The world has been taught time and time again to never judge a book by its cover. While this philosophy can be applied to just about everything in life, it can also be applied to cars. We all know that a lot of cars sell purely based on design, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
There have been a ton of examples in the automotive industry over the years of cars that, despite being ugly, some cars are actually great. Likewise, we've seen the complete opposite as well; cars that look gorgeous on the outside, but are actually not very good.
10 Ugly But Good - Fiat Multipla
The Multipla is one of the best ugly cars. Its exterior design is something that the car has become rather infamous for, but it's also what gives it personality, in a way.
But, truth be told, the Multipla is actually a great car. It's very practical, can accommodate six passengers without a third row of seats, and being based on a car, it was much better to drive than its minivan contemporaries. What's more, it was even available with a very forward-thinking flex-fuel powertrain, allowing it to run on compressed natural gas.
9 Gorgeous But Horrible - Ferrari 348
Ferraris of the mid and late 20th century all had one thing in common; a lot of them were crap. The 348 was no exception. It was billed as Ferrari's entry-level supercar, using a V8 engine mounted in the middle instead of their famous V12.
While the 348 looked great in typical 80s Ferrari fashion, it was a flop. The 3.4-liter V8 engine gave it lethargic performance, it was plagued by the familiar Italian car idiosyncrasies and reliability concerns, and as once pointed out by Jeremy Clarkson, the tires felt as though they were made from wood.
8 Ugly But Good - Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG
For as long as it has been and will be around, it's difficult to label a minivan as "beautiful." It just sounds wrong, and the Mercedes R-Class was no exception. Even though Mercedes didn't call it one, it was a minivan in pretty much every way. They offered an AMG version, too.
Yes, really. Mercedes found it economically viable to stick AMG's monstrous V8 into a minivan. The end result was 503 hp, and a 0-60 time in the neighborhood of five seconds, and almost no sales at all. All of that performance in a vehicle that could seat seven passengers in luxury, and had a massive cargo area. Not bad, Mercedes.
7 Gorgeous But Horrible - Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Alfa Romeo has proven that they are almost entirely incapable of making an ugly car, save for cars like the MiTo and the Arna. The 8C Competizione was no exception, as it was a truly gorgeous sports car.
Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. The V8 under the hood was very fruity, but the driving dynamics were truly terrible. Only 500 were ever built, which should mean that values have skyrocketed, but as a result of its lackluster driving experience, they have stayed relatively low.
6 Ugly But Good - BMW X7
Currently, BMW seems to be trying to outgun themselves by making each of their new models even more preposterous and controversial in terms of exterior design. The X7, their first-ever ultra-luxurious seven-seat SUV offering definitely falls into that category.
However, even though the styling of the X7 is an acquired taste, it's a fantastic SUV. It's extremely luxurious, spacious, practical, and unbelievably fast. Being a BMW, it handles really well too, for an SUV. BMW's SUVs haven't always been the best, but the X7, and indeed, the X5, do a great job of rectifying that.
5 Gorgeous But Horrible - Maserati Ghibli
Being an Italian car, the Ghibli is definitely a looker on the exterior. It has that typical Maserati aura that not many other cars can match, and it definitely means business with its distinctive, but modern lines.
Sadly, the Ghibli falls flat on its face in pretty much every other area. Shoddy build quality, parts bin rummaging is painfully present everywhere, the world's most annoying gear selector, lack of practicality and equipment, reliability concerns, and not the best infotainment system. All of that for a substantial premium over its German rivals.
4 Ugly But Good - Renault Espace
Despite not being a looker, the Renault Espace was definitely the start of a revolution. It pretty much invented the minivan class, or at least, drastically improved and refined the concept over in Europe.
To this day, the Espace is credited as being one of the most practical and ingeniously packaged minivans of all time, and it was the benchmark that other minivans needed to beat in its early days.
3 Gorgeous But Horrible - Cadillac Allante
In the late 1980s, Cadillac decided to get serious about getting their flagship luxury brand image back, so they developed the Allante as a halo car. Being designed by Pininfarina, the Allante looked great, if a little bit boxy.
Sadly, the cons outweighed the pros in the Allante. Cadillac's infamous Northstar V8 was to be found under the hood, and it was way too underpowered in the early models. It was also very expensive when it launched, costing over $100,000 in today's money, and it had the world's most unnecessarily complicated interior. There were four switches just for the headlights.
2 Ugly But Good - Porsche Panamera
Porsche's design philosophy has always been using the 911 as a starting point, and then going from there. The problem is, that didn't always work. While the Boxster and Cayman were fine, the Panamera wasn't really able to pull this off.
The latest Panamera looks great, but this one is certainly not for everyone. However, this didn't really matter once you were on the road. The Panamera had some great powertrains, it was very fast and it handled really well. What's more, the early ones can be picked up for a decent price, if you don't mind the design.
1 Gorgeous But Horrible - Lamborghini Countach
One of the most iconic supercar shapes of all time, and one that embodies the 1980s better than just about every other supercar, save for the Ferrari Testarossa. The Countach soldiered on for 16 years, before it was finally replaced by the Diablo in the early 90s.
Despite looking truly awesome on the outside, the Countach wasn't a very user-friendly supercar. It had the world's heaviest clutch, no power steering, the ride was awful, entry and exit was difficult, and we can't forget the infamously terrible rear visibility.
These cars are definitely proof that we should not judge a book by its cover, and that can still be applied to modern cars. While some offer a fantastic exterior design, they're plagued with flaws everywhere else. Or, they might not be as sightly on the exterior, but they might just turn out to be among the best cars you've ever driven.