The 14 car and 14 truck finalists for 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) were gathered near Ann Arbor, Michigan last week. I was fortunate enough to be in Michigan for both a 2011 Ford Explorer and a 2011 Chevrolet Volt press introduction earlier in the week. This means that in less than 72 hours I had access to more than 25 all-new or redesigned vehicles.
I didn't need access to all 25 of these vehicles, as many of them I'd already driven extensively (Fiesta, Mazda 2, Sonata, S60, XJ, etc.), but several of them were still on my "to drive" list before I could cast my vote. And of course having access to them all on the same day at the same location was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. As anyone who evaluates modern vehicles knows, today's cars are all quite good. They need to be driven back-to-back, preferably on the same roads, to uncover any meaningful differences. That's exactly what I was able to do.
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Categories: Karl on Cars, Vehicle Awards
Last week I happily kicked 2009 to the curb, along with the many automotive divisions and models that won't be around for 2010. But with the New Year comes new hope for a future awash in worthy and exciting cars (also political intelligence and personal responsibility/accountability...but I'm not holding my breathe on those).
In the spirit of looking forward let's examinie the North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) finalists, cars I'll be voting on today before the winner is announced next Monday. On the car side we have the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf. On the truck side we're talking about the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback.
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Categories: Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Subaru, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards, Volkswagen
The short list of candidates for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year
includes everything from the Audi A4 to the Volkswagen Tiguan.
I've driven both of those vehicles, along with most of the other 24 vehicles. I feel like we are in the middle of a transition period where, even within a single brand, you have vehicles that represent the past and the future.
For instance, the Honda Fit and Honda Pilot are both on the list, but I know which of those two feels more like an award-winning car in 2009 (hint: it's not the one that averages less than 20 mpg).
Some other intra-brand variations, such as the BMW 1 Series and X6, make my choice in voting easy. Once again, when I think BMW I think sporty and luxurious sedan. Yeah, I know the X5 has been around for a decade and contributed quite effectively to BMW's bottom line, but I still don't think of BMW as a crossover company. And if the X5 can't earn my enthusiasm, you don't want to hear what I think about the X6...
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Categories: Automotive News, Vehicle Awards
You may have already heard this, but BMW's twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engine took home the International Engine of the Year award for 2008. If you've experienced this powertrain you know that title is well and properly earned, as the 3.0-liter's combination of horsepower, torque and even fuel efficiency make it one of the best engines in history.
But that got me thinking: What are the best engines in the history of the automobile? There are no internationally recognized test parameters to answer this question, so it's basically a judgement call. With that said, here are the 10 engines I would place in the annals of "Best Engines of All Time."
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Categories: Automotive News, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Porsche, Vehicle Awards
I don't have one topic worthy of a full Talk Back Tuesday post, but I do have a few mini topics from the past week that, when added up, almost equate to one worthy discussion...hopefully. Here goes:
In the spirit of "perfect timing" comes a new Hummer H2 book: Yes, just as oil passes $100-a-barrel and gas hits $4-a-gallon we get a new book that, according to the press release:
"With unfolded centerfold the book reaches a width of 237 cm (94.5 inches), wider than the subject of the book, the HUMMER H2, itself. HUMMER H2 - KING SIZE AMERICA! is the biggest and most exclusive car book in the world and is published in a limited edition of just 999 sequentially numbered and signed copies. On 200 gloss-laminated pages German automobile journalist Hans-Jürgen Tücherer tells a great many entertaining and amusing stories that surround this spectacular American SUV. More than 270 fascinating pictures up to 43 x 237 centimeters (17 x 94.5 inches) in size depict the HUMMER H2 in all its glorious details and from many highly unusual perspectives. HUMMER H2 - KING SIZE AMERICA! is available for 999 Euros. The German edition is on sale now. The English version will be available online at www.h2book.com starting in April 2008."
Yes, for a mere $1,500 you too can pay proper homage to your H2 with a book as obnoxious as the vehicle itself! Better reserve your copy today!!
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Categories: Audi, BMW, Bugatti, Hummer, Mazda, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards
The first round of 2008 North American Car and Truck of the Year votes are in...
Car Finalists:
1. Cadillac CTS 2. Chevrolet Malibu 3. Honda Accord
Truck Finalists:
1. Buick Enclave 2. Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 3. Mazda CX-9
The final winnners will be announced the morning of January 13th as part of the kickoff for the 2008 North American International Auto Show (also known as the Detroit Auto Show). I just sent my second-round ballot in, so my part in voting for the car and truck winners is over. I won't know the results before that January 13th announcement, though obviously I know who I voted for.
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Categories: Auto Shows, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda, Vehicle Awards
The 2007 J.D. Power initial quality study
is out, and it says Ford vehicles are best -- if you include Mazda, Mercury and Lincoln and if you ask owners 90 days after purchase. I hate to pick these studies apart...but I will anyway. I think my biggest problem is the timing of the survey...
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Categories: Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, Vehicle Awards
The results are tallied, and it appears a change is in the air. For the first time since Edmunds started the Consumers' Most Wanted
voting in 2002 a GM division has taken home the most wins. Chevrolet scored with five models (Cobalt, two Corvettes, Silverado and Suburban/Tahoe) while Cadillac and Honda tied for second with four wins each. The Most Significant award also went to a GM product, the GMC Acadia...
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Categories: Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, GMC, Vehicle Awards
By now you've all heard that -- at least in terms of first quarter sales for 2007 --Toyota is the world's number one automaker. What I find most interesting is that Toyota slipped past the General in worldwide auto sales just as GM is having its best year in decades as far as product is concerned. Saturn and Cadillac are flush with promising new cars, the Lambda and GMT900 platforms have officially attained that most sought after of Karl Brauer titles ("Kick Ass"), and while I can't reveal specifics about our 2007 Consumers' Most Wanted awards -- yet -- I can tell you that GM won more categories than ever before in the awards' five-year history.
At the same time, Toyota's Tundra has not sold up to expectations, the Prius has been jumping on and off the incentive wagon, and Toyota's interior quality and recall activity are not where they were five years ago (i.e...
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Categories: Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, Hybrid Vehicles, Toyota, Vehicle Awards
I'm having lunch with Tom Purves today. Mr. Purves is the Chairman and CEO of BMW North America, and I'm visiting the corporate offices in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey to hand over the various Editors Most Wanted Awards for 2007
. BMW captured two awards for 2007, Sedan under $35,000 (3 Series) and Sedan under $60,000 (5 Series). Mini also captured the "Coupe under $30,000" category so I'll be presenting that award as well. In past years
BMW has captured as many as six awards, and that's when we had fewer segments to vote on. So why has BMW lost some ground to other makes, particularly Audi, in recent years? I think iDrive and Chris Bangle are two of the culprits, but I'd be interested in hearing your opinions. Of course I'm only talking in terms of Edmunds Most Wanted awards. In terms of sales, the company has never been stronger.
Also, if you have anything you want to say to Tom, and you get your comment posted by noon eastern time, I can try to pass on your thoughts.
And yes, I'll be humming The Sopranos theme song as I'm riding toward the Newark airport in the taxi.
Update on April 25: Read Tom Purves' responses to your questions!
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Categories: BMW, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards
It's that time of year again -- time for you to pick the Most Wanted cars and trucks of 2007. Last fall we voted for the 2007 Editors' Most Wanted vehicles
, and of course we got plenty of feedback (as usual, not all of it complimentary regarding our choices). So now it's your turn. In a twist on the old saying, it's time for you to "click up or shut up" -- and as a proponent of self expression I'd prefer you excercise your right to vote...
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Categories: Vehicle Awards
With the New Year started it seems fitting to highlight where we were in 2006 and where we're going for 2007. This news release came out a couple of weeks ago, but in case you missed it here are some interesting facts from 2006 and the primary activities/trends we see occurring in the world of new cars and trucks over the next 12 months. Unlike the official news release that covered this topic, I'll include some personal thoughts on these issues in this post:
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Categories: Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, Fuel Efficiency, Hybrid Vehicles, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards
Mazda was good enough to get me a Mazda CX-7 right before the final deadline (January 2nd) for the North American Car and Truck of the Year voting. I've just completed my NACTOY vote and sent in the ballot, but the winners won't be announced until January 7th at the Detroit Show. Each juror was given 10 points to distribute among the three car finalists (Fit, Aura, Camry) and three truck Finalists (Silverado, Edge, CX-7).
I'm not going to share my point distribution until after the winners are announced, but I will say the CX-7 is an excellent example of where the market for people movers sits in the year 2007...
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Categories: Auto Shows, Mazda, Vehicle Awards
I've never been too enthusiastic about Motor Trend's Truck of the Year award. Basically, it comes down to a "redesigned this year" award, and in a market as narrow as trucks that doesn't leave a lot to chance. The domestics have always been the major players for this award, and they never redesign their full-size trucks in the same model year (thus they aren't competing for the spotlight -- or the Motor Trend calipers). So, basically you have a rotating award for whichever company's truck is in "all-new, redesigned, we-need-publicity-for-our-launch" mode...
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Categories: Chevrolet, Vehicle Awards
You already know what Edmunds picked as the Most Significant Vehicle for 2006 -- the Pontiac Solstice
. And you may have seen our "final call" on the vehicle regarding our ownership experience for the past year
. Yeah, we weren't too impressed by Pontiac's Miata killer, primarily because of its weak interior (in both design and material quality), lackluster engine and less-than-thrilling driving dynamics.
But, I stand by the "Most Significant" award for two reasons:
1...
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Categories: Pontiac, Talk Back Tuesday, Vehicle Awards
