25 over - hyped vehiclesLarger imageSomecars stand out from the automotive landscape . They get more attentionsometimes because they are especially fast , or beautiful or just sellin huge numbers . But it ' s not always because they ' re actually goodvehicles . Our friends from MSN Cars UK put together a gallery of the 25 over - hyped cars . Please note that listed specifications and productionyears may not match with North American versions of the same vehicles . 25 over - hyped vehicles 1 . 1946 Volkswagen BeetleLarger imageTheBeetle was one of the world ' s best selling car , despite the fact thatit was slow , noisy , cramped and rotted profusely - and costly too . Which just proves that over 20 million people can be wrong . 2 . 1958 Ford EdselLarger imageAfterextensive customer clinics , Ford was so confident that it had created anew type of family car that it set up a new division , called Edsel . Butbuyers stayed well away . 3 . 1960 Chevrolet CorvairLarger imageShamelesslycribbing VW ' s rear - engined air - cooled formula , Chevrolet hoped theCorvair would ape the Beetle ' s success . Instead the car becamenotorious for its dangerous handling . 4 . 1970 Ford PintoLarger imageThistruly was US economy motoring at its worst , Seventies style . Thanks toa tendency to explode in a rear - end accident due to a poor fuel tankdesign , the Pinto became known as the barbecue that could seat four . 5 . 1974 Ford Mustang IILarger imageAfterthe fabulous ' 60 s original , this ' sporty ' eco car for the 1970 s was atravesty ; it was offered with a four - cylinder engine and no convertibleoption . The dynamics were tragic too . 6 . 1974 Porsche 911 TurboLarger imageItmay have been fast , but the turbo lag from the first of theseturbocharged 911 s was truly terrifying ; power delivery was all ornothing . And don ' t even mention the corrosion problems … 7 . 1975 Triumph TR 7 Larger imageTriumph ' sTRs have always been hairy - chested sports cars with masculine styling , but the TR 7 was a hideous travesty . For years it wasn ' t even offered inopen - topped form . 8 . 1976 Aston Martin LagondaLarger imageTheLagonda was supposed to represent a glimpse into the future , butpotential buyers hoped it didn ' t , as the cars couldn ' t be made to workproperly . Even models distributed to the media for evaluation keptbreaking down . 9 . 1981 De Lorean DMC 12 Larger imageInreturn for oodles of cash , John DeLorean built a factory in Ireland tomake stainless steel sports cars with Renault engines . But shoddy buildquality led to the company ' s bankruptcy . 10 . 1980 Maserati BiturboLarger imageItaliansupercars don ' t come any more discreet than here - but few are ashorrifically unreliable either . Engines failed , bodyshells rusted andthe electrics were a law unto themselves . 11 . 1986 Jaguar XJLarger imageThe ' 86 XJ was supposed to signal the way forward for Jaguar but its ugly , boxy styling offered none of the feline grace of previous Jag saloons . 12 . 1989 Ferrari 348 Larger imageWithan engine in the middle and a prancing horse on the nose , this shouldhave been every driver ' s dream , but instead it was a nightmare thanksto lame dynamics and a boring design . 13 . 1992 Jaguar XJ 220 Larger imageAvaliant spare time supercar effort by Jag workers . Emissionsregulations saw the V 12 dropped for a twin - turbocharged V 6 , but thearrival of the infinitely superior McLaren F 1 and an economic recessionkilled the XJ 220 . 14 . 1996 BMW Z 3 Larger imageShroudedin secrecy , the first BMW to be driven by James Bond ( in ' Goldeneye ') proved to be far from the ultimate driving machine thanks to itsancient suspension . 15 . 1998 Volkswagen New BeetleLarger imageAcar designed to revive an iconic name . A world away mechanically fromits forebear , with a front - mounted engine , this car was – and is – frankly no good , based on the unloved fourth - generation Golf . 16 . 1998 Smart fortwoLarger imageExpensiveand fitted with possibly the worst transmission ever devised , thefirst - generation Smart was an expensive flop for Mercedes . And thesecond edition isn ' t much better . 17 . 2001 Aston Martin VanquishLarger imageItwasn ' t until the swan song S was unveiled that the Vanquish finally gotthe chassis it deserved - until then , buyers forked out over $ 300 , 000 for a car that wasn ' t really very good . 18 . 2001 Jaguar X - TypeLarger imageJaguar ' sattempt at a BMW 3 Series rival came unstuck due to stodgy , datedstyling and a widely held belief that it was little more than a FordMondeo in drag . 19 . 2001 Renault Vel SatisLarger imageRenault ' sattempt at a flagship proves that big cars and French car makers justdon ' t go together . Just 1 , 400 were sold in the UK over three years - most of them dealer demos no doubt . 20 . 2002 Ford ThunderbirdLarger imageFordlost its way with the Thunderbird so resorted to the old trick ofreviving a 50 - year - old design . Initial demand was tremendous , untilsomebody spotted it actually wasn ' t very good . 21 . 2002 Maybach 57 & 62 Larger imageAt $ 350 , 000 + each , the Maybach should ' ve looked amazing and been more thanjust a long - wheelbase Mercedes - Benz S - Class . But it does neither , whichis why it ' s been a hopeless failure . 22 . 2003 Mazda RX - 8 Larger imageEverybodyraves about the fact that it looks great and packs a rotary engine ; butwhat about the fact that it guzzles oil and gas plus has the world ' sfirst torque - free powerplant ? 23 . 2003 Mercedes - Benz SLR McLarenLarger imageGivenits price and its heritage , the SLR should ' ve been the most amazing carto drive and look at . Whether it ' s a looker is debatable ; what isn ' t isthat customers were short - changed by its dynamics . 24 . 2004 Toyota PriusLarger imageThebiggest - selling hybrid in the world but not nearly as green as Toyotawould have us believe . A decent diesel - powered compact car is better todrive and is as frugal for most people in the real world . 25 . 2006 Mercedes R - ClassLarger imageMercedesreckoned this was the world ' s first truly luxurious people carrier whenit was launched , but it ' s ugly , costly and isn ' t really very spacious . Back to the drawing board then …