USA Today lists the 25 cars with the most 'impact'
A list of the cars and trucks that have made the biggest 'Impact' over the past 25 years has been compiled by USA Today's Money section, and the humble 1992 Toyota Camry was voted into the number one spot. Close behind was the 1991 Ford Explorer, followed by Toyota's hybrid-electric Prius in third place. Remember, these cars were picked because of the strong impressions they left on the industry at the time of their introduction, not necessarily because they were good. That's why you'll see automotive disasters like the 1986 Yugo and the 2001 Pontiac Aztek ranked on the list, and predictable high-achievers like Ferrari and Porsche not even getting a mention.
Each of the cars on the list, in some way, managed to rewrite the rules for its respective segment, such as the Camry lifting the bar for reliable and affordable family sedans, or the 2002 BMW 7-series shaking up the once staid luxury saloon segment with its dramatic styling and innovative iDrive system. We have to agree with most of the cars that were picked, but we're surprised the first-generation Audi TT didn't make it.
Read ahead for the full list of cars.
[Source: USA Today via Winding Road]
1. 1992 Toyota Camry
2. 1991 Ford Explorer
3. 2001 Toyota Prius
4. 1984 Chrysler minivans
5. 1986 Hyundai Excel
6. 1986 Ford Taurus
7. 1990 Lexus LS400
8. 1990 Mazda Miata
9. 1986 Acura Legend
10. 1996 Toyota RAV4
11. 1994 Ford Mustang
12. 1991 Saturn SL
13. 1997 Ford F-150
14. 2003 Hummer H2
15. 2002 Mini Cooper
16. 1998 Lincoln Navigator
17. 1986 Yugo (GV)
18. 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
19. 2001 Pontiac Aztek
20. 2003 Cadillac CTS
21. 1986 Suzuki Samurai
22. (1994) GM Impact
23. 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
24. 2005 Scion xB
25. 2002 BMW 7 Series
Tell us what you think deserves to be on this list below in the comments.
2. 1991 Ford Explorer
3. 2001 Toyota Prius
4. 1984 Chrysler minivans
5. 1986 Hyundai Excel
6. 1986 Ford Taurus
7. 1990 Lexus LS400
8. 1990 Mazda Miata
9. 1986 Acura Legend
10. 1996 Toyota RAV4
11. 1994 Ford Mustang
12. 1991 Saturn SL
13. 1997 Ford F-150
14. 2003 Hummer H2
15. 2002 Mini Cooper
16. 1998 Lincoln Navigator
17. 1986 Yugo (GV)
18. 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
19. 2001 Pontiac Aztek
20. 2003 Cadillac CTS
21. 1986 Suzuki Samurai
22. (1994) GM Impact
23. 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
24. 2005 Scion xB
25. 2002 BMW 7 Series
Tell us what you think deserves to be on this list below in the comments.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Stoneman 9:41AM (6/26/2007)
An interesting list. While I sit here feeling a bit sick, the list indeed does have some seriously bad vehicles.
Stoneman auto review dot com
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Andrew 9:57AM (6/26/2007)
impact can tell you what NOT to build, not just what's hot on the market... *cough* aztek!* cough =)
Greg D 9:58AM (6/26/2007)
Why so many vehicles from the year 1986? Anyone here know?
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epilonious 11:27AM (6/26/2007)
1986 was the year of the Taurus. It smacked middle market America as /The/ car. It just looked so streamlined and different compared to everything else (flat panels and boxy corners) and everything started copying it.
The rest of the stuff was just the first year for a lot of things that are commonplace and established now but were so radically different at the time: The Japanese luxury car (legend), the teeny cute ute (samurai), the minivan, the cheapey-cheaps (excel and yugo)...
What I find so interesting is that the 1992 Camry (the top of the list) was Toyota taking the Camry and giving it Taurus design cues. Before 1992 the Camry was competing with the Cavalier for boxiest midsize and suddenly when the Camry was bubblicious and everyone had to have one. I guess the main thing Toyota did was provide a taurus-esque vehicle right when everyone's original tauruses were starting to crap out and they didn't feel like getting another taurus.
Tyk 9:59AM (6/26/2007)
Looking at the names on that list, im not sure if its a good or bad thing to be on it.
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Steven T. 10:03AM (6/26/2007)
No Honda-brand cars? A rather glaring omission.
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Mayur 10:22AM (6/26/2007)
There is an Acura up there
geo.stewart 10:03AM (6/26/2007)
Why the 94 Mustang? Had sales stagnated on the mustang/camaro wars?
Why the 98 Navigator? (1st Luxo-SUV? If so, I'll buy that.
I think its interesting to note that Ford and GM lead, each with 20% of the vehicles on the list although GM has a misstep (the Aztek) as one of its. 1 honda (the acura), 4 toyotas,...
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Rodney M 10:32AM (6/26/2007)
94 was either the last year of the 5.0L or the first year of the 4.6L, I forget now which one.
PuffyC 10:38AM (6/26/2007)
1995 was the last year the Mustang had the 5.0. Not sure why they'd put the 94 Mustang on this list.
Brad Barnett 10:57AM (6/26/2007)
1994 was neither the last year of the 5.0 nor the first year of the 4.6. The 5.0 was last used in 1995 and the 4.6 was introduced in the 1996 Mustang GT.
The 1994 Mustang saw the pony return to the grille (it was used on the 1993 Cobra as well, although only 5100 '93 Cobras were built). The '94 model resurrected other styling queues from the original Mustang like the side scoops and three-element taillights.
Ford sold over 123,000 '94 Mustangs--about 9,000 more than in 1993. Only 45,992 Firebirds were built, while Chevy made 119,799 Camaros.
The 1994 Mustang was named Motor Trend's Car of the Year and served as Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500, but the 1994 Mustang may be best remembered as the car that saved Mustang.
The 1994 Mustang was slated to be a front-wheel drive model since FWD was gaining popularity in the industry and RWD was more expensive to produce. Some FWD Mustangs were actually produced, but John Coletti, who started Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT), put his foot down and demanded that Mustang remain RWD. (He was supported by tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of letters from upset Mustang enthusiasts.) The FWD car was rebadged as the Ford Probe and Coletti's team created what would become the 1994 Mustang.
The 1998 Navigator was Detroit's first luxury SUV.
Rodney M 11:59AM (6/26/2007)
Well, there you go.
1337 10:04AM (6/26/2007)
How did the Aztek make the list but not the Vehicross? I would expect the hideous SUV that is based on a minivan to make less of a splash than a hideous SUV with fangs that is based on an SUV that rolls over at will (see Consumer Reports test of the Isuzu Trooper, on which the Vehicross is based).
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geo.stewart 10:56AM (6/26/2007)
the Aztek was a colossal flop, not just a sales failure but derided for all aspects.
The Vehicross just didnt fit. IT would probably thrive now after the Cayenne and others have paved the way for a sporty SUV.
1337 11:08AM (6/26/2007)
I was kind of joking about the Vehicross. However, I do not think it would be much more successful now than it was in 1999. For one thing, two door SUVs are slow sellers, and most automakers have dropped 2 door SUV models from their lineups. Also, Isuzu attempted to make it look sporty, but it was no more successful than the Aztek at looking sporty. Even if the styling was excellent, it did not pack the punch of a Cayenne--or even a V6 RAV4.
Isuzu considered the Vehicross to be successful because it came close to meeting sales goals. However, these goals were incredibly low--they only intended to sell 5000 units. Isuzu might be able to sell 5000 more Vehicrosses over the next four years if the brought the design back, but it would not be a threat to the Cayenne, Jeep SRT8, or other sporty SUVs.
danms6 10:06AM (6/26/2007)
What a useless and utterly pointless list. People got paid to make this?
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Gary 10:57AM (6/26/2007)
No 84 Jeep Cherokee? The vehicle that started the whole SUV as "personal statement" thing? Just shows how uninsightful this list is.
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Scott 11:02AM (6/26/2007)
What about the 2002 Subaru WRX? Talk about reinventing the pocket rocket market...
bmoredlj 10:15AM (6/26/2007)
I'd put the 1990-93 Accord somewhere on the list...it got bigger and more serious just as the Kanmuri did. You can't have one without the competition of the other.
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Mark 5:49PM (6/26/2007)
Yes you can.