Today The Autopian published Sam Abuelsamid’s review of the Jeep Wagoneer S, an electric Jeep SUV sharing most of its name with a body-on-frame, Hurricane inline-six powered vehicle in the Jeep lineup. Both these vehicles in the Jeep lineup are — like the Jeep XJ and ZJ before — leveraging the name of one of the most legendary nameplates in history, one based on a beautiful Brooks Stevens-designed vehicle whose production run lasted from the early 1960s until 1991. Most remember that car from the show Breaking Bad, the moving Without a Paddle, the label of Founders IPA, or any other number of appearances, which is why Jeep keeps bringing it back. But while the new Wagoneers could be considered a blasphemous take on the old Wagoneer given their lack of woodgrain, it’s definitely not the worst example.
So, I think the most obvious example of “misuse” of a legendary brand name might be the Ford Mustang Mach-E, but that’s actually a decent vehicle, plus I’m a Jeep person so I’m just going to vent a bit about the Jeep Cherokee “KJ” model for a bit (this was called the Liberty in the U.S.). I realize that there are some other, modern examples of legendary names being chucked on vehicles without an ounce of the original’s soul/capability, but the KJ Cherokee/Liberty sticks out to me because of just how much of a downgrade it was over the XJ it succeeded.
To be sure, on paper, it was an upgrade. It had more power, a better ride, an updated interior, and more space. But the problem was: It gave up three key things that made its predecessor so great: Off-road capability, reliability, and soul.
The old Jeep Cherokee XJ was an off-road billygoat, with a solid front axle that offered articulation, durability, and above all, lift-ability. It’s a key reason why you see so many lifted XJs, and that’s a key reason why they’re so legendary in the off-road scene.
The successor, the Cherokee/Liberty, had a smooth independent front suspension, it it wasn’t as durable, couldn’t be fixed as easily, and didn’t offer the articulation or lift-ability. What’s more, the 3.7-liter V6 was a clear downgrade from a reliability standpoint, and thanks to the added weight over the predecessor, it really didn’t feel any quicker or more efficient. What’s more, the Liberty’s transmission was also a major reliability downgrade. All these compromises, plus the softer, more-forgettable styling, make the Jeep Cherokee/Liberty KJ a blasphemous sequel in my eyes. I’ll admit that these days I’m starting to come around to the styling a bit, but it’s blasphemous nonetheless.
But there are so many more examples. What do you consider the most blasphemous use of a legendary nameplate?
Images: Jeep
Putting the name Charger on a Chrysler Cordoba.
I have a constant struggle with the Lotus Europa, because everyone thinks of the ground-breaking 60’s mid-engined breadvan.
I have the other one. The 2006 comfy Elise coupe that nobody bought. I wish they’d called it something else. I love the car, but it’s got the wrong name.
In 1974 the Pontiac GTO was based on the Ventura, which was a rebadged Nova. Not a bad car but certainly not a GTO.
Mitsubishi Eclipse(Cross)
Definitely the Nova or LeMans.My mother had the Toyota Nova and I had a LeMans and both were definitely terrible cars even for their time period.
Mustang Mach-E is still the wrong name and the car is meh at best. I would also contend the Maverick is the wrong name for the trucklette as it really is more of a Ranchero. The Dart and Hornet names are also an abomination, though to be fair both were mostly just basic small to medium sized daily drivers for their time.
I also thought the Malibu/Impala when made FWD was a bad thing…
I was so excited when I was told my hire car for my first work trip to the US was going to be an Impala.
But it was 2007. I didn’t imagine a modern Impala would be so shit.
Toyota Corolla based Nova…
LeMans. No question. I still want to hard slap the idiot who suggested it and anyone who approved.
Taking the Dart name and sticking it on that Fiat wasn’t cool.
Lots of them are really bad, but I think Eclipse might be the saddest.
you mean the Eclipse Cross? seems to be industry standard to raise up the little guys and use that as the excuse to ask more money. I still think the new blazer is a massive missed opportunity on GM’s part to play in the Jeep like SUV field. Might be too late to do it, but I think even and S10 Blazer based unit would be decent. the Bison Colorado is supposedly an ok thing.
the blazer had been a soccer mom vehicle for 30 years before they turned it into a “crossover”. i’ll never understand why people are so disapointed GM did not bring the blazer back as a bronco/jeep competitor wheen the blazer had not been in that segment for over 30 years.
you are missing the point then, we were just as pissed about the soccer mom wagon versions of the Blazers as well, but at least they mostly just called them TrailBlazers. To double down on mediocre crossovers and pull off the Trail on a Mexican built vehicle is really bad optics for much of the public that might be incited to consider the thing because it used a loved name of a really decent jeep alternative from the past….at least they did not try to make a K5 version like Ford did with the Maverick Tremor.
the “s10 blazer” of the 80s and later the “blazer” of the 90’s-2004 were also soccer mom SUVs.
There were 2 door Tahoes for a while that could scratch that itch, but for the most part we were all disappointed for that stretch of time too. The S-10 blazer offered a solid 4.3 and was body on frame, which matters to a lot of people. The trailblazer is really a different name but still offered body on frame.
yeah i’ll never understand why GM changed the name to “trailblazer” after 2004. my guess is that they were planning on selling the blazer and the trailblazer side by side but then the hummer h2 went from a niche vehicle to selling like gangbusters and the 2005 blazer got scrapped and changed to the 2006 h3. Logically this makes sense the h3 was made in the same plant in shreveport la as the colorado and canyon. They just did not have the capacity to sell the h3, colorado, canyon AND a blazer in one plant.
A Broco/Wrangler fighting Blazer would have been cool, but I don’t know how many pieces that pie can be cut into before they just die off again, like we saw with pony cars. The Camaro just ended its second production run.
The Camaro might have survived if the car had been updated properly, and sooner. But the On Paper bench racing side of things always put them dead last in the recent “pony” car wars. That being said the 1LE track pack is sadly missed.
If the Camaro’s sales numbers justified it, there would have been a proper update.
Again, I think we’re just trying to cut the niche product pie into too many pieces.
A modern K5 Blazer would probably be built off of an existing truck chassis so the cost to develop shouldn’t be so bad and the sales don’t need to support a whole platform. Bring back the Avalanche while your’e at it!
they kind of did bring back the avalanche. It is now called the Silverado EV though. I did like the avalanches in the beginning, but the suspension changes and loss of a 3/4 ton option made them dead to me once they lost the cladding. Too bad, they were pretty handsome, but how can you justify ride quality for the limited tow capacity of just 5,000 lbs.
let’s face it if GM was to bring a jeep competitor it would be a Hummer.
Taycan Turbo (as in the use of the Turbo trim designation). Aside from being blasphemous, it’s misleading to the point it could be considered false advertising.
Unless they come out with a turbo hybrid version, I dare you Porsche
Land Cruiser.
Jeep should have called the Wagoneer S, the “Maverick.”
https://jeepwillysworld.com/blog/2015/09/18/sales-flyer-jeep-station-wagon-maverick-1959/
As an Olds Man(TM) I can attest to the fact that the 1979 Cutlass Salon-based 4-4-2 was an abomination that is still hard to swallow.
I remember some auto mag complaining about a later iteration of “442” that it had four shiny chrome wheels, a four-speed automatic transmission, and two power windows.
Where could you even start, there are so many?
Dodge Dart
Mustang Mach-E
Lotus Elan
EVERY crappy modern GM car with the name of a past classic (that has to be dozens and dozens alone)
Ditto on the Dodge Dart. My first car was a ’73 and when they brought it back as a, what, a sedan? What was that thing? I just wanted to cry.
It was a new Neon. They had the perfect name to reuse – they were so dumb to call it a Dart.
In typical Chrysler (you know what I mean) fashion, they couldn’t just have called it Neon with a “hey, you loved it in the ’90s so we brought it back!” tagline b/c Chrysler. Sigh.
Exactly! And the new Dart was even a happy looking think like the Neon!
I used to really, really want an M100 Elan.
But compared to the original it’s huge, and FWD.
I like the M100 more than I should
Agreed that it’s a perfectly fine car itself – but it should not have had that name.
In general, I am OK with the continuous use of the same name for multiple generations (for example the current Corolla has nothing at all to do with the original, but there have been Corollas continuously for 50+ years) – but when you have a gap of decades, come up with a new name!!
Like when Jag stopped making the E-Type, then decades later launched the F-Type. We all knew what they meant, and the reference to the early car was obvious.
The later car was great, if unreliable in the grand tradition of JLR. But if they’d called it an E-type purists everywhere would have been outraged.
Although I’d be fine with Toyota making a new MR2 after 20 years of no MR2, just so long as it’s got only 2 seats, RWD and the engine/motor in the middle.
Was “Yaris” really better than “Tercel”?
The upcoming Civic Hybrid Coupe that they’re calling “Prelude” is a pretty egregious appropriation of a classic name.
It’s not out yet, so we can’t judge it yet, but I don’t hold much hope of it being good either.
Hey don’t go dragging on the KJ — I had my KJ Liberty for 11 years and only had to rebuild the transmission once.
Please take this with the sense of humor with which it is intended.
I honestly do have good feelings about the KJ I owned. It was, relatively speaking, reliable. It did ok in the snow and in light dirt trail off road type situations. It hauled dogs and hay bales and camping stuff and bikes and canoes, sometimes all at once. I did rebuild the transmission once. When it needed another one at 200K miles and 15 years of not always gentle use I sold it to my neighbor for parts / scrap.
David’s right though, calling it a Cherokee is an insult to the XJ. They should have stuck with “Liberty” everywhere.
Honda S500/S600, the Honda S-Class roadsters from the 60s, a name Mercedes used in the 90s for the W140, one of the worst cars ever made mechanically, full of problems LOL
The Ferrari Daytona is a classic, but the Daytona name would later be used on shitty sporty K-cars
Pontiac Tempest. The base-model GTO from the 60s, would later be used on a rebadged Corsica in the 80s and 90s in Canada LOL
There’s also Lotus Excel then Hyundai Excel 😛
The Ferrari Daytona was officially the 365 GTB/4. The company never recognized the Daytona name, but of course, it’s legendary and sure beats a K-car.
Also, Studebaker was there first in the 1960s.
I recall someone here being quite unhappy about the new Ford Capri.
I also learned the insult ‘paint-drinking thundercock’ that day.
Continued learning is what it is all about. Has the brilliant brit renounced any U.S. affiliation, as many have?
Ah, one of the most epic Adrian-isms 😀
Me personally, I feel most offended by the Eclipse Cross
I think the most blasphemous thing about the KJ was that it took the styling and the idea of the Dakar concept and absolutely ruined it.
Based on the TJ, the Dakar was the four door Wrangler that everyone wanted and instead DiamlerChrysler took some styling cues from it and gave us the Cherokee replacement that nobody wanted.
Elise. Because it’s not her real name.
COTD
Chrysler Imperial. Over and over and over…
DS from Citroën, just a blinged up Stellantis hatchback, has nothing to do with the original legendary Citroën DS! 🙁
Lagonda. That’s on the edge of brilliant and blasphemous