Ask The Best And Brightest: What Is Your Car Of The Year?
Published: January 10th, 2011
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Chevy’s Volt and Ford’s Explorer won North American Car and Truck of the year, a result which surprised precisely nobody here at Cobo Hall. The Volt beat out Nissan’s Leaf and Hyundai’s Sonata, while the Explorer beat out Dodge’s Durango and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee. But forget the well-fed journos who make up the NACOTY jury… what is your car and truck of the year… and why?
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Hyundai Elantra (or is it next year's COTY?)
My COTY vote: Hyundai Sonata, for all the reasons stated by others, including the innovative for the segment "we-don't-need-a-V6". That being said: In the thirty years since I picked up my first C&D and became a "car enthusiast" (worked in industry, raced 'em, club-ed them, etc...), I notice one constant: The North American manufacturers have so constantly produced crap, that when a car they produce is simply _not_ crap, it gets praised and given high laurels and awards. The pattern is consistent when, one to three years later, that model is just quietly not mentioned anymore because it was, after all, crap, or, really, just quite ordinary. The 1981 GM X-cars (Chevy Citation II, Pontiac Phoenix, etc...) were heralded as world-changing, America's front-wheel-drive miracle cars. The 1988 Chevy Beretta was hailed as a great, almost-Teutonic 2-door sports sedan. The 1st gen Caddy CTS, the aforementioned Chevy Vega, heck I even submit the 1982 Mustang, which was only raved about because the Mustang II was so embarrassingly abhorrent. The list continues and is consistent over the years. I actually like the Volt. I hope it works or is indeed the the game-changer all its hype claims. However, by this standard, the MY 2000 (1999?) Toyota Prius should have been COTY. For this year, it's Hyundai's Sonata.
Ford Fiesta/Mazda2 -- showing the way to future transportation in permanently poorer western societies like ours. Hyundai Sonata -- an unparalleled brand equity builder... and from the point of view of Hyundai's competitors, the single most frightening vehicle imaginable because it embodies a potency of automotive imagination and corporate can-do that will manifest in any segment Hyundai participates in.
Volt? not with my money. Well, I guess they did use my money. Read about the world's best hypermiler driving the 2011 Sonata Hybrid across the USA. I am not a hybrid fan, but this car kills Volt and Leaf for less money (alot less than a Volt). http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=292785 Wonder who they paid off and how much to get the award. I am appalled by GM.