Used Car 2011

There are some cars that managed to impress us and others that failed to do so -each one for its own reason. Maybe you might not agree with all our choices, but here's Carscoop's Top 10 & Flop 10 list with cars that left a good, a bad or even a mediocre impression on us.

Carscoop's Top 10

Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione : A rear wheel, V8 powered Alfa Romeo. That says it all, even if Alfa had to receive a "little" help from sister-Maserati to make it. Just looking at the 8c Competizione makes your heart melt from lust. Imagine driving it...

Audi R8 : Finally, after long series of concepts that remained in the cupboard (among others, the Avus & Spyder prototypes of the 90's), Audi managed to produce its first supercar ! An aluminum beauty on four wheels, the R8 looks like it sneaked its way out from an upcoming Steven Spielberg film. PS: The R8 looks so much better in real life than it does in the photos.

Citroen C4 Picasso : The French never cease to impress with their innovative designs. But don't be fooled by its futuristic looks, as this car features all the goodies that a typical soccer-mom dreams of: 7seats and all the practicality you can get. Let's just hope quality won't be an issue this time...

Ford Mondeo Wagon & Iosis-X Concepts : In Europe, while Ford has made a reputation for itself in the past few years for excellent driving dynamics, it has also made a reputation for its boring designs. While, the new-edge design practically started and ended with the first generation Focus, the Kinetic design theme seems to be doing quite well. Following the S-MAX, the Mondeo Wagon & Iosis-X Concepts prove that Ford is on the right road in terms of design.

Dodge Avenger : Most people I talked too at the show seemed to agree that the Avenger brings a breeze of fresh air in the European mid-size category with it's distinctive, macho styling that doesn't go overboard.

Kia pro_cee'd : A mainstream Kia with looks that make an Audi A3 seem conservative ? Yes, but hold your horses. Just take a look at what happened to pro_cee'd's 5door brother when it went into production... Will Kia make that mistake again?

Peugeot 908 RC : What a car. If your impressed by the 908 RC's looks in the pics, then you'll have a heart attack if you see it in person. Beautiful and distinctive. Pitty we won't ever see it go into production.

Peugeot 207 EPURE : Although it didn't manage to grab media attention, the 207 EPURE should start to worry the competition in the small Coupe-Cabrio category with its sleek looks.

Renault Nepta : My personal favorite of the show. Leaving aside its peculiar, gullwing doors, the Nepta is a car that in my book, should definitely find its way into production. Elegantly styled, it grabs your attention without using unnecessary design gimmicks. Like the Audi R8, the Nepta looks 10 time better in real life.

Volvo C30 : A worthy substitute for the 480 ES -only in terms of design, but without the front, pop-up lights. I have to add though that the tiny, and not at all practical, boot will make a lot of people to give it a second thought.

Carscoop's Flop 10

Chrysler Sebring : This car looks like it was designed by 10 different people. You can see a little bit of Passat in it, a little bit of Crossfire and God knows what else. Plus the quality of the interior plastics where a huge disappointment for a car that intends to compete with models like the VW Passat and Toyota Avensis.

Kia Cee'd : What happened to the impressive concept? A very conservative approach from Kia's part. On the other hand, the Koreans did a pretty good job in the interior that not only looks good, but also "feels" good.

Lancia Delta HPE : I swear, I tried my hardest to find out what this car is, but in the end I gave up. An Italian recipe consisting of MPV, crossover & hatchback elements mixed with a pint of sport, elegance and retro design themes, that looks like it all went wrong.

Pininfarina P4/5 : Although a lot of people seemed to be sucked into this one of a kind supercar, to me, the P4/5 looked like a huge piece of Lego...

Renault Koleos : Absolutely disappointing. You'd expect that an innovative company like Renault would surprise us, especially when it concerns a car that want's to compete in a category aiming at young customers.

Renault Twingo : Erase the huge rims and all the "concept wear" like the sporty bumpers from this image and we've got an uninspiring mini. Like the Koleos, I was waiting for something more unconventional from Renault.

Seat Altea XL : As if a the Toledo wasnt enough, Seat had to make things worse by presenting the XL. What happened to VW's theory of turning Seat into a worthy Alfa Romeo adversary?

Toyota Auris : Is it me or does Toyota's new hatch look like a Yaris that suddenly grew up ? Even as a concept, the Corolla successor looks boring. Can't understand why they wenty into all that fuss to change the name, there's nothing new here to justify it.

Toyota Yaris TS : Leaving aside the fact that the 134 hp TS will not be able to compete with the majority of small GTi's in Europe in terms of performance, it doesn't even have the looks to do it.