Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

1. BMW 3-Series. Still setting the standard for entry-level luxury sedans.

2. Chrysler 300. Chrysler's launch of the 300 in 2005 cast cars in a whole new light. It gave street cred to a the large American sedan with its blocky, retro looks and Hemi engine.

3. Ford 150. When it debuted in 2004 the new, square-jawed version of the F-150 helped consumers define what a pickup should look like and do. Ford's cash cow continued as the best-selling pickup, forcing Chevrolet and Dodge to rethink their models.

4. Ford GT. Produced from 2005 and 2006, the GT40 was a tribute to the 1960s version. Although its introduction coincided with Ford's slide into financial troubles, it produced a car capable of running with the world's best. An instant collectible.

5. Ford Mustang. The Mustang matters because people said it didn't anymore. The V8 was gone, replaced by 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Then Ford stuffed a 4.6 liter V8 in a retro style, and the American muscle car was resuscitated. The V8 is dead; long live the V8!

6. Honda Fit. It arrived in 2007 when gas prices were nearing the $4 mark. It didn't sacrifice space, practicality, or driving pleasure. With its 'magic seats' it can swallow a surf board or a bike.

7. Hyundai Elantra. This model signified Hyundai's departure from cheap, both in price and quality. It now competes with the best of Toyota.

8. Mini Cooper. Thanks to the Mini Cooper you no longer have to spend a King's ransom to own an extremely well-built, highly customizable car. It's fun to drive and offers loads of space for two and 4 in an emergency. [Plus it's the leader in resale value.]

9. Pontiac Aztek. It was a joke the minute it rolled off the assembly line and still is. But, it marked the end of GM's once-mighty performance powerhouse brand.

10. Toyota Prius. The Prius showed that economy and concern for the environment could be popular. When the fuel crisis in 2008 hit, the Prius reigned supreme, and dealers couldn't keep them in stock. It has ample space and enough bells and whistles to satisfy most everyone.

IS350jet

Pontiac Aztek?

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

lowsy list is lowsy

bagwell

terrible list

only good picks IMO --
4 Ford GT
8 Cooper
10 Prius

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Love the Ford GT!!

joe80

they should've picked a better hyundai. i woud've gone with Genesis. even though it doesn't sell in volume, it basically told the whole world 'we are serious'.

and where is Hummer? i think Hummer signifies the fall of GM more than Aztek IMO.

LexFather

This list cannot be remotely serious.

mmarshall

Setting the standard? From a driver-centered point of view, agreed, especially the 335/335xi. For general street use, IMO, here is no better ride/steering/handing combination on the market than the 335, even BMW's own M3.



Yes, classy, interesting looks, but rather shoddy construction, a too-large grille, mediocre body/interior hardware, and too much thin, cheesy plastic all over the interior. (In other words, a Chrysler product).


The Dodge Ram significantly increased its sales in the 1990's with the advent of the big-rig, semi-look. But, in general, American full-size pickups sell from buyer loyalty/habit more than anything else....not from their competition, as Edmunds suggests. The public has ALWAYS bought the F-150 and C/K/Silverado in droves, no matter what kind of interior of reliability history they have had. Among pick-up buyers, you have Ford people, Chevy people, and Dodge people.....and they don't often cross over to the competition. Large pickups, outside of major metropolitan areas, are simply a American institution. Up to now, that has not changed, and probably will not, unless CAFE standards force smaller truck sizes or engines (the new CAFEs apply to trucks as well as cars).

Like the current Mustang, the GT was good retro model for 60's buffs, but impractical, insanely expensive, too-expensive insurance, price-gouged (I've seen them at 100% dealer mark-ups), and too hard to get. And you had to be a Munchkin to get in and out.....the car sat almost right on the ground.

Yes......the King of the ponycars lives on. Only NOW, once again, it has the great styling (and engines) it never should have gotten rid of after 1970.

A great little car that is economical, durable, well-built, and versatile. But the the 2Gen interior materials are a letdown from the 1Gen...once again, the cost-cutting boogieman strikes.

No arguements there....although the Sonata and Santa Fe, IMO, represent even more of a departure from the bad old Hyundai days. Still, I'd buy an Elantra before almost anything else in its class, though it's hard to beat the Civic's overall quality. The Elantra, though, is plusher-looking inside and more-comfortable riding.

Yes, the Mini is a classic for tuners/customizers and for those who simply want something unconventional, but I wouldn't call it that well-built. Its reliability record, though now average in Consumer reports, has not been impressive.

There's an old saying......beauty is only skin-deep. The Aztek, however, was just the opposite.....once you got under the revolting body, you found the relatively competent, though somewhat boring, mechanicals of a Buick Rondevous. The Rondevous, however (not surprisingly) outsold the Aztek by a big margin (a co-worker of mine, in fact, bought a Rondevous for his wife and kids).

The Aztek, though, was not without its buyers and supporters. While shopping for a new GMC Yukon XL with my ex-boss at a Pontiac/GMC dealership, he and I saw a young couple come in, fall in love with a white Aztek, take it out for a test-drive, and go home with it about an hour or so later.

While still the unquestioned King of the hybrids, the 3Gen Prius, though having a more efficient powertrain than the 2Gen model, suffers from some of the same problems the new 2Gen Honda Fit does......lighter, cheaper-feeling sheet metal and interior hardare than the model it replaces. Weight-saving for efficiency? Yes, maybe so, but it's obvious the bean-counters strike again.

mmarshall

I'd say some of it is, and some of it isn't. See my comments in the last post.

It's hard to argue with the Prius, for example, despite the weaknesses of the 3Gen model, being an enormously influential car during the 2000-2010 years. And the BMW 3-series still sells in big numbers and has an intensely loyal following, despite what Chris Bangle did to it. Though it's not necessarily the car for me in other ways, I myself still find it has one of the best automotive chassis on the planet.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

This list was put together just to be controversial. Nothing to see here.

joe80

i agree with many of them though. and probably they didn't want all 10 super cars, or 10 best cars.



3 series - a winner, ultimate sports sedan. deserves a top 5 spot.

prius - hybrid revolution. i think it's too low IMO. it should've been top 5.

elantra - hyundai is coming(although i think it's a bad choice of a hyundai)

aztek - for being ugliest car of the decade

honda fit - probably the best small car.

Ford GT - budget supercar? i would've gone with other supercars.



but i agree with the reasoning behind it. but no, 300 should not have been there. cooper? meh.

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

The Mini is NOT well built, from both material and assembly aspects.

syzygy

The lack of the GT-R on that list is troubling.

LexFather

Some of them were not even sold most of the decade.

Gsteg has a point. It is Edmonds though

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

the list says noteworthy, not 'best'.