Motor Trend’s eligible participants list for its Car of the Year competition is long and welcoming. Gaining entry requires little but being: all-new or very seriously overhauled, on sale by the first day of next year in America, and
Don’t even attempt to find hidden meaning here. The Good Car Guy loves the Nissan GT-R, wants ten of them, and wants to drive them all hard. However, we knew the GT-R would be great and we knew that, for the price Nissan charges, it had better be great. Oh I know that the GT-R battles with cars significantly more expensive than we can imagine, but one can’t argue with the fact that the average sale price of a new car in America is somewhere close to 2.5 times less than the GT-R’s MSRP. Not only that; tens of millions of Americans won’t be able to afford the purchase price of any new car this year. Moreover, Motor Trend gave its COTY title to the GT-R, the best car in the field and likely the most dominant of any of the seventeen competitors in their respective classes but also the most expensive car in the fleet. Surprise surprise, the GT-R is a great car. Thanks for letting out the secret Motor Trend.
So of course GoodCarBadCar.net won’t put forth an argument suggesting that the GT-R shouldn’t win COTY. Of course it should….. based on the criteria Motor Trend puts forth. It’s the criteria that The Good Car Guy argues against. Take note of GoodCarBadCar’s own The Good 12 where emphasis is placed on a fleet of vehicles that should be bought and enjoyed, a fleet of vehicles that are either remarkably affordable or within the reach of real people.
Contrary to the view John McCain held at the Saddleback Church forum, The Good Car Guy believes real people can’t afford cars priced at $76,840 and even if they could, those people already know their cars rock and roll. They don’t need Motor Trend to tell them that the Nissan GT-R is a more significant vehicle this year than the Hyundai Genesis, Dodge Challenger R/T, or Pontiac G8.
Other cars beaten by the GT-R included Acura’s TL and TSX, the Audi A4, BMW 135i, Honda Fit, Jaguar XF, Lincoln MKS, Mazda 6, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac Vibe, Volkswagen Passat CC, and Toyota’s duo of Corolla and Matrix.
Of the finalists, Motor Trend said the Acura TL had “an interesting personality on winding roads”. Acura’s TSX was summed up with “Polarizing design; tight rear-seat room; engine isn’t big enough for everybody. For some, it maybe perfect.” The bottom line for the Audi A4 was rather harsh for a finalist: “Still lacks the character of a 3 Series, the guts of a G37, and the value of a TL.” MT said that the BMW 135i was “A legit player in the ultimate driving machine roster”. The Honda Fit, said Motor Trend “Drives way better and packs far more than its minicar profile would suggest”.
The first genuine luxury car we see from Korea, Hyundai’s Genesis “is at least as impressive today as the original Lexus LS 400 was when it was introduced”. The lone British contestant in the final, the XF from Jaguar, was unsurprisingly summarized, “Oozes charm and character in a fresh-for-Jaguar package”. Again unsurprisingly, the Mazda 6 was seen as “A roomier four door midsizer that’s more expressive than most”. Finally the Volkswagen Passat CC was unfortunately compared with loftier vehicles: “Looks like a cut-rate Mercedes CLS, drives like a bargain Audi A4”.
