Top Twelve American Vehicles
If your next vehicle absolutely has to have American design, American heritage and American power (though not necessarily be built in America, that's another list), BusinessWeek has some suggestions for you. The business magazine scoured through every domestic car, SUV, truck, and van and picked the top 12 domestic winners in each segment..
Without further ado, the 12 best American vehicles are:
- Small Car: Ford Focus
- Sedan: Chevrolet Malibu
- Wagon: Ford Focus Wagon
- Minivan: Dodge Caravan
- Small Truck: Dodge Dakota
- Large Truck: Ford F-150
- Luxury Sedan: Chrysler 300
- Mid-Sized SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Luxury SUV: Jeep Commander
- Supercar/Exotic: Saleen S7
- Special: Ford Escape Hybrid
- Special: Dodge Viper SRT10 (pictured)
[Source: BusinessWeek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Lou 7:14PM (7/03/2006)
What? Viper over the Z06???
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Bow tie optional 7:21PM (7/03/2006)
glad to see some old tired designs make the cut, seriously there are better american cars out there then that list...
/what the hell constitutes luxury these days leather seats?
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Bert 7:23PM (7/03/2006)
Most uninspiring list ever!
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Baumann 7:24PM (7/03/2006)
Yeah, the Z06 is a freaking beast. Better 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. Also happens to be $20k cheaper. However, the Viper would almost certainly get more second glances (and wouldn't have the stigma of someone thinking "bethca money that's a 50 year old man in his midlife crisis" )
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Joshi 7:36PM (7/03/2006)
Ford Focus? Really?
(I know you're all going to be discussing the pros and cons of the Z06 and Viper, but I'm a small car fan.)
I'm not sure how such a dated car can compete with the Caliber, the Cobalt, etc. I'm sure a Ford fan would say that's a testiment to the quality of the Focus, but I think this is just a bad list. The Focus was a nice ride as the millenium dawned, but this is 2006. (Heck, Ford fans would probably say that the Mazda3 deserves the honors - and it does.)
And it one best wagon honors, too. What - do the PT Cruiser or HHR not count?
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Father Time 7:40PM (7/03/2006)
Total Bullsh*t, whoever made this list needs to place the crack pipe on the table and walk-a-way.
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Lithous 7:40PM (7/03/2006)
I'm f**king disappointed that the Saturn VUE with the Ecotec 2.2L engine (no traitorous Honda engines for me) didn't make this list.
In case you all are wondering why I'm so crotchety, since the demise of American-made underwear I've resorted to using home-grown tree bark. Sometimes, a little poison ivy grows on the bark, and you know...
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Nate 8:11PM (7/03/2006)
i wouldnt mind the focus making the list if we had the better euro one...
But seriously, is the Malibu the best the US has to offer? that thing is so fugly...
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Howard Kerr 8:17PM (7/03/2006)
This list looks like the categories were "invented" to fit the cars and trucks available....like most lists that B_W comes out with.
And BTW Joshi....isn't the PT Cruiser built in Mexico? That may be why it didn't win over the American built Focus. Tho why the HHR didn't win over the Focus wagon is a mystery....were is it built?
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Son of Dat 8:18PM (7/03/2006)
The 300 is the best luxury sedan - opps
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Shaun 8:20PM (7/03/2006)
You all disagreed with that list. Maybe I can make one for you...
small car. Pontiac Vibe or Dodge Caliber
sedan. Ford Fusion or Chevy Malibu
wagon. Malibu Maxx
minivan. Ford Freestyle if you disagree placing it in this class, insert an air hose in it and turn it loose. You will begin to see the truth.
small truck. Chevy Colorado...the Dakotas are ridiculous plus last gen had wheel probs.
Large Truck. the one Leno drives.
Luxury Sedan. Cadillac STS-V
Mid-size SUV. Jeep Grand Cherokee. I agree with this because I raced one in an olds 98 with a 3.8 V6 and got beat.
Large SUV. GMC Yukon Denali :-)
Supercar. Saleen S7 or Noble M15. The powerplant on the Noble is an American Taurus engine that does 0-60 in 3.5.
Special. A diesel truck with a nice little chip and extra intake.
Special2. A wrecked Honda "truck"
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iQuack 8:45PM (7/03/2006)
Cadillac should be in there somewhere.
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solomonrex 8:47PM (7/03/2006)
rtfa, man. The Ford Focus was chosen because of low tco. It IS a business magazine, after all!
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Chris 9:02PM (7/03/2006)
Lithous, the Honda engine has more American made components than the ECOTEC. True story.
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Stoneman 9:05PM (7/03/2006)
Here is my list.
1. Small Car: Dodge Caliber SRT-8
2. Sedan: Dodge Charger R/T
3. Wagon: Dodge Magnum SRT-8
4. Minivan: Dodge Caravan
5. Small Truck: Dodge Dakota
6. Large Truck: Ford F-150
7. Luxury Sedan: Cadillac CTS-V
8. Mid-Sized SUV: Ford Escape Hybrid
9. Luxury SUV: Cadillac Escalade
10. Supercar/Exotic: Saleen S281 Mustang
11. Special: Dodge Viper SRT10
12. Special: Chevrolet Corvette (Lingenfelter)
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Chris Meisenzahl 9:25PM (7/03/2006)
Not a bad list. You'll never please everyone. That's part of the fun of these things.
And as much as I despise GM. I don't see how the latest Corvettes can be left off the list. The car is amazing, easily competes with cars that cost 2x-3x.
Chris
http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/
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UltraP 9:54PM (7/03/2006)
Here's a real world list:
1. Forget American, think HONDA
2. Forget American, think HONDA
3. Forget American, think Subaru Legacy
4. Forget American, think HONDA
5. Forget American, think HONDA
6. Forget American, think TOYOTA
7. Forget American, think LEXUS
8. Forget American, think TOYOTA
9. Forget American, think TOYOTA
10. Forget American, think BUGGATTI VEYRON
11. Forget American, think TOYOTA Prius
12. Did I mention Forget American?
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Jordan 10:12PM (7/03/2006)
No, I think this list was compiled by monkeys on heroin! The real list should be:
1)Small car: Pontiac Vibe or Chevy Cobalt
2)Sedan: Dodge Charger or Buick Lucerne
3)Wagon: Dodge Magnum
4)Minivan: Dodge Carivan
5)Small Truck: Ford Ranger or Chevy Colorado
6)Large Truck: Ford F-Series
7)Luxury Sedan: Tied: Cadillac STS and Cadillac CTS (includes v series on both)
8)MidSized SUV: Hummer H3 or GMC Envoy
9)Luxury SUV: Cadillac Escalade (Jeep Commander is no Luxury SUV)
10)Supercar/Exotic: Saleen S7
11)Special: Ford Escape Hybrid
12) Special: Corvette Z06 or Cadillac XLR-v
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Jim Brown 10:25PM (7/03/2006)
I agree with AltraP, forget american. I'm kind of a small car fan myself. A conservative that thinks we should both drill in the Gulf and drive small cars and take the bus. I think the best small car wagon should be a Scion Xb. As for the regual small car, there are a number that would be better, based on mileage and reliability, then the Focus. As far as the medium size goes, I got to admit, the Malibu is one of the most comfortable mid-sized cars I've sat in. If I had to pick an american mid, it's probably be the malibu.
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Brian 10:56PM (7/03/2006)
Anyone that thinks that the Corvette Z06 doesn't belong on that list has been living in a cave.
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