Crappest Car of the 'Noughties'

[Mr H Sceptre]

I'm with the pro-Focus mob on this one. I'd actually have that in my shortlist for best car of the decade.Now, whats with the Ford S-Max? Is there any need for an MPV between a C-Max & a Galaxy? Again, pointless, niche, crossover nonsense.

[Guest]

It actually took me a few years to accept the styling of the Focus! I think it's just that I can get in a Focus and be pretty sure that it'll be decently-equipped, comfortable, drive nice and not really have anything wrong with it. The driving balance is absolutely spot-on, fairly effortless but somewhat rewarding. It's just a thoroughly competent car and feels a million miles away from some of the "costcutter specials" of old Ford. I also like the way that none of them come in a particularly lousy specification.Way too expensive used though. I'd have trouble forking out a grand for a dubious high-mileage 1.4 Focus when I could get an absolutely mint Mondeo MK2 for less.

[pandamonium]

BMW Mini "Clubman". I'm not going to talk about it too much as the fury in my blood will cause nearby fire hydrants to explode.

 

 

 

This is a clubman ffs.

[Cavcraft]

I thought the Focus was ugly when it came out, really didn't like the look of it. Then I drove one and was a convert. I love the Focus.

 

The ride / handling is superb (and they handle better than the Pug 306 - I tried them back to back and you need to work a lot harder in a 306 than you do in a Focus to maintain the same speeds), the seats are comfy, the controls are well weighted, there's no Vauxhall slop in anything, they're excellent on fuel, loads of space in them and they're reliable.

 

1.4s are mega slow, and the diesels are very nose heavy, but a 1.8 Zetec Mk1 with AC and ABS is probably the best sensible car in the world.

 

The 2.0 is grunty but no quicker than a 1.8 in real world use. It's also a lot worse on fuel and has a nastier gearchange.

I keep thinking I should buy one, but I don't like sensible cars.

Certainly agree with that. I thought the Focus was ugly at first too but the shape grew up on me and it was a clean, bold styling move.

I still maintain they're shite though and seemed to continue Ford's ideal of using the cheapest & nastiest plastics available.

I didn't find it that comfy on long journeys and whilst the legroom/seat space was good the boot was woefully, laughably small. It had more rust than it should have too.

 

Maybe the biggest disappointment for me was the fact that not only did I really want to like it, but being a Ghia I expected some nice toys and the feeling it was going to be an upmarket model worth shelling out the extra for for whoever bought it new.

It disappointed on that score too as well a build quality in some areas and I just didn't like it at all.

Oh and it was a bit gutless lol.

 

*Edit: can't believe I forgot the Mondeo either. I liked the Mk1 and would have one no danger but the Mk2 is one of the worse cars I've ever owned/driven and I have no reason to believe the Mk3 is much better from my limited experience with them.

[Tayne]

..

[aled]

i was thinking 300c as well before i saw the post, others i can think of are dodge caliber and nitro, sanyong musso,and that hideous merc estate thingy(can't remember the name)

[Cavcraft]

Not any specific manufacturer, but any of the bully boy, double cab, pick-ups. I'm sure they have some uses, other than for intimidating other road-users and parking badly in car-parks, but I can't think what.

The rear seats seem to have been designed by the Marquis de Sade, for legless dwarves. The load-space barely accommodates a box of tea-bags, but most have some useless sloping hard-top or chequerplate cover to further reduce it's useability anyway.

 

If it really is your work truck then fine and I'm sorry, but most seem to be "lifestyle" accessories. (Quite what lifestyle it is attempting to portray I have no idea.)

Bang on, especially the top bit. I wonder if some of the shaven headed gobshites who buy them couldn't afford an X5 or Range Rover so opted for an 'Super Double Cab Animal Hard Bastard Warrrior' instead?

[trigger]

I think i was just put of the Focus as i had a bad one, We have a load of them at work, All white Estate models which have had a hard life with over 100k on each of them.One thing i found was that the earlier TDDi one's do seem a lot nicer to drive than the later TDCi one's like mine was, They feel more like a Mk2 Mondeo which is no bad thing.I would happily have one of the later 05- plate ones though.

[AnthonyG]

most seem to be "lifestyle" accessories. (Quite what lifestyle it is attempting to portray I have no idea.)

Do you like dags?

[pogweasel]

.Way too expensive used though. I'd have trouble forking out a grand for a dubious high-mileage 1.4 Focus when I could get an absolutely mint Mondeo MK2 for less.

Expensive?You are not looking in the right places, son.OK at the real 'banger' end of the market you might struggle, but both the ones acquired for 'Er Indoors have been bargainalicious. 4 years old, ex-fleet diesel estates, high-ish miles but with full (and I mean full) histories, so nowt to worry over, first one was £2300, second £2400, which is not really alot for a decent motor - compare/contrast my bezza mate bought one because he liked ours, but "listened to some experts" and bought a pesh-spec 1.6 petrol one and paid twice that for an older car from a Ford dealer because 'you must get a low mileage one' ..

[Fat_Pirate]

The Focus is getting the thumbs-up from me too, the handling/ride balance is superior to the competition and a credit to the engineering nous of Ford. And yet... I would have one only if it was given to me, free of charge, with free petrol. I would be prepared to pay hundreds of pounds for a Maxi though. What kind of idiotic logic is that?I'm going to vote for the X6 as worst car, it's a late arrival but nothing epitomises the crassness of the decade better.

[Rusty Pelican]

Audi Q7 , THE ugliest waste of space ever

[Pete-M]

I suppose one thing about the Focus is that it's not a car of the Noughties. First ones I drove were S reg jobs, so that'd be '98 anyway :-)The fact we're talkin' about them just shows how far ahead of their time they were

[Tayne]

.

[pogweasel]

Sssangyong Rrodiuss.

 

I mean, honestly, has a more offensive-looking vehicle EVER been imagined?

 

 

It's like a hatchback with a loft conversion.

[Richard]

The Escort cured me of Ford ownership so I'm unlikely ever to own a Focus. They say the Focus is a lot better to drive than the Escort, but that wasn't my problem. My problem was with all the bits that kept breaking, parts that I've never known to break on any other car. Even the seat cushions managed to break. I've looked in the window of a Focus and it seemed to have the same seats. They might have used better quality parts elsewhere in the car but Ford have had their chance with me.

[strangehighways]

The Focus is one of the best 'real world' cars about, but I can absolutely understand the criticism people have of them. My thoughts:-- Fun to drive- Excellent handling, gear change etc- Good styling of the Mk 1.- Seems well built and just does what it should.- Interiors may be well built, but the materials are a bit low rent and always feels 'mass market' (I know it is a mass market car but some other big sellers avoid this)- Hard seats (typical of modern Fords)- Not as refined as some rivals.I think the Focus is a great car overall, but I would not buy one. I just couldn't live with the interior.

[Rusty Pelican]

Audi Q7 , THE ugliest waste of space ever

Its a lot more practical than an X6.

Very true ,I still hate the things though

[Guest greenvanman]

I vote for the mong-tastic Skoda Felicia because mine was first registered and existed (albeit briefly) in this decade. What a pile of maggot-infested elephant shit that was.

[Milford Cubicle]

Sssangyong Rrodiuss.

 

I mean, honestly, has a more offensive-looking vehicle EVER been imagined?

 

 

It's like a hatchback with a loft conversion.

I don't understand the hatred reserved for them and not for much more offensive looking cars like the Peugeot 308, some of the details are a bit awkward but at least it's unpretentious - it's just a big box for carrying lots of people in.

[Guest]

first one was £2300, second £2400, which is not really alot for a decent motor

For that much, I'd want a Lincoln Continental Mark V with gold-plated bumpers, snakeskin seats and a dashboard made out of Chinese pandas.Cheap motoring indeed.

[Pete-M]

Oh come on, the Rodius is ugly as an ugly thing.Whenever I see one of those things on the road, I just know that if there's a woman inside she has no standards. Look at it, it's hideous. It's foul. It's bound to be populated by grotesque little fat bastards all fed on fish fingers and spaghetti hoops five times a day, bought by some rotund wench who goes shopping in Lidl whilst wearing pyjamas. You just know her fella is claiming disability and that's why they ended up with the Rodius. You know she'd suck the fleas off a dead dogs cock if it'd get her an extra twenty Mayfair and a bottle of Lambrini.

[pogweasel]

Neat summary Pete. Incidentally there seems to be a large concentration of them in Liverpool.

[Guest]

I like the Rodius, it looks daft. In a world full of VAG grey porridge, we could do with some daft-looking cars.

[strangehighways]

Sssangyong Rrodiuss.

 

I mean, honestly, has a more offensive-looking vehicle EVER been imagined?

 

 

It's like a hatchback with a loft conversion.

I don't understand the hatred reserved for them and not for much more offensive looking cars like the Peugeot 308, some of the details are a bit awkward but at least it's unpretentious - it's just a big box for carrying lots of people in.

The 308 isn't worse looking that that monstrosity!

[Milford Cubicle]

 

@strangehighways: Are you sure?

 

The two Rodiuses I've seen were both black and clearly hire cars, they look a little better in a dark colour, but still pretty ugly... I can't get worked up about their ugliness though, I don't know why - maybe because their ugliness has a practical use.

[strangehighways]

 

@strangehighways: Are you sure?

 

The two Rodiuses I've seen were both black and clearly hire cars, they look a little better in a dark colour, but still pretty ugly... I can't get worked up about their ugliness though, I don't know why - maybe because their ugliness has a practical use.

Hmmm, I'm almost sure. Thing is, I agree that the 308 is no oil painting and it's even more depressing to think that it is the latter day replacement for the 306, which was a beautiful looking car in the right guise (and drove pretty well too!)

 

But that people carrier, though different just looks so disjointed.

[dollywobbler]

Have to agree. The fugly Pugly at least looks like someone styled it. The Rodius looks like 20 blind people each had a go at designing a little bit of it.

[Guest]

The best way I can represent my feelings on this is as follows - imagine that Peugeot and Ssangyong are children in an art class. If I was the teacher, I'd take Peugeot to one side and tell them they are not trying and make lots of references to their lovely coursework from a few years back, threatening detention if they don't pull their socks up. Ssangyong would proudly hand in a scrawled mess, but I'd pretend I'm really pleased with their efforts as I can't expect too much from them and at least they tried, the poor little mite.

[Rusty Pelican]

Having never seen nor indeed heard of this Ssangwrong Rodent , i concur its truly hideous and makes my suggestion of a Q7 very wrong , i bow to your superior knowledge