Most significant cars of the 00's: POLL

[Vinsanity]

I went ahead and put everyone's suggestions from the other thread into this poll, even though I doubt many of these will gather any actual votes. Still, it should be interesting to see where the votes go...

[CALL_911]

I'd have to give it to the E65 7er, the WRX and the Prius (as much as it hurts me).

[the Teuton]

Prius, Highlander, and WRX for me. I still think the Prius was the most significant, though.

[Rupert]

Ha! How did the Camaro get on this list?

[Rich]

Ha! How did the Camaro get on this list?

I went ahead and put everyone's suggestions from the other thread into this poll, even though I doubt many of these will gather any actual votes. Still, it should be interesting to see where the votes go...

[Vinsanity]

Ha! How did the Camaro get on this list?

I put it there. It's yet another one of GM's comeback kid, only for real this time.

[BimmerM3]

I feel like a lot of these aren't very significant cars at all. Bentley Continental? Might have been significant for Bentley, but not for the overall industry. E65 7er? It introduced a not very successful styling scheme and a bad on-board computer system. The Highlander? Basically Toyota's version of the CR-V, which was introduced four years earlier. Lexus RX? I'm not sure what, if anything, it has going for it. 350z? It's not a bad car, but I don't think it was horribly significant.


I voted for the PT Cruiser (for popularizing the whole retro craze), the Prius (for obvious reasons), and my third vote is a write-in for the Porsche Cayenne.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Prius, 'Slade, and 300C. I also cast a vote for the C6 Vette.

[BimmerM3]

I put it there. It's yet another one of GM's comeback kid, only for real this time.

It hasn't had enough time to become significant though. The cars receiving votes should be cars that changed the industry in some way, but the Camaro hasn't done anything because it hasn't really had time to. Likewise, I almost voted for the Tesla Roadster for being the first viable fully electric car, but it's full impact on the industry is still unknown.

[Vinsanity]

I voted for the PT Cruiser (for popularizing the whole retro craze), the Prius (for obvious reasons), and my third vote is a write-in for the Porsche Cayenne.

well, I added the Cayenne to the poll, but I don't know if the software will let you change your vote. I initially set it up to allow vote changes, but I don't see that option anymore

[Rupert]

I feel like a lot of these aren't very significant cars at all. Bentley Continental? Might have been significant for Bentley, but not for the overall industry. E65 7er? It introduced a not very successful styling scheme and a bad on-board computer system. The Highlander? Basically Toyota's version of the CR-V, which was introduced four years earlier. Lexus RX? I'm not sure what, if anything, it has going for it. 350z? It's not a bad car, but I don't think it was horribly significant.


I voted for the PT Cruiser (for popularizing the whole retro craze), the Prius (for obvious reasons), and my third vote is a write-in for the Porsche Cayenne.

You go through all that, and then nominate the Cayenne?

[omicron]

Prius, Veyron and GT-R. They're by far the most globally significant cars on that list.

[GoCougs]

I put it there. It's yet another one of GM's comeback kid, only for real this time.

The more I think about it, the more it's a front runner.

It's runaway smash success; not only 400+ hp for but $30k but it is utterly dominating the market performance of either the Mustang or the Challenger.

The only dig against its significance is that its market is relatively small (though at this pace it could sell 80-90,000).

[GoCougs]

I went with:

Prius - significant in that it shows how naive US auto buyers can be.

G35 -radically upped the value proposition game for the entry level luxury segment.

Camaro - shows Detroit can build and market a world class car; profoundly positive value proposition; runaway (and admittedly surprising) sales success.

Runners up: Corvette and Mustang - similar reasons as the Camaro though not to as great a degree.

[omicron]

Camaro - shows Detroit can build and market a world class car; profoundly positive value proposition; runaway (and admittedly surprising) sales success.

The Canadian-built, Melbourne-developed Camaro?

Yes, yes, you didn't mean literally the Detroit city limits. But still. 

[ifcar]

Voted Altima, Prius, Sonata. Escalade was also close, and the PT would have been up there if Chrysler had done anything to retain the new customers it picked up.

[sportyaccordy]

Voted the G35, WRX and GT-R.

G35 offered the correct quantity of everything the 3 offered but interior quality + 10/10ths precision. Changed the entry level market.

W/o the WRX there would be no SRT-4, MS3, EVO, Cobalt SS, CSi (in 200HP guise) etc. Another game changer in a big way.

GT-R is obvious. I hate the car but it's a game changer. The 2009 NSX. Can't deny its track prowess or sheer bang for the buck.

[Raza]

Highlander?  Veyron?  Bentley Continental?  Cayenne?  H2?  CTS?  G8?  Tesla?  Elantra?  7 series?  GT-R?

Most of these cars may have been significant to their own brands or affect the enthusiast community, but they had little influence on anything other than that.  The 7 series idiotically influenced the German brands, sure, but at the highest level.  What's significant about a car that is only affordable by 2% of the population?  The Bentley Continental GT?  1%, and it serves no purpose other than being a cash cow for Volkswagen.  The H2?  Significant for its target branded across the hood as a scapegoat for the green movement, but then as gas costs rose, they disappeared from the roads.  GT-R?  Significant on what level?  To the handful of sports and GT car manufacturers?  Most people don't even know what a GT-R is, they think it's just an Altima coupe that's been riced out.  The Pontiac G8?  I love them, but they only sold 10!  Tesla?  Come on!

Focus and maybe the PT Cruiser.  The Prius is significant for the way it changed the market view and the way it brought gas mileage to the forefront, even if it is duplicitous in its marketing campaign.  The WRX reinvented the bargain performance market. 

I voted Focus, Prius, and WRX.

Ha! How did the Camaro get on this list?

It shouldn't be, and the reason is clear.  The model year is 2010. 

[ChrisV]

I voted for the Prius for it's effect on society, the E65 for it's effect on new car design overall. Of the rest, I can't really choose, as many of them have a lot to reccomend them, but none that really stand out. The two I picked didn't just affect their company, but have had a lasting and significant effect on the rest of the market, creating competitors and imitators from more than one or two companies.

[Byteme]

I picked the Mustang simply because it seemed to revitalize the pony car segment of the industry.

I choose the Fusion because of it's significance for Ford.

But overall I don't think there were any cars that had the impact to significantly change the industry. 

[GoCougs]

The Canadian-built, Melbourne-developed Camaro?

Yes, yes, you didn't mean literally the Detroit city limits. But still. 

Touche there Mr. Omi - you guys did a bang-up job.

[2o6]

Prius - Showed that an "alternative" car can behave more like a real car. Prior to this, all hybrids had been quite small.

04' Scion xB - Started to convince consumers that subcompacts are "real" cars and paired with it's funky styling, it made the box car (and other subcompacts) segment take off.

02' Escalade - If luxury SUV's weren't viable, they are now. The Escalade was a huge success.

[S204STi]

haha oops I didn't realize I had 3 options.  Oh well.

[sportyaccordy]

Highlander?

Agreed but I don't know much about that segment.

Veyron?

A failure. 

Bentley Continental?

Revitalized Bentley.  

Cayenne?

Added to Porsche's already high profitablility.  

H2?

Representative of America's excess. 

CTS?

Pretty but not groundbreaking. 

G8?

Great car, terrible timing. 

Tesla?

Failure. 

Elantra?

Symbolic of Hyundai's official ascent into the car business. 

7 series?

Face of the new BMW. Prompted Audi & other brands to adopt I-Drive like electronic controls and also upped the performance level of large luxury cars. 

GT-R?

No brainer, the NSX of our time, albeit nowhere near as simple or elegant.

Most of these cars may have been significant to their own brands or affect the enthusiast community, but they had little influence on anything other than that.  The 7 series idiotically influenced the German brands, sure, but at the highest level.  What's significant about a car that is only affordable by 2% of the population?  The Bentley Continental GT?  1%, and it serves no purpose other than being a cash cow for Volkswagen.  The H2?  Significant for its target branded across the hood as a scapegoat for the green movement, but then as gas costs rose, they disappeared from the roads.  GT-R?  Significant on what level?  To the handful of sports and GT car manufacturers?  Most people don't even know what a GT-R is, they think it's just an Altima coupe that's been riced out.  The Pontiac G8?  I love them, but they only sold 10!  Tesla?  Come on!

Many of these cars have had a profound effect, or will have a profound effect on cars on much lower levels than them. Generally speaking most new technologies debut on higher-end cars and then work their way into lower models.... turbochargers, direct gasoline injection, disc brakes, fuel injection... pretty much any technology I can think of started out on some higher end model and worked its way down. You see this in the 7 series, you see this in the GT-R, etc. To deny the trickle down effect of new technology is turning a blind eye to an obvious driver of technological progress.

Focus and maybe the PT Cruiser.  The Prius is significant for the way it changed the market view and the way it brought gas mileage to the forefront, even if it is duplicitous in its marketing campaign.  The WRX reinvented the bargain performance market. 

Both of these cars (Focus + PT Cruiser) are good American cars, but have had much less of an impact than say, an E65 or GT-R. I don't know if Porsche would have installed the PDK this soon if not for the GT-R.

[Tave]

Lexus RX? I'm not sure what, if anything, it has going for it.

Doesn't it dominate/inspire it's market and constitute the majority of Lexus sales?

[ifcar]

Doesn't it dominate/inspire it's market and constitute the majority of Lexus sales?

It made its mark when it first came out in 98 or so. The second generation was just more of the same.

[Raza]

Agreed but I don't know much about that segment.A failure.   Revitalized Bentley.    Added to Porsche's already high profitablility.    Representative of America's excess.  Pretty but not groundbreaking.  Great car, terrible timing.  Failure.   Symbolic of Hyundai's official ascent into the car business.  Face of the new BMW. Prompted Audi & other brands to adopt I-Drive like electronic controls and also upped the performance level of large luxury cars.  No brainer, the NSX of our time, albeit nowhere near as simple or elegant.

Many of these cars have had a profound effect, or will have a profound effect on cars on much lower levels than them. Generally speaking most new technologies debut on higher-end cars and then work their way into lower models.... turbochargers, direct gasoline injection, disc brakes, fuel injection... pretty much any technology I can think of started out on some higher end model and worked its way down. You see this in the 7 series, you see this in the GT-R, etc. To deny the trickle down effect of new technology is turning a blind eye to an obvious driver of technological progress.

Both of these cars (Focus + PT Cruiser) are good American cars, but have had much less of an impact than say, an E65 or GT-R. I don't know if Porsche would have installed the PDK this soon if not for the GT-R.

I disagree.  I don't think the GT-R is significant on a large enough scale.  Nor does it do anything with technology that hasn't been done before.  AWD?  That's not new.  Dual clutch?  Porsche invented it a quarter century ago.  Traction control?  I've never seen that on a car before...

Plus, the NSX is the NSX of our time, and also not all that significant.  Wow, it pushed Ferrari to be more reliable.  Excuse me while I jump for joy. 

The Focus is a big reason, and this is conjecture, that Ford isn't taking bailout money right now.  It was a quality bread and butter car that was globally successful.  The PT Cruiser, also significant, as a sales success and driver of a mainstream trend, but not successful enough to get my vote. 

[ifcar]

I disagree.  I don't think the GT-R is significant on a large enough scale.  Nor does it do anything with technology that hasn't been done before.  AWD?  That's not new.  Dual clutch?  Porsche invented it a quarter century ago.  Traction control?  I've never seen that on a car before...

Plus, the NSX is the NSX of our time, and also not all that significant.  Wow, it pushed Ferrari to be more reliable.  Excuse me while I jump for joy. 

The Focus is a big reason, and this is conjecture, that Ford isn't taking bailout money right now.  It was a quality bread and butter car that was globally successful.  The PT Cruiser, also significant, as a sales success and driver of a mainstream trend, but not successful enough to get my vote. 

The Focus proved that it doesn't matter whether an American compact car is great or not, because sales volume is entirely dictated by the price tag as long as it's acceptable or better. It never was any more successful than the Escort, and didn't even sell that well until it was greatly rebated. And the enthusiast-despised 2008-present version is by far the most popular.

There is a significant lesson in the Focus, but not what you're suggesting it is.

[sportyaccordy]

I disagree.  I don't think the GT-R is significant on a large enough scale.  Nor does it do anything with technology that hasn't been done before.  AWD?  That's not new.  Dual clutch?  Porsche invented it a quarter century ago.  Traction control?  I've never seen that on a car before...

No need to be intentionally obtuse. AWD is not new. AWD with (correct me if I'm wrong 565) 4 wheel torque vectoring is. Porsche may have made PDK 25 years ago, but the GT-R preceded them putting it into a road car. In fact the GT-R was the reason they put it into a road car. Also it was the first AWD car with a rear transaxle (which I still find a bit goofy). I am pretty sure the GT-R was not the first road car with a DSG, but it's def the best showcasing of this technology.

Most importantly though the GT-R redefines the benchmark of performance for all cars in and above its price range. It's fun to drive, it provides brutal & reliable track performance and it can hang with cars 2-3x its price no problem. Really, for all out driving thrills it's hard for me to justify a 911 anything over a GT-R; thankfully for the 911 the GT-R is ugly both visually and aurally. But to discount the GT-R's impact is silly IMO. Just because its technology hasn't or won't trickle down to a Sentra doesn't mean its not significant.

Plus, the NSX is the NSX of our time, and also not all that significant.  Wow, it pushed Ferrari to be more reliable.  Excuse me while I jump for joy.

The NSX was unprecedented in its combination of reliability and performance. It set the standard for the livability of everything from a 911 and beyond. I think that's pretty significant.

The Focus is a big reason, and this is conjecture, that Ford isn't taking bailout money right now.  It was a quality bread and butter car that was globally successful.  The PT Cruiser, also significant, as a sales success and driver of a mainstream trend, but not successful enough to get my vote.  

I would say the Fusion is more of a reason for that. The Focus is a good car but generally speaking small cars in America are celebrated most for being cheap, reliable and not totally dull to drive. The Focus is essentially a properly sized and priced Contour.... not exactly a groundbreaking, phenomenal or influential car.

And what trends has the PT Cruiser set? The only other kitschy retro styled small mainstreamer of this decade, if you could even call it that, was the New Beetle which was in no way a volume leader or influential car. It was a Golf with no rear headroom and a flower holder (and an available R32 drivetrain in Europe). I suppose you could count the HHR, but I'd say that's more in the vein of Scion's lineup, which to me was much more influential than the Focus or PT.

[rohan]

How is the prius significant? Trendy doesn't = significant.   It gets less mileage than a good small diesel with more pollution- and it requires enormous cash to repair/replace the batteries which have to be handled in a certain way and disposed of by a commercial company capable of dealing with the poisons inside so as not to pollute the environment.  It's longterm operating costs WAY exceed the tiny benefit it gets the driver and it's potential to pollute the environment is shocking compared to older-cleaner-more reliable technology.  No thanks- give me a clean diesel anyday.