Part of the “it’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it” aspect of writing about cars is having to – O.K., getting to -- drive a lot of vehicles. In calendar year 2009, I sat at the steering wheel of nearly 80 new vehicles. Some were absolute joys to drive. Others not so much (and more on that in a few paragraphs).
I need to start by telling you that the ratings the follow are not meant to be objective. They are absolutely subjective, and sometimes they surprise even me – and I’m the one who makes them.
How, I wonder, can I rate, say, the basic Pontiac Solstice ahead of the GXP version of the same car? Because of when and where I drove it: I drove the basic version at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving while I drove the high-performance version on regular roads. So I admit it: There are factors beyond the cars themselves that influences my judgments.
For example, the No. 1 car in my 2009 calendar year ratings was a Nissan 350Z GT convertible that was being phased out of production in favor of the new, more stylish and more powerful 2010 370Z. In fact, I also drove a 370Z coupe and it rated only fifth-best on my list. Why the difference? I drove the roadster in late February in Arizona, where the weather was glorious and the top stayed down.
But, let’s face it, when was the last time you bought a vehicle for purely objective reasons? Sure, miles per gallon and room for the family and monthly payments all are very important, but so is a vehicle’s emotional appeal, especially to those of us who consider ourselves to be auto enthusiasts.
So, one with the show… I mean the lists. Here are my rank-ordering of what I drove in 2009, with some comments along the way (an asterisk indicates a vehicle was a 2010 model):
Sports cars/coupes/convertibles
- Nissan 350Z GT
- Chevrolet Camaro *
- Mazda MX-5 Miata GT
- Pontiac Solstice
- Nissan 370Z
- Jaguar XK
- Lexus IS C *
- Audi S5
- Infiniti G37
- Hyundai Genesis
- Pontiac Solstice GXP
- Chrysler Sebring convertible
The S5 was the most pleasant surprise. The Genesis was the biggest disappointment.
Sedans
- Pontiac G8 GXP
- Ford Taurus SHO *
- Volkswagen CC Sport
- Porsche Panamera
- BMW 328i
- Hyundai Genesis 3.8
- Mazda6 GT
- Audi A4 2.0 quattro *
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- Lincoln MKZ *
- Nissan Maxima
- Infiniti M35
- Chevrolet Malibu
- Toyota Prius *
- Honda Insight EX *
- Ford Fusion Hybrid *
- Jaguar XF
- Mazda3 Sport
- Lexus HS 250h *
- Ford Fusion Sport *
- Lexus IS 250
- Infiniti G37X
- Nissan Sentra 2.0S
- Dodge Avenger R/T
What a pity that because of Pontiac’s demise, the G8 GXP is a one-year wonder.
That the new Malibu rates only 13th on this list says a lot about the overall quality of modern sedans, because I think it’s a terrific vehicle, one I really enjoyed driving and one I don’t hesitate to recommend.
On the other hand, I find my ratings of the three hybrids interesting in two ways – that I rated them so closely together (and so far down the list of sedans) and that I preferred the Prius and Insight to the highly acclaimed (at least by others in the automotive media) Fusion.
Family vehicles: SUVs/CUVs/minivans
- Porsche Cayenne GTS
- Mazdaspeed3 *
- Lincoln MKT *
- Volvo XC60 *
- Lexus RX 350 *
- Chevrolet Equinox *
- Cadillac SRX *
- Mini Cooper Clubman
- Kia Soul Sport *
- BMW X5 xDrive35d
- Nissan Cube EV
- Infiniti FX35
- Ford Transit Connect *
- Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
- Jeep Compass Sport
- Toyota Venza V6
- Infiniti EX35 Journey
- Mercedes-Benz GLK350 *
- Toyota FJ Cruiser
- Land Rover LR3
- Chevrolet Traverse LTZ
- Nissan Murano S
- Ford Fiesta *
- Volkswagen Routan SE
- Lexus LX 570
- Nissan Armada Platinum *
- Chrysler Town & Country Ltd.
- Nissan Pathfinder LE
- Dodge Caliber SXT
- Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ
- Infiniti QX56
- Kia Borrego EX
- Jeep Liberty Sport
- Dodge Nitro SRT *
- Chevrolet Aveo5
Some perspective: Overall, I had the Cayenne GTS third behind only the 350Z roadster and the new Camaro.
Like the Taurus SHO, the Lincoln MKT benefits from Ford’s new turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine, and it gains huge style points because it looks nothing like its fraternal twin, the Ford Flex.
I’m surprised I rated the Mini Clubman, which I really didn’t like, 8th among this grouping. That doesn’t bode well for those behind it in this category.
Pickup trucks
-
Ford F-150 Supercrew Lariat
-
Suzuki Equator Crew Cab Sport
-
Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab *
-
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab hybrid
As much as I like the Suzuki version of the Nissan Frontier, the F-150 was Rams’ head and Silverado shoulders ahead of the competition in this category.
In fact, I liked that F-150 Lariat so much I’d rate it among my top 10 for the entire year.
Thinking about my overall top 10 forces me to also consider my 10 worst. Although the Chevy Aveo5 was clearly the worst vehicle I drove all year, five of my 10 worst were products of Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep. I doubt that Chrysler-badged Fiats will not produce a dramatic improvement.