2008 Best Car Series: North America - VOTE!

[V1P3R]

Hay... don't complain, I did vote for your Vauxhall VXR8... erm G8.

 

[Prosthetic]

Hay... don't complain, I did vote for your Vauxhall VXR8... erm G8.

I wonder what the other car is that you voted for.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Hay... don't complain, I did vote for your Vauxhall VXR8... erm G8.

Oh, it's on now.
Corvette > 911 (for now)
CTS-V > any Euro sedan

Yeah, how do you like that?

 

[Prosthetic]

Oh, it's on now.
Corvette > 911 (for now)
CTS-V > any Euro sedan

Yeah, how do you like that?

I'll take a RS4 over a CTS-V any day of the week. Only because I like it's interior style better and it looks like it has machine guns and rocket launchers under the panels... The CTS is a well Cadillac and it's to civilized.

 

[V1P3R]

I wonder what the other car is that you voted for.

💡 I dunno... you'll just have to... guess.

 

[Muzaffar]

I wonder what the other car is that you voted for.

Hint: It is related to his name.

CTS-V > any Euro sedan

Uhh..... how about the M5 and the C63 AMG?

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

I'll take a RS4 over a CTS-V any day of the week. Only because I like it's interior style better and it looks like it has machine guns and rocket launchers under the panels... The CTS is a well Cadillac and it's to civilized.

I don't care about interior quality, and the RS4 doesn't come close to the CTS-V in looks IMO let alone performance.

Uhh..... how about the M5 and the C63 AMG?

They are a ways off the new CTS-V.

 

[Prosthetic]

Hint: It is related to his name.

I don't know if I'm not seeing something or not, but I was being completely 100% sarcastic. Not only is it obvious but you can see what people voted for

 

[Muzaffar]

They are a ways off the new CTS-V.

Maybe for now, but we'll see..... God knows what the Germans would pull off next....

I don't know if I'm not seeing something or not, but I was being completely 100% sarcastic. Not only is it obvious but you can see what people voted for

yeah sorry. I know you were just kidding and all but I should have posted something else. Guess it kinda slipped from my mind......

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Maybe for now, but we'll see..... God knows what the Germans would pull off next....

Yeah, I twin turbo V8 is on the cards for the M5 isn't it?

 

[YSSMAN]

I agree that the Saturn Sky does look better than the Solstice, but it was based of an Opel GT so for sure it wasn't American.

*eeeerrrkkkkkk*

Sorry, it was the Saturn Sky that came first, the Opel GT is a direct re-badge of what already existed. While the design for the Sky was based off of the Vauxhall Lightning concept, its still American. This is the first time in a long, long time that an American GM product ends up going global.

 

[Muzaffar]

*eeeerrrkkkkkk*

Sorry, it was the Saturn Sky that came first, the Opel GT is a direct re-badge of what already existed. While the design for the Sky was based off of the Vauxhall Lightning concept, its still American. This is the first time in a long, long time that an American GM product ends up going global.

Wait, wait, wait....... *goes to wikipedia*
Okay, it was built in Delaware. Its based of an Opel Speedster and shares the same platform with the GT and Solstice. Never mind........

 

[neanderthal]

Chevy Corvette.- Genuine competitor. Looks wise, I prefer the big butt C5 to the current C6 but the C5 had that woeful Fisher Price interior. I just don't like the proportions of the C6. Its a little too frumpy and short.

Chrysler PT Cruiser.- Inspired design and a novel concept; ten years ago!!!! Completely unremarkable and not worthy of a berth in this competition. That its actually included in the list shows how shallow the North American car market is, vis a vis small cars.

Cadillac CTS.- A genuine game changer. A shot across the bows of the Euros and Japanese that the Americans are capable of making a worthy competitor in the near luxury/ luxury segment. This is akin to the Honda NSX in that it changes perspectives in a "Whoah, where did that come from" way. Totally unexpected from looking at past GM products, and if it's indicative of future products then perhaps it's time to look at buying GM stock.
However, its not quite there; 9.5/ 10s there. Some finessing of the product to truly compete with the best of the world. Good on ya GM.

Dodge Viper SRT 10.- A relic, of times past. Not a good street car, and really only a decent track performer relatively speaking; thirty and unyielding. You have to wrestle it around and manhandle it to get its best performance. Its a beast, but being a beast is not singularly enough for being "The Best Car- North America." The Corvette's are nipping at this one on the track, cost far less and are much more civilised on the road in everyday use. How this got nominated really is an affront to the sensibilities that should be exercised when looking at potential candidates.

Ford Mustang Would have been a worthy competitor a few years ago, when the "new" Mustang was a preview of what was to come from US auto makers. But it's 15 minutes in the spotlight have come to an end, no matter how many special editions Ford pumps out. An incredible value, but leaf sprung and heavy. Does not reflect the very best of America anymore. And we expect higher in light of what the Japanese and Europeans are doing, especially with the current currency conversions.

Ford Fusion.- A genuine shot at the small/ medium car segment, if a little uninspiring from the design viewpoint. Give this one some sexy skin and it moves up the heirarchy. The Emperor in waiting needs new clothes.

GMC Acadia.- Your time is over. You came, you saw, and if the geo- political situation hadn't been what it is, you would have conquered. Great design. Great execution. Great package. Not so great timing. 2 years ago you are a runaway winner. But not with gasoline being this high. No matter how efficient the car is, its an SUV and is by default a guzzler. Shame Acadia, you coulda been great.

Pontiac Vibe.- No. No. No. No. No. It's a rebadged Toyota. And the Toyota its derived from is no great car either. Seriously someone thought this was the best North American car? You need to get out some more. And you should be made to write a paper on contemporary North American vehicles before you posit such tripe again. You and the guy who voted for the PT Cruiser.

Pontiac GT.- A return to traditional American strongholds, the big family car. And well done too. This bodes well for GM and foreshadows an interesting time in the future, when people will be able to choose between a smaller near luxury car and larger no- pretensions traditional American car at the same price, and not regret whichever they choose. Bravo GM. Bravo.

Chevy Malibu.- Chevy announces its intention to be seen as a worthy competitor with an excellent entry in the mid size car segment as a viable alternative to the established strongholds from Japan. Take a lesson from them; be interesting without being different, be competent without being boring, be american without the stigma and you will succeed. Not quite there, but oh so close. It's not like the Japanese cars are perfect; the Camry is boring, the Honda ugly, the Nissan a little unresolved. You've got a chance. You can do it.


Buick Enclave See GMC Acadia

Cobalt SS turbo If this wasn't a little frumpy in the looks dept, didn't have the stigma of being related to it's lesser brethren, didnt seem a little too contrived, nor had that plain interior it might have had a chance. Take a lesson from the europeans GM, don't understate your base model, understate your performance car. But have a sexy base model to begin with.

in summation.

voted Pontiac G8 and Chevy Malibu over the CTS. The vette is a known quantity; we expect that from it, all it ever needed was an improved interior.
The CTS loses because its much much harder to make a worthy non luxury car and get acclaim.

 

[Jim Prower]

Ford Mustang ...leaf sprung and heavy...

Eh, not exactly leaf sprung. Straight (4-link?) rear axle with coil springs. and not exactly heavy, compared to the Camaro, and especially the Challenger. The rest of your points are valid.

 

[Famine]

Dodge Viper SRT 10 - How this got nominated really is an affront to the sensibilities that should be exercised when looking at potential candidates.

It got nominated 'cos I like it. It's attractive, fast and as subtle as wet dog turd. Plus we can actually get them here, unlike 9 of the other vehicles - 2 of the other 3 had been nominated before I got the chance and the 3rd is the PT Cruiser - and it's one of two current US cars I'd like to own.

 

[neanderthal]

Eh, not exactly leaf sprung. Straight (4-link?) rear axle with coil springs. and not exactly heavy, compared to the Camaro, and especially the Challenger. The rest of your points are valid.

gahhh!!!

I meant live axle. My profoundest apologies.

It got nominated 'cos I like it. It's attractive, fast and as subtle as wet dog turd. Plus we can actually get them here, unlike 9 of the other vehicles - 2 of the other 3 had been nominated before I got the chance and the 3rd is the PT Cruiser - and it's one of two current US cars I'd like to own.

Great. You like it. Does that qualify it as a worthy competitor for Best North AMerican Car?
Moreover, with some slight changes to your wording, couldn't we apply that to the unsubtle wet steaming turd that is the Hummer H2?
Im not knocking your choice, i'm just wondering if YOU really think that is americas best car. I really really like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, but i realistically don't think its the best car on offer.

 

[Speedster502]

Great. You like it. Does that qualify it as a worthy competitor for Best North AMerican Car?
Moreover, with some slight changes to your wording, couldn't we apply that to the unsubtle wet steaming turd that is the Hummer H2?
Im not knocking your choice, i'm just wondering if YOU really think that is americas best car. I really really like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, but i realistically don't think its the best car on offer.

Yes, I'm backing Famine up on this. It's a good car, it's the first decent car to come out of American and arrive on our British shores which does handle well, it does go like stink, it does look good and most importantly its not bad value for money! You also have to remember if you live on this side of the pond then most of us Brit's when asked about a decent American car can only come up with the Viper or the Corvette due to the fact opinions about American cars are rather...erm..strong.

 

[Famine]

Great. You like it. Does that qualify it as a worthy competitor for Best North AMerican Car?

Yes.

The fact it has 15 other votes would seem to lend further credence to this.

Moreover, with some slight changes to your wording, couldn't we apply that to the unsubtle wet steaming turd that is the Hummer H2?

Had someone nominated it, it too would have made the voting round.

Im not knocking your choice, i'm just wondering if YOU really think that is americas best car.

Yes. Alongside the C6 Corvette (any).

I really really like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, but i realistically don't think its the best car on offer.

Have you even seen the horsecrap on offer in the UK with American badges on them (given that Ford Europe isn't classified as American in these polls)?

 

[homeforsummer]

Chrysler PT Cruiser.- Inspired design and a novel concept; ten years ago!!!! Completely unremarkable and not worthy of a berth in this competition. That its actually included in the list shows how shallow the North American car market is, vis a vis small cars.

The PT was in this competition because I like it. It's neither my fault nor Chrysler's that it's one of the best America has to offer as far as small cars go. As least you haven't mindlessly knocked it like a few people did in the nominations thread.

 

[neanderthal]

The PT was in this competition because I like it. It's neither my fault nor Chrysler's that it's one of the best America has to offer as far as small cars go. As least you haven't mindlessly knocked it like a few people did in the nominations thread.

Glad you like it. The poll is not for which cars people like, but which car is best.

Imagine you are sending your best representative to a single round elimination competition. Do you send the competitor you like, or the one who has a decent chance of winning the whole shebang.
That said, do you like the PT cruiser enough to realistically put it up against the best of the Asian and European cars?

Yes, I'm backing Famine up on this. It's a good car, it's the first decent car to come out of American and arrive on our British shores which does handle well, it does go like stink, it does look good and most importantly its not bad value for money! You also have to remember if you live on this side of the pond then most of us Brit's when asked about a decent American car can only come up with the Viper or the Corvette due to the fact opinions about American cars are rather...erm..strong.

I don't doubt that its a good car. The Ford Taurus is a good car. However the title is for best car. I'm not sure the viper is. Thats my opinion, yours is different. I'm OK with your opinion. You can state it as much as you want. As can I mine.
The choice for American cars there is limited, so I get it.
VFM depends on which side of the pond you're on.

Yes.

The fact it has 15 other votes would seem to lend further credence to this.

That McDonalds serves the most burger is not an indice of thier quality. After all, fully half of americans voted for Bush. I just think there are many better choices from american manufacturers. Sorry that you are exposed to so few of them. But in a way thats a good thing. We have a woeful selection of cars that i consider good. The PT Cruiser was nominated for crying out loud.

Had someone nominated it, it too would have made the voting round.

And sadly would have been voted for as well.

Yes. Alongside the C6 Corvette (any).

Im not knocking the vette. Its worthy. IMO.

Have you even seen the horsecrap on offer in the UK with American badges on them (given that Ford Europe isn't classified as American in these polls)?

Thats just some of the tripe we have on offer here.

Note that i didn't opine on the other offerings from around the world as i'm not conversant with what's on offer there.

 

[Joey D]

You don't seem to understand how this works. Everyone nominated a car, every vehicle from the given country had an equal chance of getting to this round. Whatever two cars win are going to be going up against the best other two from other parts of the world. If a car doesn't make the bill it falls out.

It's like the PT Cruiser, it's not a bad car per say but it's not going to win and therefore no one needs to worry about it going against the best from parts of Europe and Asia. People nominated what they like because if they like it, it's possible they think it's the best car from the country. The whole competition is purely subjective since most of us have not driven the cars.

 

[Tornado]

Glad you like it. The poll is not for which cars people like, but which car is best.

You know full well that this is not a definitive poll, that the results are meaningless, and that little was going to happen besides people voting for their favorites.

That McDonalds serves the most burger is not an indice of thier quality. After all, fully half of americans voted for Bush. I just think there are many better choices from american manufacturers. Sorry that you are exposed to so few of them.

So, let me get this straight: Not only is Famine in the wrong for nominating the Viper, but everyone who voted for it is also in the wrong? Step off your high horse and smell reality. This is little more than a glorified popularity poll designed to get discussion going about cars sold in each country. YSSMAN himself admitted to it after the boil over in the Japanese thread over the GT-R. If you don't like the fact that people aren't voting for what you think the be all end all American Pièce de résistance is and are instead voting for what they like, feel free to bitch about it somewhere else.

There is a rather large flaw in your logic, in that if we were truly supposed to be voting for the best American car, only one car would get any votes at all. Clearly this hasn't happened (nor does the "vote twice" design allow it to), even in the Chinese car thread where it logically should have ocurred.

 

[Wolfe]

I'm glad the CTS is pulling ahead of at least one of the big, bad sportscars; it would have been embarassing for america to be represented by nothing but two hopelessly impractical roaring beasts. I wish the 'Vette and Viper were in opposite positions, however. The Viper really is underrated these days.

 

[homeforsummer]

Glad you like it. The poll is not for which cars people like, but which car is best.

Imagine you are sending your best representative to a single round elimination competition. Do you send the competitor you like, or the one who has a decent chance of winning the whole shebang.
That said, do you like the PT cruiser enough to realistically put it up against the best of the Asian and European cars?

I fear I was a little too soon in commending you for not knocking the PT as on further reading you seem to have taken every opportunity in different replies to different people. It seems your username is rather too subtle for your actual approach...

I had no problem in voting for the PT because as far as I was concerned I was voting for a small car, of which by-and-large America is pretty bad at, and compared to things like the Viper and Corvette I assumed that not many people would nominate a small car. You'll see I've nominated a small or down-to-earth car in every poll so far. Variety is the spice of life and on a petrolhead forum such as this one the more down-to-earth cars tend to get overlooked sometimes.

I also didn't have a problem voting for the PT as I knew most other people would pick the obvious choices, such as the aforementioned Viper, Corvette, plus the Mustang, CTS and others. In reality I had no reason not to vote for the PT.

Now that you mention it, yes I would put the PT up against it's European and Japanese competitors. Fair enough, I haven't driven any of said competition, but presented with cars like the Scenic, Picasso, Honda FR-V, Fiat Multipla, Nissan Qashqai and others, I'd still choose the PT. It could fairly be accused of "trying too hard", but then the same could reasonably be said of the BMW MINI, the VW Beetle, and any of the current US muscle cars that are modern interpretations of classics as opposed to entirely new designs. The fact that the PT was designed in a retro way before it became "fashionable" is entirely commendable.

And don't be so short sighted that you really think we're comparing which car is "best" here. Such a thing could only be truly achieved if all of us drove every car, like a panel of COTY judges, only unpaid. What we're actually doing is picking our favourites. Which is exactly what I have done.

As Joey mentioned, the PT isn't going to win anyway, my vote was a bit of fun and honestly I intended it to spark a little debate, so I'm glad that of all the cars in the poll it's actually caused the most conversation 👍

 

[neanderthal]

I do understand how this works. I think i've highlighted how just because someone likes a particular doesn't mean that thats where their vote should go. Perhaps i'm being a little pedantic in voting for the car(s) that i actually think are best. Last i checked this wasnt a thread for "My favourite Car." But it could be just me.

Anyway. I too have voted for small cars, nominating the Suzuki Swift GT and the VW Polo Bluemotion, and subsequently voting for them too. They certainly WERE NOT the best from their respective countries, but I thought they were worthy of mention. And notable in some way. The other firm favourites from those countries were already nominated.

Anyway, I've voiced my opinions, and it seems some of you dont like them. Fair enough. Yet your own votes and nominations are your own opinions. To each thier own.

 

[homeforsummer]

Anyway. I too have voted for small cars, nominating the Suzuki Swift GT and the VW Polo Bluemotion, and subsequently voting for them too. They certainly WERE NOT the best from their respective countries, but I thought they were worthy of mention. And notable in some way. The other firm favourites from those countries were already nominated.

So really, you've done exactly the same as I did. Which makes your thinly veiled prods at other people's choices seem strange.

Anyhoo, I call truce as I think we all understand each other now, regardless of whether we like each others' choices or not 👍

 

[JCE]

. I too have voted for small cars, nominating the Suzuki Swift GT

I nominated the Suzuki Swift in the Japanese thread...

 

[YSSMAN]

Like I've said elsewhere, what its going to come down to when we get to the head-to-head competitions is a really wide variety of things. While I would prefer that people strongly consider why a car should win, its only logical that people are going to vote on what they like or what they perceive to be "best" by any measure.

When the 911 won two years ago it was because it did everything really well, and just the same, it could repeat that feat here again. The problem is that with this new setup, the 911 could go up against say the Lotus 240 S to start, and that's when the competition could get really heated on sporting ability or street use. For that matter, if the 911 went up against say the Buick Park Avenue, its a test of street use vs track use.

I love doing these because they get really good discussions going on the pros/cons of different cars. Certainly personal opinions of what is good and what is bad are going to get in the way (I really cannot wait for the GT-R threads), but that's part of what happens. I really do hope that we can find some kind of justifiable way of finding what really is the best car in the world based on the opinions of a bunch of 18-34 year olds, so we'll see what happens.

Democracy rules, things could get interesting.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

That's it CTS, stay ahead of the Viper

 

[Thatman]

*eeeerrrkkkkkk*

Sorry, it was the Saturn Sky that came first, the Opel GT is a direct re-badge of what already existed. While the design for the Sky was based off of the Vauxhall Lightning concept, its still American. This is the first time in a long, long time that an American GM product ends up going global.

Thank you I thought there was something wrong there.