Slideshow
Top Ten Forward-Thinking Vehicles of the Decade
Dec 13, 2009
- 2002 BMW 7 Series
- Why does the 2002 BMW 7 Series deserve a spot on our list? After all, hasn't the 7 been on the market for ages? Why, yes it has - but its redesign for the 2002 model year set a styling precedent that still resonates throughout the market today.
Like it or loathe it, Chris Bangle's styling set the tone for countless other vehicles - including some from rivals like Mercedes-Benz (S-Class) and Jaguar (XF), but also more mainstream vehicles from companies like Ford (2010 Taurus). Suddenly every enthusiast knew exactly what you were talking about when you said Flame Surfacing or Bangle Butt.
Plus, the first application of iDrive is the precursor to all of these other all-in-one GUI controllers, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Acura and Acura (again, like them or loath them). As such, the 2002 7 Series couldn't be kept of the list.
- 2008 Honda FCX Clarity
- Honda has always been an automaker content to go its own way in the face of conventional wisdom. Are electric cars the answer to our oil consumption problem? Diesel? Biofuels? Not if you ask Honda, which is still putting a heaping helping of its eggs in the hydrogen basket.
Though Honda actually beat the original Toyota Prius to market here in the States with its original two-seatInsight hybrid, Toyota is the clear hybrid leader the world over. Honda, though, clearly holds the lead in the hydrogen race. The FCX Clarity is the clearest embodiment of this.
Nearly every major automaker in the world is working on hydrogen fuel cells, but only one has actually put vehicles into the hands of paying consumers: Honda. Plus, the FCX Clarity is a clean-sheet design that isn't based on any other vehicle's platform. Finally, it works just like you expect a real car to work. And that's a triumph of engineering too great be dismissed.
- 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
- Have you noticed the preponderance of dramatically sloping greenhouses on today's dealership lots? Like, for instance, the Volkswagen CC, the Jaguar XF, the Mazda6 and the upcoming 2011 Hyundai Sonata? Assuming you appreciate that styling trend, you can send a thank-you note to Mercedes-Benz, which popularized this kind of shape with the CLS.
You could even make an argument that Porsche and Aston Martin borrowed a page from the CLS for their Panamera and Rapide, respectively. And, if you do make that leap, you could also draw a parallel between the sloped-roof CLS and the new segment of crossovers that adopt a similar design - the BMW X6 and Acura ZDX being the most notable of that group.
In other words, the CLS started this whole less-practical but more personally indulgent design language... for better or for worse.
- 2004 Porsche Cayenne
- Ah yes, that brings us to the Porsche Cayenne. Few vehicles in recent memory have been as controversial as this one, save for perhaps the German automaker's own Panamera. But these days there's simply no argument against profits and their ability to float a small automaker like Porsche through turbulent times... and that's exactly what the Cayenne accomplished. So, do you like seeing cars like the 911, Boxster and Cayman - and yes, even the Panamera - on the market? Well, then, thank you Cayenne.
The Porsche Cayenne is based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Touareg, and both vehicles were designed to be completely off-road capable. To drive that point home, Porsche won the epic Transsyberia rally with specially-prepared - but still completely street legal - Cayennes and commemorated the victory with a small batch of production versions.
So the Cayenne makes this list both for the foresight of Porsche to put this vehicle on the market in the first place and for the actual vehicle's insane performance capabilities, both on the road and off. Its abilities are truly impressive to say the least. The Cayenne was also Porsche's first V8-powered vehicle (with up to 550 horsepower in the latest Turbo S) since the 928 left the market in 1995. Controversial? Absolutely. Successful? Beyond even Porsche's lofty expectations.
- 2008 Tesla Roadster
- In time, we'll all be driving cars powered by electricity. Well, maybe. The debate still rages on whether electric motors will become the predominant propulsion technology in the next 50 years or if biofuels, hydrogen or some other alternative will take over from the classic petroleum-powered internal combustion engine. Anybody up for steam?
Regardless, one thing is for certain: We can thank Tesla Motors and its exciting Roadster for bringing electric vehicles into the minds and households of American families. What's more, Bob Lutz has publicly pointed a finger at the Roadster as one big reason the Chevrolet Volt is soon to come into existence.
Granted, one $100,000-plus sportscar does not a new segment make. Still, there's no doubting that the world will one day look back at the Tesla Roadster for reviving the electric car and kicking EV development - and, of course, lithium ion battery packs - into a seriously high gear.
- 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton
- Very few cars on this list were a unanimous choice, but none were more divisive than the Volkswagen Phaeton. After all, this car was by all accounts a marketplace failure here in the United States (it has fared modestly better in Europe, especially in VW's home market of Germany). But we're considering the impact the Phaeton had on the marketplace, not necessarily the actual car - though it was indeed a very, very good car.
Volkswagen ? and particularly its leader, Ferdinand Pich - took a big gamble by green-lighting the Phaeton for production. The car showed mainstream automakers that they could "reach for the stars," so to speak, by going up against the established luxury players without creating a new brand. The effect the Phaeton had on the Hyundai Genesis sedan is debatable, but do note the fact that the Korean automaker chose to keep the car a Hyundai, just as Volkswagen did with the Phaeton.
Not only that, but Volkswagen took the kitchen-sink approach when it outfitted the Phaeton with every single gadget known to man. That included what's perhaps the most advanced HVAC system in the world, which included a dedicated dehumidifier so that there's no chance of foggy windows. Don't forget the 6.0-liter W12 engine with 444 horsepower and 5.0-liter turbocharged diesel V10 with 308 horsepower and a mind-boggling 553 lb-ft of torque. Or its incredible 'glass house' factory.
What we had in the VW Phaeton was a great car that was arguably too far ahead of its time - one that failed mainly because of the badge on its grille - a problem rectified in Hyundai's case by simply leaving its stylized H emblem off the Genesis' face. Thanks for the lesson, Volkswagen.