QOTD: What Should Have Won Car Of The Year?
The North American Car and Truck of the Year were unveiled today at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Did the voters get it right?
If so, why? If not, why not? You guys have a good sense of the market -- what would you have voted for?
I am not on the NACTOY jury, and if I was, I don't know what I would've picked. I will say the Ford Maverick Lobo was a surprise for me, but I also haven't driven it yet. I have driven the Charger, and while there's a lot to like, I am not sure it's a car of the year. The Palisade, though, I get. I haven't written a review on the newest one for TTAC, but I've had some wheel time, and it's good.
So, what do you think? You know the drill -- sound off below.
[Image: Dodge]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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I would have chosen the 2025 Mazda CX-5 for being the last decent, affordable driver’s vehicle without a touchscreen. The transition from driver’s seat to living room couch is now complete, and only expensive specialty cars are designed for people who like to drive. That is a milestone that should be noted. But that’s against the ruuules.
1971 Lincoln Continetal Mark 3