Modern crossovers are unbelievably popular with consumers, with the market share of the sector growing from 4% to 40% in the 20 years from 2000 to 2020. Providing a high driving position, generally good fuel economy, and a more gentle ride, crossovers are a very appealing option for many people buying a new car.
Of course, many gearheads and automotive writers are vehement in their opposition to crossovers, as they often have no real off-road skills, polarizing looks, and a bland driving experience. Now, crossovers are neither as bad as detractors point out, nor often as interesting as cars in other market segments. However, most crossovers end up selling really well regardless of quality just because of how recognizable the badge or the design is.
Carmakers should be wary, as even if you produce a crossover that is a decent drive and good-looking, this doesn’t guarantee sales. The same is true when the car isn’t one of the manufacturer’s better efforts, and we’ll be looking at those disappointments here too.
Without further ado, this is our list of 10 modern crossovers nobody is buying.
10 Ford EcoSport
Rightly panned by practically everyone, the EcoSport has now been discontinued, with the 2022 model year car being the last. It had plus points, sure: it was cheap, and it was capable of taking five people where they wanted to go so long as there was gas in the tank.
That said, the five people would probably all have rather walked than got there in an EcoSport. Woefully underpowered and ill-equipped, the EcoSport is a perfect example of a car company that should know better than to churn out a bad car.
9 Toyota C-HR
A little bit like the EcoSport, people seem really down on the C-HR, but with the Toyota, we’re really not too sure why: one of the best-looking cars in the class, with a great range of technology and super fuel economy figures. Drawbacks include a cramped cabin and complaints by some that the performance doesn’t match the looks, but these are relatively minor complaints.
Much like the EcoSport the C-HR was discontinued in the North American market after the 2022 model year, and we think this is a shame. It might not have delivered the performance that some were expecting from a sleek-looking crossover, but it had great style and was perfect for the sort of around-town driving that cars of this kind are designed for.
8 Fiat 500X
The 500X is correctly the butt of many jokes in automotive circles, largely because of how unnecessary its existence was in the first place. Fiat was so certain that they couldn’t ruin the cutesy appeal of the 500 city car by tarting it up with more and more special editions and variants that only bore a passing resemblance that they ended up doing just that, and now even the once appealing basic 500 is a pretty loathed car.
Closely related to the Jeep Renegade, the 500X suffers from horrid bulbous looks, a lack of cabin space, bizarrely poor fuel economy, and a very average driving experience. Oh, and it’s far too expensive for what is basically a slightly inflated 500. Somehow, Fiat sold over 450 of the 500X in the U.S. last year, which begs the question who is buying one? Thankfully, not many, and it is likely that it will be canned soon.
7 Honda HR-V
Throwing a bit of a curveball here, as the HR-V is actually one of the best-selling crossovers in the US. So why is it on this list? Well, for the simple fact that you very rarely see anyone driving one in Europe. Why is this?
It’s difficult to put your finger on one specific reason for this, because the original Y2K-era HR-V sold very well in Europe, and the current HR-V has great fuel economy, a spacious cabin, and a decent infotainment system. Sure, the interior and the driving feel are bland beyond belief, but it's a crossover. The only reason we can think of as to why there is such a disparity in sales is that perhaps it just feels more like a crossover made for and marketed at the US market, and for that reason, it just doesn’t quite go down the same in Europe.
6 Seat Tarraco
Crossovers do get a lot of stick for being bland, but it is usually deserved. It’s particularly deserved in the case of the Seat Tarraco, essentially a badge-engineered version of the Škoda Kodiaq, which is itself a badge-engineered version of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.
The Tarraco is just so terribly bland, it’s difficult to make writing about it sound interesting. It has seven seats, which is good, and it was named by a public vote after the city of Tarragona in Spain, but that’s pretty much it.
Not hard to see why the Tarraco is such a poor seller. It is cheaper than the cars upon which it is based, but the best value for money of the family is the Škoda, which sort of leaves the Seat a bit pointless, because if not there to provide value for money, what does it add to the automotive world other than being another rebranded VW?
5 Renault Arkana
Renault produces several very soulless crossovers, but the nice news is that the Arkana isn’t one of them. It’s quite good-looking, surprisingly pleasant to drive, and has more surprises in that it actually feels quite well-made, which isn’t something you could always praise a Renault for.
Sold mostly as a 1.3-liter mild hybrid engine, the Arkana is a relatively cheap new car considering the average price of a brand-new car in 2023. As we’ve established, it doesn’t feel cheap so it’s a little bit bizarre not to see more of them around.
4 Fiat Panda Cross
We saw earlier what happens when Fiat makes a crossover that gets pretty much everything wrong, so it’s only fair we look at what happens when Fiat makes a crossover that gets pretty much everything right.
There has been a Panda Cross variant of Fiat’s popular city car for the past 17 years, and these can be denoted by rugged styling cues such as prominent skid plates and split light fascias. It wasn’t all for show either, as until late last year the Panda Cross was available with four-wheel-drive.
The Panda Cross is handsome, affordable, and is actually a far nicer car than bigger and more expensive crossovers on the market.
3 Nissan Ariya
To be fair to consumers, the Ariya has only been available for purchase for less than a year and this is probably the reason that you don’t see many on the road yet. The first fully-electric car featured on this list, the Ariya is a properly futuristic crossover. It’s worth remembering that Nissan was very quick to market electric cars back with the Leaf in 2010, so they should know what they’re doing.
It’s a great-looking car, both inside and out, is priced competitively, and is available with two different battery sizes. Nissan might not be selling many right now, but expect to see more and more Ariyas out and about in the coming years.
2 Citroën C4
Citroën is making the current C4 something of a throwback to the spirit of the original C4 hatchback, by trying to stuff the car with as much future-proof technology as possible. They have turned the nameplate into a crossover, but that seems to be indicative of the way the market is going, and in doing so you’d hope some brand awareness would translate, but as yet we’re still waiting to see many of them on the road in Europe.
The all-electric ë-C4 is a very nice electric crossover, especially for the money, and the C4 is a very modern-looking car with a more upmarket interior than you expect of a Citroën. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t seem to have broken through to prospective buyers yet.
1 Cadillac Lyriq
Cadillac’s first fully-electric vehicle, the Lyriq is certainly striking to look at. Impressive range, a spacious and upmarket interior, and decent performance are sure to make this the thinking person’s Cadillac for the years ahead.
That’s sort of where the problem lies: the years ahead. Whilst the Lyriq may well go on and become a sales success, right now no one is choosing it to be their new car. It’s nicely priced, but we can only assume that means buyers are almost put off by the relative affordability of what is very much a premium product.