Since the dawn of the automobile age, car design was always considered a pretty important aspect of the car itself. Of course, elegant lines will not make a vehicle faster or better handling but they will definitely make it more appealing, desirable and ultimately more popular. Despite the efforts to introduce aesthetically pleasing forms, manufacturers often present quite the opposite. Even the biggest and most respected car companies in the world have a few “problematic” designs in their portfolio. Today, we will present you with the list of twenty ugliest cars ever to hit the streets. Those vehicles are carefully picked among thousands of vehicles produced in the last 50 years and their design left the mark on the collective automotive conscious for all the wrong reasons. In some cases, its unappealing design even made them legendary for their ugliness. So, let`s start.
- Toyota Yaris Verso
The first generation of Toyota Yaris was quite a popular model on the global market and Toyota saw the potential to introduce a bigger version called Yaris Verso. Despite being very practical and compact and despite offering good usability in a tiny package, Yaris Verso was very ugly and nonproportional car indeed. In short, it looked like somebody crudely attached a minivan rear end to the Yaris front. That is why the next generation of Toyota Yaris abandoned the Verso version.
- Ford Scorpio
When Scorpio was introduced in Europe it was the biggest and the most luxurious Ford product and its first generation really did well. But in 1994, Ford introduced a new model with a very controversial design. Ford somehow managed to make a car which looked ugly from every angle although it was a decent family sedan beneath the ill-sculpted metal. After only four years on the market, Scorpio was discontinued.
- Nissan Juke
Even though Nissan Juke is one of the most popular Nissan`s products at the moment, we can`t get over its looks. This car looks like a pile of molten plastic on which somebody has put headlights, taillights and license plates. Various magazine road tests declared it to a be good and usable compact car but nobody ever praised its design.
- Pontiac Aztek
The success of the “Breaking Bad” TV show helped return the discontinued PontiacAztek into the spotlight of car enthusiasts worldwide. But, the general consensus is that Aztek is still one of the ugliest cars GM has ever produced. The looks are so repealing that it was discontinued in 2005 although was a very practical and usable car.
- Isuzu VehiCross
Built from 1997 to 2001, VehiCross was Isuzu`s vision of a compact, capable off road car with innovative looks and dynamic feel. It was maybe capable going off-road and running through the jungle but its design was quite spooky with headlights staring at you from its blackout grille. Small windows and strange form didn`t inspire the buyers to take a chance at this model, and it was sold in limited numbers.
- Fiat Multipla
On the market for 12 years, Multipla is one of the global champions of ugliness. On the other hand, it is a very practical vehicle which can seat up to six passengers and carry a lot of luggage. But the design is extremely bad with the front end so ugly that is hard to forget. The high roofline and big side windows only make it worse.
- Acura ZDX
Acura tried to introduce something between a sedan and a crossover, but it ended up with the ZDX, a car that was neither of the two. However, it was one thing… So ugly that it was discontinued in just three years. Even though the concept version looked promising, production model was ugly with a badly executed wedge shape and problematic rear end.
- Tatra 603
Long lost Czechoslovakian luxury brand Tatra always had an interesting lineup of models. However, the design was not their biggest asset. In search of the most aerodynamic shapes, Tatra often presented models that were pretty awkward and ugly. The 603 is one of them. With fish-like silhouette and rounded front end, it is hard to look at for long.
- SsangYong Actyon
The Korean company SsangYong tried hard to establish itself on the global market, but all of its models were design failures. The scariest of them all must be Actyon, an SUV with the design so ugly that is funny. We have no clue what the designers wanted to make but it looks like every component is out of place and Actyon as a whole is an unbelievably ugly car.
- Volkswagen Type 181
Based on the ultra popular and influential VW Beatle, Type 181 also known as “The Thing” was a utilitarian version aimed at buyers who would use it as a beach vehicle. But in contrast to curvy looking beach buggies of the day, The Thing was square with flat body panels and edges. It looked like it could be built in anybody`s garage.
- Suzuki X-90
Can you make an off-road coupe with Targa roof, all-wheel drive, and two seats? Suzuki tried and failed because their X-90 was neither and it looked pretty strange. We have to give kudos to Suzuki for trying to invent a new class of cars but also we have to mention it on our list since X-90 was a very ugly and nonproportional vehicle. That is why it was on the market for two years only and sales were embarrassingly weak.
- Nissan S-Cargo
The S-Cargo is a tiny commercial van sold only in Japan. Nissan tried to make a simple, retro looking car and it succeeded. However, it turned to be very ugly. If we are talking about the design of the S-Cargo we have to realize that there isn`t any. It is just a white half circle of flat panels and rounded headlights. Simply, nothing.
- Hyundai Tiburon
The first generation Tiburon was the right car at the moment and it had decent performance and pleasant styling. But the redesign was terrible with four headlights and a rear end which was simply out of place on this car. Hyundai realized its mistake and quickly replaced the ugly Tiburon with a new model in 2001 after numerous complaints by the customers and motoring press.
- Infiniti QX80
Full-size SUVs always had problems with the design and designers have always been trying their best to hide the dimensions and make them look more appealing. Infiniti really missed the mark with both generations of the QX80. From 2004 up to date, QX80 is one of the ugliest SUVs ever produced with the design that could frighten you from miles away. Simply, the QX80 looks if somebody glued various parts of other cars on a big SUV body.
- Citroen Ami 6
Back in the `60s and the `70s, Citroen was known as the world`s most avant-garde car manufacturer with lots of strange looking cars. Dancing on the line between avant-garde and plain ugliness meant that Citroen sometimes crossed to the other side. This was the case with the Ami 6. It was a really ugly looking model, with a weird concave rear end and tiny wheels. It was quite popular in Europe but even Citroen fans never call it beautiful.
- Toyota Prius
Toyota`s design department has quite a few problematic models but besides the Yaris Verso, and Prius is amongst the ugliest. We can`t go over its looks, rear end, and stance but we can somehow understand how it came to be so ugly. Simply, the Prius was shaped by the wind tunnel and made with fuel efficiency and saving in mind. Good looks were just left out somewhere along the way.
- Austin Allegro
British car industry had its share of ugly cars but among the most criticized was the Austin Allegro. It was a compact car, produced in the `70s with a strange egg-shaped design, ugly front end, and a square steering wheel. Besides being pretty ugly it had quality problems too, like all British cars from the period.
- Renault VelSatis
French cars often had some strange design solutions which were just plain ugly sometimes. That is the case with the Renault VelSatis. Conceived as a luxury model in five-door form, VelSatis turned out to be quite ugly and some even compare it to a hearse.
- GAZ 31105
In Russia, the design was never the most important thing and cars looked crude and purposeful. However, when GAZ-24 Volga was introduced it was a quite a good looking sedan. But after 30 years on the market it was outdated and restyling with new headlights, bumpers and tail lights on the old body looked hideous.
- AMC Matador
AMC was an independent American car manufacturer which closed its doors in the early `80s. Their lineup consisted of mostly economy models and design was never their strong point. Among the ugly AMC models, early `70s Matador has to be the worst. It was a strange looking coupe with round headlights and ugly almost hatchback silhouette. No wonder that AMC bankrupted a few years later.
