The automotive market is littered with overhyped machines that promise the moon and deliver a flat tire. But for every lemon with a marketing budget, there is an equal number of genuinely good vehicles flying under the radar. These are the cars, trucks, and SUVs people would adore if they actually knew about them. Bad pricing? Poor marketing? Lack of sex appeal? Whatever the reason, these rides suffer from invisibility. It’s a shame because they offer years of trouble-free driving. Here are the first ten most underrated cars on the market today.
10. Mazda 6
The Mazda 6 has been an underdog for years. It doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Mazda doesn’t sell volume like Honda or Toyota. That doesn’t matter. The Mazda 6 competes with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry and holds its own. It’s sexier than its rivals. The 184-horsepower four-cylinder engine has punch. EPA estimates put highway mileage at 35 miles per gallon. Your wallet stays full. The car drives like a true Mazda. Handling is exceptional. Reviewers call it a sport sedan disguised as a sensible suburban car. That’s the right diagnosis. You get the drama of a sports car with the utility of a family hauler.
9. Chevy Cruze Hatchback
The Chevy Cruze Hatchback gets no respect. It’s woefully underrated. New for 2017, this five-door model shares the front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder engine of the standard Cruze sedan. But it looks better. European cut angles give it a refined look. The cargo hold is massive. Fold the rear seats down and you have ample room for gear. It’s smart. It’s budget-friendly. Chevy proved it can make small cars that matter. The question remains: will the public notice? Probably not. That’s their loss.
8. Fiat 500 Abarth
Size doesn’t matter for the Fiat 500 Abarth. It’s small. It’s fun. It rips down country roads. Forget expensive sports cars. You won’t find an exhaust note this good. Even the Fiat 124 Spyder doesn’t sound as good when the engine is humming. A 1.4-liter engine pushes out 160 horsepower. It’s a mini Ferrari on steroids. The manual gearbox isn’t perfect. It’s not built for off-road driving. But for city zipping or weekend tooling, it’s criminally fun. Why are people sleeping on this?
7. Cadillac CTS-V
Forget everything you know about Cadillacs. Imagine a Buick LaCrosse with a rocket missile attached to the back. That’s the Cadillac CTS-V. 640 horsepower. It devours BMWs and Mercedes for breakfast. It’s an American luxury monster. It’s fun at legal speeds. It’s fun when you ignore the limit. The 6.2-liter V8 engine hums politely or tears up asphalt. Journalists call it a four-door Corvette. High praise. BMW and Mercedes get all the glory. This Cadillac deserves consideration. Stop ignoring it.
6. Volkswagen CC
Volkswagen makes well-known models. Jetta. Passat. Beetle. Tiguan. The CC gets nary a glance. This is a mistake. The German-engineered sedan shows what VW can do when it stops trying to be everything to everyone. VW tried to become the Toyota of Germany. They forgot what made their affordable cars endearing. The Jetta and Passat became anonymous. The Golf is great, but Americans don’t care about hatchbacks. The Chevy Cruze exists. The CC is different. It has style. It fits four adults. It has that Germanic feel in the controls. It makes driving exciting for the working man who can’t afford a BMW. Why is it invisible?
The Toyota 86 and Subaru Legacy
The Toyota 86 Coupe is a ghost story. It’s a car that deserves to be remembered, yet it sits in the shadows of corporate restructuring. Remember the Scion FR-S? That was the original name. When Toyota killed the Scion brand, they didn’t kill the car. They just renamed it. The 86 is the result of that merger.
Subaru engineers built the flat-four engine. It’s not a powerhouse. You get roughly 200 horsepower. Some call that an insult. We call it honesty.
The 86 Coupe is like an affordable Porsche Cayman. Same handling. Half the price.
You don’t need 500 horsepower to feel the road. The 86 gives you the balance of a world-class sports car without the six-figure price tag. It’s lightweight. It’s pure rear-wheel drive. If Toyota discontinues it, you’ll hear from every enthusiast who knows that handling beats raw power every time.
Why the Mazda MX-5 Miata Deserves Serious Respect
The Mazda MX-5 Miata suffers from a perception problem. It looks cute. Soft curves. Round headlights. It looks like a toy. That’s why people don’t take it seriously. That’s why it’s underrated.
Get in the car. The rear seats are nonexistent. It’s a two-seater roadster. Tall people will struggle. You have to fold yourself into the bucket seats. But if you fit, the driving experience is unmatched.
The chassis is taut. The steering is precise. The manual shifter clicks into place with a mechanical satisfaction that shames many exotic supercars. It’s lightweight. It’s rear-wheel drive. It’s inexpensive to maintain.
The Miata doesn’t lie about its capabilities. It’s small. It’s nimble. It’s fun. The only thing holding it back is its adorable aesthetic. Ignore the looks. Drive it.
The Underrated BMW 3 Series Wagon
BMW SUVs sell like warm bread. The X3. The X5. They are glossy. They are high up. They are overhyped.
The BMW 3 Series Wagon is the smart buy. It gets ignored. It gets left in the dust by marketing budgets that favor crossovers. But look at what you’re missing.
It has the driving manners of a German sports sedan. It handles like it’s on rails. Then you open the trunk. The cargo hold is massive. It puts many so-called utility vehicles to shame. You lose the high center of gravity of an SUV, sure. But you gain agility.
You can spec it with all-wheel drive. You can get the diesel engine for torque and efficiency. It’s practical. It’s fast. It’s the vehicle that actually makes sense for people who drive.
The Ford Flex: Boxed In By Confusion
The Ford Flex is its own worst enemy. It’s boxy. Angular. It looks like a minivan that went to the gym and lost.
Consumers don’t know what to call it. Is it a wagon? A truck? A crossover? Journalists shrug. They don’t know either.
But under that strange body is a turbocharged V6. 365 horsepower. It’s quick. The cabin is spacious. It’s comfortable.
The Ford Explorer and Escape get the sales. The Flex idles on the sidelines. It’s a tragedy of design. If you can look past the boxy aesthetic, you’re getting a lot of car for the money. It’s ignored because it’s confusing. Don’t be confused. Look closer.
Porsche 718 Boxster: The Bottom of the Chart
Porsche sells SUVs. The Macan. The Cayenne. They are the cash cows. The Panamera moves units too. The 911 is iconic.
The Porsche 718 Boxster? It’s at the bottom of the sales charts. It sits next to the Cayman. The hardtop coupe. Both are ignored.
This is wrong.
The Boxster is sublime engineering. It’s a convertible. You can feel the air. You can hear the turbocharged four-cylinder engine scream. The performance is exceptional. The handling is precise.
It’s a mid-engine sports car from Porsche. For less money than a base 911. It’s destined to be ignored because it’s not an SUV. It’s not a status symbol in the same way. It’s just a great car. And that’s why you should buy it.
