A Year in Review - 17 Observations From a 2019 Spent Watching the Automotive Industry
From the characters that control it to the engines at the heart of it, from the history that hems it in to the future that waits for it, from the designs that define it to the manufacturing that fulfills it, the automotive industry has something for everyone.
That’s why we cover it. That’s why we read about it. That’s why we drive and research and analyze, why we memorize specs and memorialize eras, why we wax eloquent when given the opportunity to explain the inherent balance of an inline-six, and why we correct people when they say, “CVT transmission.”
It’s also why we develop deep-seated automotive opinions that have as much chance of coming undone as your Jordan versus LeBron GOAT verdict. (Jordan, obviously. Gretzky, Federer, Mays, and Brady, too, for the record.)
Despite the fact that there was no shortage of automotive opinions dancing around in my head in those twilight moments before sleep each night at the beginning of the year, I nevertheless developed more conclusions over the course of 2019. After having little time to think of much else, and after driving hundreds of different cars, here’s an exhaustive (and exhausting) 17-part sampling.
2. The Ford Transit Is Impeccable
3. SPO
4. Was the Aztek That Bad?
5. Heated Steering Wheel Is No.1
6. Buick Wasn’t Kidding Around
8. The F30 BMW 3 Series Really Needed to Go
10. The RLX Is Still Comically Unappealing
12. The Kia Telluride Could Work at $65K
14. Nothing Gets In the Way of Wrangler Desirability
15. The Flex Felt Old
16. RWD Is a Winter Answer
17. But Usually, Cars Aren’t Fun
The diagnosis is serious, but there is a prescription: get up frighteningly early on a summer’s Saturday morning and drive for the sake of driving. Get out of town. Go nowhere in particular.
It’s worth it.
[Images: Tim Cain, Murilee Martin, Honda, Ford, Hyundai]
Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Driving.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars and Instagram.
More by Timothy Cain
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Redapple2 As stated above, gm now is not the GM of old. They say it themselves without realizing it. New logo: GM > gm. As much as I dislike my benefactor (gm spent ~ $200,000 on my BS and MS) I try to be fair, a smart business makes timely decisions based on the reality of the current (and future estimates) situation. The move is a good one.
- Dave M. After an 19-month wait, I finally got my Lariat hybrid in January. It's everything I expected and more for my $35k. The interior is more than adequate for my needs, and I greatly enjoy all the safety features present, which I didn't have on my "old" car (2013 Outback). It's solidly built, and I'm averaging 45-50 mpgs on my 30 mile daily commute (35-75 mph); I took my first road trip last weekend and averaged 35 mpgs at 75-80 mph. Wishes? Memory seats, ventilated seats, and Homelink. Overall I'm very pleased and impressed. It's my first American branded car in my 45 years of buying new cars. Usually I'm a J-VIN kind of guy....
- Shipwright off topic.I wonder if the truck in the picture has a skid plate to protect the battery because, judging by the scuff mark in the rock immediately behind the truck, it may dented.
- EBFlex This doesn’t bode well for the real Mustang. When you start slapping meaningless sticker packages it usually means it’s not going to be around long.
- Rochester I recently test drove the Maverick and can confirm your pros & cons list. Spot on.
Comments
Join the conversation
"Heated Steering Wheel Is No.1" Where do you live? As someone who lives in Minnesota, remote start is #1, heated seats are #2, cloth seats are #3 . Heated steering wheel, is a couple of steps down. If you park outside, a block heater pushes it's way up to #1 on days when it's -40. "Hyundai Design Is… Out There" I've long considered Hyundai to be wildly overrated and am tired of the automotive press lauding them, but never owing them, especially a 10 year old Hyundai (cause they're crap). However, I appreciate their willingness to design a little bit different. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.
RE #12 Had a chance on 12/10 to get up close and personal with a Telluride. A professional colleague....who I KNOW makes far more than just about anyone else I've met in my field since I moved here....bought a Telluride SX. Moss Green with the Dune Brown (light tan) interior. All the bells and whistles. Had to get it shipped here from a dealer in NJ (his home state..so maybe he has a contact?) because the dealer here wouldn't play on finding that color combo for him or inquiring about a custom order. But he loved the test drive. I got to sit inside. I owned an 2007 Audi Q7 until this past February, and the Kia was just as nice a place to sit. The interior fit and materials punch way above its class, and of course, it has much newer tech than my old Audi. And that color combo is the best. Its a REALLY nice green, and the comfortable (ventilated) seats I'm guessing are probably a wonderful way to make traffic suck less here in the tropics. I asked him why the Kia? He said there was nothing else this size and with these features that had a 5yr/60k basic warranty (10yr/100k on the powertrain), at anywhere near the same price. I'm not sure of every feature he may have, but the SX starts at 41k and tops out with AWD and fully loaded at around 48k on the website. He asked me what I think he paid (which I hate to answer, because there are so many variables, etc), and I know Kia is willing to wheel and deal, so I guessed maybe 45k, plus the shipping costs. 41k, for everything...taxes, title, 90 day temp registration (pending inspection), shipping. He had to get the inspection done here, so that's like $20. Its mind blowing what he got for the money. I didn't get to ride in it, just sit in it parked, so I can't speak to that, but it at least looks the business in my limited experience.