Line is ousted in every way by the VW Golf GTI. Here’s the decision to make: you could spend $25,995 for the bottom shelf trim Beetle R-Line. Or, you could keep 1000 of those dollars for a car that has the same power, but 51 more torque units that come on 200rpm sooner. Not only that, you’ll be getting 2mpg better in the city and 3mpg better on the highway thanks to it weighing over 80 pounds less (-30kg), and having a drag coefficient of 0.31 over the Beetle’s 0.37. Cargo volume? How about an additional 22.8 cu ft. (+645 litres) in the Golf with both cars having the rear seats folded down (it’s not like the Beetle’s rear seats are useable anyway).

So to recap, for $1000 less, you get a car that’s faster, more fuel efficient, more aerodynamic, lighter, has more cargo space, and can actually fit four adults. Long live the GTI!

2. Cadillac ELR

Whether or not the launch of the Chevrolet Volt was a success, the logic behind the design is sound. It’s a car that can offer a completely green way to get to work and back, assuming the distance is short enough, without the range anxiety associated with its purely electric counterparts. Run out of electric juice? No problem, a 1.4-litre petrol engine kicks in and you’re back to emitting EV repellent.

Then, GM became greedy. For 2014 it threw the Volt power plant underneath Cadillac’s exquisite metal stamping, included slightly larger electric motors (mind you, in EV mode it still took 8.8 seconds to hit 60mph), and raised the price from $34k to $75k. It’s as bad a deal as it sounds, and the market called GM’s bluff. For 2016 the ELR experienced a $9000 price drop and gained significant performance benefits.

3. Mustang V6

The new V6 Mustang is a lose-lose situation. If you cared about fuel economy, you could have a four-cylinder version which produces more power, 40lb/ft more torque, and brings in an extra 5mpg (manual trans). If your right foot wasn’t connected to your bank account, you’ll lose 2mpg but gain 135 horsepower and 120lb/ft with the V8. The V6 was made for fleet sales or those who want a convertible Mustang on the cheap, not the enthusiast.

4. Lexus IS250

Last year in November, I had the opportunity to try out a fully loaded 2015 Lexus IS250 with AWD that was just shy of $47,000. While I found the aesthetics stunning, the plant burner under the hood was severely underwhelming. For comparison, a Kia Sedona (yes, a minivan) has a better power-to-weight ratio. The IS250’s V6 put out just 204 horses, yet for $3000 you could option up for 306hp. Granted, $3000 is a considerable amount of money, but for the car I drove to have exactly 50 per cent more power it was only a six per cent price hike (larger brakes included as well). Considering fuel economy was only 1mpg worse, those who overlooked the engine option checkbox read over the specs faster than their car will ever be. Luckily, Lexus has made revisions so now the IS350 is paired with a turbo IS200, producing more power in a smaller package.

5. Kia Forte Koup

The Kia Forte Koup SX and the Hyundai Veloster Turbo share a lot in common. They both have twin-scroll turbo 1.6-litre engines producing 201hp, and they both offer six-speed manual transmissions. But for just $1000 more, the Veloster offers more front legroom and headroom, significantly more cargo space (it’s a hatch), 3mpg combined better fuel economy, and it’s about 50lbs (22kg) lighter. That’s $1000 well spent!

6. Aston Martin Cygnet

It’s not every day that you get to spend $50,000 on a car that hits 60mph in the double digits (11.6 seconds). For three times the price of the Toyota iQ that the internals are directly pulled from, you could have had an Aston Martin badge and the luxury of convenient parking. Or you know, you could have had that luxury with an additional $30k+ in the bank. Dollar for dollar, there probably wasn’t a worse choice you could make in the car world. That said, I’d still love to have one.

While none of the cars above make much logical sense, I do certainly believe that the car world is a greater place as a result of diversity. Though I would probably never recommend any of the aforementioned rides to a friend (that would be rude), I’m happy that they exist. What other cars make the list?

Follow me on Car Throttle for more articles, videos and pics!

Comments

the cygnet had to be made due to EU emissions rules, which on a basic level say over the entire range of cars sold by a manufacturer the average emissions cant be above a certain level. so instead of developing a new car at vast expense aston made some rebadged IQ’s.

About the Coupes and not so usable cars… yes they might seem unlogical. But I could totally understand someone, who would rather buy a Beetle than a boring Golf. It is about the looks. Here in germany you’ll find 2-3 Golfs in every street, while a Beetle will be a rare thing. The looks of the Beetle are unique and have a history, the Golf is barely different from the previous generations.

I hate that in a world, where we have so many niche models, sometimes even 3dr versions of compact cars are stopped. I got a 3 dr Corsa, which to me, is the perfect car. I don’t need 2 doors at the back, it’s the perfect city car with good fuel economy and decent space. The looks of it, compared to a 5dr, is just way more sporty and to me way more appealing. This “logical” thinking made all the sporty coupes dissappear, like the Integra. I’m thankful for every manufacturer that keeps producing small coupes!

Well, the v6 mustang isn’t absolutely terrible. It is a tried and tested platform, with a solid engine. The 2015 just improved the suspension for handling. The 4 cylinder is a new platform, with unknown long term reliability. Yea sure you can start adding power to it, but how will that effect it in the long run? I’d feel safer procharging a v6 and adding supporting mods than stressing the 4 cylinder. Now, the sound of the Eco boost is interesting. I’d rather put a roush axle back on my v6 than on the Eco boost. The v6 sounds more “muscle car esque” than the 4 cylinder. Now, I don’t hate the Eco boost. It’s an excellent performance car! I’m just stating a defense for the v6.

You definitely have a point, he forgot that there is one sizeable demographic, and that’s people who can’t afford to run a V8 but absolutely refuse to drive a 4 cylinder Mustang because to them it’s an unholy sin. I’m not implying that you’re one of them, just that besides your point, those people also exist and will buy a V6.

Please don’t say things like, “The v6 sounds more “muscle car esque” than the 4 cylinder.” Neither of those engines sound like a muscle car. If you wanted it to sound like a muscle car you should have got the V8. I hate it when people waste money putting loud exhaust systems on V6 Mustangs because it sounds awful and makes us Mustang owners look bad. So please do the rest of us a favor and refrain from doing so. Leave that to guys with engines that actually sound like Mustangs/muscle cars. That being said, I have nothing against the V6 or EcoBoost. They’re both solid engines that perform perfectly in their price brackets. They do what they’re meant to do which is keep the Mustang name alive and boost sales so that Ford can have the budget to build monsters like the last gen GT500 and the new GT350/GT350R.

The Cygnet is the result of governments forcing Aston Martin to make a compact eco car. They charged $50k for it so nobody would buy it. It makes perfect sense.

Did you really just ask for followers? I thought this is wear I thought I could get away from the people asking for likes and followers.

Don’t worry, they will also repost this for the next 6 months ;)

Modern G wagon’s?

I like how they conveniently forgot to mention that the Cygnet wasn’t at all unnecessary as Aston had to use it to keep the company’s overall emissions down, so in fact it was very necessary. Do some research before you “explain” things, and for the love of christ don’t ask for followers.