5 Cars You Won't Be Seeing Again After Christmas

Calling it quits is never easy. And this Christmas will be a tough one for five cars that will bid their farewell once the festive carols and merry-making are over. The reasons are plentiful: some were vehicles that were just carbon-copies of their siblings, while others had outdated designs and features that were frozen in prehistoric time. There are others that still hold their own, and will likely be resurrected in the future, while some have been in a state of limbo for so long that we're willing to help them cross the afterlife forever -- free of charge. So it is with great sadness that we bid adieu to the following soon-to-be discontinued cars:

1. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is considered quite an old car by automobile standards, so it didn’t surprise us that that it's going to say its final goodbye this year. Throughout its 10 generations, the Evo has always been known for its competitively-priced, all-wheel drive sedan that can give even the Lamborghini a run for its money. In fact, it was so good that even Top Gear’s Jeremy Clark once compared an Evo to a Lamborghini Murcielago in terms of performance. Not bad for such a laid-back car.

And who could ever forget its epic rivalry with Subaru's Impreza WRX? However, unlike Subaru that made recent changes to its WRX model, Mitsubishi somehow changed its course from specialty models (like the Evo) to more fuel-efficient crossovers and cars. Somehow, it left the Evo behind amidst all the rambling commotion.

On a much positive note, there are talks that a revival is possible in the future. However, it would be very different from the current Lancer Evolution, which will use a hybrid powertrain structure in the likeness of the 3000GT sports car.

2. Mini-Cooper Coupe & Mini Cooper Roadster

These two cars are actually just ticking time bombs waiting to happen -- and are finally going to explode together with all the Christmas fireworks we'll be having by the end of this year.

The obvious reason for their deaths? They’re too similar to other Mini variants, particularly the convertible and hardtop versions of the Cooper. Of course, they’ve tried to sugar-coat the design options to make the Coupe and Roadster look unique, but they forgot one important thing in the mix here: people aren't fooled easily. Why pay a higher price for both variants when they could get almost everything in the cheaper hardtop and convertible variants of the Cooper? It makes no sense -- and everyone knows it. The only smart thing that Mini ever did was to drop it off in their line.

3. Mercedes M-Class

The Mercedes M-Class has been one of the most successful models of the German automaker, and has started its production back the same year when the movie Titanic crashed into theaters and became the most expensive film of all time. Similarly, the Mercedes M-Class also made a name for itself in the movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park, with three versions of the ML-320 models used in this blockbuster film.

Now here's the good news to all M-Class fans: the only one being laid to rest is the name, not the model itself. The switch to its new name "GLE" is part of Mercedes' plan to create a naming strategy that will help distinguish it from the flurry of new models that will be released in the coming years.

4. Volvo S-80

Volvo S80 has been here for a long time already, which makes this full-size, premium sedan almost a fossil of some sort. Its last update was in 2007, and sadly hasn't been upgraded ever since. Not surprisingly, it's getting replaced by S90, which is a starting point of Volvo's goal to align its product portfolio into three model families: 40, 60, and 90 series, and with three body styles in each model: crossover, wagon, and sedan.

Obviously, the S90 belongs to the 90 series, and it's just one of the models that are set to arrive within the next four years. Volvo intends to replace its entire lineup by 2019.

Now here’s the bad news: the S80 is the last of the vehicles to offer an anti-carjacking internal heartbeat monitor connected to your key fob. The good news: there are many available anti-car-jacking systems and heartbeat monitors that are sold separately these days, so you still have other options to choose from. So unless you're joined at the hip with the S80's monitor, then there's a big probability that you can survive without its presence in your life.

5. Jaguar XK

What happens when you launch the Jaguar F-Type performance convertible and sports coupe this year? You suddenly realize just how old and outdated Jaguar XK looks like. Comparing both, it seems that Jaguar XK is more into luxury and comfort, while the more dynamic Jaguar F-Type is purely a sports car through and through. And while we're not saying that the XK performs relative to its old age, we think that Jaguar made the right decision in passing the baton to its newer models.