Car of the Decade?

[Mike]

Seen this on a few auto blog sites... Their thoughts were all pretty asinine.

The Prius gets my nod.

Honorable mentions [in no order]: Mazda3, WRX, Ford GT.

[fiveoh2go]

The Prius gets my nod.

[CaptainHenreh]

Car of the Decade?

Chevrolet Suburban

[Mike]

srsly?

are you not capable of thinking beyond "omg that's so shiny!"

[D_Eclipse9916]

Decade? for car guys?
WRX, changed the whole game. I consider it the civic of the 90s (in a good way, not talking ricey)

[CaptainHenreh]

Decade? for car guys?
WRX, changed the whole game. I consider it the civic of the 90s (in a good way, not talking ricey)

Changed the whole game? How so? IMHO the Neon SRT-4 was more of a "game changer" than the WRX.

[Sijray21]

actually i kind of agree with the Prius for the car of the decade

Honerable Mentions: BMW Mini and Mazda 3

[fiveoh2go]

srsly?

are you not capable of thinking beyond "omg that's so shiny!"

No.

[Mike]

srsly?

are you not capable of thinking beyond "omg that's so shiny!"

No.

there's hope for you... it's called age :wink:

[stevegula]

Mitsubishi 3000GT?

Part of me leans to the Z06. I feel like it's an insane amount of car for the price tag. I can see the Prius being on the list but less so because 'OMG THEY INTRODUCED SOMETHING NEW AND AWESOME" and more so because it just ended up having so much demand over other hybrids (re: Insight). I mean, the only thing I've ever thought about that car was "I really wish it'd get out of my way".

I can't even name any new cars that overwhelmed me when they came out. And I can't really name any remodeled cars that floored me either.

So my vote goes to the Suzuki GSX-R750.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Decade? for car guys?
WRX, changed the whole game. I consider it the civic of the 90s (in a good way, not talking ricey)

Changed the whole game? How so? IMHO the Neon SRT-4 was more of a "game changer" than the WRX.

What is now the largest contingent of cars that you see modded on the street/track/in magazines, etc? The WRX. I would say the WRX community is much larger in presence than any single car during this decade.

It also was brought to the US and became remarkedly successful and led to them bringint the STI and Evo over. How do you figure the srt-4? Its not particulary popular, its a fwd turbo car that didnt lead to any large "scenes" and showed no specific technology gain.

[REED]

What is now the largest contingent of cars that you see modded on the street/track/in magazines, etc? The WRX. I would say the WRX community is much larger in presence than any single car during this decade.

I think the miata brigade would disagree with you on that one

[Goodspeed]

I get where you're coming from, Mike, on the Prius thing. After all, the "Car of the Decade" should probably reflect the trends, ideas, and attitudes of the decade, and 00-09 was definitely characterized by "oh shit, oil" and being generally more responsible with an eye towards the environment with our car purchases and usage.

The Prius is the most successful car in this vein, but not the best; I think that award goes to others in the true AFV category, IMO. It could deserve the nod for being so successful, and for wakening people's minds to hybrid technology. I read somewhere that the production of its batteries (nickel metal hydride, I think) damages the environment enough to negate its positive footprint, but regardless it is the most fuel efficient/cleanest vehicle on sale today.

My objective Car of the Decade: Honda FCX Clarity



Absolutely no one will argue against hydrogen fuel cell technology as being the "best". And here it is, today, working, functional, done. Its a 2008 MY vehicle, though its produced under a special lease program, with 10 of them running around the LA area. Honda predicts it could mass-produce such a vehicle by the year 2020.

A little Wikapedia-ing led me to this:

- In 2008, 30kg of hydrogen cost roughly the same as 30kg of gasoline at the pump.
- Range on a full hydrogen tank (4.1kg@5000psi) is 280 miles, with 77mi/kg city driving

So, yeah...the best car for our future is here today.

Honorable Mentions

VW GTI - proof that enviro-friendly, stylish, fun-to-drive cars can exist.

Tesla roadster - see above

Nissan GTR - love it or hate it, a world-beater on the cheap

Bugatti Veyron - an almost incomprehensible feat accomplished, like going to the moon in the automotive world. Probably the last of its kind

Ariel Atom - the most (ele)mental car you can buy today. Truly refreshing to see such an un-compromised driving tool still being built. A true 21st century hot rod.

Carrera GT - Probably this past decade's most prominent "race car for the road", a true supercar

Ford GT/Corvette ZR1/SRT-10 Viper ACR (tie) - This decade has mostly not been kind to Detroit. These three are proof that given the resources, the Detroit big boys can truly impress and that the spark is still there.

[Mike]

What is now the largest contingent of cars that you see modded on the street/track/in magazines, etc? The WRX. I would say the WRX community is much larger in presence than any single car during this decade.

I think the miata brigade would disagree with you on that one

I'd have to say the Miata, Civic, Camry or Accord were the cars of the 90s. Maybe C5?

[Dave]

Miatas were game changers, but that revolution was in the 90s. Im kinda with Goody that the Clarity is an amazing vehicle. If I was getting a hybrid, that'd be the one.

It's a shame though, b/c we're stupid Americans and will continue to embrace the Prius as it fattens up and needs a bigger engine while the Clarity slips further into obscurity from low sales (see also Honda Insight).

[CaptainHenreh]

Decade? for car guys?
WRX, changed the whole game. I consider it the civic of the 90s (in a good way, not talking ricey)

Changed the whole game? How so? IMHO the Neon SRT-4 was more of a "game changer" than the WRX.

What is now the largest contingent of cars that you see modded on the street/track/in magazines, etc? The WRX. I would say the WRX community is much larger in presence than any single car during this decade.

It also was brought to the US and became remarkedly successful and led to them bringint the STI and Evo over. How do you figure the srt-4? Its not particulary popular, its a fwd turbo car that didnt lead to any large "scenes" and showed no specific technology gain.

If the question was "What's the most successful turbo AWD car of the 2000's" then you'd be spot on. I mean, the largest contingent of modded cars I see on the street/track/in magazines isn't the WRX. It'd still be, like, a Mustang or a 'Vette. That's a terrible metric for "Car of the Decade", even for "Sport Compact of the Decade". I push every one of those goddamn cars at the track and I see a shitload more 00+ Mustangs than I do WRX's. And just because Subaru has the biggest website doesn't mean by a longshot that the WRX has some kind of 'bigger community'. Also, I'm not sure I'd call the WRX a "Car of the 2000's". Just because it came HERE in 2002 (as ugly as home made sin) doesn't mean by a long shot that it was the first I'd heard of it.

I said the SRT-4 because so many cars ME TOO'd after it. Here was this cheap little shitbox that was fast as fuck for money you could make working at McDonalds. It was a shot in the arm to the dying sport compact craze of the 90's. I wouldn't call it "Car of the Decade", as if ANYTHING defined the 2000's it's an SUV. The Prius we all know and love didn't come around until 2004 ffs, and even then it took a gas crunch for it to really get it's footing.

Also, Goodspeed you're full of shit. A Car of the Decade that only 10 of which are actually running around, AND they're on an EV-1esque leasing program? And what's envirofriendly about a GTI? Oh, let's build a car in Germany (You hope!), and ship it halfway around the world so we can be friendly to the environment. Riiiiiiiiight.

Also, Dave, the Clarity isn't suffering from poor sales, it's suffering from a totally non-existent fuel distribution network. If I made a car that ran on my own urine, it would be tough for you to put gas in one...

[Evan]

"Car of the Decade" is ambiguous so its really only a matter of opinion.

Prius is a joke both environmentally and technologically and as owner surveys have shown it is more about social status than anything else. But nothing reflects the social attitude of the (late) 2000s quite like "lets try to look like we are trendy and elightened green by buying more shit" so if a car that reflects the trendy-ness (and substance or lack thereof) of the time Id say Prius is a good pick.

As most of us look at it, young enthusiasts, the WRX is IMO the hands down winner. The sport compact landscape was a very lame collection of regurgitated fwd commuter cars prior to it.
Seems silly to think of now, but it was a big risk for subaru to release it here, and it stoked demand and paved the way for all of the affordable turbo awd and fwd cars that followed.

The crossover was a big deal to the masses, especially later in the decade. SUV practicality (and then some) without the truck frame and bad mpg. But I cant put a finger on 1 that started the trend or was even the leader.

a hyrdogen car may be the car of the next decade..or 2 decades from now, but without hydrogen infrastructure its pretty darn useless. Last I read, the Clarity (like the GM EV1) is only being leased out to people who live in an area of CA where there are hydrogen fueling stations.

but you cant argue sales. Ford F150 is still the biggest selling vehicle every year.

[Steve85]

I get where you're coming from, Mike, on the Prius thing. After all, the "Car of the Decade" should probably reflect the trends, ideas, and attitudes of the decade, and 00-09 was definitely characterized by "oh shit, oil" and being generally more responsible with an eye towards the environment with our car purchases and usage.

I was listening to an automotive industry analyst a few years ago and it was the first time MPG surpassed the # of cupholders in terms buyers decision makers. Hard to argue with Prius in terms of what car best defines the trend of the decade.And it's easy to focus on the latter half of the decade but...

Car of the Decade?

Chevrolet Suburban

It's the price of oil/gas that drove sales and popularity of the Prius, not its technology. It's the sharp rate of increase that left those who depended on the sales of large SUVs struggling and signified the beginning of the end. The biggest car story of the decade is GMs failure and the rise and fall of the big SUV mirrors, or even better, predicted, that story.


However, there was also a HP war going on. And no car fits both ends of the spectrum like the Z06. 505hp from 427cid cam-in-block pushrod motor that does not get hit with a gas guzzler tax. Anybody can get good gas mileage out of a battery,

[Jeff]

Sheesh this is a tough one. Car of the decade. Shit I dunno. I think it needs to be a real car that people actually used. So that Honda bullshit thing is out. The Prius made a huge impact...but all you have to do is have half a brain and read a bit to spot the fraud of hybrid technology as a real answer. I think you really need to narrow your question to get a viable answer. Enthusiast car of the decade...Mustang or the Vette. Family car of the decade...Suburban, Tahoe, any big SUV you want to talk about. It would also say it was the decade of the Camry. The decade of Beige over Beige people movers. I would also say that the 300C really brought back RWD outside of a sports car and got the US thinking about anything but FWD. There are many cars of the Decade...

[fiveoh2go]

If the question was "What's the most successful turbo AWD car of the 2000's" then you'd be spot on. I mean, the largest contingent of modded cars I see on the street/track/in magazines isn't the WRX. It'd still be, like, a Mustang or a 'Vette. That's a terrible metric for "Car of the Decade", even for "Sport Compact of the Decade". I push every one of those goddamn cars at the track and I see a shitload more 00+ Mustangs than I do WRX's. And just because Subaru has the biggest website doesn't mean by a longshot that the WRX has some kind of 'bigger community'. Also, I'm not sure I'd call the WRX a "Car of the 2000's". Just because it came HERE in 2002 (as ugly as home made sin) doesn't mean by a long shot that it was the first I'd heard of it.

I said the SRT-4 because so many cars ME TOO'd after it. Here was this cheap little shitbox that was fast as fuck for money you could make working at McDonalds. It was a shot in the arm to the dying sport compact craze of the 90's. I wouldn't call it "Car of the Decade", as if ANYTHING defined the 2000's it's an SUV. The Prius we all know and love didn't come around until 2004 ffs, and even then it took a gas crunch for it to really get it's footing.

Also, Goodspeed you're full of shit. A Car of the Decade that only 10 of which are actually running around, AND they're on an EV-1esque leasing program? And what's envirofriendly about a GTI? Oh, let's build a car in Germany (You hope!), and ship it halfway around the world so we can be friendly to the environment. Riiiiiiiiight.

Also, Dave, the Clarity isn't suffering from poor sales, it's suffering from a totally non-existent fuel distribution network. If I made a car that ran on my own urine, it would be tough for you to put gas in one...

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I agree with almost everything you said, except for the part about the SRT4 being the car of the decade.

To name a "car of the decade" there should be some kind of criteria (sales figures, MPG, most innovative) by which vehicles are judged in order to find their worthiness of said title.

However, there was also a HP war going on. And no car fits both ends of the spectrum like the Z06. 505hp from 427cid cam-in-block pushrod motor that does not get hit with a gas guzzler tax. Anybody can get good gas mileage out of a battery,

..and because I'm a fan boi...the '04 Cobra didn't have a gas guzzler tax and made 1.4 horsepower per cubic inch (at a hopelessly underrated 390).