Everyone has their favorite time of the year, but imagine your birthday and Christmas rolled together and it lasts for five days. Although it takes plenty of work and planning, that's what it feels like here when Car of the Year season rolls around. Personally, I take a huge interest in what we want to accomplish for Sport-Utility of the Year and Truck of the Year (I'm sort of the “truck-guy” around the office), but Car of the Year is something different. Much of that particular test requires me becoming a student again. As it turns out, Car of the Year falls right in the middle of the other two competitions so, for me, it can feel like more a short breather, even though this is the biggest thing we do each year at Motor Trend. My first priority is to reorient all of my calibrations--Car of the Year typically has very little to do with towing capacity, maximum payloads, rigid frames, or off-road capability. But limited capabilities are just the beginning; they're also a lot smaller, less powerful, and can be a blast to rip around a test track.
Last year, our Car of the Year included 27 vehicles and this year we had 18. Our fields in TOTY or SUOTY are typically much smaller. But that's not to say that when you see 20 new cars lined up at the edge of a proving ground and two full days ahead of you of closed-course track driving to determine which vehicles should make the first cut that it isn't like being a kid in a candy store either. And this year, we had some great candy. Some standouts to me, regardless of payload capacity, were oddly enough the two vehicles that looked or, at least, acted the most like traditional SUVs. They were the Scion xB and the newly renamed midsize Ford Taurus (previously the Five-Hundred). The Scion has a wonderfully boxy shape and tons of passenger and rear cargo space. The visual corners of the vehicle are easily seen from the drivers seat, just like a big (but in this case miniaturized) SUV. And with the rear seats folded down, there's as much storage area as any other midsize SUV. Bigger horsepower, a cleaner interior gauge cluster, and a new stylized look will keep this little "car" popular with younger buyers, but I'm guessing will also appeal to those of us that like our economy cars biased toward cargo carrying and traditional shapes. It also strikes me as a great way of getting the "young and funky" warmed up to midsize and fullsize SUVs and crossovers as they're tastes mature and grow in size. Another vehicle I liked for all the anti-car reasons was the Ford Taurus -- the only car in our competition this year that comes with a DVD available for rear seat passengers (that isn't a minivan). If this car doesn't scream sport-ute when you're seated inside (no matter what the seat), nothing does. And once you drive it, you'll really going to think it's been mislabeled. The seating position is high, there's tons of headroom, it's one of the heaviest platforms of the test, and it feels a little top-heavy, and even with a new engine, it still feels underpowered. With all that said, I like the fact Ford is sticking by "the big American sedan" while it seems everyone else is falling all over themselves to downsize cars to the lowest (or smallest) common denominator. Why shouldn't it count for something that the Ford Taurus has the biggest towing capacity and payload of the bunch. Big volume players like the Camry, Accord, Malibu, and Altima are good, but they need to of a specific (smallish) size. There has to be a place for a larger sedan with more room and capability offered at a price less than the imports. If an American car company can't do that, I have no doubt Kia or Hyundai will, if not someone from India or China.
The other two vehicles I like (maybe not a surprise) were the two Chrysler minivans -- the Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country. The brand new minivans offer much of the same assets as the past vehicles in this category, but with a few new twists. The bigger engine and new look helps, but the big news is the new Swivel-N-Go seating that allows the second row of seats to turn 180-degrees to face the third row seat passengers and includes a hideaway table as well. The idea is clever and adds to the vehicles functionality. This I like. At a time when most cars seem to be headed toward less diversity, less multi-dimensionality, I like a car that isn't afraid to try to do many different things for a family. It's so easy to reward a Porsche for doing that one specific thing a Porsche is suppose to do well, and quite another to reward a vehicle that tries to give its owner as many options as possible. In fact, this Dodge and Chrysler minivan offers all sorts of permutations to accommodate all sorts of needs. You can order it with a conventional second row, with or without a third row, or you can order the clever Stow-N-Go (disappearing second row into the floor) seating, or you can get the Swivel-N-Go seating. Additionally, the third row has a clever feature that allows it to flop backwards and allow people sit out the back of the minivan, couch style. Very cool. Functional and capable.
Beyond that, it's always nice for someone who typically only gets to drive big SUVs or pickup trucks to get a chance to drive some of the better sport coupes and sedans of the day. To my mind, vehicles like the Audi A5 or Mini Cooper S are a blast to drive, but also strike me as an exceptionally selfish vehicles. It's all about making the driver feel good, treating him (or her) as every decision he makes is a bold, powerful maneuver; instant steering, snap acceleration, dramatic braking. It's all about making the driver feel good about the driver. Juxtapose that with big SUVs or pickups, which don't provide those types of rewards for the driver. In fact, the only real driver advantages have to do with driving height or the ever illusive safety feel. More often, a vehicle like this is about what it can do for others: carrying others, carrying loads, towing a trailer for a large group, supporting family needs, etc. Of course, it's an oversimplification to say sports cars are for selfish people and trucks are for selfless people (and I can give you quite a few exceptions on either side of that argument) but there might be something in that here I'll have to give some thought.
Of course, I'm a little biased.
Related Content:
Motor Trend Announces 2008 Car of the Year Contenders