What Car Shocked You With Its Horrible Driving Experience?

Photo: Jeep

One of the best things about the automotive world is the diverse array of vehicular offerings available to consumers. Car companies produce vehicles that can conquer almost any terrain, ranging from race track rippers like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS to Baja bruisers like the Ford Bronco Raptor. But not all automotive creations are quite so successful at achieving their primary goal while remaining comfortable and effective in day-to-day commuter usage.

2024 Jeep Wrangler First Drive Review

We’re pretty spoiled by modern cars, with many offering technological advancements like air suspension that can go from track day stiff to country road cruiser at the touch of a button, but some still manage to miss the mark. The most egregious example of a car that shocked me with its horrible driving experience was when I drove my friend’s JK Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. I knew Wranglers were a handful on the road, but I didn’t expect to be scared.

I was road tripping out from LA to the desert near Joshua Tree National Park with a group of friends, and we took my friend’s Jeep for the mission. On that drive you pass through a valley that is incredibly windy, and also is home to hundreds of wind turbines to take advantage of the intense airflow. Driving my friend’s JKU through that windy region was seriously treacherous. Going the posted speed limit, a gust of wind would smack the side of the Wrangler and knock us into the neighboring lane without notice. I made everyone open their windows to minimize our vertical surface area, which helped a bit but didn’t solve the problem entirely. I know Wranglers aren’t great on the road, and I know older Wranglers were even less civilized, but that JK stands out in my mind as having the worst driving experience of any car I’ve piloted.

So what is the car that shocked you with its terrible dynamics? It can be any car from any time period, so share your horror stories with us, the trusty Jalopnik staff.