Aug 09
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TOP 10 Most-Improved Cars of the 2000s:
Most-improved awards are a mixed blessing: part insult, part praise. Such is the case with Cars.com editor’s top 10.
10. Saturn Vue: The Saturn Vue was in a relatively good position when it launched in 2002. Unfortunately, the Vue was underwhelming. The 2008 Vue redesign garnered a reaction more often attributed to the all-new Chevy Malibu: “This is a GM interior?!” The classed-up Vue is worlds better than the original.
9. Cadillac Escalade: 10 years ago Lincoln was dominating pop culture with a concept any reasonable auto exec would have thought ridiculous: a full-size luxury SUV. GM saw the popularity and promptly slapped some Cadillac badges and leather on a Chevrolet Tahoe and called it the 1999 Escalade. Not enough lipstick, too much pig. But Cadillac went all-out for the 2001 model, which leapfrogged the Navigator in terms of power and interior quality, and before long it was the Caddy that you saw in the hands of hip-hop artists, real and imagined. For posterity, drive a late-model Escalade or Escalade Hybrid before they’re extinct. You’ll be impressed.
8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class: The painfully plain 2000 C-Class counted among its engines a supercharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder that had all the refinement of a burr grinder. Its aesthetics were as appealing as a larger Mercedes, which is to say … yawn. Thankfully, a 2001 redesign updated the C’s exterior styling, though it still looked like an S-Class that had shrunk in the wash. For 2008, Mercedes got the message, and the C-Class leaves the decade with edgier styling, more interior space and even some sporty reflexes to lure buyers away from Audi and BMW.
7. Cadillac CTS: When the Cadillac CTS hit the market in 2003, American auto writers went overboard with praise. The car’s handling was the closest any domestic car had come to competing with European luxury sedans, which was promising, but the exterior styling looked like it had been yanked off the drawing board unfinished. The CTS makes the list because of the brilliant 2008-09 model, perhaps the most world-class vehicle ever to come out of Detroit. The styling, performance and interior quality are stunning and quintessentially American.
6. Kia Sportage: Kia resurrected the Sportage name in 2005 after a two-year hiatus, so perhaps this is a technicality. We’re citing the Sportage compact SUV because it represents a couple of important milestones: the move from truck-based to car-based SUVs, and Kia’s transformation from a punch line to a formidable market competitor. Though a decent-looking little SUV, the 2000-02 Sportage was based on a rear-wheel-drive truck platform with old-fashioned recirculating-ball steering, an unrefined drivetrain, a noisy interior and — at best — 19 mpg. The 2005-09 Sportage is a roomier, more refined car-based model that gets 22 mpg despite its added features and improved crashworthiness. The Sportage has come a long way.
5. Nissan Altima: A little-known fact: The Nissan Altima is the third-best-selling midsize sedan in the U.S., nipping at the Honda Accord’s and Toyota Camry’s heels. Its accomplishment since 2002 is how it’s provided sportier looks and driving than the big dogs have, without sacrificing livability.
4. Hyundai Sonata: The 1999-2005 Sonata wasn’t exactly exceptional. It was a step up from the previous generation, yes, but it had a lingering low-budget finish and was a step behind the class leaders in crash tests. The 2006 redesign was a sucker-punch to the competition — a bargain-priced entry loaded with standard features, including six airbags and stability control. It had sharp styling and competitive interior quality, both of which improved in 2009, along with power and efficiency.
3. Toyota Prius: The 2004-09 Toyota Prius is a marvel — not simply because it’s so efficient, affordable and reliable, nor because it has single handedly brought about global acceptance of new and scary technology. No, it’s a marvel because even when it yielded its position to the next-generation 2010 Prius, it still reigned as the most efficient and affordable hybrid on the market. The original Prius that was sold in the U.S. — from 2001 to 2003 — was a technological triumph for its time, but it was nothing like the phenomenon that soon took its place.
2. Ford Mustang: The Mustang’s redesign for 2005 made it a very good car — and, at the time, the only remaining model in the muscle-car class. It’s on this list, though, because its predecessor was beat. The 2004 model year was the car’s 25th year on a platform Ford had long since abandoned for other purposes. Those ‘Stangs shuddered out of dealerships as if bolts and welds were missing. The seating position and interior quality were equally unrefined. Come 2005, the new Mustang’s retro styling was the highlight of auto shows and the driver of many, many sales, but the new chassis is what really kept this model in the game.
1. Chevrolet Malibu: The Malibu has been a critical and sales success since its redesign for 2008, especially in terms of its interior quality and refinement. It’s not only competitive with leading midsize sedans, it surpasses a few in some respects, including mileage. Its spot atop our most-improved list, though, has more to do with its poor showing in its prior two generations. It was a rental-car staple through 2003, followed by an overly hyped redesign in 2004 whose peculiar styling, vague steering and interior quality didn’t deliver.
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