Car of the Decade?

[FunK73]

Oh wow I'm an idiot! I know the most important car of the decade. The Honda FCX Clarity.

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

It's very hard for me to consider the Prius the vehicle because it didn't break new ground in any significant way... I don't see it as a real game changer, rather as a game continuer that just happened to get popular.

 

[derrian]

Erik did yell at the fact that electric cars have been around for a while So why is the Prius 'ground breaking' when it has been done already.

I agree that it has now stuck more with the Prius then anything else.

The New VW bug had a massive waiting list when it first came out also

 

[mndsm]

Tesla is a bit of a long shot, to be sure. I guess the way I see it, prior to that car, GM and Honda did have EV programs. But they were swoopy little bubbles with focus on efficiency, not performance, and they were generally ugly little turds. There were also performance EV's out there, but most of them were homebrew rat specials that were wholly impractical on a mass market scale, not to mention potentially dangerous. What the Tesla managed to do is prove to me that an EV is both feasible from an eco standpoint, without sacrificing looks OR performance. Granted it's hideously expensive, but it's the first "mass market" produced full EV even for sale, at least that I can think of.

I can see where James is going with the xB from a styling standpoint. Never has a vehicle been more polarizing on the both love it, and hate it front, and that's not likely to happen again any time soon. Souls and Cubes are barely trickling to market, and the Scion is already nearing time for a 3rd gen on US soil. Problem is, all they really did is take a box and drop it on a modern version of what is essentially a Tercel.... and Toyotas been building small cars for the last forever. In all fairness though, the xB wrought the Soul, the Cube, the Element and to a lesser extent the Versa.... proof that A segment cars can be successful on US soil.

 

[FunK73]

I change my vote to the FCX clarity. As much of an eco wake up call the prius was, the FCX is probably the most important car for the next 100 years. Battery cars fail, they take all day to charge and you only get 60 miles out of the battery. Hybrids dont work because 90% of the time, youll be on the gutless petrol engine they have under the hood. The FCX is amazing because it works just like the car we know today, but it is a pure hydrogen vehicle and is in production.

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

I think the FCX Clarity has a compelling argument for it, though the very limited availability is a strike against it.

 

[mndsm]

I don't know that I'd call the FCX a game changer, because like the previous EV's from Honda/GM, it's more of a study car than anything. Not to mention the ULTRA limited availability of hydrogen as a fuel, and the absurd cost of the equipment. It's definitely an important vehicle, just not sure it's THE vehicle.

 

[FunK73]

I like to think that limit isnt the cars fault, but the lack of hydrogen stations instead lol

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

The limit is not the car's fault, but it does significantly limit the importance and impact of the car.

 

[LASERBLUE135]

The Clarity might be the car of NEXT decade, but it did nothing for this one, so its not even in contention.

From what I'm seeing on other boards it comes down to 2 cars:

fun: WRX (I'm shocked! ickle

and revolution: Prius

 

[FunK73]

If you want to argue the wrx, you also would have the evo. They both are practically the same car as far as what you are arguing.

Ive also seen a lot of votes online for the tata nano

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

I don't see the Prius as revolutionary in the 2000's. Perhaps in the 1990's, but I would give the Ford Explorer the credit there.

 

[FunK73]

Should we narrow this down to cars RELEASED in the last decade?

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

The Tata Nano would certainly apply to the countries it is sold in.

 

[mndsm]

The Tata Nano would certainly apply to the countries it is sold in.

Yugo also made an ultra low-budget every man disposable car. That went over well.

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

I would say the Yugo and the Excel did start a movement in the 1980's followed up by cars like the Horizon and Omni America and the like...

The Tata also appears to be more than a warmed over early 1970's Fiat as well.

 

[JohnnyT]

Surprised I haven't seen the Ford GT as it sparked the 'new' and retro muscle car craze. Sure it didn't last long, and it certainly wasn't the best it could be, but it helped shape the market to be what it is today.

 

[mndsm]

See- I don't see the WRX as "The car of the decade". Don't get it twisted, it's an awesome car. it basically started the import version of the muscle car wars. Prior to the wrx, you had the Honda Civic Si, and the Acura GSR/Type R, and the Sentra SE-R. The WRX comes along and changes it, and then we get the STi, the Evo, the MS3, the Ion Redline/Cobalt SS, the Caliber/Neon SRT-4..... it did a lot for the community to bring it more mainstream. Problem is, the success of the WRX can be attributed as much to the whole Honda JDM fad, and to a lesser extent, the DSM triplets. You get the American version of DTM. That feeds into the whole "tuner" thing. Honda has the right toys and plenty of them, Honda gets big. FAST. Suddenly, you have people looking for ways to go faster, and they turn to Japan, where these cars have been the bread and butter since before time started. (Take a look a boso to see how long the JDM tuner scenes' been around) About the time Honda gets BIG, the DSM kids figure out that big boost+AWD=fast. Honda kids fresh off the boat as it were, look at the DSM and decide they need a new weapon. About this time, Gran Turismo comes out, featuring a certian AWD Subaru. Then Subaru drops a bomb and gives it to us for reals. That prompts Mitsubishi (who had unwisely chosen to make the DSM into that stylistic piece of shit known as the 3g Eclipse) to start to play catch up, and they quick get the Evo through crash testing and deliver it to us a year later. Subaru, who by this point already has a HUGE lead, decided that being 2nd fiddle isn't good, and they slide us the STi. While all of this is going on Mazda decided to play a different version of the game, and releases the ms6. Too big for its own britches, it's NOT A success. But Mazda realizes that the DISI is a technological tour de force, and they decide to use it in a more practical application. The ms3 is born. The ms3 would be AWD but Mazda put the turbo on the wrong fucking side of the engine, and the downpipe gets in the way of the transfer case. BUT- it's a sales success... riding alongside the already admitted hit of the mz3.

So yeah, the WRX was a big influence, but the game it played was started a long time ago.

 

[dmention7]

The WRX would be a strong candidate for tuner car of the decade, but I'm going to have to go with everyone else and shoot it down for overall car of the decade.

I think exotics should be automatically excluded, unless you specify it down to "driver's car of the decade" or something like that. Even their broadest influences on other cars are pretty much limited to performance or exterior styling.

I think the arguments for the Prius are pretty strong, but James does raise some valid points about whether it truly was a revolutionary product or if toyota just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right gimmick. Of course hybrid cars aren't the permanent solution to cars fueled by petroleum, but it's silly to ever think we're going to go straight from gasoline to electrcity--there's going to be a significant overlap with something like plugin hybrids, where both power sources are simultaneously viable. Regardless, it does seem to be the car that ushered in mainstream acceptance of hybrid drivetrains.

Clarity? Eh, could be the car of the next decade as it was pointed out, but not this one.

Initially, I thought the GTR was a good pick, but by the time I got to posting, I had changed my mind. It might be a shining example of automotive engineering at a price that's not mind-boggling, but I don't know if it's done much to influence the market or change the game.

I dinno, I think until something else comes up, I'm reluctantly leaning towards the prius.

 

[Workdawg]

According to wikipedia, the first gen prius was Japan only from 1997-2001. In 2001, a new "first gen" model came to the states.

Whether it changed the game or continued it and "just happened to get popular." It did get popular, and I don't think anyone can deny that without it, we probably wouldn't have hybrid trucks today.

Honda had/has the insight hybrid, but that was all but a flop.