Cars, Trucks with Impact (USA Today)

Bruce · 10-02-2007, 03:35 PM

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Do take note that this is from a North American perspective.

1. 1992 Toyota Camry
Not sexy, but a game-changer. Japan Inc.’s first truly American sedan. The late Robert McCurry, then head of Toyota’s U.S. sales, demanded Japan give him a bigger, smoother car. It helped propel Camry to best-selling car and pushed Detroit close to irrelevant in the car market

2. 1991 Ford Explorer
3. 2001 Toyota Prius
4. 1984 Chrysler minivans

5. 1986 Hyundai Excel
Hah, hah, hah, hah. A little South Korean car cheap enough at $4,995 to put on your credit card. Solid foundation, apparently. More models were added, sales boomed, quality improved. Hyundai’s now No. 7 in sales, behind Detroit 3, Japan Big 3.

6. 1986 Ford Taurus
7. 1990 Lexus LS 400
8. 1990 Mazda Miata
9. 1986 Acura Legend

10. 1996 Toyota RAV4
SUV body on a Corolla compact car chassis. Voila, the first crossover SUV

11. 1994 Ford Mustang
12. 1991 Saturn SL
13. 1997 Ford F-150
14. 2003 Hummer H2

15. 2002 Mini Cooper
Proof you can sell a small car for a big price if you have the look and the legacy.

16. 1998 Lincoln Navigator
17. 1986 Yugo
18. 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser

19. 2001 Pontiac Aztec
It was supposed to look hip, but never rose above ugly. Said GM CEO Rick Wagoner: “You know you’re going to get a love-hate reaction, but you kind of hope there’s somebody on the love side.”

20. 2001 Cadillac CTS
21. 1986 Suzuki Samurai
22. GM Impact

23. 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
A safer, better equipped, more powerful version of the little car that could. VW’s grudging acknowledgement that the U.S. market was important enough for a car of its own. You couldn’t see it without smiling.

24. 2005 Scion xB

25. 2002 BMW 7 Series
Gave us two things we didn’t need: Ungainly styling in back, complicated iDrive mega-control system inside. Unfortunately, BMW being BMW, other brands felt a need to follow.

zetableh · 10-02-2007, 04:13 PM

I think that was fairly unbaised.

bmer · 10-02-2007, 04:22 PM

Interesting list. Thanks, Bruce!

Giannis · 10-02-2007, 04:26 PM

Yugo... Oh Yugo... What did you remind me now... I had some great experiences in a Yugo...

Bruce · 10-02-2007, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetableh

I think that was fairly unbaised.

Yeah, I would agree.

I was glad to see the Lexus LS within the top 10. It certainly deserves to be there in my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmer

Interesting list. Thanks, Bruce!

You're welcome!

10-02-2007, 03:35 PM	#1
Bruce Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 10,183 Thanks: 5,331 Thanked 3,852 Times in 2,260 Posts	Cars, Trucks with Impact (USA Today) >> - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Do take note that this is from a North American perspective. 1. 1992 Toyota Camry Not sexy, but a game-changer. Japan Inc.’s first truly American sedan. The late Robert McCurry, then head of Toyota’s U.S. sales, demanded Japan give him a bigger, smoother car. It helped propel Camry to best-selling car and pushed Detroit close to irrelevant in the car market 2. 1991 Ford Explorer 3. 2001 Toyota Prius 4. 1984 Chrysler minivans 5. 1986 Hyundai Excel Hah, hah, hah, hah. A little South Korean car cheap enough at $4,995 to put on your credit card. Solid foundation, apparently. More models were added, sales boomed, quality improved. Hyundai’s now No. 7 in sales, behind Detroit 3, Japan Big 3. 6. 1986 Ford Taurus 7. 1990 Lexus LS 400 8. 1990 Mazda Miata 9. 1986 Acura Legend 10. 1996 Toyota RAV4 SUV body on a Corolla compact car chassis. Voila, the first crossover SUV 11. 1994 Ford Mustang 12. 1991 Saturn SL 13. 1997 Ford F-150 14. 2003 Hummer H2 15. 2002 Mini Cooper Proof you can sell a small car for a big price if you have the look and the legacy. 16. 1998 Lincoln Navigator 17. 1986 Yugo 18. 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser 19. 2001 Pontiac Aztec It was supposed to look hip, but never rose above ugly. Said GM CEO Rick Wagoner: “You know you’re going to get a love-hate reaction, but you kind of hope there’s somebody on the love side.” 20. 2001 Cadillac CTS 21. 1986 Suzuki Samurai 22. GM Impact 23. 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle A safer, better equipped, more powerful version of the little car that could. VW’s grudging acknowledgement that the U.S. market was important enough for a car of its own. You couldn’t see it without smiling. 24. 2005 Scion xB 25. 2002 BMW 7 Series Gave us two things we didn’t need: Ungainly styling in back, complicated iDrive mega-control system inside. Unfortunately, BMW being BMW, other brands felt a need to follow. Last edited by Bruce; 10-02-2007 at 05:15 PM.

10-02-2007, 04:13 PM	#2
zetableh Advocate Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Connecticut/New York Posts: 708 Thanks: 184 Thanked 87 Times in 50 Posts	Re: Cars, Trucks with Impact (USA Today) I think that was fairly unbaised.

10-02-2007, 04:22 PM	#3
bmer Devotee Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 2,901 Thanks: 1,533 Thanked 669 Times in 405 Posts	Re: Cars, Trucks with Impact (USA Today) Interesting list. Thanks, Bruce!

10-02-2007, 04:26 PM	#4
Giannis Devotee Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Patra, Greece Posts: 3,934 Thanks: 255 Thanked 301 Times in 232 Posts	Re: Cars, Trucks with Impact (USA Today) Yugo... Oh Yugo... What did you remind me now... I had some great experiences in a Yugo...

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