TTAC Ten Worst Autos 2008

[armadamaster]

Link

[mettech]

It appears that the majority of them will be gone by next year.

[retro-man]

The Sebring twins strike me as the modern equivalent of the Dart / Valiant from the early 60s in terms of design finesse relative to their competitors: quirky and homely. The ribbed hoods are the modern equivalent of that funky spare tire thing embossed on the trunklid of the old Valiants. This quirky approach to styling might have some nostalgia value, but it's no way to save market share. We will witness the disappearance of Chrysler within 5 years. Iacocca bought them a couple of decades with the K-car and minivans, and that's not a bad run. I don't see anybody or any product to step in this time though (unless they magically pull a viable and affordable electric out of their hats in the next 2 years).

 

 

Don't want to see them go away - my great grandfather was a Chrysler ("Chissler" he mispronounced it in his Black Sea German accent) man, and my grandfather owned a Desoto, a Plymouth, and a Dodge in my childhood. I had a Plymouth too - my 2nd car (bought used for me by my grandfather because the sight of my first car - a $75 '63 Fairlane was just too painful for him). But they've never really made anything that got me too excited.

 

Wonder if hemisbc is still alive?

Edited December 22, 2008 by retro-man

[Ovaltine]

The critics have always panned the Jeep Compass, but my wife loves her 2008.

 

Yes, the interior is plasticky. But having stepped out of a ChryCo minivan, that was no big deal. In fact, she still does a lot of kid hauling, and we actually enjoy the ruggedness of the various panels, and the ease of clean-up. Just like the van. All the panels fit together just fine, and the seats are excellent! They're tutone black with a grayish weave center panel, and they're made of some super tough cloth "system" that only needs a damp cloth/sponge to clean it. The dash vents are probably the cheesiest/flimsiest part of the interior, which was noted in several reviews. But, they really don't get moved around much, and should hold up without too much abuse. Most of the perceived interior problems with the Patriot/Compass were fixed with the 2009's ( http://www.motorauthority.com/2009-jeep-pa...enovations.html )

 

And yes, the engine DOES moan... it's part of the CVT experience. But with the 2.4 putting out 172 HP, the vehicle gets up to cruising speed just fine.... it just sounds different. And if the auto-stick gear-simulation mode is used properly, snapping off the six speeds with the RPM's up gets you up to 70+ damn quick.

 

The article states that the ride is "jouncy" and tire noise is high. Well something must have changed with the 2008's, because our Compass display's neither. It's a 4x2, so maybe that makes some difference in the ride, but the wheels/tires are no different than the 4x4 (AWD) model, so that doesn't explain the difference. The good ride and handling of the Compass was one of the nicer surprises about the vehicle! Something tells me that the critic must have only ridden in a 2007, since he makes fun of some fake "rivets" on the gear selector... a feature that the 2008's didn't have. I suspect that some additional delayed improvements in things like ride, sound deadening, etc. came to fruition for the 2008 model year.

 

The seating position is very nice in the vehicle. You sit up high with your legs pointing down, not splayed out. 5 adult-sized people can sit comfortably in the Compass. The only person who might complain is the middle rear passenger who's straddling the hump/permanently fixed cup holder.

 

While the styling is definitely not "traditional" Jeep, both my wife and I liked it better than the Patriot. It least it has some style to it, and as a bonus, my wife can reach the windshield rear view mirror to adjust it. The Patirot's upright windshield placed the mirror out of reach (without leaning) of even MY long arms! The Compass also came with fogs and much nicer 17" spoked alloys - standard. The Patriot came standard with crappy 16's with steel wheels. and only finned plastic inserts where the fogs are SUPPOSED to be. Blech.

 

The Compass came standard with side curtain airbags (no front torsos though... THAT'S an oversight!). ABS, traction control, and roll-over stability control were also all standard! The ABS and traction control has had some good work outs recently while driving the roads in SE Michigan after the latest snow/ice storms. Since Michigan no longer plows and salts roads until the storm's over, those standard features are most welcome.

 

After 10k miles, all in all we are pleased with the Compass in just about every way. The gas mileage is decent.... 22 mpg around town with 25-26 on the highway. (My wife's a bit of a lead foot, so our mileage isn't the most indicative of what it's probably capable of.)

 

We've only had one minor problem with it, a front suspension noise, that was corrected by the dealer within the same day with the replacement of a couple of bolts. Granted, no problems at all with it would have been nice, but compared to the bad old days of the 80's and early-to-mid 90's, that issue was no big deal for me! Especially since it was diagnosed and repaired so quickly.

 

One of the best parts of the whole deal? The price. I was able to get a Compass Sport with the CVT, very decent CD radio, power windows/locks, tilt, cruise, alloys, fogs, privacy glass, ABS/traction/rollover, etc. for $16,400 out-the-door (no money down). For that price we purchased. Granted, I was able to get my bro-in-law's ChryCo discount, and was a returning Chrysler lessee, plus they had some monster rebates back in June when we purchased.

 

 

So again...... the "critics" can put all the listed ChryCo products on "Worst Cars" list, but if these truly are the "worst", it just goes to show how far the automotive industry has come as a whole during the last 20 years.

 

The pic below isn't ours, but it's almost identical to it. I've added some factory mud flaps to mine and a couple of *small* ChryCo bling accessories as well.

 

 

 

 

And NO.... it WASN'T a set of the fake front fender "nostrils"! B)

 

 

 

-Ovaltine

Edited December 26, 2008 by Ovaltine

[mustangfan100]

I don't really agree with that list. Even though the VW Routan is a Caravan rebadge it's still a nice van, from the reviews that I have seen the interior and seats look like much better quality compared to the Caravan. The Chrysler Aspen & Dodge Durango SUV's are not nearly as bad as this list makes it look, Consumer Reports recommended it last year. The Jeep Compass is also a good alternative to small compact hatchbacks while still being nearly just as efficient.

 

I think they should have added the Nissan Titan and Armada to the list as well as the Mercedes G-class.

[Mark B. Morrow]

The Sebring twins strike me as the modern equivalent of the Dart / Valiant from the early 60s in terms of design finesse relative to their competitors: quirky and homely. The ribbed hoods are the modern equivalent of that funky spare tire thing embossed on the trunklid of the old Valiants. This quirky approach to styling might have some nostalgia value, but it's no way to save market share. We will witness the disappearance of Chrysler within 5 years. Iacocca bought them a couple of decades with the K-car and minivans, and that's not a bad run. I don't see anybody or any product to step in this time though (unless they magically pull a viable and affordable electric out of their hats in the next 2 years).

 

 

Don't want to see them go away - my great grandfather was a Chrysler ("Chissler" he mispronounced it in his Black Sea German accent) man, and my grandfather owned a Desoto, a Plymouth, and a Dodge in my childhood. I had a Plymouth too - my 2nd car (bought used for me by my grandfather because the sight of my first car - a $75 '63 Fairlane was just too painful for him). But they've never really made anything that got me too excited.

 

Wonder if hemisbc is still alive?

 

The sibling for the original Valiant was the Dodge Lancer. The Dart was a full size car until 1963. My grandfather had a '64 Dart with the pushbutton transmission which he kept until the mid '70s. I never had the chance to drive it since it was gone by the time I got my license.

[retro-man]

The sibling for the original Valiant was the Dodge Lancer. The Dart was a full size car until 1963. My grandfather had a '64 Dart with the pushbutton transmission which he kept until the mid '70s. I never had the chance to drive it since it was gone by the time I got my license.

Ah the pushbutton transmissions, the slant 6, that inimitable Chrysler starter sound: "eeee-rip rip rip rip rip"........

[twintornados]

Wow....the only "Ford" on that list is #16 as the now defunct Mark LT. Interesting.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Ah the pushbutton transmissions, the slant 6, that inimitable Chrysler starter sound: "eeee-rip rip rip rip rip"........

 

 

I always thought it sounded just like Dino from the Flintstones.

[g48150]

Anything Chrysler (Jeep, Dodge included) absolutely blows.

[ford-boy]

Ah the pushbutton transmissions, the slant 6, that inimitable Chrysler starter sound: "eeee-rip rip rip rip rip"........

 

If you were a Ford, Chevy, or Pontiac Super Stock drag racer in the sixties, the sound of that starter brought instant fear to you. I remember hearing a 1963 426 Plymouth trying to fire up for class eliminations and thinking, oh crap. If he gets that thing going, it's curtains for the 427 Galaxie.