Impractical cars are certainly fun and beautiful, but they’re impractical for a reason. Most new cars you can buy are practical enough to use everyday. Most modern sports cars can even serve as reliable, dependable daily drivers, provided you don’t have to transport a lot of people or cargo. But there are a handful of new cars that are especially impractical.
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Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4²
The G550 4×4² actually has a pretty sensible footprint compared to most cars; it’s the height that makes it impractical. Loading people or large items into the cabin is difficult thanks to the jacked-up ride height. And don’t even think about trying to mount anything to the roof without a couple of ladders.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Valkyrie is Aston Martin’s new V12-powered hybrid hypercar. Its only purpose in life is to go as fast as possible around a track. That means it has to be as light as possible, which results in virtually zero luxury add-ons, and a totally stripped-down interior.
Ariel Atom
The Ariel Atom’s impracticality is apparent as soon as you lay eyes on it. There’s nothing to protect your entire body from the elements, and virtually no storage space to speak of. Hey, at least you can fit two people, right?
Alfa Romeo 4C
The Alfa Romeo 4C has a lot of things going for it. It offers a pure driving experience and an exotic design. But it’s difficult to get into and out of, the interior is completely bare-bones, and the essentially unmuffled exhaust makes it impossible to blend in. If you’re at all concerned about practicality, you’ll end up in a Porsche Cayman every time, but if you just want exotic Italian backroad delight, you’ve gotta go Alfa.
BAC Mono
Track day specials are their own kind of impractical, and while there are quite a few to choose from, including the Ariel Atom, to our eyes the BAC Mono is the least practical of them all—the single-seat Mono carries half the number of people as the Atom. But, c’mon. If you’re buying a track car, the only seat you care about is the driver’s.
Caterham Seven
When you buy a Caterham Seven, you’re getting a car with one of the most iconic designs in all of automotive history. You’re instantly transported back to a simpler time when driving was pure and mechanical. A normal person constrained by a need for practicality would buy a Miata, but no, you don’t need those creature comforts or an extensive dealer network. You only need your driving goggles.
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Why Land Rover looked at the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and decided to do the same thing with the Range Rover Evoque, we have no idea. On a certain level it makes sense—the Evoque is essentially a fashion accessory, but if there were a market for a two-door convertible crossover SUV, you’d think the CrossCab would have sold better. Either way, losing the top makes the Evoque way less useful than before—but inexplicably, we love this bonkers machine.
Morgan 3-Wheeler
You can’t fault the Morgan 3-Wheeler for being impossibly cool, but that much charm comes with its fair share of compromises. It’s not particularly fast, and its handling is quirky. And let’s not forget that it doesn’t even have a full windshield. Illogical. Inexplainable. Brilliant.
Mercedes-AMG GLA45
If you want a hot hatch, the GLA45 looks great on paper. It’s an all-wheel drive, turbocharged hatchback that makes 375 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. But unlike the Ford Focus RS and the Volkswagen Golf R, it’s been lifted to make it technically a subcompact CUV, and you’ll be out $50,000 before you even start adding options. Who needs a high-clearance luxury muscle hatchback? Everyone who lives on a windy dirt road and has money to burn, we’d say.
Article originally appears on RoadAndTrack.com
