Sep 4th, 2009 by Ross Edwards
Are you shopping for a new car this year but feel like there are no interesting choices? Time Magazine has released a list of the 10 cars they think are the most exciting of 2010. Here’s their list:
1. Kia Soul
2. Hyundai Genesis Coupe
3. Ford Taurus SHO
4. Cadillac CTS Wagon
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
6. Toyota Venza
7. Nissan 370Z
8. Suzuki Kizashi
9. Volkswagen Golf
10. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
While the Grand Cherokee, CTS Wagon, Venza, Kizashi, Golf and E-Class are all new cars, there really isn’t anything exciting about them. The Grand Cherokee and E-Class are just refreshes of the same tried-and-true formulas.
The CTS Wagon is part of Cadillac’s ongoing quest to break into the luxury car market dominated by European car companies. But those cars are bought by people who imagine themselves as having European sensibilities, and most likely wouldn’t ever consider a Cadillac.
The Venza isn’t exciting at all. Sure, it’s built using the Camry’s platform, which means it will be a pleasure to drive and last forever, but there’s nothing exciting about a dependable do-it-all vehicle. Besides, Honda has already ripped off the idea with their Accord Crosstour.
This will mark the third switch between the Golf and Rabbit names in the history of the car. That’s a little bit interesting if you’re into that sort of thing. I’ve owned three of VW’s small cars from three different generations, and even I don’t care about their silly name games.
The Suzuki Kizashi could be exciting. It’s always possible that the guys at Suzuki automobiles have been hanging around the motorcycle department and decided to build a four-door Hayabusa. But Suzuki is in the business of making money and sane people aren’t actually interested in a rocket ship masquerading as a family car, which is why Ford will sell 10 times as many standard Tauruses as SHOs.
Which brings us to the actually exciting cars on the list. The SHO, with its turbocharged V6 engine, is a pretty cool car, as are the Nissan 370Z and Hyundai Genesis. All three of those will be a blast to drive, and the only thing you’ll really need to consider is whether or not you have the self control to keep yourself out of jail if you’re driving them every day.
Which brings us to the Kia Soul, the funky subcompact that fills the gap left when the Scion XB ballooned up after its first generation. The Soul features cool features like lighted speakers that seem absolutely stupid to people who don’t get it. It’s too bad that nobody told Time about the Nissan Cube, which is in that same category and is even funkier.