NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - This year, three cars in particular stood out for failing to live up to all the hype.

Nissan's hot streak of winning models includes a $30,000-plus luxury sports sedan that looks great, performs better and has won too many awards to count. Alas, that car is the Infiniti G35.

The latest Maxima also easily tops $30,000, even though it shares a chassis, engine and suspicious number of parts with its Altima sibling -- a perfectly fine sedan that costs a good $5,000 less.

Despite the upscale price, the Maxima couldn't carry the Infiniti's tie rod. It's by no stretch a luxury car, performance is unrefined, it carries a year-shorter warranty, and you'll seek service at the Nissan store instead of a pampering Infiniti dealer.

Sorry, but there's no room on Nissan Island, and it's clear which model can't pull its weight. The Maxima finds itself surrounded and set adrift by its own tribe. Can it float for long?

It took Saturn more than a decade to deliver a replacement for its original import-fighting compact. The resulting Ion ($11,975 to $17,450) is such a letdown that GM is already back at the drawing board. The name may describe a tiny particle, but the gulf between the Ion and the best small cars is as wide as the galaxy.

In its defense, Porsche's controversial first SUV objectively outperforms any SUV, including the BMW X5. But why Porsche decided to make the Cayenne an off-roader besides is an act of sheer hubris.

By skipping the mountain-man skills that few owners will experience, Porsche could have chopped half a ton off the Cayenne's elephantine weight and perhaps $15,000 from the Turbo model's $90,000 price, and ended up the SUV king of the (paved) road.

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Okay, it still would have been homely, but that's a whole other story.