Happy New Year, everyone! As promised, I'm kicking off 2008 with my list of the Best New Cars of 2008 -- the cars that I think represent the cream of the new-and-redesigned-for-2008 crop.
I decided to do things a little differently this year. Last year's list had ten winners and two runners-up. This year, the list has no set number of places. So far, eight cars have really stood out as being head-and-shoulders above the crowd. That said, there are still a few new-for-2008 cars that haven't been released yet. I'll drive them as they become available; if they're good enough they'll make it to the list. If not, they won't -- and the list will stay at eight cars.
Okay, enough of my babbling -- go check out this year's winners! -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
You pick the Smart Fortwo, but no Cadillac CTS?? Motor Trend picked the CTS as their car of the year but it’s not even on your list of top 8?
I liked your list of “NOT the best cars of 2008″. I wasn’t surprised to see the Ford Taurus on there. My recent test drive of the Taurus (at the biggest ford dealer in Ohio) makes me understand why Ford just can’t seem to win. I asked to drive a model with GPS-NAV and their new Ford Sync (bluetooth and voice recognition prgm). They didn’t have a single model with NAV (sales guy said ‘why would you want to pay $2500 for NAV when you can get a Garmin at BestBuy for $300′ PLUS their Sync program ISN’T EVEN AVAILABLE AS AN OPTION. In order to get the sync program you have to BUY A CHEAPER FORD….THE FOCUS. Leave it to Ford to do things completely backwards.
Rob — The CTS still could earn a place on the list — I haven’t had enough seat time in one to decide one way or the other. GM’s normally very good about getting me into their newest cars; we just keep running into scheduling conflicts with the CTS. My first impression of the car was that it wasn’t Best Of material, but I’m holding off on my decision until I can drive it some more.
Sorry Aaron, but I’m totally with Rob on this one. On paper(statistically), having sat in one at the auto show and everything that’s been written, (including MTCOTY) should probably make it an automatic entry. And I’ll stick with my comments elsewhere on your site w.r.t. the Smart, which is definitely not ready for prime time yet, much less the top eight here…in my humble opinion.
Sorry but I have to agree that the Smart Fortwo really shouldn’t be on the list. A microcar that doesn’t belong on the best car list.
It is tiny and slow and for that you get worse mileage than many hybrids that are larger and offer better performance.
I agree, not only on the smart 4 two, but the ScionXB is also an odd choice. I can’t imagine either of these two cars supplanting the VW GTI. Simply unthinkable…that they can be even compared to such a brilliant road handling car with super punch and well under 25k!
Well all This is AARONs list. Like all critics. most of their choices are not exactly in agreement with general public. Sometimes it is all about how much BENEFITS they get for placing a certain product somewhere. In this case I think Aaron was trying to include *at least* one car from each price range. And a good critic will do just that.
I agree the CTS shouls have been named, but I couldnt afford one of them in 15 years. And most people I know couldnt either. However I could maybe swing a Nissan, or a Scion BOX. Im not sure how the SMART (dumb) car is priced but that might be an option also.
I think Aaron did OK
Well, bear in mind that Best of 2008 isn’t just about the fastest or the best-handling… despite the Audi R8 leading off the list. (This is the second year in a row I wish Audi didn’t begin with an “A”!) The xB, for example, is a heck of a great family car — and that’s the main reason I chose it. It gets irksome seeing all these super-cool cars that ignore the fact that some of us have four kids and a dog to haul around…
Er, not that the Fortwo can haul kids and dogs. But for all it’s foibles, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to tool around town in.
All seriousness aside Aaron, I think our definition of fun may be a bit different.Here’s some of my driving catagories and their equivalents…
FUN:Miata,Mini,GTI,Lotus Elise
EXCITING:Corvette,Porche,Infinity Q37,AudiA8
STATEMENT:Smart,Prius,Bentley(says I’m rich)
MILLENIUM GENERATION:Scion Xb,Honda Element
FAMILY:Mazda CX9, Honda Odyssey Touring
ALL AROUND UTILITY PICK UP: Honda Ridgeline
But that’s just my opinion.
a smart fortwo.
bull ****
how did u leave out the a5, and the 2000cr, but u put a fortwo, and the ugly new xb
bull ****
Aaron- Chevy Malibu as #2? You said it yourself, its build quality is unknown. How it can snag a #2 spot is beyond me. Has Chevy purchased some much needed advertising on about.com?
Hey Bob — Don’t blame me, blame the guy (or gal) who designed the alphabet. The cars are listed in alphabetical order.
tacking on to Hawaiian Don’s list of driving categories..
ECONOMY: Honda Civic, VW TDi
LUXURY (non-outlandish): BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Acura (all models), Cadillac CTS
just my $0.02
I saw a Smart ForTwo on the highway (it looked totally out of place), and you know what concerns me? Lets say I’m in my large SUV hauling around my family of 4 + 2 dogs and I rear-end someone driving a Golfcart (Smart ForTwo), because let’s face it, accidents do happen. If the accident is one that ordinarilly would result in a bent in bumper and broken taillights for two normal cars, it could easily be worse if the people in front of me are drivning a Smart ForTwo. What if there are serious injuries (or even a death) simply because THEY CHOSE to save a few bucks on gas by buying an overpriced golfcart? Should I be charged with manslaughter?? Obviously I would be neglectful if I hit him, but is the driver also neglectful for buying a golfcart?? While I’ve only been in one minor fender bender in my life, that scenario scares me.
Rob, the Smart has to pass the same safety tests as a large vehicle. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that big trucks had less stringent safety requirement – weaker bumpers, etc. Note also that small cars regularly make the top picks list from the crash testers and big vehicles don’t… in fact, IIRC, a Toyota truck made it as a top pick this year, the first time a pickup ever has.
Note also that a smaller, nimbler car is going to have a better chance of avoiding an accident than a large, heavy, cumbersome one.
If you’re nervous any time you drive near larger, heavier vehicles, I’d highly recommend avoiding expressways (tractor-trailers) and railroad crossings.
Very true J Kyle…but then there is that law of physics that basically says that when a big, heavy SUV smacks a puny For Two it will barely have any effect on the SUV, while the Smart will go bouncing off it like a golf ball off a driver. That roll cage/crumple zone is of little comfort when you’re in a car spinning out of control on the freeway, praying that some other monolith doen’t smack you again. I think about that every time I get into my Mini.
I love the Smart Car. It is perfect for cities. It is a great candidate for services that rent cars by the hour, which is big business in large cities. It is not for everyone. It has its place. We should be open to finding it.
It is so easy to throw stones. See – - It is no secret we do not share the practicality, efficiency and affability of small cars seen in we are not Europe, Austrailia or Africa. However, they’ll all pay for the waste caused by SUVs bought in the United States.
Our lives are different in the United States because they can be different. With entitlement comes responsibility. There is a lot more to why this car is smart. I imagine it could be that auto-manufactuers have to meet the tougher and tougher fuel efficiency standards in their lines of cars and have to make up for the millions of you purchasing SUVs some way… maybe?
I guess it is little solace to those of you who drive SUV’s and feel put out that you may be brought up on charges for vehicular manslaughter. So…if your worried about hitting one in your SUV….Slow down! And, make sure your insurance premiums are current.
Kyle, I agree with your sentiments about the need for smaller cars, espescially after living in congested cities like Paris, Vienna and Kyiv. The only problem I have is with the For Two’s execution. This vehicle, to me, is not really ready for prime time. The new Fiat 500,Mini Cooper, Fit,Versa,etc seem to be far more sophisticated and certainly more confidence inspiring. This car strikes me as an exercise in “how small can we make a car and still pass govt. regulations”. I believe it needs some serious work.
H don – agreed. I must confess because of my need to drive on the highway during holidays I opted for a car slightly larger than the mini but still very fuel efficient. My Mercedes gets 33-35 highway and I feel very safe. I hope we can expect more high-end small cars. I can’t wait to see BMW’s after Mercedes has gone the way of the four winds. Still its got 2 extra cylinders more than it needs.
Back to the Smart Car – I expect to see plenty of them at the hourly car rental lots scattered throughout the city but none on the freeway. Fine with me. Encouragement to change the way we view the when and how as to our use of transportation will bring about change.
I can’t disagree about the Smart being a significant car. It’s one of the first such cars to hit the U.S. in modern times, and I’m sure that more will follow. There is certainly a niche and market for them here.
Likewise, there is also a market for the large SUV’s. Some families in certain parts of the country need such vehicles, and shouldn’t be denied one simply because certain others feel that ALL vehicles should be the size of a Toyota Corolla so they don’t get squashed by the big, bad SUV’s. Odd that nobody seems worried about getting squashed by an 18-wheeler; only SUV’s. My suggestion is that we all drive Semi tractors so we don’t get squashed by a Heavy Truck in an accident. The size disparity between cars has been argued for the last 30 years. Back then is was full size sedans vs. compacts. Today it’s SUV’s vs. compacts.
It doesn’t matter what size vehicle you drive. If you want to be truly safe in your car, don’t leave the driveway.
Though the xB is undoubtedly a good family hauler, I have to wonder how it will do in the market niche it all but invented. The new xB just isn’t as odd as the old one was. That strangeness was what appealed to people who wanted non-conformity. The new xB is just too much like a mini, mini-van. Good idea, but I wonder if success can be had when the original buyer has been all but abandoned.
Its, true to say that they are the best cars…But now, more new models has come..