Impressed Press: Awards Time
The auto industry typically starts doling out its various and sundry awards around this time of year. While a few of the big guns hang onto their declarations until the Detroit Auto Show or thereabouts, a few publications announce their winners before the calendar flips into the next annum.
[Images: Dodge, VW, Toyota]
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Dodge seems to be doing as well with the gasoline-powered Charger Sixpack as it did poorly with the electric-powered Charger Daytona. While only the first few gassers have made it to dealer lots, it has been busy collecting trophies from the world’s media. Top Gear named the car its US Car of the Year, citing a blend of style and performance.
All-wheel drive is part of the deal but a raft of driving modes permit tail-out action at the driver’s command. If the crew at Dodge hadn’t been hamstrung by former CEO Clueless Carlos Tavares, the Charger would have likely led its revival with this SixPack instead of the electric variant, solving many of the headaches created by that decision.
Buff book Car and Driver (the ampersand ‘longs to Road & Track, don’tcha know) splits its awards between cars and SUVs/trucks, creating two different lists which appeal to two distinctly different customers. It’s arguable the latter is of more practical use to the American public these days given the permanent sales shift to crossovers.
But C/D has always catered to us gearhead and our love of entertaining cars - even if the pool of contenders dwindle with each passing year. The Volkswagen GTI and Golf R are a tag team which has been on the list since Adam was an oakum picker, for example, and shows up again this year.
Other familiar faces are the eminently sensible Honda Civic and big-brother Accord, though enthusiasts are catered to with the selection of machines like the BMW M2, Cadillac CT4-V/CT5-V (both Blackwings, natch), and the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 twins.
In this author’s mind, the latter is a modern-day stand-in for when the Diamond Star trio of Eagle Talon/Mitsubishi Eclipse/Plymouth Laser were a fixture on C/D’s list. Over on the utility side, two models appear from Honda along with gear from Hyundai and Ram, amongst others.
