page_title: List of automobiles known for negative reception
section_title: Cadillac V8-6-4 (1981)
hierarchical_section_title: List of automobiles known for negative reception / 1980s / Cadillac V8-6-4 (1981)
caption_attribution_description: 1980 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
context_page_description: This is a list of automobiles known for negative reception. They are judged by poor critical reception, poor customer reception, safety defects, and/or poor workmanship. For inclusion, these automobiles have either been referred to in popular publications as the worst of all time, or have received negative reviews across multiple publications. Some of these cars were popular on the marketplace or were critically praised at their launch, but have earned a strongly negative retroactive reception, while others are not considered to be intrinsically "bad", but have acquired infamy for safety or emissions defects that permanently damaged the car's reputation. Conversely, some vehicles which were poorly received at the time ended up being reevaluated by collectors and became cult classics.
context_section_description: For the 1981 model year only, Cadillac offered a feature on its V8 engine called the V8-6-4. On this engine, up to four cylinders could be deactivated while cruising to save fuel. However, the system suffered from numerous drivability issues as the computer technology at the time couldn't deactivate/reactivate the cylinders fast enough. Many owners got fed up with the engine's poor performance and had the system disabled by mechanics. Including the engine in Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate, Eric Peters called the V8-6-4 "one of the best ideas gone horribly wrong to ever reach production" and it was "the last thing a by-now-reeling Cadillac needed on top of the still-festering diesel imbroglio." The V8-6-4 is also included on Time magazine's "50 Worst Cars of All Time", where Dan Neil described it as the "Titanic of engine programs". He continued, "The cars jerked, bucked, stalled, made rude noises and generally misbehaved until wild-eyed owners took the cars to have the system disconnected. For some it was the last time they ever saw the inside of a Cadillac dealership." Popular Mechanics included the V8-6-4 Cadillacs on its list "10 Cars that Damaged GM's Reputation", describing it as "one more half-developed, cynically marketed technology that GM just couldn't make work." Today, cylinder deactivation systems are a common feature on large-engined automobiles, including many produced by General Motors.
caption: A Cadillac Sedan DeVille, one of the models offered with the V8-6-4 engine.
exif: {}