8 American Luxury Cars That Were Uninspiring

For different reasons, several people who bought these American luxury vehicles were later displeased with the decision.

Everyone loves luxury, but the premium to acquire luxury is often a deterrent to many. Mostly an exclusive right of the affluent because of their fat account balance, a life of luxury is the dream of all. It's the same in the automotive world, as luxury cars cost significantly more than regular models due to the top of the relatively high level of comfort they offer, as well as the high-end fits and finishes they offer. Sometimes, luxury cars are also used as test beds for the deployment of novel comfort or safety features, before incorporating them into regular models later on.

In the United States, we can trace the production of luxury cars back to the ‘20s and ‘30s, when the wealthiest gearheads adopted the construction of custom-built coachwork on their vehicles. Today, almost all American automotive companies have luxury cars in their lineup and these cars offer peak comfort, luxury, and performance. However, a lot of people haven't had the best experiences with their American luxury cars for different reasons that include poor reliability, poor build quality, and low resale value, among others.

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In the early ‘80s, in a bid to compete with compact European luxury cars from brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac produced the Cimarron. In hindsight, Cadillac shouldn't have produced the car. A compact executive car, Cadillac produced the Cimarron from 1981 to 1988. Advertised as "a new kind of Cadillac for a new kind of Cadillac owner," the Cimarron is merely a rebadged Chevy Cavalier fitted with perforated leather bucket seats and a new grille among others. The model features different powertrain options that include a Chevrolet-built 2.8-liter V6 with an output of 130 hp. In a class of cars such as the BMW 320i, Audi 5000, and Volvo GLE, Cimarron had quite a poor outing. An abysmal sale, poor performance, and an ill-conceived badge engineering, the Cadillac Cimarron had such a poor outing it earned a spot on Time's list of 50 worst cars of all time.

A renowned automotive company, Lincoln is the luxury arm of the Ford Motor Company, and in line with its purpose, Lincoln released the MKT in 2009. A luxury crossover SUV, the MKT is highly practical, as it was designed as a full-size three-row SUV. Furthermore, the MKT has quite potent powertrain options which include a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with an output of 365 hp. To justify its luxury SUV tag, some of the most recent models of the MKT offer luxury amenities such as touchscreen multimedia system, heated front seats, push-button gear selector, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, and remote start. However, besides all these awesome features, most people who bought the MKT regretted it due to its relatively high depreciation rate. For context, the 2020 Lincoln MKT had a forecasted depreciation rate of 55%, hence, its expected value is $17,752 from its $39,450 MSRP.

The automotive world is seriously moving towards electrification. According to reports, 2022 was a record-breaking year for electric cars in terms of demand, and sales are expected to leap 35% this year. However, in the midst of this sales boom, some EVs haven't been having it good. One of such EVs is the Tesla Model X. Unfortunately for the model, the Model X has been having to weather diminishing sales and stiff competition. This is widely believed to be the effect of the model's high unreliability, making it a really expensive luxury electric SUV to live with, and the most unreliable Tesla on sale today.

Luxury shouldn't cost an arm and a leg, especially when it's best described as "basic." Notably, as a luxury model, the Cadillac XTS has a lot going for it. Produced from 2012 to 2019, Cadillac offered the XTS in six different trims through its production reign with amazing standard features such as adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, dual-stage front airbags, and 8-way power front seats, among others. However, as many owners would later realize, the Cadillac XTS really isn't worth its high price tag, as people seem to only be paying the extra money for the 'Cadillac' name. While base models of the XTS are relatively more reasonable, the value proposition diminishes as you climb up trims. Using the 2019 model as for context, rival luxury models such as the Volvo S90, Genesis G80, and Lexus ES have a plethora of features that costs more on the XTS. Furthermore, the Cadillac XTS’ poor resale value is another reason people regretted splurging on it.

Tesla markets the Model S as a mid-size luxury car. As per sales, the Model S has seen success, as it was even the best-selling plug-in electric car in the world for two consecutive years, in 2015 and 2016. However, according to a majority of its owners, the Model S’ "luxury" tag isn't justified, and it's the major reason many people regretted buying it. Having gotten pushed into the luxury range through its pricing, the Model S really doesn't offer the same level of luxury amenities available in rival cars with comparable pricing. Some would even argue that the Model S is best described as a high-performance sports sedan, instead of a luxury car. For the 2023 model year, the Tesla Model S was also ranked bottom in KBB's list of the best electric cars for 2023.

Without a doubt, the Cadillac Escalade is a super gorgeous SUV. While rival brands ran rampage with luxury models like Range Rover, Lexus LX, and Lincoln Navigator, GM, through Cadillac, launched an effective response as the Escalade. The Escalade is also quite significant as it's widely believed to be Cadillac's first main entry into the SUV market. However, and more importantly, Escalade is well-loved for being a massively spacious luxury SUV with state-of-the-art amenities and a technology-packed interior. Yet, due to it being massively luxurious, reliability isn't one of the Escalade's fortes. According to Repair Pal, the Cadillac Escalade has a poor reliability rating of 2.5 out of 5.0, and its ownership cost also means it's quite expensive to live with.

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Introduced in 2019 as a 2020 model, the Corsair is a compact luxury crossover from Lincoln and the best-selling model for the company in 2020. The Corsair shares chassis and more underpinnings with the Ford Escape, but the Corsair isn't the luxury car most people were made to believe it is. While the model has sold exceedingly well, even becoming Lincoln's best-selling vehicle, several people have lodged different complaints about the Corsair that include structural and brake problems. Besides these complaints, the interior of the Lincoln Corsair is also too mild and basic for its "luxury vehicle" tag, with several components made of plastic.

European luxury imports from brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi dominated the luxury automobile market in the '70s, and in a swift response, GM launched the Deville through Cadillac. The first generation of the model was a success, and while it didn't top the charts, it did well enough to earn the model a second production generation. However, quite a few things about the car changed in the second-generation. To make it a more spectacular model, the Deville had quite a unique styling, which was rather polarizing for the model. Notably, the major problem with the second-generation Deville is the series of unreliable engines that powered the luxury car which include the infamous Cadillac V-8-6-4 engine and in 1983, the HT 4100 V8. Some of the problems include oil leak, A/C or heater temperature problems, and anti-lock brake system light on due to control module failure.

Right from childhood, Olakunle has been fascinated by cars, and as an adult, he's gotten neck-deep in the world of automobiles. Hence, he finds contributing to HotCars quite interesting – a surreal experience.