These Are The Cars With The Most Misleading Names

We all love car names, but they're not always honest. Sometimes a car is given a name that the machine does not accurately reflect. Or sometimes cars are given a name that's completely opposed to the vehicle that wears the badge. It would almost be cruel, if it weren't so funny. We asked readers to tell us what they believe are the cars with the most misleading names.

Readers highlighted many cars from the malaise era through the 1990s, aughts, and up until today's age of EVs — as in the case of the Porsche Taycan Turbo, which eliminates the forced induction components its name suggests would be under the hood.

Readers also pointed out that the Ford Aspire nameplate could be considered honest — depending on your point of view, or if the poor hatch "aspired" to be any other car. That's an apt observation. Anyway, here are the cars readers say have the most misleading names:

I am going to go with the most obvious, Porsche using the word Turbo on their EV [...]

It's just that EVERY car journalist lost their collective minds when Porsche debuted the Porsche Taycan Turbo, like how can it turbo with you know no turbo

Submitted by: liffie420

The 6th and final generation of the Daewoo/Pontiac LeMans most definitely did not live up to its name, unless you count it as a car you could drive to the 24 Hours of LeMans that would eventually arrive if it didn't break down along the way. With a blistering 74 hp on tap and a pin-you-to-your-seat 0-60 MPH time of 13.4 seconds, you were certainly not winning many races in that thing. My parents owned one of these gems and it was decidedly the most mediocre car I have ever been in, maybe even more so than my aunt's Chevy Lumina that was strikingly similar to today's NP/ND example. [...]

My mom would occasionally let me row the gears for her from the passenger seat, and it was all the rubbery and undefined action you would expect it to be, like if someone made a gun out of latex instead of metal.

Submitted by: paradsecar

Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

[...]

Named after a part of the world that is extremely wealthy and very French.

Owned by Joe Dirt.

Submitted by: Thanos Penis (pixelated)

Dodge Dart Swinger.. ah you know what neverminded im not going there.

Submitted by: the_AUGHT

Ford Probe

Submitted by: IstillmissmyXJ

And...

With enough lube you can get one up there.

Fold the mirrors.

Submitted by: Thanos Penis (pixelated)

Low hanging fruit:

[...]

Its a decent looking crossover, good looking even. But they couldn't just let it stand on it's own and had to tie it to the Mustang name. Mustang isn't an idea like Evolution. Mitsubishi can Evo anything because an Evo is an idea. The mustang is a specific car, with specific characteristics. I think this would have done well under the Escape nameplate (granted the name never truly mattered, just a gimmick, but still!) Get off my lawn.

Submitted by: darthspartan117

And...

I still call it the Mocker-E

Submitted by: You'llBeSleepingWithTheFilet-O-Fishes

I got two.

Suzuki Esteem

[...]

And the badge-engineered Daewoo, Pontiac LeMans

Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I

Runner up to that [Chevy Monte Carlo] is the Monaco. How can you even be properly French (or French-adjacent, I suppose) without a working lighter?

Submitted by: Maymar

Along the same lines [as Dodge Dart Swinger]...the Ford Escort?

Submitted by: iblameRichardScarry

And...

My ex had an 84 escort station wagon automatic. When it was our only car. Driving it did feel like getting F*^ked for money.

Submitted by: 4jim

Ferrari F150. It doesn't have a bed or 4x4.

Submitted by: klone121

Let's get generic with SUV—sport utility vehicle:

[...]

What "sport"?

Utility, absolutely, but sport? They're nothing more than ponderous station wagons for hauling the wife and kids around. BOW is much more apt: box on wheels—lumbering boxes on wheels—hardly sporty.

Submitted by: the1969DodgeChargerFa

And...

Any of these SUVs with the word "sport" in them (i.e. Outlander Sport, Rogue Sport) – they're not sportier, just smaller

Submitted by: vuwildcat07

The Nissan President. Everyone knows the actual President and his/her ilk rolled in a Toyota Century.

Submitted by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death

[...]

It's going to be very hard to top this pile of utter filth.

Submitted by: The NSX Was Only In Development For 4 Years

And...

This car was so unremarkable I had to look it up to remind myself if it was called the Nitro or Liberty, it's (mostly) Jeep equivalent, either of which don't live up to the namesake anyway.

Submitted by: paradsecar

It's obvious. Mach 1 at sea level is 761 mph. A 2022 Mustang Mach 1 will only go 168 mph with the handling package. Deceptive advertising at its worst.

[...]

Submitted by: namesakeone

Mitsubishi Mirage. In spite of what the name implies, you can't just drive right through it.

Submitted by: Sid Bridge

Aside from what was already mentioned, I'm gonna suggest the Chevy Malibu.

Malibu is a place on the ocean with a nice beach, piers, palm trees and is known for surfing.

THIS car:

[...]

... does NOT embody that.

Submitted by: Manwich – now Keto-Friendly

Ford EcoSport. 25 combined MPG and only 166 HP, it is neither eco nor sport.

[...]

Submitted by: Stonz 4

Chevy Celebrity.

Submitted by: bootska

And...

I owned one out of necessity, the most boring, basic car I ever owned. Piece of junk too.

Submitted by: Brickhouse