When an automaker establishes consistency in the products that they release, we as consumers, sometimes subconsciously, expect their cars to almost always be good. In 99% of cases, automakers keep their standards in control, and all the cars they release must stay good, no matter the scope or the price we're expected to pay. This also leads to brand loyalty; consumers return to the automaker for all future purchases, because they know that what they're buying will be good.

But, not everything can always be perfect. Even automakers with the absolute best of track records can sometimes mess up, even with supercars. Whether it's because of time constraints, a bad idea or a bad execution, even automakers with a relentless following and tons of brand loyalty behind them sometimes put together less-than-ideal automobiles that make us question; what were they thinking?

10 Mitsubishi Mirage

Front 3/4 view of the Mirage
Mitsubishi

To put it gently, the Mitsubishi Mirage is literally the punching bag of the automotive industry. It was introduced to North America in 2013 as a 2014 model year vehicle. A naturally-aspirated three-cylinder engine paired to a standard five-speed manual transmission might sound pretty cool, but in reality, nothing about the Mirage is.

Rear 3/4 view of the Mirage
Mitsubishi

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For starters, that engine only makes 72 hp. The Mirage can go on the highway, but you'll be quickly wondering why you bothered. It's also built down to an extreme price, with some models omitting a steering wheel safety lock when the car is off. All of this put together should leave no question as to why Mitsubishi dealerships around North America are desperate to get these things off the lot.

9 Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W168)

Front 3/4 view of a silver A-Class
Mercedes-Benz

The idea of a compact Mercedes-Benz model sounded like a good idea on paper. A small car with a three-pointed star? How could you go wrong? Except, when the original Mercedes A-Class hit the market in 1997, it went very wrong.

The rear of a red A-Class
Via: Mercedes-Benz

The first problem was the styling, which could best be described as Honey, I Shrunk The Minivan. Thanks to its insane proportions and the lack of stability control on the earliest models, the A-Class was prone to rollovers. Eventually, Mercedes stuck an ESP system on the A-Class, and they had to put an ESP badge on the trunk to reassure people. Luckily, things are a lot better for the A-Class these days.

8 Alfa Romeo Arna

Alfa Romeo Arna
Alfa Romeo

No one described this ill-fated automobile better than Jeremy Clarkson. The Alfa Romeo Arna was a collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Nissan, as this was a time when Italian automakers wanted to improve their reliability track record. However, the marriage did not work in this case.

Rear 3/4 view of the Arna
Alfa Romeo

As Jezza said, maybe it would have worked if they paired Nissan's excellent reliability with Italian design and panache, but the pairing was done the wrong way. The end result was a re-badged Nissan Cherry with some of the most problematic mechanicals of its day. Not good.

7 Audi Allroad

Front 3/4 view of the original Audi Allroad
Audi

The original Audi Allroad wasn't a bad car at first. It was praised for its market scope and for its surprising off-road capability, not to mention its on-road performance. It was when these started to age that people realized this wasn't exactly a good car.

The rear of the original Audi Allroad
Audi

The two main issues were the engine and transmission. In North America, the Allroad was equipped with a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6, paired to Audi's infamous Tiptronic automatic transmission. The engine was very difficult and expensive to maintain, and the Tiptronics had a nearly 100% failure rate.

6 Lexus RC F

Front 3/4 view of a blue RC F
Via: Lexus

Compared to the previous cars on this list, the Lexus RC F is far from a truly bad car. It does have some positives going for it, like the lovely naturally aspirated V8 and the sharp exterior styling. Its main problems were the performance and the market pitch.

Rear 3/4 view of the RC F
Lexus

RELATED: These Are The Best Features Of The 2022 Lexus RC F

The RC F was pitched as a rival to the BMW M4. That makes sense, considering the price bracket, power output and general ethos. As it turned out, the RC F was way inferior to its German rival, and that was mostly thanks to its porky weight figure and the inept-by-comparison torque converter automatic transmission. Buying an RC F new (unbelievably, you can still do that) is a terrible idea, but as a used car, it starts to get appealing.

5 Chevrolet Blazer

Front 3/4 view of a silver Blazer
Chevrolet

Say what you will about General Motors, but they have made some excellent cars over the years. The new Blazer? That certainly isn't one of them. The Blazer name used to be found on rugged off-roader SUVs, most notably the K5 Blazer. While other automakers are making piles of money with off-roader SUVs and struggling to procure inventory, Chevy was oblivious.

Rear 3/4 view of a silver Blazer
Chevrolet

They decided, instead, to revive the Blazer name... for an Equinox with Camaro-inspired styling. That Camaro-inspired styling also brings along the Camaro's biggest flaw; visibility. With this burning of the Blazer name, Chevy has ruined all of their potential chances to return to the off-road SUV game. That leaves the new Silverado ZR2 (finally) to pick up the pieces in a roundabout way.

4 Cadillac ELR

Front 3/4 view of the ELR
Cadillac

Truth be told, General Motors' blunders are their own entire can of worms. But, undoubtedly, one of their most offensive mess-ups is this electric car. The Cadillac ELR was basically unchanged from its concept car counterpart, and on the face of it, it looked very exciting.

Rear 3/4 view of the ELR
Cadillac

Dig a little deeper, and you'll realize that this is just a Chevy Volt. A Chevy Volt with only two doors, 207 hp and a price tag some $30,000 higher. The ELR was a massive failure, being pulled from sale almost as quickly as it arrived. Let's hope Cadillac's upcoming line of EVs can pour some cold water on this burned area.

3 Saab 9-7X

The front of the 9-7X
Saab

Giving Saab to General Motors was the same as dropping off a snowmobile at a tire change shop. They had no idea what to do with them. Nowhere was that more apparent than with this completely unorthodox badge engineering job.

Rear 3/4 view of the 9-7X
Saab

The Saab 9-7X was the Swedish automaker's first ever SUV. Except, this was nothing more than a thinly disguised Chevrolet TrailBlazer, with the same powertrains and a very similar interior. The Saab 9-7X really wasn't a Saab at all. That might sound irrelevant, but in this case it matters, because Saab buyers bought Saabs due to their Saab-ness. No surprise that the 9-7X sold very, very poorly.

2 Toyota Camry Solara

The front of the Camry Solara
Toyota

We all know the public perception of the Toyota Camry. About as boring as it gets. Back in the 90s, Toyota thought that the Camry shouldn't be that boring anymore, which resulted in the introduction of a new, dedicated coupe model; the unfortunately named Solara.

Rear 3/4 view of the Camry Solara
Toyota

The styling was... an acquired taste. With the way Toyota was pitching the Camry Solara, you'd expect a better driving experience. But, automotive publications at the time discovered that it actually performed worse than the sedan. The less said about the hastily put-together convertible model, the better.

1 Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mk4)

The front of the Mk4 Golf GTI on the move
Volkswagen

Volkswagen's GTI is often credited with inventing the hot hatchback class. A high-performance engine and great handling in a practical and sensible package, steadily evolving over the past 45 years or so. Considering the weight the GTI badge carries, you got to wonder why Volkswagen gave it such a grilling with the Mk4 Golf.

The rear of the Mk4 Golf GTI on the move
Volkswagen

RELATED: Here Are The Best And Worst Volkswagen Golf GTI Models Over The Years

With the earliest Mk4 Golf, the GTI badge was merely a trim package. Kinda like V-Sport for Cadillac or AMG Line to Mercedes. VW realized their mistake, and later GTI models received a proper 180 hp turbo four-cylinder, but the earlier models are best left forgotten.