Best cars for 2004

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///M-Spec

///M-Spec

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By now you've probably read about what magazines around the world picked as as their best cars for 2004. What are your choices?

Here are the catagories, adapted from Automobile Magazine, a US publication:


-Best Small Car
-Best Family Car
-Best Minivan
-Best Full Sized SUV
-Best Medium/Small SUV
-Best Pickup Truck
-Best Coupe
-Best Sport Sedan
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 )
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000
-Best GT
-Best Sports Car
-Best Super Car

I'm especially curious to hear from you folks in overseas markets.


///M-Spec
 
-Best Small Car -
-Best Family Car -
-Best Minivan - ????
-Best Full Sized SUV - Hummer
-Best Medium/Small SUV - Touareg
-Best Pickup Truck - Ford F 150
-Best Coupe - Rx 8
-Best Sport Sedan - Evolution 8
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; - ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 ) BMW 7 series
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000 - Passat W8
-Best GT - Ferarri 550 in American Lemans series
-Best Sports Car - SVT Cobra
-Best Super Car - Dodge Viper SRT -10
 
-Best Small Car - Ford Focus, as always.
-Best Family Car - new Honda Accord
-Best Minivan - FIAT Ulysse (new un')
-Best Full Sized SUV - Range Rover
-Best Medium/Small SUV - BMW X3
-Best Pickup Truck - We don't really get them. Mitsubishi Animal perhaps (out of a choice of two).
-Best Coupe - Mazda RX-8
-Best Sport Sedan - Subaru Impreza III
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; - ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 ) - Maybach
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000 - Not happening. The only car under £22k with "luxury" spec is a V6 Hyundai Sonata.
-Best GT - Porsche 911 (996) Turbo
-Best Sports Car - Renaultsport Clio V6 255
-Best Super Car - Ford GT

And I don't actually like half of them... :D
 
Here's my choices;

Best Small Car - Mini Cooper
Best Family Car - Nissan Altima
Best Minivan - Honda Odessey
Best Full Sized SUV - Range Rover HSE
Best Medium/Small SUV - Volvo XC90
Best Pickup Truck - Ford F150
Best Coupe - Infiniti G35
Best Sport Sedan - BMW 545i
Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 - Audi A8L
Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000 - Cadillac CTS
Best GT - Bentley Continental GT
Best Sports Car - Corvette C6
Best Super Car - Porsche Carrera GT



///M-Spec
 
-Best Small Car-Focus
-Best Family Car-Nissan Quest
-Best Minivan-Nissan Quest
-Best Full Sized SUV-Hummer H2
-Best Medium/Small SUV-Bmw X3
-Best Pickup Truck-F-150
-Best Coupe-tt
-Best Sport Sedan-Impreza wrx
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 )Audi A8
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000-Audi A4
-Best GT-Porsche Carrera GT
-Best Sports Car-Mazda Miata
-Best Super Car- Saleen S7
 
Best Small Car - Focus
Best Family Car - Honda Accord
Best Minivan - Toyota Sienna
Best Full Sized SUV - Hummer H2
Best Medium/Small SUV - X3
Best Pickup Truck - F150
Best Coupe - G35
Best Sports Sedan - G35X
Best Luxury Car Over US 40,000 - Mercedes Benz E55 AMG
Best Luxury Car under 40,000 - ES330
Best GT - Aston Martin DB7 GT
Best Sports Car - Corvette
Best Super Car - Ford GT all the way
 
-Best Small Car: Saturn Ion 1
-Best Family Car: Honda Accord EX V6
-Best Minivan: Nissan Quest S
-Best Full-Sized SUV: Nissan Pathfinder Armada
-Best Luxury SUV: Cadillac SRX AWD
-Best Small SUV: Saturn Vue 3.5 2WD
-Best Medium SUV: Honda Pilot LX/Subaru Outback wagon
-Best Pickup Truck: Ford F-150
-Best Coupe: Ford Mustang Cobra
-Best Sport Sedan: Nissan Altima 3.5SE
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000: Infiniti M45
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000: Honda Accord EX V6
-Best Sports Car: Pontiac GTO

-Car of the year: Pontiac GTO

I refuse to adapt this for "new for 2004" cars only, except my final category.
 
Originally posted by Sage
I thought you hated that car... :confused:
Click to expand...

I do, but it's too hard to argue with the value - $10400 for a 140bhp (9.5sec 0-60) 30mpg engine, an alarm, intermittent wipers, and remote trunk release; $960 for air-con, $290 for CD, and just $795 for curtain side airbags, antilock brakes, and traction control. I tend to recommend the nicer models, too, but some of them get pretty expensive.
 
he hates supracars
anything over 100,000 grand is crap to him...

but im pretty positive the Ford GT will get supercar of the year
 
Originally posted by ShobThaBob
M5, why did you leave out best super car?
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Because it's a stupid category. Supercars play to biases and emotions. They're impractical, overly-expensive, inefficent, small, and unreliable and the only reason they're so widely discussed is that they're fast and striking to look at - and that's a quality shared by each and every one of them. One of the stupidest things a human being can do is compare an emotional statement like a supercar.
 
shouldn't the family car of the year be a minivan since it has the room for a family, I can't see how you can bring even one kid to hockey in a accord.
 
Originally posted by audiracing
shouldn't the family car of the year be a minivan since it has the room for a family, I can't see how you can bring even one kid to hockey in a accord.
Click to expand...

Four of us just went to hockey - four adults I might add - in a Rover 400. And that's the same size.
 
Originally posted by audiracing
shouldn't the family car of the year be a minivan since it has the room for a family, I can't see how you can bring even one kid to hockey in a accord.
Click to expand...

Family car = family sedan. There's a seperate category for both best minivan and best SUV.
 
Doug, you left out GT, too. Though, the GTO you nominated for the "sports car" catagory belongs there.


///M-Spec
 
Originally posted by ///M-Spec
Doug, you left out GT, too. Though, the GTO you nominated for the "sports car" catagory belongs there.
Click to expand...

Define for me GT, because if the GTO vacates the sports car category then the Mustang Cobra goes on twice, and if the GTO keeps the sports car category and the GT category, then it goes on twice.
 
Originally posted by M5Power
Define for me GT, because if the GTO vacates the sports car category then the Mustang Cobra goes on twice, and if the GTO keeps the sports car category and the GT category, then it goes on twice.
Click to expand...


Sure. A sports car is designed with a priority to power-weight, handling, braking and driver involvement/enjoyment at the expense of all other attributes. A proper sports car is light and minimal, because it contains only the bare essentials needed for driving pleasure. Thus, a Lotus Elise, Mazda Miata or Porsche Boxster is a sports car.

A GT begins with the sports car qualities of power/weight, handling and braking, but compromises the design in order to achive comfort, range and some degree of practicality. A proper Gran Turismo is well appointed, comfortable to drive for hours on end at high speeds and has room for two people and some luggage. Thus, a BMW M3, Ford Mustang GT or Aston Martin DB9 is a Gran Turismo.

The GTO weighs almost 3800 and has all the goodies a luxury car owner may want, making it really more a GT than sports car.


///M-Spec
 
-Best Small Car - MazdaSpeed Protege
-Best Family Car - Mazda 6 or Toyota Camry
-Best Minivan - Sienna?????
-Best Full Sized SUV - Hummer
-Best Medium/Small SUV - ML 55 AMG
-Best Pickup Truck -
-Best Coupe - MazdaSpeed Rx-8
-Best Sport Sedan - MazdaSpeed Rx-8
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 )
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000
-Best GT - Denso Sard Supra
-Best Sports Car - RX-8, Supra, Skyline, Viper
 
Originally posted by AznFuman
-Best GT - Denso Sard Supra
-Best Sports Car - RX-8, Supra, Skyline, Viper
Click to expand...

I see... So the best road car for 2004 in the GT category is a Japanese racing car, and the best Sports car includes a model canned in 2000 and another one canned in 2002?
 
Originally posted by AznFuman
-Best Small Car - MazdaSpeed Protege
-Best Family Car - Mazda 6 or Toyota Camry
-Best Minivan - Sienna?????
-Best Full Sized SUV - Hummer
-Best Medium/Small SUV - ML 55 AMG
-Best Pickup Truck -
-Best Coupe - MazdaSpeed Rx-8
-Best Sport Sedan - MazdaSpeed Rx-8
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 )
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000
-Best GT - Denso Sard Supra
-Best Sports Car - RX-8, Supra, Skyline, Viper
Click to expand...

Guys....WE HAVE A WINNER!
 
-Best Small Car-Ford Focus
-Best Family Car- Nissan Maxima
-Best Minivan-Ford Windstar
-Best Full Sized SUV-Nissan Pathfinder
-Best Medium/Small SUV-Porshe (Sumthin)
-Best Pickup Truck-Ford F-150
-Best Coupe-Ford Thunderbird
-Best Sport Sedan-Rx8
-Best Luxury Car over USD $40,000 (~GBP 22,000; ~EUR 32,000 ; ~CAD/AUD 52,000 ) -Mercedes Sl500
-Best Luxury Car under USD $40,000-Mercury Marauder
-Best GT-GT40
-Best Sports Car-Chevy Camaro
-Best Super Car-Suzuki Alto
 
Originally posted by miata13B
wouldn't this be medium to small size :odd:
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Maybe he meant the Nissan Pathfinder Armada? (That thing is hucking fuge!)
 
Originally posted by Sage
Maybe he meant the Nissan Pathfinder Armada? (That thing is hucking fuge!)
Click to expand...
maybe the Nissan Pissflounder? :odd: That thing will run over a house :eek:
 

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