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3 Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler’s attempt at a retro-styled car for the early 2000s resulted in the sad and slow PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser tried to compensate with style to make up for a car that situated into a weird niche slightly smaller than a minivan, but larger than a hatchback. Instead of being a useful combination of the two, however, the PT Cruiser suffered from a lack of power that would have helped it nestle in closer to the hot hatches, while a lack of interior space kept it from being convenient for larger families.
The fender flares front and rear didn’t help with the PT Cruiser’s roominess, leading to a cramped trunk and engine bay. In that engine bay, the largest power plant that would fit was initially a 2.4-liter gasoline four cylinder, which only produced 140 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque. Yet despite the PT Cruiser’s diminutive size, it still weighed in at over 3,000 pounds, and those kinds of power figures paired to a four speed automatic transmission struggled to power the front wheels. Chrysler eventually tried to remedy the situation with a turbocharged engine, but in reality should have given up on the project, maybe even before releasing the PT Cruiser at all.
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