Most significant cars of the decade

[Laconian]

The 2005 Pontiac G6, because it was the first-ever G6.

[the Teuton]

The 2005 Pontiac G6, because it was the first-ever G6.

...But it was also the last-ever G6.

Tell me, have you driven one? Knowing that you complain a fair amount about the rubbish cars you often get in the rental car world, I assume yes.

[280Z Turbo]

No?  Why the hell not?

Because the Mustang sucks and that's all there is to it.

[2o6]

It brought back retro, but the Mustang was already a strong seller.





I suppose it's quite significant.

[sportyaccordy]

No?  Why the hell not?

The whole pony car market is a self-contained niche. No pony car has had any influence on other cars in their class, besides setting a baseline for an acceptable power to $$$ ratio.

The E65 7-series is more convincing than I'd like to admit; I-drive was a big move that has been copied ad nauseum and more importantly, IMO, it too stepped up the horsepower game (it was not the first mainstream luxury V8 in that power range; we can look to the mediocre last Q45 for that) that started a horsepower war.

Still, I think either the Infiniti G35 or the Altima 3.5 are the most influential. The G35 is probably the closest any manufacturer's first try has ever come to dethroning the 3-series, and it was only marred by fine details such as the shifter assembly, tire wear and squirrely handling at the limits (a G35x will kick its tail out almost recklessly in low traction, no TC situations), and of course nearly 300 HP in a RWD luxury coupe for less than 40K was previously unheard of.

The Altima (for better or worse) brought the midsize mainstreamer category into another level of size and horsepower. Think- in 2002, Honda's Accord was still pretty anemic (though they had the new one around the corner) and relatively small compared to the Altima. The Camry was new, but incredibly dull both in and out. I don't even know if Mazda was selling the 626, and the Galant was a turd as well. The Altima was dirt cheap, but it was downright thrilling to drive with that damn V6. IMO the Altima is the reason Toyota brought back the SE, and Honda put the 6spd in the V6 sedan. Neither was able to capture the almost pony-car like ridiculous speed (and for the better, sacrifice in interior quality). I remember how big the impact was when this car came out.

Other runner ups- the WRX (significant for enthusiasts, but not really far reaching in influence), the Prius (kind of a silly technology IMO that will be outed once warranties are up), Hummer H2 (a truck who's story pretty much exemplifies & pantomimes America in the 2000s- from being a celebration of success to the whipping boy of excess & poor decision making), etc. Lot of significant cars, but I can't think of any with more reach than the G35/Altima 3.5

[SVT666]

The whole pony car market is a self-contained niche. No pony car has had any influence on other cars in their class, besides setting a baseline for an acceptable power to $$$ ratio.

WTF are you talking about?  That doesn't make any sense at all. 

The 2005 Mustang made retro cool.  It was the first car in Ford's lineup to lead the way back to profitability and improved image.  The Camaro, Challenger, and Genesis Coupe would have never come to market without the success of the 2005 Mustang.

[GoCougs]

Because the Mustang sucks and that's all there is to it.

In relative terms both to the market at large and the class in specific it is indeed nothing all that special. Its significance is price point and along with the 300C brought the retro thing to the fore (for better or worse). It was also profoundly superior to the POS that preceded it.

[hotrodalex]

Do you guys think the Mustang was the main car that brought retro back? Or was it the Prowler, PT Cruiser, and/or SSR?

[2o6]

Do you guys think the Mustang was the main car that brought retro back? Or was it the Prowler, PT Cruiser, and/or SSR?

The PT.


The PT should be on that list, too.

[Vinsanity]

The PT.


The PT should be on that list, too.

I'll include the PT on the list for this decade, but I'd say that the car that brought retro back was the 1998 VW Beetle

[hotrodalex]

I'll include the PT on the list for this decade, but I'd say that the car that brought retro back was the 1998 VW Beetle

Ah, forgot about the Beetle.  That was definitely one of the main cars responsible.

[the Teuton]

J Mays should be fired from whoever he works for.

[Onslaught]

Do you guys think the Mustang was the main car that brought retro back? Or was it the Prowler, PT Cruiser, and/or SSR?

And the beetle, mini, Chevy SSR and the last T-Bird.  The Mustang was one of the big retro looking cars but it was not the first.

[ChrisV]

And the beetle, mini, Chevy SSR and the last T-Bird.  The Mustang was one of the big retro looking cars but it was not the first.

Correct, it wasn't. The Prowler came out before the PT, and influenced the PT itself. And as I mentioned in the other thread, all of them were heavily influenced by the cars that came before in the rest of the world.

[2o6]

Correct, it wasn't. The Prowler came out before the PT, and influenced the PT itself. And as I mentioned in the other thread, all of them were heavily influenced by the cars that came before in the rest of the world.

Yes, but to say it isn't significant is just wrong.

[Nethead]

The 2005 Mustang GT
The first year (?) of the Toyota Prius

The Prius may be be seen in 2050 and later as the most significant vehicle of the last fifty years (2000-2049).  

But by 2050 only the old CarSPIN brothers in nursing homes will recall what was meant by "Affordable Performance" in this decade, and even they will have to post their views in the WheelchairSPIN forums...  

[Nethead]

Because the Mustang 280Z Turbo sucks and that's all there is to it.

Spellchecker enabled.

[Nethead]

In relative terms both to the market at large and the class in specific it is indeed nothing all that special THE standard by which all others are judged. Its significance is price point and along with the 300C brought the retro thing to the fore (for better or worse). It was is also profoundly superior to the POS POSs that preceded imitated it.

Easy fix.

[Nethead]

Do you guys think the Mustang was the main car that brought retro back? Or was it the Prowler, PT Cruiser, and/or SSR?

The Prowler was just too niche to bring retro back.
The PT Cruiser was huge in the retro movement.
The new beetle was huge in the retro movement.
The '05 Mustang singlehandedly created the performance retro movement.
The SSR proved that it is possible to fuck up anything no matter how hot the chosen market.
The '04 T-Bird proved that too little retro is a novel method of failure.
The '04 GTO proved that rebadging is failure no matter what historic icon is diminished by the effort.