Well folks, it’s that time of year again, the close of one year and the dawn of a new one. Time to take down the Christmas decorations, pledge the same old New Year’s resolutions that will last all of two weeks, and become hermits for the next two months as the cold weather sets in and our bank accounts slowly build themselves back up. New Years is also a time to reflect on our experiences from the past 365 days — experiences that I hope were by and large positive for our readers.
Although 2016 is a year we can lament over in many ways on a global scale, at least for me, it ended up being a quite exciting and rewarding year on a personal and professional level. First and foremost, I’m thankful for all the people who’ve come into my life this past year, whether they be acquaintances, friends, or more. I’m truly grateful of the new friendships and relationships I’ve made and strengthened, and I’m looking forward to see where some in particular go.
I also started a new job as a sales advisor for MINI, and I’m quite happy with this career move. I bought my very first new car, thereby obtaining my lifelong dream of owning a BMW (which all-around is obviously my most favorite car I’ve driven this year, but I’m ruling that out as it’s my own and my daily driver). On another note, I’m proud to say that I’ve mastered the art of driving stick shift, and it’s just second nature now. Who knows, could my next car be a manual?
All in all, 2016 was a year of forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone and take a few risks I normally would’ve shied away from. In the end, I’m happy to say I have no regrets, and I can only wait for what 2017 brings. But enough about me and my life story. The reason I’m writing this post is because 2016 was a year in which I had the fortune of driving more cars than I ever have in any other year of my life.
Between the many new MINI and BMW models, friends’ cars, and numerous trade-ins, I’ve been blessed with a full-spectrum of driving experiences, ranging from a dreadful bucket of bolts ’05 Ford Focus to a thrilling four-hour round trip drive on a beautiful spring day in my co-worker’s Yas Marina Blue M4 convertible. The latter of which was probably the most exciting, and while it was definitely an awesome warm weather cruiser, the M4 convertible is not a car I could live with on a daily basis.
Among some other interesting, first-time drives included a Toyota FJ Cruiser, a 240,000-mile Jetta, Nissan Juke, BMW M5, Subaru WRX, Volvo XC70, Audi A3 (seen below), and a RAM 1500. But at the end of the day, or year I should say, which car did I enjoy most?
Well, for me it’s actually quite an easy question. Seeing one of the guys from detail make a U-turn with one in the parking lot this very morning as I’m writing this reminded me of the 2008 BMW 328xi Touring that my clients traded in and I got to drive this past August. Despite being a 100,000-mile vehicle, it was meticulously cared for by its original owners, and boasted superior comfort and driving dynamics than any X1 or X3.
There was just something so perfect on an well-rounded basis about this baby Bavarian wagon, and I truly would’ve loved to have purchased it as a second car, if only I hadn’t just taken on new car payments. One other minor caveat: I wish it could’ve been a manual.
I know the number of different vehicles driven in 2016 will vary for all of our readers, but I truly hope each and every one of you had the chance to drive at least one vehicle you’ve never driven before this past year. Which one brought you the most joy?
Never would have guessed, but the all-around nicest car I got to drive last year was a BMW 5-series wagon, if I am correct a 535 bi-turbo with a M package. Automatic, but I like automatics, so no problem there fro me.
Extreme fast, comfortable, and non car lovers don’t see anything special, just another bmw. I loved that, but can’t affort it for myself. Booh.
Your question is a tough one to answer. What I’ve driven this year has had covered a rather large spectrum…
There was the 1969 Mercury Monterey powered by a 429 on New Year’s Day;
The 2014 Corvette Stingray convertible;
The 1958 Chevrolet Impala with a tri-power 348;
Two different F-150s with the 2.7 liter Ecoboost, a surprisingly potent little mill;
A surprisingly pleasant ’09 or ’10 Ford Focus;
And a whole host of others. It’s hard to pin it down to just one. Maybe I’ll say these were some of the more memorable.
For my perspective 2016 was an awesome year and I’m confident 2017 will be even better. My primary automotive goal for 2017 is to ride in the 1932 Auburn coupe I saw yesterday. The body is off the frame and the restoration has had the difficult things addressed.
“A surprisingly pleasant ’09 or ’10 Ford Focus”
+1 on that.
Funny enough my most continuous seat time for 2016 was in an 09 Focus, driving 2000 miles from Chicago to Denver and back. Always liked this generation for being basic tossable cars around town, but it really surprised me how comfy, quiet and stable it was at(and occasionally quite above) highway speeds for that kind of duration, I’ve made sumilarly long trips in luxury cars that were more fatiguing, and this particular Focus didn’t even have cruise!
I haven’t been able to drive it much due to it’s failing (well, now just failed) clutch but my soon-to-be first car ’97 Nissan Hardbody. As a kid I always used to wonder why my dad had a Japanese-only policy on most of our vehicles but after driving this little truck for the first time I got it. Everything fits perfectly, everything is high-quality, and it drives perfectly (even when it had a failing clutch). It feels miles ahead of my grandfather’s GMC Sonoma, a truck built 5 years later! Just everything about the truck is so satisfying. The clutch has a short throw but a wide bite point so you can’t mess up shifts without really trying, the steering is light but quick, the suspension is bouncy but not harsh, and the engine, while no powerhouse, scoots the truck along just fine with a pleasant exhaust note to go with it. I completely understand how the Japanese took over our car industry with this kind of engineering. Though the Sonoma is quicker than the Hardbody it feels slow and lumbering, it plows in the corners and wanders on the road. The Hardbody corners quickly without much drama and stays relatively straight on the road, but more than that it just feels lively. If the Sonoma is a bull then the Hardbody is a billy goat, it’s just a happy-go-lucky little truck. I love my Nissan and I can’t wait until the clutch is replaced so I can keep driving it.
My Acura. Once you taste perfection…
I joke. About the perfection, anyway; it was still the best I’ve driven this year.
Admittedly I haven’t driven many cars this year, I can only truly narrow down 3, maybe 4, 2 were work vehicles. Hmm… is it a good enough new years resolution to drive more cars?
A friend’s Hellcat Challenger
A police package Chevy Caprice at 130+ mph
A RHD 1990 Nissan Skyline, just because I never have before
But its always my own cars that bring me the most joy, just because they are mine and I worked hard for them
Triumph TR6 – loved the lusty straight six engine. Had a nice set of Minilite style rims too. Would have bought it except it was an odd purple colour.
should have brought it home. that ‘odd purple color’ is quite cool.
seriously, i would enjoy it, but i understand that my appreciation for a given color does not mean that everyone should enjoy it.
The most enjoyable car for me this year was my brother’s new Camaro SS. It is a 1SS car with all the good performance options. Along with the 455 hp 6.2L, it has a 6 speed manual, factory big Brembo brake kit, dual mode exhaust, magnetorheological suspension. The magazines don’t lie, this car is a beast. The driving dymanics on these new Gen6 Camaros are amazing and this car is an absolute stunner to drive. Yeah the visibility isn’t great, but it has tons of leg room, unbelievable ride for it’s handling capability, and a super stiff chassis. I know these cars get a lot of flack for CCer’s. but they are really an amazing performance machine.
Of course though, like LT Dan, my own CC is probably my most enjoyable ride ever, especially as a continue to make minor improvements each year as time and money allow.
Here’s my brother’s car:
These really are excellent cars, no denying or glossing over their performance and substance, but I’m sorry but the design is dealbreaker abysmal. 5G design carried completely over but with even fussier details and less visibility. One of my personal peeves I have is showcased in the pic you posted – is that not the worst looking hood cut line of any car ever? it’s egg shaped!
Considering sales plummet of the 6G in it’s debut year it’s not just CCers who are turned off by these things.
Well I agree the hood cut line isn’t the best, but probably not the worst. That said, the visibility wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I am pretty tall so I sit tall in the car (as is my brother). The sight lines front, and side are fine, actually pretty comparable to the Taurus’ in out work fleet. Even the rear vision is tolerable. It’s just the blind spots I found bad, as the rear side window’s are virtually useless. I could see a short or maybe even average height person would be hard to see out of, but I had no issues.
I personally think the exterior styling is an improvement over the 5G, especially the fastback like roofline. I don’t know what fussy details it has over the 5G, it seems to me 6G is overall cleaner. One area that was vastly improved was the interior quality. My brother has been looking at Mustangs and Camaros for some time, and the 5G Camaro interior was so bad that he refused to consider one. Once the 6G came out it was such an awesome car to drive, it was his hands down winner. You really have to drive one to see how awesome these cars are.
I know the sales are down, but my comment was made as it seems these modern Camaros get zero love here. While the 5G car eventually got decent dynamics by the end of it’s generation, these 6G cars are awesome out of the box. And they are smaller and lighter. I agree the worst part the is the over the top styling, but you don’t see that when you are driving.
Like I said, they have a lot of substance, I test drove a SS back in October on a whim, and found it nicer to drive than the Mustang and definitely agree the interior has improved much over the 5G. But it’s a 2 door car and the whole point of that bodystyle is looks, and I just don’t like them. The fussy details would be the numourous ducts, creases, bizarre busy grille design, clunky rear spoiler, and even weird emblem placement – the SS badge on the rear couldn’t be more random(if I actually bought the thing I’d throw away the rear bowtie and put the SS in it’s place). I wasn’t a fan at all of the 5th gen but the styling to me was much less cluttered and easier on the eyes, maybe because it was more pure to the original concept. With much of the core retro 69 on steroids look transferred over, turning it into fastback just doesn’t compute in my mind. I definitely found visibility worse than the RS I drove a few years ago, which set a benchmark for poorness. I’m 5’9″ with shoes on, and you’re right, it was very hard to see out of, and if I can’t see who I’m beating what’s the point?
While obviously you don’t like the 6th Gen styling, I still don’t think that the details you mention are problems? Other than the hood vents, which are functional, there are no other vents on the new car. The front bumper grille design isn’t much different from the previous design either. I don’t really see any additional lines or creases, and at least the finally got rid of those gills on the quarter panels. I didn’t like the early 5th Gen cars (and still don’t), but later ones look better. The 6th Gen cars look to me like a more refined 5th Gen car. It’s my opinion, despite the small windows, it’s an improvement overall compared to the 5th gen cars. Obviously you don’t think so and that’s fine. I think the mistake was that the 6th gen car didn’t change enough.
All that said, I don’t think that the current Mustang styling is much if at all better. These car’s designs have all become a little too over the top, but I personally can live with that because unlike the previous generations, these new cars have evolved from “Pony cars” to true performance machines. And for me, this easily out weights their styling faux pas.
I attached a 2015 vs 2016 Camaro below.
My 12 year old Toyota Sequoia. In many ways it feels like a throwback to an earlier era – the steering is slow, the windshield is upright and close, the ride is bouncy, the engine intake noise dominates under wide-open throttle (which, when towing a trailer, is often). But, belying the 132,000 miles it’s travelled, it feels so solid and tight it’s hard to believe it’s as old as it is. I’m forever torn between selling it for something bigger, newer, softer, more powerful…or fixing the skin cancer and driving it forever. Today, it’s forever.
Besides my own cars I’ve only driven two others. A current gen Toyota Yaris Hybrid 5-door hatchback and a first gen Mercedes-Benz M-Class (that’s the W163) 270 CDI automatic with 600,000+ km on the clock, owned by a second cousin of mine. The engine is a 2.7 liter inline-5 turbodiesel with common rail injection.
Considered as one of Mercedes’ more “notorious” car/SUV models, yet it still ran and rolled down the road like only a Benz turbodiesel can run and roll down the road.
The most enjoyable car I drove this year was probably the 3-cylinder VW Polo 1.0l that I rented in Iceland at the beginning of the year and finally wrote up here this fall.
It clearly wasn’t the most powerful or biggest (quite the opposite) but it did several things that are intangible but so rewarding:
1. It let me experience a small, light car again that was no bigger or more powerful or more spacious than we needed for what we were using it for.
2. It gave me the joy of driving a slow car fast which really IS a thing. Wringing a car out to have it deliver everything it has both in power as well as handling is a great experience, especially when you don’t have to rely on that car to do everything else a car may need to do in the course of a year.
3. Being far from home while enjoying it, it gave me the freedom of just enjoying the little car for what it was, without any thought whatsoever as to imaginary status or what it may say about me or my ambitions, needs, or abilities. Not that I am particularly concerned about any of that but it was great to have it completely removed as even a subconscious factor.
Other than my Vic and Caddy, and various Ryder work trucks, I didn’t drive much else this year. I found a new 300 to be techno overkill…and a new Corolla to be bland and boring, with all the appeal of cold oatmeal.
Every time I took my Malibu for a drive this year I had a silly smile on my face! It’s just such a simple, unassuming car from a different time. I’ve been making it my own – replaced the sick little V6 with a not-much-better 350, put the dash in from a Grand Prix since the original was all cracked and painted with blue Tremclad.
It’s coming. Next up is a healthier engine, a set of body mounts, and front springs.
Love your Malibu! The ’79 really looks great in silver. I’m also jealous that you can actually drive yours…hopefully one day mine will see the road again.
I do hope you do get it back on the road. You’d get a pile of enjoyment out of it. It looks like its long lost twin. I’ve had more comments on it than anything else I have had. They were so common years ago, but you never see one anymore, no one thought really to save 4-doors. People had them or their parents had one growing up.
One of these days I’ll have to do a write up on all the cars I have owned.
I am sure the flames shall come, but at the moment, I am looking around to replace the Rio, the lease on which will be up in 2017. This time, I want a larger car, with more features. So far, I have driven the Camry LE, Accord LX and Mazda 6.
The Accord drives the best, but I hate the CVT, and it is $3500 more than the Camry. The Mazda has poor visibility and is $4000 more.
The Camry is a good, honest car. It isn’t trying to be anything but a comfortable, reliable car for the average aged new car buyer, a demographic I fit perfectly. It is smooth, comfortable, has excellent visibility and goes about its business unobtrusively. It has adequate power and a good transmission. For $300 a month all in, it is a great deal, and I will probably take one. I can see why Toyota sells so many.
Now let the flames begin!
Can’t blame you on that choice, if it does what you need, it’s perfect. Note that there will be a new Camry released at the Detroit Auto Show next week, so it may be even better or it may represent another bargaining point for you for the current model.
Pick a color that’s outside the norm, so you at least have some individuality unless you have to have white or something for whatever personal reason….
I am well aware that 2017 is the last year, which is a big motivator for me. I love buying cars at the end of a long run as they tend to be well put together and reliable. The Camry is one of the most reliable cars built, and it is actually rated to among the highest.
Considered a Charger?
Having worked for Chrysler, and seen how their cars are built and designed, I would never buy one.
I have to ask, what horrors are you speaking of?
Canucknucklehead: I think you can get out the NOMAX suit. I completely understand because I fit the same demographic with the same automotive aspiration. Except, I am a used car buyer….
Haha, Nomax suit! I drive new cars for a couple of reasons, the main one being they are leased through my company, meaning it is a complete business expense. The second is I detest taking cars in to be repaired almost as much as I detest buying them.
I helped my dad last fall for a car in this price range. He’s in an older demographic but he came to the same conclusion as you. He liked the Camry best, although he splurged on a loaded Hybrid model. I have driven it with him on several trips and it’s a very competent every day car and great highway cruiser. Sure they aren’t the most exciting car to drive, but they are comfortable, reliable, get good gas mileage. Which to me sounds like the makings of a good everyday car.
I drove a 2016 Camry LE as a rental for 3 days and agree with everything you state. Outward visibility is better than almost every car being made today. (If Toyota can design sedans this way there’s no reason why others can’t). I would add that it’s surprisingly quiet and despite what all the boy-racer types say it’s handling is agile enough for day to day city driving.
I absolutely get it. Several years ago, I thought I’d have to buy a new car, and my wife and I test drove a Camry. Although I’d grumbled about Camrys and their drivers for years, I was truly impressed. We drove a used one — it was a 2010 with the very rare manual transmission option, and that was the most surprisingly good car I’ve driven in the last decade.
It turned out that I didn’t need to buy a new car after all, but I still think I would have been very happy with the Camry, and it will probably be on my shopping list next time around too.
I don’t think the Camry is a bad car and for many people it’s what they need. But when I’m recommending a car to a non-enthusiast, I tend to recommend new Hyundais before I recommend new Toyotas. The latest Hyundais (and Kias) are impressive.
I have driven many late model Camry 4 cylinders, Fusions, Sonata’s and even the current new Malibu. I liked the Camry the least but in all honesty each car had it’s nitpicks. The Fusion drove really well but it’s 2.5 base engine is noisier and less efficient than the others. The Sonata does most everything right but has my least favorite styling. The Malibu with the new 1.5T was also impressive but the stop/start was a touch annoying. I haven’t driven an Accord lately but previous model lacked refinement and the dash is very busy. If asked to pick a favorite amongst all of these it would probably be a 2017 Fusion SE with the top 2.0 EB engine and the very sharp dark maroon paint.
You won’t get any flamin’ from me. My best experience for this year was a well used rental Camry. It’s been almost 30 years since I’ve driven one. I was surprised by how much I liked the car.
Not a lot of options here, but of the available choices, I’ll say my friend’s new-to-him ’05 Volvo XC90. The interior is great, the turbo I5 isn’t exactly a rocket but gets the job done well enough, and it drives well for something that sits much higher up than I’m used to. Different for me, as I’ve never owned an SUV and haven’t driven many, but a pleasant experience.
I’ll also mention my least favorite–a Versa sedan I was stuck with as a rental for a week. I hated…pretty much everything about that car. If it weren’t for the fact that I was an hour+ away from the rental agency for the entire week I would have taken it back and demanded something else.
My least favorite this year was the same, a rented Versa SV sedan. I drove very few different cars this year. Much to my surprise, the Dodge Dart rental was very good.
My favorite still comes back to our ’10 Honda Fit, manual transmission. I haven’t driven anything exotic this year, so the Fit is it.
’05 Pontiac Vibe, daily driver, see my COAL.
’00 Ford Contour 4cyl, wife’s car.
’08 Hyundai Sonata 4cyl, son’s car. I like it because it is very comfortable.
’12 or so Hyundai Elantra GT, test drive.
Nissan Versa, test drive.
Honda Civic, test drive.
3 different ’08 to ’10 Ford Focus, test drive and then wife’s car. A surprisingly nice small car.
’06? Buick LaCrosse with 3800 Series III. Comfy! I like it.
’97 Mazda B2300 5 speed.
Kia Sportage. I don’t like SUVs because of the seating position.
Like Cunucknucklehead I long for a comfy sedan. Except I want it on the cheap. Therefore the run off is between the LaCrosse and the Sonata.
And then there was one more. Stay tuned.
Umm…LaCrosse. Why is that even a toss up?!
In order:
1991 Mazda Miata NA w’ 1.9/5-speed (my pal’s former car, 240k, really effed up but I finally get the Miata “thing” now)
1993 Ford Econoline Dually schoolbus, Thomas conversion, pre-Powerstroke: This thing was so rusty the floor flexed every time I hit a bump. It was such a blast to drive around town. Nothing really worked except the engine and it was super easy to park. I laughed every time I drove it around.
2016 BMW 528i (loaner from Morristown BMW, NJ, while my ’89 was getting worked on)
2004 Honda CRV w’ auto (frighteningly capable!)
2003 Honda Shadow (wayyyy too much bike for a learner but super-fun nonetheless)
1982 Mercedes-Benz w123 300TD wagon (future CC coming)
2004 Honda Element (like a boat! A fun boat!)
2001 VW Jetta (not the greatest car but got me the hell out of LA at wayyyyyy un-legal speeds without a moment’s hesitation)
Honorable mention: my producer’s 2006 Volvo XC70. It’s out of warranty but he’s been holding onto it because it has an eerily accurate sound system. Plus of all the “new” cars I’ve driven recently, it feels like an “old” car in terms of roadfeel and directness in control input.
Possibly a 2015 Chevy Cruze. I am enjoying my 93 Camry since it enables me to practice stick shift driving.
As I’ve come to find this past year, a stick-shift can do wonders in boosting the driving enjoyment of a normal family car 🙂
Easy:
Woo-Hoo Paul ! .
What year is that ‘Vette ? .
Speeder or slushbox ? .
Etc. .
I hope everyone posts photos .
-Nate
’67 327/350hp 4 speed manual steering. Great fun: I’m way overdue to write it up.
Hey Paul. I have an easy one too.
I really only drove my car this year (2012 Ford Fusion, which I love), but I’ll include one of my company’s fleet favourites for my favourite drive of 2016: A Volvo VNL 630 with a Cummins 15L. A Bonus wonderful drive also because it always needs a “regen” now being an ex-highway to now city unit (odd because it “only” has approx 500k miles, usually trucks go over a million before they convert to city use). Anyway, easy money for 45 minutes or so in air-conditioned comfort sitting parked at 1200 rpm. DPF/DEF engines are meant to stay warm and city driving just doesn’t cut it for engine warmth. After the regen is done, then I take my union coffee break since ‘regening’ is hard work, phew.
Life is good, what can I say. Thank you 2007 diesel regulations and looking forward to 2017…
The 2016 BMW 428i convertible I rented in Phoenix in September. Driving to Flagstaff and then to the Grand Canyon with the top down was the most enjoyable experience, although the Arizona sun did beat down hard near Phoenix. The car had gobs of torque if you need to overtake, was solid as a vault and its taut handling inspired confidence.
Easy, my 1963 VW Beetle. I’ve been working towards this for almost ten years.
Hopefully it will be my favorite car of 2017 as well, just pulled the engine today and this must not turn into another multi year project…..
Is it a 40 horse ? .
.
VW’s are dead simple and easy-peasy to repair .
.
A few special tools, cheap On Line or used .
.
-Nate
I’m up to my elbows in a 36 horse rebuild right now, here’s the crank with a bit of steel road bearing backing self-welded to it :
Looks like only one pic. per post, sorry .
-Nate
And the maybe salvageable crank case….
I can’t quite figure out which vehicle I enjoyed driving/riding best, I make a point of selling off anything I don’t enjoy operating because i spend so much time on the road and life’s too short to waste it on crappy vehicles .
-Nate
My ABSOLUTE favorite vehicle I’ve driven this year was back in June. And it’s now mine… I just haven’t revealed it here yet…
The runner up is basically a reunion with an old friend: Dad’s ’84 Dodge Power Ram. Since moving west 10 years ago Ive been back to TN 4 times and of course The Mighty Dodge is Dad’s toy and has been getting restored/upgraded slowly, the last 3 visits had it laid up for a clutch, gearing upgrade, or some such. But this time I got to drive it again for the first time since I moved. Compared with my ’05 Ram, its slow, loud, crashy, rides like a dump truck, and lacks any sound deadening. I don’t have a gym in TN but driving this beast isn’t for the physically weak. The granny low 4 speed is notchy as hell and the clutch is brutal. Even my pudgy BIL struggles a bit with this rig.
I think that’s the appeal of such an uncivilized old school beefy truck. I’ll put it to you that virtually anyone can climb into the biggest longest Ram 3500 and after getting acquainted with everything they’d be able to hit the freeway and bang out a 500 mile trip, no sweat. That ’84…Id be impressed if some millennials could make it 10 miles. That’s not a personal jab at the generation under me…most just have no exposure to a vehicle that you have to beat into submission just to drive it. And I spent several years acclimating to this beast for hours on end. Personally, I miss when everyday vehicles had such wildly different personalities and gave such a diverse driving experience.
I wasn’t driving for the first few months of the year due to a neck injury, and since then I’ve only driven work vans, a hired Corolla and my own vehicles. So no difficulty in picking my 1978 mini 1275GT, especially once I replaced the worn-out Weber with a half-decent SU. I drive it nearly every day, WOT whenever I can and never get tired of it. It leaks, smokes and rattles and I plan to fix all of those things, but it really doesn’t matter either way.
Chaz I hope your neck is feeling much better now. I’ve only driven 4 cars this year, the 2004 Focus wagon I started out with, the 2007 Focus wagon I bought in April, my partner’s 2006 Focus XZ5 hatch and his “new” car, and 2011 Honda Fit he bought in Sept.
I have liked them all.
Brendan, that BMW wagon is gorgeous -I’d be happy to have it with an automatic!
Easy. The Cadillac CTS I rented in LA:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/new-car-review/cc-comparison-test-the-best-and-wurst-alternatives-1st-place/
It was a car I was so excited to drive and I had heard such wonderful things about and I was so glad to not be disappointed. Truly an excellent ride/handling balance and a beautiful interior.
I test drove (just for fun) a 2016 Jaguar XJ 3.0 supercharged AWD. Unlike some other manufacturers that I won’t mention (cough/BMW/cough) Jaguar still knows how to put some actual steering feel into their cars. The interior is gorgeous, the seats provide just the right amount of support and yet have a bit of softness to them. I sat in but did not drive the Mercedes S Class coupe and I can say that it takes hedonism to a whole other level. It is stunningly beautiful.
This older Bavarian wagon was, without a doubt, my best drive of 2016.
My best and most enjoyable rides this year are the ones I own: 1979 Holiday 88 and a Torch Red 6 speed 2000 Corvette coup. I can’t wait until I can get my 1972 Cutlass Supreme back on the road again too – currently on stands waiting patiently for my attention and my wallet to turn to her. Definitely a contender for my best ride of 2017 if I can manage it.
Unless I’m forgetting one, I’ve only driven five vehicles this year:
2012 VW Routan SEL (wife’s)
2015 Honda Jazz (Fit), which I autocrossed twice – what a hoot!
2015 RAM 2500 4×4, my “new” farm truck
1995 Ford Ranger XLT (my Dad’s, only 43K miles)
1997 Buick LeSabre Custom (also my Dad’s, about 125K miles)
I’ve made five trips to my Dad’s house this year (~15 hours one-way), one in the Routan, one in the Jazz, and the rest in the truck.
The Jazz is hands-down the most fun to drive (plus the 38-40 mpg mileage), but is actually not as comfortable on the long drive as the truck (which I’d even rather drive than the Routan). The only two negatives with the truck are the mileage (~13-15 mpg) and the harsh unladen ride on anything other than smooth pavement.
Dad’s cars are both showing their age and need shocks, bushings and other freshening work to make them more enjoyable.
Given the events of this year with my Dad, I’d probably have to go with the truck as my favorite…
The new Lincoln Continental, hands down.
Also drove the Cadillac CT6, Jag XJ, etc. all too sporty for me.
Can’t get enough. Not exactly a car, but so incredibly useful.
My mates Xantias better comfort levels than my car great handling at least as good there as my car but the ride is better and the modified pump in hid diesel gives more power than it needs.
if the Toyota didn’t start a war my choice will. a 2016 dodge journey.
I got asked to drive a friends 80+ mum several hundred kilometres for a family emergency as I was the closest to her.
for jumping into a strange car and booting it to make time it was one of the easiest vehicles I have driven. looked like a big silver toaster, but did several hours of hi-speed freeway running with minimal fuss and was amazingly comfortable.
I ve heard all about the build quality, etc,etc, but for comfort and ease to drive it was pretty damn impressive.
I am in my foxhole…let the shooting commence!
Hey, no harm in your answer! My sister has a 2013 V6 and, other than light steering, it’s a great car! It’s been reliable and well-built. And it was a great deal new too for the amount of content.
I have to say the 1975 Lincoln Continental Town Car. Extremely quiet, extremely soft riding and totally isolated from the road.
What is the next most isolated, quiet and soft riding car you’ve driven?
I don’t know maybe a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille or 77 Buick Riviera, 76 Lincoln Mark IV or even a 89 Chevrolet Caprice.
I have also been driven a 2012 BMW 7-series, a Volvo XC60, 2015 BMW X4 3.0, MB E-class 2014, Peugeot 508 2012, BMW 5-series 2014 but the Europeans never did understand or did priority NVH at the same rate as these old american boats.
Albeit a very quick one, my favorite drive last year was a green 2016 Dodge Challenger (similar to picture attached) that I took for a spin at the Milwaukee Auto Show last February…awesome car!
I really didn’t have a wide choice in cars to drive this past year. We just have the 2009 Pontiac G6 and the Olds Silhouette minivan these days. Not a cockroach of the road in sight…
In February of 2016, I took my G6 in for it’s 100K mile major service. The Buick dealer (who was my Pontiac dealer) gave me a a 2015 Buick Regal Turbo 2.0L. Upon inspection of my car, they found some rodent damage which forced me to wait another 2 days for a replacement fuel tank wiring harness, so I got to keep the Regal for almost a week. I found the Regal to be everything I imagined the future G6 would have been had Pontiac Division survived. The turbo motor was powerful (+100 HP over the Ecotec in my G6), drove really well with a great suspension, seemingly economical, but the feature I liked the most was the Bluetooth connectivity. It was so nice to pair my phone to the car and make calls just by speaking into the interior of the car. In fact, that was one of the things that I really did want on my G6, but it didn’t come with the particular package my car has.
In November, I was enlisted to help my daughter move to Colorado, so we drove the 20 hours from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Colorado Springs. She purchased a Malibu Classic earlier last year and I don’t think I ever drove it before we went out West. I had driven others of this generation of Malibu before, but not this one with the start/stop system. We were mostly on the Interstates and the car performed beautifully there, as well as a nearly-new car should. The old style 2.4 Ecotec ran like a beast, we swallowed up the miles over the Great Plains with no issues. Other than getting used to the start/stop system and the tiny steering wheel that GM seems to be fond of installing in all of their cars these days, the Malibu Classic was my favorite ride in 2016.
All my drives are either rentals or car shares, so the variety is limited. But a car that really impressed me was a 2016 Jetta 1.4T rented for a 1300 km (1000 km on two lane highways) round trip from Vancouver to Nelson in British Columbia last summer. Comfortable, quiet, and surprisingly powerful – a nice car for a long trip, and one that gave an impression of being both larger and more expensive than it is.
The downsides were rather boring styling (inside & out), vague on-centre steering feel, and a touchscreen control for the radio that requires taking your eyes off the road for far too long, especially on winding roads. What also impressed me though was fuel consumption – a roundtrip number (‘uphill’ and ‘downhill’ legs) of 5.5 L/100km (43 mpg US / 51 Imp) at speeds of 90 – 110 kmh. Who needs a diesel?
The most truly terrible car was a 2016 Chevrolet Spark, also a rental. I didn’t have high expectations of course, and it was just to run some errands around the city, but it was the roughest, noisiest, most all-round unpleasant driving experience in many years. My local neighbourhood carshare – a well used 2006 Yaris hatch that I have an unexplainable affection for – feels Mercedes-like by comparison.
I probably drove fewer cars in 2016 than any year in the past 40+. Just our New Beetle, and three Toyotas … our now-gone Prius and T100, and my new Tacoma. Plus my father-in-law’s late-model Hyundai Excel, which was surprisingly refined and yet sporty, and a friend’s 2014 2.0 TDi VW Jetta wagon with 6 speed manual. The latter was by far the best driving experience: comfortable, torquey, and such good highway fuel economy. As the buy-back proceeds, and with the fact that in California, the cars can’t be re-registered as the registrations expire over the course of 2017, these may indeed become rare CC’s in the future. Oops, I forgot one! I drove a Nissan Leaf. Other than the surprisingly brisk throttle (?) response and resulting acceleration, it wasn’t a very pleasant driving experience … poor steering and suspension feel, and a confusingly busy set of controls and instrumentation.
This is an easy answer for me. Having met a new friend with a mint low mileage 1979 Riviera that takes the cake as the coolest car I have driven all year besides my 1987 Olds Cutlass. It is truly a well kept time capsule with a gorgeous all original silver paint job and maroon interior. The Olds Rocket 350 runs like new and has that cool burble and provides a surprising amount of locomotion for a not to light car. I sadly never got a picture of her as both the Riv and my Cutlass are up for there Winter nap.
Of all of them, it would have to be my friend’s now sold Hemi Orange 2010 Challenger SRT that had a blown stoked 440 CI (from the original 6.1 Liter) with over 850 RWHP. Between the insane power, and all the chassis mods, etc, it was such a fun car. Totally impractial, but so much fun. It looked like a lowered R/T, but didn’t sound like one.
But real cars, it had to be a neighbor’s 2015 Vette. I don’t really like the looks, and it’s not comfortable for me, but it was great to drive. I’m sad to see him and his family go, they moved, along with the family next door, just after Christmas. Both of them are around my age and they, along with me, don’t need as big a house anymore. I will soon be moving too. What a pain, but wow, will I save a lot of money!