For those of you who still remember books, a wise person once said you should never judge one by its cover. The same bit of wisdom applies to when you’re shopping for a new vehicle, too.
Despite their questionable, eye-watering looks, these 10 new 2015 models are worthy of your consideration — trust us. And just remember: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
BMW i3
A 2014 BMW i3 on display the Montreal Internatinal Auto Show at Palais de Congrées in Montreal, Thursday January 16, 2014.
Phil Carpenter, Postmedia News
With its carbon-fibre/aluminum structure body and all-electric or optional extended-range gas-electric powertrain, the all-new $47,045 (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) BMW i3 compact hatchback may just be the future of small city cars. It has a range of 160 to 200 kilometres, can be charged in three hours from a 220-volt outlet, and can go from zero to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. But with its shopping cart proportions and terribly busy bodywork festooned with traditional BMW styling cues, the future of motoring does not look pretty.
Honda Crosstour
2013 Honda Crosstour
Rob Rothwell, Vancouver Province
The $39,240 Crosstour (originally launched as the Accord Crosstour for 2011) appeared like the perfect mid-size vehicle. What buyer wouldn’t want a more practical, all-wheel-drive version of the Japanese automaker’s stellar Accord sedan? But in Honda’s attempt to make the Crosstour appeal to crossover buyers, the demi-wagon-quasi-hatchback-slash-thingee was burdened with extra body cladding, raised ride height and CR-V-like front styling. Needless to say, buyers have stayed away from the ugly Honda in droves.
Infiniti QX80
2015 Infiniti QX80
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As per its re-titled Q70 sedan stable-mate, last year’s Infiniti QX56 is being renamed for 2015, now called the QX80. Also like the Q70 sedan, the all-wheel-drive, full-size, body-on-frame, luxury sports-utility-vehicle received some small interior updates and the addition of a new, topline QX80 Limited model. Best described as a Japanese Escalade, the 400 horsepower, V8-engine $75,645 QX80 also received some minor exterior styling updates (primarily headlights and taillights and a restyled grille.) But, as you can see, the changes didn’t make the Infiniti SUV look anything more beautiful.
Jeep Cherokee
2015 Jeep Cherokee
Nick Tragianis, Driving
Based on the same, widened Fiat-derived compact platform that also supports Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 sedans, the front or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door $25,390 Jeep Cherokee drives nothing like the Neolithic 2002-2013 Liberty it replaced last year in Jeep showrooms. It also doesn’t look anything like blocky Jeeps from the past. Giving away its Italian-hatchback roots, the Cherokee is all soft and mushy-looking, led by its duckbill nose that’s been forced to wear Jeep’s traditional slotted-grille motif.
Lexus GX
Lexus’s top-of-the-line GX 460 gets a mild makeover for 2014. But at its heart, the AWD 460 is an old-school brute that offers practicality and off-roading readiness.
Chris Balcerak, Special to Driving
As one of the few remaining truck-based SUVs, the $61,195 Lexus GX 460 has a lot going for it. Combined with a rock-solid interior swathed in high levels of Lexus luxury, and a rare-for-this-class all-wheel-drive system with a locking centre differential, the 310-hp V8 GX 460 is not afraid to leave the mall parking lot for a bit of real off-roading. Normally conservatively designed, for 2014, Lexus designers applied the brand’s so-called “spindle” grille to the SUV’s front-end, causing GX 460 owners to go hide in the woods.
Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Coupe
The Mercedes-Benz CLA brings coupe styling to the compact luxury sedan.
Russell Purcell, Driving
Starting at $36,375, the CLA-Class Coupe is one of the more affordable offerings from the German automaker’s usually expensive showroom. Whoa. Did you just read “Coupe”? Yes. Because while the CLA sports four doors, Mercedes markets it as the baby brother to the mid-size CLS-Class Coupe. Unfortunately, the CLA’s rear-drive proportions do not translate well to the CLA’s front-drive platform, resulting in massive overhangs making the compact look like a 10-year-old boy wearing his father’s suit.
Nissan Juke
2015 Nissan Juke.
Handout, Nissan
From its supportive driver’s seat, the $21,693 Nissan Juke is one of the most fun-to-drive urban machines you can buy. All Jukes come with a turbocharged, 188-hp four-cylinder engine that acts like a larger engine over a wide rev range. We also like the way the Juke’s CVT fires off sharp (albeit fake) gear changes, and the way it, well, jukes around city streets like a hot hatch. But my, oh my, with its reptilian front styling and humpback whale rear-end, stepping outside the compact Nissan crossover could make your eyes start to bleed.
Porsche Panamera
2015 Porsche Panamera
Handout, Porsche
First seen in 2010, the $90,615 Panamera four-door, 2+2 grand touring hatchback is like no other Porsche seen before. Available in two wheelbase lengths and an engine menu that’s almost as long, the Panamera as a concept has been polarizing as much as it’s styling. Even Porsche’s head of design, Michael Mauer, thinks so. “So … four seats, with enough headroom and enough space for the luggage, hatchback, and below five metres in length. A mixture of requirements that — I would not like to say it was headache — but definitely a real design challenge,” Mauer said at the Panamera’s launch. We agree.
Scion iQ
2014 Scion iQ
Scion Canada,
As an urban runabout, we have liked the $18,710 iQ city car a lot ever since it arrived for 2008. It’s apparent Toyota designed the iQ for customers looking for a better Smart ForTwo. And, unequivocally, the Japanese automaker has accomplished its goal. The tiny Toyota shares similar proportions with the Mercedes minicar. But the Scion is dimensionally larger, inside and out. Still, the iQ’s bulldog front end and stumpy proportions will have owners having to answer the inevitable “Where’s the rest of the car you bought?”
Toyota 4Runner
2015 Toyota 4Runner
Jenn Pierce, Driving
Sharing the same Toyota truck-based platform, the $40,005 4Runner — Toyota’s longest-running SUV model — is the less luxurious version of the aforementioned GX 460, substituting Lexus’ V8 for a 270-hp V6. Plus, the Toyota SUV is even more formidable off-road than the Lexus SUV. However, with its new schnoz this year, we think the 4Runner is arguably even less attractive than the loathsome Lexus. When was the last time you saw a new vehicle that already looked like it’s been in a front-end collision?
