Top 10 Worst Badge-Engineered Cars

Badge-engineering is a common practice in the automobile industry.  It decreases the cost of building a brand new car by utilizing platforms and body panels from existing models.  Some manufacturers can do a good job at hiding the donor car underneath their new car, others not so much.  Here is a list in my humble opinion of the 10 worst examples of badge engineering.

10. Citroën C-Zero/ Peugeot iOn/ Mitsubishi i

Starting off the list is one that has some historical precedence.  To give their companies a large SUV, PSA Peugeot-Citroën collaborated with Mitsubishi and was allowed to rebrand the Outlander as the Peugeot 4007 and the Citroën C-Crosser.  Additionally they also sell versions of the smaller Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.  When it comes to the i electric car, Peugeot and Citroën each slapped their badge on the bonnet.  There is nothing wrong with doing this since it would have been very expensive for PSA to develop its own car from scratch.  However, that doesn't make the i donor car any prettier to look at or cheaper to buy.

9. Lincoln MKX/ Ford Edge
Lincoln has for too long relied on tinseled up Ford products to fill its showrooms.  That unfortunately does not seem like it is going to change any time soon.  The good news though is that with new cars such as the MKZ and the MKC, you really have to squint to see the Ford product behind the waterfall grille.  That's not the case with the MKX, hence explaining its presence on this list.

8.  GMC Yukon/ Chevrolet Tahoe
In a similar story to the Lincoln/Ford affair, GMC bases its entire lineup on better appointed Chevrolets.  The sin here however is that the current Tahoe can be specced so nice it begs the question why the Yukon needs to exist.  The Cadillac Escalade avoids inclusion on this list because GM has put considerable effort into making its top SUV more distinctive from its lesser brethren.

7. Lexus LX 570/ Toyota Land Cruiser
Seeing a trend here yet?  This entry is almost tied with the GM pair except that the base Land Cruiser starts within a couple thousand dollars to the Lexus.  At least the Yukon starts at the upper end of the Tahoe lineup.

6. Chrysler Town and Country/ Dodge Grand Caravan

Oh Chrysler, you perennial third banana of the Detroit Three.  You've put in some good effort on your promise to reduce the overlap in your different lineups, but your minivans remain a testament to the past.  There is a plan to kill off the Grand Caravan and replace it with a three row crossover.  Until then however, it is difficult to separate or even tell the difference between the GC and the T&C.

5. Infiniti ESQ/ Nissan Juke

Love it or hate it, the Nissan Juke is something else.  If there is any car that does not need the badge engineering treatment it would be the Juke, but that didn't stop Infiniti from trying.  It does nothing to fit into the Infiniti lineup.  (Heck it barely fits into the Nissan lineup).  There are a few nicer appointments inside but the weird motorcycle motif remains.  To a casual observer, it would seem like an aftermarket job.  So far the ESQ is only for the Chinese market.  Hopefully it stays that way.

4. Mazda Tribute/ Ford Escape

At the time, it seemed a stroke of genius.  Mazda was owned in part by Ford and did not have any SUV to rake in serious money.  The Tribute wasn't bad, it just wasn't spectacular in any way.  The design was largely unchanged from the Ford making it stand out like a sore thumb at the Mazda dealership.  There was also no dynamic improvement over the Ford making the choice to buy one a matter of which dealer was closer to your house or which company offered the best price.  Alas the Tribute has largely been forgotten in the wake of its replacement, the fantastic CX-5.

2. (tie) Ram ProMaster/ Fiat Ducato & Fiat Freemont/ Dodge Journey

It seemed right that these two should be tied for the same position since both are a result of the Fiat and Chrysler merger.  As testament of their new alliance models were shared between brands to help sort out individual weaknesses.  Ram didn't have a work van in its lineup unless you count the stripped down Grand Caravan nee C/V.  Therefore Fiat supplied its giant Ducato van from Europe for Ram to use.  It's not bad aside from being rather hideous to look at, and that it wears its Ram badge rather awkwardly.  The same can be said of the Dodge Journey-based Fiat Freemont.  Previously, Fiat had no SUV in its stable and the Journey was the best candidate for a rebadge.  Again, the problem is that it doesn't look like any other Fiat, but the real complaint is that it is offered with a manual transmission in Europe, something keen drivers in the US would love to have.

1. Holden Volt/ Chevrolet Volt

Here it is, the worst case of badge engineering in recent memory.  This one you really have to see to believe.  Holden has always been a refuge for GM products from around the globe.  In the past few years, it felt that it needed to offer its plug in hybrid vehicle in the Australian market.  The choice came down to either the Volt or the Ampera.  We have the Volt here in the US while Europe enjoys the much cooler looking Ampera.  There is no difference between the American Volt and the Australian Volt.  However, the sin of all sins is that Holden did absolutely nothing to change the grille of the Volt.  If you look closely, you can still see where the Chevrolet bow tie would go underneath the Holden lion.  You can't do much worse than that.