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Headroom.
One of our neighbours is nearly 70, 6'5" and doesn't bend as well as he used to. He wanted something smaller and cheaper than the Volvos he'd been used to and is well satisfied.
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Ok perhaps but theres plenty of cars a tall old person can fit in without having to invent a car purely for the purpose of it. I like Ford but the Fusion is a waste of space. It offers nothing their other cars dont.
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After seeing a Suzuki X90 getting stuck in snow where all other vehicles were able to keep moving, I'd have to nominate it.
A 2-seater SUV with a large luggage boot and just rear-wheel drive (in standard form) with no pretensions to attractive styling appears to have nothing to offer!
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Any SUV which doesnt work offroad can be put in here. Notably the X6 i nominated earlier. Its too much of a coupe styled sports car to be any good off road but its too much of a 4x4 shaped sized car to be much good at being a sporty family car etc it goes round in circles.
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There are several Peugeots which seem pointless; the 107, 207 and 307, and various Pug estates, all look the same to me. I'm sure there must be different trims but that many similar hatchbacks? Really?
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As per one of my older threads-Audi A7!
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The 107 is just the Peugeot-badged version of the car that's also the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1.
Citroen / Peugeot currently produce three ranges - Citroen quirky (the DS series) Citroen conventional (C3, C4 etc) and Peugeot, also conventional (207, 307 etc). That sounds like one too many ranges, with perhaps the conventional Citroens being the ones best described as pointless.
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Citroen / Peugeot currently produce three ranges - Citroen quirky (the DS series) Citroen conventional (C3, C4 etc) and Peugeot, also conventional (207, 307 etc). That sounds like one too many ranges, with perhaps the conventional Citroens being the ones best described as pointless.
Pug versions do have one advantage if you're an insomniac, looking at any of their models bar the reasonable 207 should induce much needed sleep, but don't look at the front view.
What's happened to them, ugly or what, in comparison the equivalent Citroens are handsome devils, DS3 arguably one of the nicest looking cars currently sold....has some other manufacturer infiltrated an undercover agent into Pug's design studio, they used to make proper cars, useful and nice looking, who on earth thought that huge gaping gob of a grill looked anything other than hideous...look at pics of 4007 (not too long you'll be ill), then Citroen Crosser, you'd never believe they were the same car (Mitsi Outlanders really, and be careful looking at latest facelift Outlander if you don't want to throw up, Pugs designer done a moonlighter?), my nut case Vizsla dog could have designed it better, they've even ruined the otherwise nice looking new 408 with that huge gaping hole in the front bumper.
So i offer all Pugs as being pointless, unless you like ugly.
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The X6 is great if you want to look like a repellent oik with too much money?
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Nissan Joke....Juke
What exactly is the point in that painful on the eye excuse of a vehicle?
Also having driven one (friend insisted after I asked him why he bought it) I was alarmed how much the front dips under braking.
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A car made purely for style and compromises on function.
What's wrong with style over function? It's down to personal taste and preference. I can't imagine spending X6 money on any car and especially not an X6 but from the road tests I've read it is a spectacular car to drive. If the owner likes the style of it then why not?
Would you prefer a steak and chips or sausage and smash? They both fill you up.
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but from the road tests I've read it is a spectacular car to drive.
It wants to be for that sort of money! The point is how much better would it be to drive if it wasnt trying to look like a big 4x4?
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Here's a contentious one: the Porsche 911. How many different models...?! Are they really all necessary? Couldn't they call them different numbers? I know they do this internally, but sell them all as 911s.
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Yes you get the turbo and the one which is a turbo but isnt called a turbo and one which isnt a turbo and isnt called a turbo etc etc
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I suppose in truth it's a seemingly pointless number of variations on a great car - although if they all sell well maybe not so pointless. It would have been good of the new 911 looked less like the old one.
Can you tell one Aston Martin from another? I can't.
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Neither can I!
Very good point. Aren't Astons just souped up Jaguar XK8s? (apart from the Cygnet which is a Vanden Plas job on an IQ)
Jamie's right, I am going to nominate the Evoque-and the Freelander. The disco and defender are good at what they do. The latest Range Rover is theoretically capable on and off-road, but too many of them are sitting on unsuitable tyres which renders them pointless.
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Well Aston only really need two cars, the DB9 and the Rapide. One is an excellent coupe and the other is a 5 door rocketship.
The DBS is a DB9 which is slightly better for twice the price. The Vantage is just a mini DB9 really and as for that laughable Cygnet (Toyota IQ for £30k) which even Aston wouldnt admit to being their idea...oh dear.
Apparently the Virage is coming back. And yes, i can hear that deafening silence of nobody caring.
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I have already had my little 'what is this for?!!' about the Evoque. Top of the 'pointless' list.
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There does seem to be a trend among manufacturers right now to invent cars to fill a segment which doesnt really exist. We didnt need lifestyle softroad coupe crossovers 10 years ago. The Evoque is made purposely to fill a gap which didnt need filling. If you want a Range Rover then buy a proper one!
These crossover things, SUV sized sporty coupe hatchbacky type things and by blending them all together you get a car which can fulfill none of those functions particularly well but they charge you extra for it.
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In principle I'd agree about the Evoque - either have a 4x4 or a sporty coupe but not both at once. But it seems that order books are full, so can one describe a car (or any product) as pointless if lots of people want to buy it?
Debatable.
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In that case that says more about the people who want to buy them and makes them pointless people. People we can do without. In general.
Lots of people bought Girls Aloud albums. Point made.
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Fusion is smaller than Focus with better access to boot space. I must say the Fusion is ugly. B-Max will replace it.
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What about the Audi A5 Sportback and the Audi A7?
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Already mentioned. I think the A5 convertible is the best looking convertible in the market, but the A7 is utterly redundant.
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A5 convertible is a fine car, I still think I prefer the E-Class convertible though...
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Ah, MB! There must be some pointless cars in that sprawling range somewhere.
Utterly forgettable Initials leave the range looking vague and incoherent.
e.g. CLS250 CDTI
Since all diesel engines are now common rail direct injection and turbocharged, it is redundant.
Does the 250 refer to displacement/ No, it's actually a 2.2.
What does CLS stand for? Don't tell me, I've lost interest and gone to the BMW dealership instead.
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I'm voting Cayenne and X6 as pointless fugly disasters.
Thats not a typo..fugly.
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What about the ML63 AMG, surely thats a contender?
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I do think this is a silly thread, dominated by people that wish to push or impose their own prejudices on everyone else ; with the implication that if you do not agree you are somehow wrong.
A little tolerance goes a long way.
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What does CLS stand for? Don't tell me, I've lost interest and gone to the BMW dealership instead.
*Spits drink out in shock* Excuse me?! You're going to criticise Mercedes Benz for a large array of pointless numbers and letters and then head off to BMW?
This is a company which still puts i after every model number. 318i, 330ci, 530i, 530xi (whatever the hell that is). This is a company which offers the option of having the boot badge of the model removed to save embarassment for the owner of people recognising he couldnt afford the top of the range. They feel the need to call the convertible six-series the ci, for people who cant see the roof is missing. They're also a company which make three versions of the same pointless car (X3, X5 and X6) and they're all overpriced rubbish.
Its a company which gives you virtually nothing as standard, you get wheels, doors and a windscreen and everything else is optional, and expensive. The BMW 1-series is possibly one of the most pointless cars made when you break down what a medium family hatch is meant to do, its no more practical than a 3 series, less room in the boot and rear than a Focus for much more money. If you want a BMW you cant fit anything in the back of then buy a Z3 or Z4 or something.
All the Germans are guilty of over-naming cars, making the same car 7 times and giving it all 7 different numbers. The chances of going into a Porsche dealership and coming out with the car you went in for are pretty slim.
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The A7 can do everyting that its rivals can do, but is more versatile because it has a hatchback, whereas they are merely saloons.
So if you think that the A7 is redundant then you must think that rival offerings from Mercedes, Jaguar, Volve, BMW are even MORE redundant.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I think they are all great cars, and none are redundant.
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Don't you see any irony in expressing an opinion about other people's opinions?
If space is an issue, an estate makes better use of the floorpan than a hatchback with a severly shallow angled tailgate. The A7 can't do anything an A6 Avant can't do better.
For a big luxury saloon, the A8 fits the bill nicely.
The A7 isn't useless, but it is difficult to see the need for a new platform that wasn't filled with the A5, 6, and 8.
Jaguar does not have redundant platforms.
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I do think this is a silly thread, dominated by people that wish to push or impose their own prejudices on everyone else ; with the implication that if you do not agree you are somehow wrong.
A little tolerance goes a long way.
Pot. Kettle. Big flashing neon sign with 'Ironic' written on it. No? Too slow to follow?
So i have to 'tolerate' other peoples buying choices (which i do) but you dont have to tolerate my opinion of it? Yet i have to tolerate your opinion that i shouldnt have one?
The 'implication that if you do not agree you are somehow wrong' is particularly amusing as no doubt you feel if i disagree with your post i am therefore wrong.
So come on, own up, which of these cars do you own?
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Now now boys!
I actually like the A7. If its single purpose is to be a good looking car, then it's not pointless. It's attractive, and it's a hatch.
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I agree wholeheartedly with that, I think that the A7 is the best looking car Audi make by a country mile! Far better than the ghastly A8. I do think the Sportback is slightly redundant but sure they wouldn't make it if they couldn't sell it.
I also think that there are few cars out there that look better as a saloon than as an estate version... In my view the estate option of most saloons is far better looking than the equivalent saloon.
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Mmm.
You have imposed your views on this forum for quite a while. I use the word 'impose' because you have the irritating style of writing in declaratives. this gives the reader the impression that your views are 'correct' and any others are 'incorrect'.
Just my opinion.
Oh, yes......Citroen Berlingo.
I await your prejudiced remarks.........
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>> Don't you see any irony in expressing an opinion about other people's opinions?
No irony. Just pointing out that you need to use your imagination and put yourself in other drivers shoes. That's what is so good about being able to chat in a forum like this. You can find out why a car that you may think of as useless is actually a good car for the meeds of some other drivers.
So why is it so difficult to understand why anyone would like to own a large hatchback like a Ford Mondeo, Skoda Superb, or Audi A7? It's so simple. There are customers out there who NEED more than a saloon, but don't want to drive a compact hea*** (estate) car around.
>> it is difficult to see the need for a new platform that wasn't filled with the A5, 6, and 8
It's easy to understand. There was a niche missing, and Audi want to make sure that no potential customer is ever lost due to them not being able to supply a car that fits their particular niche. That is why the A7 and the smaller A5 Sportback exist.
The A8 is a great car, I agree, but I couldn't live with a saloon, and I hate - no I loathe - estate cars. (you may have noticed).
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I am so glad I am not the only one.
Cheers.
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I am so glad I am not the only one.
Cheers.
You might be interested to know you were the only one who read that piece of assumed drivel above. The moment i saw it was praising you i skipped to the bottom, due to my prejudice and intolerance of other peoples opinions.
Oh no wait, thats you.
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I'm not a lover of estates but some are better looking than the Saloon, Jag X-Type, Vauxhall Insignia and most Volvos for instance.
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and the 5 series. The saloon looks silly with a little box tacked onto the cabin. The back window gets covered in rain and they're more difficult to park.
The estates are no noisier than saloons nowadays and the extra volume makes the cabin airier.
I think the only saloons that look good are the 60's and 70's Detroit land yachts-but they are hopelessly impractical.
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Oh, yes......Citroen Berlingo.
I await your prejudiced remarks.........
I like the Berlingo actually its like a van but its still car like. Only really that and the Renault Kangoo to choose from. Friend of mine has had both as disabled vehicles and has been impressed.
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SteveLee
>> I'm not a lover of estates but some are better looking than the Saloon
unthrottled
>>The estates are no noisier than saloons nowadays and the extra volume makes the cabin airier.
Fair play Gentlemen, these are very good points. In the old days the estate variant was a poor relation to the saloon. The conversion to the estate body often looked hideous and they were poor to drive in comparison.
Modern estate cars are often excellent all-rounders. I respect their abilities, and used to drive one! My strong aversion is due to complex personal reasons which I won't bore everyone with here.
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Modern estates feel like they've been built from the bottom up alot more than older estates which were basically a Saloon with a big box glued on the back.
Personally ive never seen an estate car which in my opinion looks nicer than its saloon/hatchback counterpart. But thats my preferance, ive never liked estate cars, i'd buy one if i needed one, but i wouldnt buy one for its looks. The 406 Estate and the 95-03 5 series Touring, Jaguar X Type Estate probably come closest.
My strong aversion is due to complex personal reasons which I won't bore everyone with here.
These complex personal reasons are either the fact he cant park or his wife hates Estates. Am i right? Am i? Come on you know i am!
:)
Hehe.
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"Personally ive never seen an estate car which in my opinion looks nicer than its saloon/hatchback counterpart. "
Skoda Superb?
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"Personally ive never seen an estate car which in my opinion looks nicer than its saloon/hatchback counterpart. "
Skoda Superb?
Alfa 159?
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These complex personal reasons are either the fact he cant park or his wife hates Estates. Am i right? Am i? Come on you know i am!
Ha ha! :-) Actually, SWMBO loved the estate, but I AM poor at parking. The only car that I could ever park really well was the estate - isn't life strange?
No - I had a road accident in an unwanted BMW estate. Driving became a nightmare and I had to get my head fixed. Lots of weird and distressing stuff came out - it has to, you can't come to terms with it unless its in the open.
Now I'm starting to remember it all again. :-(
There - happy now?
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I was trying to give a comedic tone to the conversation! No need to drag it down :)
My sympathies to anybody who's had a serious road accident, i have no idea how such a thing would affect me as im of the mentality of 'cheer up, might never happen' sort of person. I never imagine that sort of thing will happen to me. I have been witness to quite a nasty incident mind a couple of years ago when i was behind a cyclist who got knocked off his bike in the rain and broke his arm after a very awkward landing.
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. . im of the mentality of 'cheer up, might never happen' sort of person.
Me too! :-) I think that it hits us harder than the pessimists when we actually do have a bad one. I think that they get a kind of grim "told you so!" satisfaction when something bad happens, like an accident.
Sing like nobody's listening, dance like nobody's watching, and work like you don't need the money.
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Well i'd also describe myself as a pessimist in some respects and with my job being all about numbers i find it impossible to work like i dont need the money but im also not someone who goes around expecting the worst to happen to me.
My way of thinking is if i get in a car believing i will crash, then i definately will crash. If you thought you'd crash you'd never get in the car. In fact if you always believed the worst you'd never do anything.
By the way just in case anybodies wondering i didnt leave the cyclist at the side of the road with his broken arm, it was about 4ish on a late October afternoon, pretty heavy rain and going along a usually quiet enough 30mph limit road just outside town and thats where the cyclist came off his bike, due to a plank in a BMW who when moving to the left a bit to avoid the traffic island didnt see the cyclist or didnt care and caught him which led him to fall very awkwardly off his bike onto the pavement. There was nothing behind me at the time so i put hazards on, two wheels up on the path (i had my black 406 HDi at this point, god i loved that car, shame someone hit it one day) got out and went over to him and asked if he was ok, his arm was clearly in a bad way and it wasnt for the squeamish, but he was determined to get up and used me to drag himself up with his good arm. He was walking fine so i chained his bike up to the nearest lamp post and drove him to the hospital which was only 10 minutes away.
See im a nice person really.
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Yeah but if you're a pessimist, when something rubbish happens, you're not so disappointed because you half expected it. There's logic in there somewhere!
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Watched TG the other night with the new RR on it.
That car gets my vote. To me it looks like a blown up mini!
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I'd like to make a small amendment to my suggestions. Upon reflection and research i'll take the 3008 off the list, i actually prefer its looks to the 5008 and the 5008 is the bizarre one of the range. Looks like a van!
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Don't most MPV's look like vans anyway. I wouldn't call the 5008 a pointless car, just another MPV in a booming market. The name of the thing is a bit bizarre though...
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I think the extra number is to signify extra room in the car or extra row of seats or something like that. Quite how the 1007 fits in there im not sure. Now THAT was a pointless car.
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The 1007 is one of the best examples we've had yet of a pointless car: all it brought to the market were its slow and unreliable sliding doors.
I think the idea is that mainstream Pugs - hatchbacks, saloons and estates - have a single 0, and 'extra' models have a double 0. So the 3008 is one of those Jack-of-all-trades crossovers, and the 5008 is a people-carrier.
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Thank you, i think we've finally hit on one here with the 1007. It was heavy, slow, too expensive for what it was, the sliding doors were slow, unreliable and made it awkward to get in the back (i know because i tried one while wandering round a Peugeot dealership as my friend was trying a 308), it was nowhere near the revolution in motoring Peugeot hoped for.
As for the 3008 and 5008 i supposed technically the former is the most pointless one, as its made to compete with the Qashqai which is in itself pretty odd and the type of car which didnt exist ten years ago, but i prefer the looks of the 3008 to the 5008. There was a time where Peugeot held back on making cars to fill sectors in the belief those sectors were dying, after the 405 they said people dont buy four door saloons anymore then had a heart attack when they realised that wasnt the case, then rushed round and put out the thoroughly decent 406 for example.
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Ah, the "build it and they will come" school of car design.
Presumably anyone saying that at Renault gets beaten to death with an Avantime steering column....
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