7 Great Cars With Terrible Second Generations

“Sophomore slump” is a term often used in sports to describe a decrease in the performance of an athlete after their rookie season. As you’ll see with the following list of cars, the sophomore slump is a very real phenomenon in the auto world, too. These cars were awesome when they first came on the market, but failed to repeat the magic after being redesigned.

Renault Twingo

The first-generation Renault Twingo was representative of all that was quirky about French cars, ever. Yes, it looked like a frog, but the original Twingo was also cheap, fun to drive, and capable of seating 4 adults comfortably despite being about the size of a toaster. It wasn’t perfect, and it definitely wasn’t what you’d call quick, but it gained a lot of fans for being the true definition of cheap and cheerful.

After 16 years of production without any major changes, the Twingo received a major overhaul in 2008. The Twingo II tried to improve on some of the old Twingo’s idiosyncrasies, but it lost a lot of its trademark charm in the process. The Twingo II might not have been so cheerful, but it also wasn’t that cheap, barely costing less than a similarly-equipped Clio. Fortunately, the Twingo III and it’s rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout has restored much of that lovable weirdness that made the Twingo a French icon.

Dodge Challenger

When you think of the Dodge Challenger, you think of a sleek 2-door pony car with enough V8 muscle to make a woolly mammoth do donuts. Whether it be a modern Hellcat or the original Mopar classic that started it all, there’s really no doubt about the Challenger’s epic legacy as one of the greatest blue-collar sportscars ever made.

However, the second-generation Challenger was, and still is, an affront to that great pedigree. To be fair, it was a product of the 1970s oil crisis and increasing emissions legislation in the United States, so almost all American cars of the time were just as bad. The 1978-1983 Challenger was little more than a rebadged Mitsubishi Galant Lambda, which was powered by a series of four-cylinder engines. The only thing it could do with any sort of speed was rust away.

Ford Thunderbird

Often called the “baby T-Bird”, the first-generation Ford Thunderbird was a sleek two-seater that was the stuff of nightmares for the Chevrolet Corvette. Although the T-Bird was never meant to be as fast or as sporty as the ‘Vette, it smoked the Chevy in sales because it proved to be much more enjoyable as a cruiser. But it wasn’t that far away from the Corvette in terms of speed, and it could have easily evolved into a performance icon for the Blue Oval.

Instead, Ford decided to turn the T-Bird into a “mid-sized” four-seater in 1958. From a commercial standpoint, this was a genius move—sales of the second-gen Thunderbird flew the coop (pardon the pun). However, the 1958-1960 T-Bird threw away the suave styling of its predecessor, leaving it looking a lot more square and bulky. The redesigned 1961 model cured this issue to an extent, but the Thunderbird would nevertheless end up turning into another American boat instead of a real sports car.

Volkswagen Beetle

Truth be told, the Type I Beetle wasn’t the most pleasant car to drive. It’s slow, loud, and often consumed by rust or engine fires. But the Beetle remains an automotive icon, and not just because it was a favourite of hippies in the 1960s. That’s because it was also incredibly cheap, easy to fix, and versatile. And that’s what made the Bug truly revolutionary back in its day.

Nothing about what made the old Beetle great was present on the 1998 New Beetle. Sure, it retained some of the cutesy looks, but that’s where the good stuff ends. This Bug certainly wasn’t very cheap, definitely wasn’t at all versatile, and being that it was a modern Volkswagen, not easy to fix in the slightest. Fortunately, the third-generation Beetle seems to be an improvement, even if it’s still nowhere near as practical as the Golf—the car originally intended to succeed the Bug.

Ford Scorpio

It’s debatable whether you can really call the first-generation Ford Scorpio a great car, but there was a lot to like about it. It was luxurious for the time period, comfortable and decent-looking. You could even get one with an optional Cosworth V6 engine, which still sounds like a neat proposition today. However, most people don’t think about this car when you mention the name “Ford Scorpio”.

What they will think about is…this. It doesn’t take too long to figure out what the Mk II Scorpio such an awful car. The simple fact is that it looks like a bottom-feeding fish with some fake chrome on it. Quite possibly one of the ugliest cars of all time.

Lexus SC

Also known as the Toyota Soarer, the first-generation Lexus SC was derived from the MkIV Toyota Supra but intended to be more of a luxurious grand tourer. Still, the base-level engine was a naturally-aspirated 2JZ-GE, with an optional 1UZ-FE V8 available for those who wanted some more kick in their Lexus. Smooth, powerful and cleanly-styled, there was lots to love about the first-generation SC.

That car’s replacement, the SC 430, might go down as one of Lexus’ biggest mistakes of all time. They tried to turn the SC into a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class rival, but failed miserably. It was expensive enough to compete with the Merc, but its handling, ride quality and performance were terrible in comparison to the German tourer. It was a surprising gaffe for Lexus, who’ve only recently been able to redeem themselves with the stunning LC 500.

Ford Mustang

Last, but not least, the third Ford on the list, and arguably the most infamous example of the second generation being worse than the first. Much, much worse. Like the Dodge Challenger, it goes without saying that the Mustang is an icon of American V8 muscle. You can’t talk about the most iconic cars of all time without mentioning the Mustang. Hell, you can’t leave it out of the “best sports car of all time” discussion, either.

And you certainly can’t talk about second-generation disappointments without talking about the Mustang II. Again, blame the 1970s oil panic for neutering the great pony car. But that doesn’t totally excuse the Mustang II for being a complete piece of rust-prone garbage, either. Put it this way—it was more reminiscent of a Pinto than a Mustang. And that’s just poor when you consider how good the Ford Capri was in the same time period.

What are some other cars that were better in their first generation than their second? Share your thoughts in the comments!