Unwanted Stepchild

[phil_lihp]

This one's an obvious choice. Take highly successful small car, beloved (justifiably or otherwise) by its target market then cynically replace it with something with no appeal at all.

 

Ford Escort Mk3 (5).jpg

 

FORDEscortWagon-2768_1.jpg

 

Good shout, although your second picture is actually of the significantly improved Mk6 which Ford had to put out quite rapidly when it became apparent that they'd taken lazy car design a step too far.

 

 

I think the original 1991 Mk5 got a warming-over within about 18 months, it was so badly received.  I might be wrong.

[Richard]

I don't think the Mk6 really was an improvement, as far as I could tell it was worse in every possible way.

[phil_lihp]

I'm cheating slightly here, it wasn't a direct replacement, but close-as...

 

 

 

[phil_lihp]

Good thread by the way

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Go on then..... What about the car?

I walked into that. It was the early 90's, and she was fairly well to-do. I still remember the number plate (I'm proper rain man with number plates); it was A6 CNV. Looks like she's got a reliable* Passat now.

I'll be honest - she was alright, but her MG Metro was more attractive.

[inconsistant]

Whilst incredibly modern compared to its predecessor, the Maurice Maureena never cut it to quite the same level as the venerable Morris Thou.

 

Issigonis got it so right with the lines.

 

 

 

I think these Rileseleys and Wileys were really the Minor's unwanted stepchildren, originally an attempt to restyle it, then flogged as upmarket versions, but the Minor ended up outlasted them:

 

 

 

[sierraman]

The trouble with the Metro was that the public soon found out what a crock of shit it could be.

 

- IF they'd retained the pre 1980 brass cage gearbox main bearing

 

- IF they'd fitted plastic front arch liners

 

- IF they had gone further with wax injection

 

 

They would have spent an extra tenner per car and it would have left production with a far better reputation. It was a vastly better car than the Mini, be in no doubt. A good 1.0 HLE was a bonny thing to drive and amazing on fuel.

Yeah but then it'd have cost them an extra £10.

[darkfour]

Zephyr/Zodiac MK III to 

 

 

Mk IV

 

 

I loved my MK III Zephyr 6 it was a lot of fun to drive although the synchro was shot on 2nd gear so I had to go from 1st to 3rd which isn't that straightforward on a column shift. When I bought it the garage also had a MK III Zodiac too that I really wanted but was too expensive. That car was used in a TV advert I think for some insurance company and featured the late Mel Smith. It still had holes in the exhaust and the respray was a crappy red blowover.

[Cleon-Fonte]

Yet more low hanging fruit. Rover's eventual downfall was largely guaranteed once they replaced the highly desirable R8 with the rather less outstanding 'Portfolio' models.

 

 

 

 

[vulgalour]

The Vectra, a level 4 Vauxhall.

[phil_lihp]

Wasn't the complaint with the Vectra not so much that it was crap, just that it wasn't really much better than the Cavalier and therefore a bit of a pointless change?  Vauxhall got very lazy around that time, perhaps following Ford's example, I remember it always ending up far down the rankings in comparison tests with Mondeos, Passats, Lagunas and the like when it was current.  Fleets didn't seem to care mind, still thousands of them around.  

[phil_lihp]

Oh, and of course...

 

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Not just an unwanted stepchild but a half German one, they replaced the mighty six and three quarter blower with a mincing little 5 series lump. Luckily ze Germans realised their mistake and brought back the prehistoric Crewe engine.

Mighty

Mincer

Mightiness reinstated

[Arragonis]

 Hi, Metro's were initially liked and bought by pensioners but they soon moved onto other cars because they found it difficult to get their leg over the sill/step as it was too high.

 

Including my Grandad, so I got his car for free!

[JohnDeere]

They still languish behind 2CV values, but not by so much these days. The stepchild is winning affection.

I remain hopeful that twin-pot ugly-nose Visas will go the same way....

[STUNO]

The Mini....

 

A bit of a stepchild of the "original" Mini was the Aussie Mini K.

It was a bit upmarket and had an 1100 engine with all synchro transmission, wind-up windows with quarterlights and Cooper S interior and grille. Suspension was hydrolastic. I bought one in 1970 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Snipes]

 

begat

 

[warren t claim]

Some cars are designed to replace a well established and often well loved vehicle and they do actually tick all the relevant boxes they need to.  But, for whatever reason, they just don't seem as popular even if they are genuinely better.  These are the unwanted stepchildren of the car world.

 

The venerable FX1 taxi, much loved even today.  Superbly suited to its role and in production from approximately 1842* until the present day.

 

Something was needed to replace them when they reached their centenary* of service, something modern and thrusting and reliable.  Something able to put up with the rigors of city driving and yet still return excellent fuel economy, space for passengers and perhaps a little more comfort for the poor old cabby.  The noble Metrocab was presented to the world and almost universally derided and avoided.  It is perhaps as despised as the FX1 is adored.

Both of them are utterly wank but the Scimitar Picasso Metrocab it a truly hateful machine.

[Hendry]

I'd argue that the majority of modern cars have gone this way, although some have started to redeem themselves, others haven't.

 

Renault Clio, I had both an 04 plate mk2 ph2 model and a 59 plate mk3 facelift, the older shape was by far the better car, newest shape Clio is even worse.

 

Vectra>Insignia, Vectra B was dull and bland, Vectra C even worse, Insignia even worse again.

 

Then there are some which continually got worse but have started improving but still not quite back to as good as the original model, I'm thinking Renault Megane here, mk1 was a decent car, mk2 fat arse was awful, mk3 awful and dull and boring but newest shape which is just out looks smart for a modern car IMO.

 

Same with Pug 306, 307, 308 and new model 308, 306s were brilliant and still look fresh today IMO, 307s were ugly pieces of junk, 308 looked like a big nondescript blob, newest 308 again like newest Megane looks decent.

 

Others seem totally hit and miss, Vauxhall Astra, mk1/2/3 were fine, mk4 not a bad car but so drab and lacking in style, mk5 was much better and then went downhill with mk6 and mk7 versions. Same also with Ford Focus, mk1 fine, mk2 not as sharply styled, crap interior, latest model an improvement on mk2. Ford Mondeo, mk1/2 great cars, mk3 (2000-2007 model) not great IMO, mk4 (07 onwards) brilliant to drive, stylish, nice solid interior, good build quality.

 

I'd say all BMWs fall into the category of this topic though. Mercs as well, they seem really cheap inside now and very tacky outside.

[Royale80]

With regards the Range Rover I know I will upset loads of people but the P38 is far better than the original. I drove my Uncles F reg 3.5 manual quite a lot when it was nearly new- a nice car to be honest-but the P38 is a much better car.

(await the fall out!!!).

 

Steve

[Vince70]

[Richard]

With regards the Range Rover I know I will upset loads of people but the P38 is far better than the original. I drove my Uncles F reg 3.5 manual quite a lot when it was nearly new- a nice car to be honest-but the P38 is a much better car.

(await the fall out!!!).

 

Steve

I think that's what Vulgalour was after- cars that failed to catch on despite being better than their predecessor.

[taxi paul]

The fx4 was replaced by the tx1 . This used the same 2.7 nissan engine and was amazing, I sold mine with 340,000 on the clock. This was replaced by the tx2. This used ford's 2.5 duratorc engine and was awful. Something to do with the angle of engine and it didn't do idling or stop starting very well and the dmf gave up pretty quickly. Taxis do a lot of idling and stop starting. They where so bad people where covering them back to a nissan engine. I went to a meeting with the makers LTI and the union in Liverpool to see if they could do some sort of price trade in guarantee. A three year old tx2 was worth less than a six year old tx1 nissan equivalent. Feck all was done as per usual. They then done a tx3 with some Italian engine which is not bad, but has all the modern sensors so goes wobbly now and again. All this is done to comply with London, it's biggest market.metro cab used a 2.5 ford diesel again not bad and the later ones used a 3.0 toyota engine. LTI later sold up and production moved to China. Most places now allow the alternative taxis.like peugot and mercedes, even London allow Mercedes.I think the old fx4 used a rover engine at some point. I remember tales of the older drivers putting a lighted newspaper under the engine of a morning to warm it up. Probably wouldn't work now.

[mercrocker]

Of all the companies referred to here, the BMC family had more than its fair share of unwanted stepchildren, those raised in an unhappy marriage and blatant fishing in the gene pool.... 

 

At the inception of the Corporation they were making these solid old family saloons (although they pre-dated the merger in design) featuring the trademark Issigonis concepts of roominess, compromised driving position and contra-ergonomic dash layout.

 

 

 

 

 

After a fairly brief stint of less than five years the Morris Oxford name (that's a Cowley above but same difference) transferred to a new saloon in the one-and-a-half-litre class.   The basic bodyshell and mechanics of this car were common to Wolseley. MG, Austin, Riley as well and replaced the different saloon cars in those lines.   What you got for your money was little more than a re-bodied Austin Cambridge..... It was a poor substitute for the likes of the Morris with its torsion bar suspension, telescopic shocks and rack and pinion steering - none of which featured in the Farina.

 

 

   

 

They ran for 12 years and took BMC from the period of the Ford Consul Classic to the MkIII Cortina - a remarkably dynamic period of styling development.   Of course there were attempts to offer the public another slice of Issigonis but although they were popular cars they never ousted the slab-sided Farina completely - it took 5 years for the Maxi to kill off the A60 Cambridge for example.  

 

Neither modern suspension and steering nor ball-room interior space were enough to migrate the tartan rugs, trilbies and pipes into Landcrab ownership.... 

 

 

 

It is somewhat telling that I have owned the above three cars in reverse order and consider the Cowley to be the best of the three.... 

 

 

The Farina did not quite outlive the Landcrab but in a way the Fifties Oxford saw them all out.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LessThanEqual]

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The W210 is such an ugly, horrid heap. What were they thinking?

[dollywobbler]

I think the original 1991 Mk5 got a warming-over within about 18 months, it was so badly received. I might be wrong.

Indeed it did. Ford tried to heal the damage by fitting clear front indicators and a boot spoiler. Oh aye. That'll improve things.

[Bianconeri]

The real Mini had some odd cousins in the Elf and the Hornet - Minis with a boot. Got to admit I rather liked them.

 

In the world of modern shiteness, Mrs BN recently changed a 2010 FIAT 500 for a new "facelifted" one ( pointless things like touchscreen radio, stop and (don't) start, plus really awful seats ). She loved the old one, hates the new one.

[Richard]

As a slight tangent, how many cars have outlived the car that should have replaced them? I'm talking about cars that shared showroom space with their successors, rather than ones that continued in other markets or were sold on to a different manufacturer.

 

We've had the Mini and 2CV so far, I'm struggling to think of any more but there must be some.

[Pillock]

I thought the 1990 Escort was actually a nice looking thing, a far better upgrade than Mk3 to Mk4 which was just roundy lights, a few smoothings, and a new dashboard. All the updates from there on to the Focus were just botox and fishlips and made it look daft.

[cms206]

As a slight tangent, how many cars have outlived the car that should have replaced them? I'm talking about cars that shared showroom space with their successors, rather than ones that continued in other markets or were sold on to a different manufacturer.

 

We've had the Mini and 2CV so far, I'm struggling to think of any more but there must be some.

The Volvo 200-series was to have been replaced by the 700-series in 1982 but eventually outlived it (1974-1993 for the 200, 1982-1992 for the 700).

 

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