American Personal Picks: July 4th Edition
To celebrate the 4th of July, the Consumer Reports Autos team put together its patriotic personal picks focused on the American-brand models they would most like to own. Or, imagine that you’ve just accepted a new job with great pay and benefits, including a new car. However, you employer insists that it be an American-branded car. So we asked which one would you choose and why?
Car type and price were left wide open, giving the engineers and editors freedom to choose from the broad model pantheon from Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Interesting, many of the same vehicles were repeated throughout the picks.
Read on to see the red, white, and blue selections here, and comment below with your own choices this holiday weekend. For a more official take, see our post “Consumer Reports American Top Picks 2009.”
Jeff Bartlett: For a practical choice, I would zero in on the Ford Fusion—A well-mannered, fuel-efficient sedan that is a terrific value and practical choice, made more appealing with its 2010 update. Beyond that, I see precious little from the Detroit 3 that would appeal to my below-$25,000 sensibilities. I favor a hatchback for versatility and prize personality. Not much meets that description from Detroit.
However, were gasoline once again cheap as water, the Chevrolet Camaro SS would be a slam dunk. It is a 30-year dream realized, almost. I have long wanted a first-gen Camaro reinvented with a modern chassis, powertrain, and safety features. But having driven it, I find I also want head room, rearward visibility, and more polished interior. Still, the new model drives as good as in my fantasy, looks stunning, and has terrific power. Should I trip over a lottery ticket or leprechaun, it would be a Corvette in the driveway, again. The Z06 and ZR1 deliver exotic-car performance in an all-American sports car, though I would choose the new Grand Sport version. The name alone conjures a legendary heritage. This special-edition has Z06 appearance elements and brakes, distinctive trim details, and a more-than-adequate 436-horsepower LS3 V8. Yeah, that’d be it.
David Champion: I would choose the Ford Fusion, Flex or Chevrolet Traverse. The Fusion’s top-notch reliability is a real breakthrough for a domestic brand and the car is fun to drive. The Flex is just the right size to carry either people or cargo—it’s comfortable and quiet and makes for a great road-trip vehicle. If I were in the market for a three-row SUV, the Traverse would be on my list for its ability to handle a variety of duties, plus its ride and handling are impressive for its size. But its sibling’s first-year reliability has been very disappointing.
Eric Evarts: If I could afford a $40,000 entry-level luxury sedan, there’s no better example on the market in my book than the new Cadillac CTS. It’s quicker than a BMW, handles as well, has more room inside, and looks wicked. While earlier CTS’s had cheesy-looking and poorly laid out interiors, the new one’s feels rich, and much warmer, more practical, and easy to use than European equivalents. Even better, I could get it with all-wheel-drive to get home from work up my hill in a snowstorm. (In fact, my neighbor did.) Even the automatic transmission that comes with the all-wheel-drive model is smooth, crisp, and responsive. So it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.
But you don’t have to spend $40,000 to get a great American car. I prefer the new Chevrolet Malibu and the Ford Fusion to the Toyota Camry and the new Honda Accord, which both feel too big to me—even if I really like the VW Passat better than any of them.
Mike Leung: For me, I like the Cadillac CTS-V and Chevrolet Corvette. They’re stylish and fun to drive. Although the practical side of me would also go for the standard CTS, which is less fun to drive, but it has a very nice interior and is still quite stylish.
Tom Mutchler: A dream of mine is to get a 25-foot Airstream along with a pickup truck as a tow vehicle. Starting out with a smaller RV for now, I picked up a used T@B teardrop trailer, choosing our 2009 Chevrolet Silverado to go get it. We put 1,400 miles in three days on that truck and found it to be a comfortable and easy-to-live-with travel companion. Sure, a loaded Avalanche or a GMC Sierra Denali would be sweet, but a “modest” Silverado remains a very nice truck. I want one.
But a truck isn’t exactly what I want for a daily driver. Lots of domestic cars qualify. The Chevrolet Malibu is one of my favorite family sedans; I’d take a four-cylinder LT over the stiffer-riding LTZ. We found that the four-cylinder Malibu’s fuel economy beat the four-cylinder Accord and Camry in our tests, and I find the Malibu more stylish than the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan. If I got a management job, maybe I could swing a Cadillac CTS—a very appealing sports sedan.
Finally, I’ve come very close—more than once—to buying a Ford SVT Contour or Focus. Both were tremendously satisfying driver’s cars. There isn’t really anything in Ford’s domestic fleet that currently qualifies, but I’m looking forward to the upcoming European-based Fords. Even the Transit Connect has steering feel that rivals some sports cars…
Mike Quincy: I’ve grown very fond of the new Dodge Ram pickup truck. It’s quieter inside than a congressional hearing on Wall Street bonuses. But the Ram’s open bed isn’t secure like the Chevrolet Avalanche’s – another truck I love. Tough call between these two. But these vehicles are all work, and I have to weigh in on stuff for play. The Chevrolet Corvette is often my answer to the question “If you could have ANY car, which one would it be?” Corvettes of various generations and horsepower ratings have accompanied me on trips from Boston to Washington, D.C. The combination of awesome power, secure handling and tolerable ride is amazing. I’ve often said that if GM put as much effort into the rest of its line as it so obviously has with the Corvette, it would rule the world. I’m also a big fan of the fun to drive Ford Mustang GT. I love its looks and distinctive V8 rumble, and I’ve enjoyed driving our recently acquired ’09 GT.
Gabe Shenhar: I think the Ford Fusion SEL V6 makes for a good family sedan. Even though it’s based on the previous-generation Mazda6 and is built in Mexico, it qualifies as American by most definitions. The Fusion steers and handles well with a nice ride. For a larger sedan, I’d take the Pontiac G8 GT. I love this car. With Euro-style ride, handling and braking and some rough-and-tumble American muscle, this Aussie import is exactly what the British would call a Q-car – an incognito fierce performance machine. If my budget allowed me to go more upscale, I’d be happy with a Cadillac CTS. This home-grown Detroiter looks gorgeous and drives almost as beautifully as a BMW 5 Series. And I personally think it steers better than an Infiniti G37. The larger Cadillac STS has even more comfort, quietness and roominess thrown in, yet is still a solid, enjoyable drive.
For SUVs, I’d look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7, really one of Chrysler’s only worthy models. It has a character, looks and the off-road ability befitting a Jeep. And yet, it’s brisk and fairly capable on the road with some handling response and decent seats. For a model with three-row seating, I’d choose the Chevrolet Traverse. It’s roomy and drives well. This coach feels solid and quiet without being the Queen Mary II. And I prefer its looks over its three other siblings. In the absence of a domestic minivan, its functionally comes close to that most-efficient suburban vehicle.
Rick Small: I would buy a Ford Fusion, Flex or Edge. These models have a sportier feel than much of their competition and they’re attractive designs to boot. Discounting for these models is prevalent, so you can get a good deal. The Fusion and Edge are also reliable. Finally, Ford isn’t taking any bail out money (yet) which means the company should be around for awhile.
