Cars that lost the plot

[Bren]

I was thinking about cars which have evolved to the point have been nothing like their original incarnation and losing something in the process.

The mondeo immediately springs to mind.

I only ever drove diesel examples of these but I remember being bowled over by them when they first came out.

Even allowing for the turbo lag they were a quantum leap after the sierra.

I had an early one of these on a X plate with the tddi engine. It was comfortable and well built but a bit sterile.

We currently run one of these but an estate. It is a nice place to be and has plenty of room but it is a bit meh to drive - it needs more power and only when parking do you realise how bloody big it is.

Looks only a mother could love. I have been a passenger in one and it was comfortable but otherwise unremarkable.

When ford decided to kill the mondeo off I was not surprised - it had become lardy and the engines that powered them were unremarkable - I used to find fords a pleasant and engaging steer but that seems to have gone. People now want SUV's or crossovers and not cars like the mondeo.

Can you think of any others?

[Rocket88]

Yup…. The original was quirky, distinctive,good looking, fun to drive….. Present one an amorphous blob

[cort1977]

Mercedes.  When I was a kid (a little while ago admittedly), a Mercedes was an expensive, properly built thing that would give many years of sterling service.  Radios may have been optional but so were long range fuel tanks.  I remember looking in the windows at Reliance of Chingford and thinking what fine machines they were, things like the W126 S Class, W124 E-class and the R129 SL - all solid products well in to the 90s.  A W126 coupe with a V8 is one of my favourite cars to this day.

Then some idiot convinced them that getting in to bed with Chrylser and pursuing market share was a good idea and they really lost the plot.  These days every boring wanker has an 'AMG' A class with some dreary 4 pot engine and it's a tragic betrayal of what Mercedes used to be.

[Talbot]

23 minutes ago, cort1977 said:

Then some idiot convinced them that getting in to bed with Chrylser and pursuing market share was a good idea and they really lost the plot.  These days every boring wanker has an 'AMG' A class with some dreary 4 pot engine and it's a tragic betrayal of what Mercedes used to be.

The fact that a Merc A-class is now a Renault in a frock bears this out somewhat.

[Conan]

Yesterday Renault launched the new Scenic.

It's now a Crossover EV.

[fatharris]

Ford Puma is the first one that springs to mind.

[bunglebus]

Micra

Not Micra

[big_al_granvia]

The whole industry has lost the plot, everything is a hybrid crossover, you used to get hatchbacks, saloons and estates. Now you have cars with no identity

[DavieW]

Ford Mustang then......

Now......

[MiniMinorMk3]

Mini

Bigi

[MiniMinorMk3]

Old Lamborghini Tractor

New Lamborghini Tractor

[MiniMinorMk3]

Puma yesterday

Puma today

[eddyramrod]

All of them.  Literally every car you can buy now is a mirthless, worthless parody of whatever the maker used to offer, even as recently as the 90s.  The only reason we have the 2021 Suzuki is that Motability doesn't offer classics.  I mean, look at this...

There was a time even an ordinary family-model Ford had style.  Now look at our Suzuki...

Same size family car, nominally; same angle more or less.  It's a blob.  One of the better-looking blobs, yes, but still a bloated lump.  Even the engine is roughly equivalent in size, although these days it's pointing the wrong way and driving the wrong wheels, but you know... that's progress.

[juular]

I wonder if market research shows that these dull blobs are what people are attracted to, or whether people are just buying them because they're new and what's available?

[Talbot]

I suspect it's the combination of Euro NCAP requirement, aerodynamc requirements and the need for manufacturers to not take risks anymore.  By making a dull blob, they're not risking the car being a flop.  Or, indeed, a hit.

[New POD]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Mini

Maxi

Edited for correct trade mark. 

[sierraman]

The Mk1 Mondeo, very very good in its day but I’ve had many of them and without exception they all pissed water in somewhere and the bottom arm bushes didn’t last long enough to put the jack away.
 

I went from a late Mk2 to a Mk4 and I’m sorry but it pisses all over it in every respect. It doesn’t feel like an otters pocket every February morning, it does more than the at best 40 mpg the Mk2 offered, it is safer, more comfortable, goes well enough and doesn’t rust. I had years of Mk2s and the constant welding, suspension overhauls, the back brakes wanting adjusting or spilling fizzy pop on my crotch as it had no cup holders. I get why you might have one now as a hobby but daily it becomes annoying, so much so that when I see them getting bangered I am ambivalent. 

[lesapandre]

4 hours ago, Conan said:

Yesterday Renault launched the new Scenic.

It's now a Crossover EV.

Yup. Renault are going through a phase of recycling old names at the moment. There is a new 5 coming out and various other old monikers.

[lesapandre]

3 hours ago, big_al_granvia said:

The whole industry has lost the plot, everything is a hybrid crossover, you used to get hatchbacks, saloons and estates. Now you have cars with no identity

For the bland-modo-consumer-mediocre-facebook-people who now populate the world. 

[egg]

With Ford it's like shooting fish in a barrel

An Escort

By the Mk6, yeah, well whatever, nevermind. (Also remembering our late lamented colleague Hendry with this post)

[big_al_granvia]

15 minutes ago, egg said:

With Ford it's like shooting fish in a barrel

An Escort

By the Mk6, yeah, well whatever, nevermind. (Also remembering our late lamented colleague Hendry with this post)

Yeah but from the 70's to the late 90's Ford had those engineers at rallye sport who would put some white powder into the air intake and turn the boring family car into a fire breathing lunatic

[grogee]

7 hours ago, Bren said:

I was thinking about cars which have evolved to the point have been nothing like their original incarnation and losing something in the process.

The mondeo immediately springs to mind.

I only ever drove diesel examples of these but I remember being bowled over by them when they first came out.

Even allowing for the turbo lag they were a quantum leap after the sierra.

I had an early one of these on a X plate with the tddi engine. It was comfortable and well built but a bit sterile.

We currently run one of these but an estate. It is a nice place to be and has plenty of room but it is a bit meh to drive - it needs more power and only when parking do you realise how bloody big it is.

Looks only a mother could love. I have been a passenger in one and it was comfortable but otherwise unremarkable.

When ford decided to kill the mondeo off I was not surprised - it had become lardy and the engines that powered them were unremarkable - I used to find fords a pleasant and engaging steer but that seems to have gone. People now want SUV's or crossovers and not cars like the mondeo.

Can you think of any others?

Disagree slightly, I've always liked the Mondeo in all its guises. Especially the last one, I like the sleek lights. But I take your point, people just want Love Island and Adele SUVs. 

May I offer the Audi TT which has gone from 'crikey that looks weird' to 'which one is that' in 2 or 3 iterations. 

I drove a mk2 with the 5 cyl turbo, it was a hateful car. Painfully hard ride. Binary throttle. All the gear, no idea. 

[sierraman]

Thing is they’re running a business, you go where the moneys being spent. The Mondeo became a bit pointless when the size difference between that and a Focus was negligible. They’re not selling them to ‘touching forty year old blokes with £2,000 to spend’ 

I’ve to say I was shocked and almost insulted to the point of spitting out my own brand Asda Lager when I discovered a few years ago they had put the fabled Mustang name on an electric car. However, having seen them about I think they look pretty good especially in black. Maybe it because I’m getting fat and old but it looks ok to me, I’m past impressing the opposite sex, not that a Ford Sierra 1.8 LX ever wooed the ladies. I just want something reliable and comfortable to sit in with a Ford badge up front, annoyingly a Kuga seems to fit that. This is all academic now though due to my self imposed £2-3k budget as it’ll be a few years of not sleeping at night Ecoboosts and joining Facebook Action Groups after running it on 5w30 and ignoring the oil pressure warning. 

[RoverFolkUs]

Crikey, this far into the thread and noone has said "Land Rover Defender"! 

Drove one yesterday, there is absolutely zero resemblance to a defender. Too refined, big and bloated, I don't know why they didn't just call it a bloated but watered down Evoque. I suppose that doesn't have the same ring to it. 

It had those fancy all round cameras to help you park the thing, the engine was a 2.0 ingenium, so it might as well have been a Disco 5

They have no business calling it a defender if it's anything other than the first picture IMO... 

It just reminded me of a big American SUV. How can it be a defender with a monocoque body FFS 🤣

[sierraman]

1 minute ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Crikey, this far into the thread and noone has said "Land Rover Defender"! 

Drove one yesterday, there is absolutely zero resemblance to a defender. Too refined, big and bloated, I don't know why they didn't just call it a bloated but watered down Evoque. I suppose that doesn't have the same ring to it. 

It had those fancy all round cameras to help you park the thing, the engine was a 2.0 ingenium, so it might as well have been a Disco 5

They have no business calling it a defender if it's anything other than the first picture IMO... 

It just reminded me of a big American SUV. How can it be a defender with a monocoque body FFS 🤣

No farmers bought new Defenders apart from the moneyed sort that were playing at it. All the ones I’ve seen had ex water board Rangers or something Japanese. There used to be a saying in Australia, if you wanted to go to the outback buy a Landrover, if you wanted to get back alive buy a Toyota. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

1 minute ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Crikey, this far into the thread and noone has said "Land Rover Defender"! 

Drove one yesterday, there is absolutely zero resemblance to a defender. Too refined, big and bloated, I don't know why they didn't just call it a bloated but watered down Evoque. I suppose that doesn't have the same ring to it. 

It had those fancy all round cameras to help you park the thing, the engine was a 2.0 ingenium, so it might as well have been a Disco 5

They have no business calling it a defender if it's anything other than the first picture IMO... 

It just reminded me of a big American SUV. How can it be a defender with a monocoque body FFS 🤣

It's aimed at a different generation/market from the original. It's not a working car although there's at least two around here that I've seen in front of a sheep trailer - probably demo models as no farmer in his right mind would have one nor could they afford it. 
LR  have managed to retain some of the angles (windscreen) as a bit of nod to the past but in no way is it a Defender - more like a Disco?
(I have to admit I watched some weird guy on YouTube last week as I was trying to burrow into the back of the dash on the FreeLoader and 'next up' was him wanking over a 2023 special <<see here for similar fanboi stuff>> and Mr Weird was waxing eloquent about the fact that you can 'now' flip the rear squabs forward and drop the backs to improve the load space (just like any other estate car since 1970).
Trouble is - they don't make a flat floor - there's a 2 or 3 inch step onto the folded backs.
Frankly  - that's bollocks.

[RoverFolkUs]

3 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

It's aimed at a different generation/market from the original. It's not a working car although there's at least two around here that I've seen in front of a sheep trailer - probably demo models as no farmer in his right mind would have one nor could they afford it. 
LR  have managed to retain some of the angles (windscreen) as a bit of nod to the past but in no way is it a Defender - more like a Disco?
(I have to admit I watched some weird guy on YouTube last week as I was trying to burrow into the back of the dash on the FreeLoader and 'next up' was him wanking over a 2023 special <<see here for similar fanboi stuff>> and Mr Weird was waxing eloquent about the fact that you can 'now' flip the rear squabs forward and drop the backs to improve the load space (just like any other estate car since 1970).
Trouble is - they don't make a flat floor - there's a 2 or 3 inch step onto the folded backs.
Frankly  - that's bollocks.

I know they've turned into a luxury brand so my thoughts are that they shouldn't have recycled the Defender name. Obviously they have but it just seems silly. They might as well have called it a Freelander! Might have been a bit closer! 

It didn't seem as luxury as a Disco or Evoque, but it didn't seem naff either. A step aside rather than a step up or down if you know what I mean. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

4 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I know they've turned into a luxury brand so my thoughts are that they shouldn't have recycled the Defender name. Obviously they have but it just seems silly. They might as well have called it a Freelander! Might have been a bit closer! 

It didn't seem as luxury as a Disco or Evoque, but it didn't seem naff either. A step aside rather than a step up or down if you know what I mean. 

I know what you mean - they're chasing the G-Wagen type market methinks - plus they have the copyright on the Defender name so drag that back into play - have a look at the awful article I linked above for the sort of spin the fanbois are putting on the two types - cringey.
Actually I rather liked* the 'self deploying tow bar' that Mr Weirdo was demonstrating on You Tube - great bit of kit but, a bit like cheekily lowering my old BX then raising it once the towball was under the towbar, you still got to get out and plug in the electrics and stow the jockey wheel.
The backroom boys probably thought this was a whizzo sales pitch idea - I just see something that's going to go wrong in what? 8 or 9 years time? Overcomplicated and expensive.

[vulgalour]

Depressing, basic, non-descript.

Some styling, a bit of sportiness, more colours than varicose vein blue and appliance white.

Even more styling, bright colours, trim options, excitement for the everyman.

Oh.

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

Oh.

Dear!