During his time doing YouTube, Doug DeMuro has reviewed a lot of cars. So many, in fact, that it's a wonder how he remembers all the machines he's made videos on. Of course, there are some that DeMuro will always remember driving as highlights of his career, like the Mercedes E63 AMG that he liked so much he bought his own.
Then there are the cars that are on the opposite end of the spectrum, the machines so bad that they stick out like a sore thumb among his other reviews. DeMuro made a recent video compiling a list of the worst cars he's ever reviewed, and there are a few surprising entries. Those who want to watch the video can do so here, but otherwise, let's take a look at the ten cars that Doug hates the most.
10 Maserati Quattroporte (2005)
Maserati's four-door car is one of the fastest depreciating cars on the market, and especially with the 2005 model year, it's easy to see why. Doug explains that it's not a terrible car in some aspects, but there's one issue that ruins the Quattroporte: the transmission.
Earlier models had a DuoSelect transmission, which was an auto gearbox with paddle shift. It sounds good in theory, but in practice, Doug says it was very clunky and awkward, and it was very unreliable to boot. Later models switched to a conventional ZF transmission, so it's just the earlier models that drew DeMuro's ire.
9 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (2008)
The standard Chevy Tahoe is by no means a bad car, even if it's not the most exciting model around. But, in 2008 Chevy decided to make a hybrid version, which turned out to be a terrible decision.
The car got basically the same gas mileage as a standard model, but thanks to the hybrid system it was heavier and more cramped inside. Doug also takes issue with the fact that the car was covered in "hybrid" stickers and badges, which not only looked horrible but make the car seem very dated today.
8 Ferret Armored Car
DeMuro is somewhat conflicted on this car, as he states he doesn't hate it as a machine, but he does hate driving it. That's partly because of the complete lack of visibility, and the fact that to get inside the driver has to use a hatch in the top like in a tank.
It's also apparently horrible to drive on the road, although to be fair that's not what it was designed for. DeMuro concedes that it's a fun novelty toy to have around, but in terms of actually driving the Ferret, it's one of the worst cars he's ever reviewed.
7 Mitsubishi Mirage (2016)
In case it wasn't clear how much Doug hated this car when he drove it, his review is titled, "The Mitsubishi Mirage is the Worst New Car You Can Buy". Ouch. He mainly takes issue with the build quality of the car, which is generally very poor.
The car is also very unreliable, so despite its cheap price tag, it won't last anywhere near as long as most of its rivals. In case anyone was wondering whether Doug gave it a fair chance, he says he drove the Mirage in Thailand for about six hours and it was absolutely horrible. That settles that one then.
6 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
It's hardly a surprise to see this car on the list, as many publications have discussed at length why the Murano was a bad idea, including ourselves at HotCars. DeMuro has mixed thoughts on the Nissan, clarifying that although he likes the sheer weirdness of the car, it's "interesting [rather than] good".
He takes issue with the sky-high price of the car, which cost over $50,000 when it was new. The other glaring problem is that it's just so ugly; why anyone thought to convert a middle-of-the-road crossover into a convertible is a mystery. DeMuro's closing thoughts on the CrossCabriolet are simply that it's never reasonable to own one, and it's difficult to disagree with that.
5 Cadillac ELR
When developing the Chevy Bolt, GM decided to badge-engineer a fancier version, and so the Cadillac ELR was born. Unlike the Bolt, the ELR only had two doors, making it not only more expensive but less practical.
It wasn't a few thousand more expensive either, no, this badge-swapped Chevy cost $80,000. DeMuro describes it as a "terrible mistake" by GM, albeit one that was taken off the market as swiftly as it arrived.
4 Mercedes-Benz Metris
The Metris is sold by Mercedes in both cargo and passenger form, and it's the passenger one that Doug hates so much. It's a lot more expensive to buy than most minivans, and it's more expensive to maintain too.
There are also some head-scratching design flaws, like rear seats that lift upwards and hit the roof of the cabin for some odd reason. Doug calls it "one of the very worst", claiming there isn't a single reason anyone would buy one apart from the Mercedes badge on the front.
3 Yugo GV
A Yugoslavian import to the States, the Yugo has been the butt of many jokes ever since it first appeared. It's received numerous criticisms for its build quality, basic features, and clunky drive.
Its only saving grace was that it was the cheapest car on sale in the US at the time, but it was still a much better idea to just buy a different model used. DeMuro says it's interesting as a novelty car, but objectively it's horrible in pretty much every way.
2 Trabant
A Communist-era East German import, the Trabant is back-to-basics motoring at its worst. It was so simplistic that it didn't even have a fuel gauge, and instead, drivers had to check how much gas they had left with a dipstick under the hood.
DeMuro reports that the transmission of the Trabant was shockingly bad, and it was slow and awkward to drive. There really isn't anything good to say about the car, other than it's a great example of just how bad some cars used to be.
1 BMW Isetta
BMW might not be the first brand most gearheads think of as making disappointing cars, but DeMuro's argument here is pretty convincing. He states that driving one is a terrible experience because it's slow, uncomfortable and it looks so odd that it's embarrassing to drive.
What made things worse was that the Isetta Doug reviewed broke down mid-review, needing to be towed back to the garage. It might be a cult favorite among some auto enthusiasts, but for DeMuro, it's unquestionably the car he hates the most.