Car of the year?

[RICKS]

Chevy SSR: Cool halo car, but limited production, high price, no real impact on the automotive culture or industry of any kind, just a curiosity that gets GM more attention and makes them look more "hip". Not even close to Car of the Year material, that's not at all what the Car of the Year is about. No ground is broken, no mass applause.

Aston Martin Vanquish: Mega-buck exotics and ultra-low-production hand-built jobs like the Vanquish NEVER are even CONSIDERED for Car of the Year. To 99.999999% of the human race, these cars will never mean anything except lust and wishing you'd win the lotto. No real impact on the automotive world as a whole. Maybe it would win Car of the Year in Robb Report, but not MT. Imagine it, "Car of the Year, a car that most all of you will never see on the road, let alone drive!!".

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO: Subaru beat Mitsu to market in this segment, and they started this segment. The Lancer platform already existed, the EVO is just a factory hotrod on a pedestrian platform. Amazing what they can do with it, but still, this car has little impact or significance, in relative terms, compared to the upcoming Mustang or new 300. Car of the Year is not won with 0-60 times and rally heritage.

Pontiac GTO: You're kidding, right?? A slightly re-skinned and rebadged old Holden? Where only 15,000/year are being made, and apparantly they're having a tough time unloading them? Where's the impact? What ground is broken here?

Mazda RX-8: Now HERE you've got a cutting edge, GROUND BREAKING design and concept that has met with rave reviews and sales to match. I would not be surprised to find the RX-8 ranked up high among the candidates, but not quite the winner. But it could be possible...

Of course, just my opinions.....

 

[scottie1113]

I've subscribed to C&D and MT for over 20 years each. I see absolutely no "bias" towards German or Japanese cars at all. Just honest reporting. The only "bias" I notice is the BLIND devotion of certain readers to American cars, no matter how sloppily/cheaply engineered, stupidly designed, and poorly executed they are. Likewise, you see letters from equally blinded Asian car freaks that refuse to accept when an American car manufacturer steps up to the plate and knocks one out of the park. My frustration in this regard also applies to Mustang fanatics, so caught up in a nameplate and a symbol and an image, that they "hate" other cars without even taking a look or a drive in them. It's silly, schoolkid-ish, NASCAR mentality. The fact that the Europeans and Asians continually set the bar so high in quality and engineering does nothing but GOOD for us American car diehards! It forces Ford and GM to get their shat together and build better cars. Look at how far Ford has come from the "nasty" cars (from a build quality and engineering standpoint) they were building in the early 80's to now! The competition keeps everybody on their toes, striving to build us better cars. It's AMAZING how great the cars of today are from a driving, performance, fit/finish standpoint compared to just 10 years ago. I think the car magazines call them as they see them. Even when a Bimmer or a Lexus wins a comparo contest, I still keep my money in the U.S.. But I'm thankful that those fine cars inspire the U.S. automakers I buy from to try harder. If it weren't for BMW, Ford would have never done as fantastically as they did with my Lincoln LS. Even still, it's not as good as a 5-series. I'm not so blinded and biased as to not be able to easily draw that conclusion. But...it was ALOT cheaper, and still a fine ride in its own right. And I hope Ford does BETTER than BMW on their next swing at the LS. As the magazines constantly say to bitter letter writers, there's ALOT more to a car than numbers on a road-test stat sheet. And the suggestion that they slant their findings according to ad revenue or under-the-table payola is urban myth, it's just not true.

I've reading C&D and MT since back in the 60's, and Automobile since its debut. I completely agree with you that there no is bias toward particular makes of cars or countries of origin, only toward excellent cars.

That's good for all of us.

Your other points are also right on target.

 

[80deathtrap]

The EVO, RX-8, and GTO were all out LAST year or early this year and the SSR is a truck so they will get no consideration for 2005 Car of the Year.

The new Vanquish is too high market so it too will likely have no chance. The 300C is just what Motor Trend is looking for as far as COY material, European style luxury with rear drive. Two recent COY winners in this class being the Infinity G35 and Lincoln LS. And the Touareg was that only in SUV form.

However, they may tire of the Chrysler 300 by then and may not see too much new in the 300C besides the Hemi.

The Mustang also seems to have some of the European class, like the original, and should be in the running.

I would definitely say that it is down to the 300C or Mustang though.

 

[scottie1113]

Yep. Nothing else comes close. We shall see.

 

[Omegalock]

I wonder if the Magnum will steal some of the thunder from the 300C though. It's styling is just as bold(not as loved by as many but it is a cool looking car), same power, a little lighter so it might actually perform better, and it's cheaper and it's made by the same company. The Mustang doesn't have anything else really detracting from it made by a FOMOCO company or subsidiary. The closest thing to detract from it from a Ford backed company is the Mazda 3( and yes those things are sweet little cars Ford is freakin stupid for not hooking the Focus up on that platform).

 

[brandon_lawson7]

I think it will be between

Chrysler 300
Corvette
Cadillac STS
Mustang

The 300 and Mustang have a better chance since they have a wider model and price range.

Thats possible, the Mustang does have a good chance of winning a Car of the Year award. Its won I think 3 M/T awards, in the 60's (1967?), 1974 (even though it was a Mustang II!), and in 1994.

 

[szer0]

I think the Mustang has a chance.

Omegalock: Magnum? Looks like a fast hearse to me

 

[RICKS]

The Magnum looks like the re-birth of the Chevy Nomad to me. A bad-a$$ looking hot-rod wagon. I could see my wife in one of those!!! (Unfortunately, I don't think SHE sees herself in one....)

 

[80deathtrap]

The Magnum has another thing going for it in that it is a wagon. Alot of car magazines guys have been wanting wagons to return and this could be their way of solidifying the return of the wagon.

 

[SVTdriver]

I think some of those car magazine guys are just longing for the 70's again. Back when they were in their prime.

 

[scottie1113]

I disagree. Most, if not all, are just car guys and girls who have a pretty good reason reason for selecting a car as COTY.

Was it in 1971 that MT selected the Chevy Vega as its COTY? The magazine was a joke back then. Not anymore.