Whenever you describe a car as being ‘very good’, one would expect it to have little or no drawbacks. Even though that isn’t always the case, some cars were always more underrated than others.
So why are we talking about discontinued cars? Well, just because they’re no longer being produced doesn’t mean that they’ve been forgotten or that you can’t drive them anymore as used products.
And there’s nothing that gets certain people talking like trying to find out who or what was underrated and deserved more credit or attention – you can apply the same principles when talking about old cars, obviously.
In order for this article to be relevant, it has to contain two things. First it has to be about cars that I’ve reviewed in the past, so that I wouldn’t be saying that model X or model Y was very good just because I read about it in some magazine. It’s personal experience or mouth shut.
Second, the cars in question have to be relatively modern and can’t be older versions of models that are still currently being produced (with one very logical exception).
Now, without further ado, and in alphabetical order (just so nobody’s raising any eyebrows), let’s meet our forgotten warriors.
#1 Citroen C6 (2005-2012)
After Citroen ceased production for the XM back in the year 2000, they were left without a flagship model, which was sad considering how important cars such as the XM or the CX were in the 90s and 70s/80s. If you’re having trouble pinpointing where exactly you know the Citroen XM from, the answer is probably the movie Ronin, where it took part in that epic chase sequence against an Audi S8.
Five years after the XM “passed away”, Citroen brought us the C6, a car that many described as being beautiful on the outside and very spacious and comfortable on the inside. Naturally, some people didn’t appreciate the unconventional appearance of the C6, but those people often tend to forget what Citroen are at heart – just as the French themselves have forgotten recently.
The first time I drove a Citroen C6, I thought that it was the most comfortable car I’ve ever been inside. To be fair, back then I was just starting out as an automotive journalist and my idea of comfort was a Daewoo.
Luckily, I got to review the C6 numerous times throughout the years, having driven one shortly before they discontinued it – and to my surprise, it never felt less comfortable to ride in than it did back in 2006. The difference was that the first model I drove was a 2.7 V6 HDI turbodiesel with 204 PS, while the last model was a 240 PS 3.0 liter V6 HDI. It felt a little quicker, but the bottom line was always that Hydractive suspension which gave it the smoothest ride imaginable.
And that’s what the C6 was “very good” at. It was as comfortable as a first class plane ride and to some people, it even looked gorgeous.
#2 Mercedes-Benz A-Class W169 (2004-2012)
While the W168 was actually the first A-Class Mercedes-Benz to ever come out of Germany, the 2nd generation W169 was the one that improved on the original and actually became a very impressive little car.
The first A-Class was rather unconventional (even odd), especially for a Mercedes-Benz. But as soon as people started getting used to it, they actually went on to appreciate not just its size and practicality, but also its looks – a very popular choice with women.
Back in 2008, I flew to Berlin for the press launch of the facelifted W169 model, expecting it to be as…well, as boring as it looked (to me). What I found was a remarkably comfortable and practical car, easy to drive and with a very good interior on top of that.
It even came with Active Park Assist, a stop-start function, Bluetooth and so on. Oh and that’s when they launched the 3-door version too – which to me kind of defeated the purpose of having a small practical car.
Anyway, aside from the small boot, there was nothing tiny about the A-Class, especially in terms of comfort. Being able to enjoy driving a tiny Mercedes-Benz was a huge revelation for those that thought they wouldn’t be able to appreciate such a car. And even though the current A-Class is a more relevant model, there are probably plenty of old A-Class owners who miss the high driving position, small dimensions and practical interior.
By the way, even though the A-Class hasn’t been discontinued, it is that “logical exception” I mentioned earlier since the current model is an A-Class by name only, and not by concept.
#3 SEAT Exeo (2008-2013)
Back in 2008, the first thing that you could have said about the Exeo was that it started its life almost 8 years earlier as an Audi A4 – which then went on to receive a facelift, and of course, the rest is history.
When they launched it in spring of 2009, SEAT pulled out all the stops, flying journalists to sunny Malaga in order to drive a car that made them almost irrationally proud. As we landed, we were taken to a garage by the airport where we each got into a strange looking Audi A4 B7, err…I mean, SEAT Exeo.
Headlights, taillights and side mirrors aside, this car was an Audi. Also true on the inside by the way. And what that meant, was that even if it was a strange thing to say, you couldn’t help but enjoy your drive.
I jumped into a 2.0 TSI Sport version which also came with servotronic steering and sports suspension and found it to be remarkably sporty. Seriously, that car drove like a charm in the corners and regardless of what badge it had on, how strange it looked or how much you hated the concept of the Exeo, there was very little wrong with it – precisely because it was already a tried and tested model.
In 2013, SEAT went on to replace the Exeo with the newer yet smaller Toledo which ironically, is nowhere near as good.
#4 Suzuki Kizashi (2009-2014)
I know for a fact that a whole lot of people were very curious about this car when it first came out in 2009 or 2010, depending on where you lived back then. The Kizashi was even somewhat hard to categorize, but it’s closest rival at the time was probably the Subaru Legacy. Regardless, if you happened to own one or ever drove one, then you probably know that it was before everything else, surprisingly good looking.
The interior was relatively spacious, very practical and with decent quality plastics throughout. In fact I remember thinking that they got the button layout just right, both on the steering wheel as well as on the center console.
Performance-wise, you had AWD (or i-AWD) and a 2.4 liter petrol engine, good for 178 HP. The engine was alright, but the CVT transmission was horrible – which overall didn’t alter my opinion about the car since I found it quite good in the corners as well. In terms of specs, it came with automatic xenon headlights, automatic climate controls, heated seats, USB port, sunroof, keyless go and so on.
Most people didn’t really expect such a decent car from Suzuki at the time, and the fact that they discontinued it is more or less a shame because it’s still better looking than some of today’s non-premium saloons.
CITROEN C6
MERCEDES A-CLASS
SEAT Exeo
SUZUKI KIZASHI
