The Auto Enthusiast's Realistic Christmas Wish List for the North American Auto Industry in 2020

French hot hatches. Affordable full-size wagons. Manual-shift rear-wheel-drive sports sedans under $30,000. Production versions of the Chevrolet Code 130R, Dodge Hornet, and Ford Start. The reincarnation of Isuzu’s VehiCROSS and Trooper. Standard-of-the-world Cadillac sedans and ordinary BMWs that drive as well as modern Cadillacs. A hiatus on coupe funerals.

My unrealistic auto writer’s Christmas wish list could go on forever. Much of it is based on nostalgia. Some of it simply isn’t cognizant of current market trends. A healthy portion of it simply denies the lack of performance-oriented interest among 2020’s car buyers. The remainder shows a lack of gratitude for the spectacular automotive era in which we live.

But what about realistic hopes of what could be gifted to the auto enthusiast community in the new decade?

This is my realistic Christmas wish list for 2020, not for me personally but rather for the North American auto industry as a whole.

You’re familiar with vehicles such as the Honda Civic Si, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and Volkswagen Golf GTI. The time has come. Let’s have a CR-V Si, a RAV4 TRD, a Tiguan GLI, and a Rogue SE-R. Power is easy, but don’t forget the brakes, suspension, wheels, tires, front fascia, and seat bolsters.

Unfortunately, Suburbans are terrifyingly costly. Since 2000, a four-wheel-drive Suburban’s base price has risen 29 percent when adjusted for inflation. De-content it, de-chrome it, run the prior generation as a “Classic” model – I don’t care. Just offer an entry-level Suburban for under $45,000, rather than over $55,000.

No, it’s not just the grilles. The X2 is ill-proportioned everywhere. The 7-Series doesn’t appear athletic. The Z4’s headlights search in vain for a connection to the grille. And yeah, okay, the grilles are an affront to good taste.

That means a Spark-like $13,400 and not a Fit-like $16,190. Doesn’t sound like a big gap? It’s a 21-percent difference that drives subcompact-intending Fit, Fiesta, and Sonic buyers into Civics, EcoSports, and, well, Sparks.

That leaves the general population under the mistaken impression that these mildly elevated cars, with their roof rails and wheel-arch cladding, went to the same school. Urban Utility Vehicle? That’s probably too much of a mouthful.

Mind you, Detroit’s truck innovation has not been slowed by a dearth of outside competition. But in a hugely consequential segment that produces over 200,000 monthly U.S. sales during a pandemic, it seems odd that there is so little viable competition. If the Tundra’s ever going to become a factor, it can’t merely be competitive. It needs to be better.

True, Toyota sold fewer than 15,000 FJ Cruisers per year in its final six years on the market, but more than 55,000 were sold in each of its first two years on the market. And while Nissan Xterra sales dropped below 20,000 units in each of its last five years, Nissan averaged 75,000 annual Xterra sales between 2000 and 2006. With a new Frontier, can we have a new Xterra?

Mazda’s CX-7, reborn with true performance credentials and improved cabin space, would suit Mazda’s range well as a challenger for the Edge, Murano, Passport, and Blazer. Might a rugged, small, affordable, body-on-frame GM SUV fare well in a battle with the Ford Bronco Sport? It’s time for a new Chevrolet Tracker. The first Dodge Nitro was fairly awful, but if FCA restyled the Cherokee or Compass just so, it would certainly fill a void.

With off-the-charts margins and insatiable demand, shouldn’t one premium brand or another be able to figure out a way around the enduring conundrum that pits rugged appeal against the paranoia of poseur pickups? If not Lincoln or Cadillac, what about Land Rover or Lexus?

[Images courtesy of the manufacturers]

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.