The year in autos
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1/7/2009 - 10/22/05
It wasn't much of a year for cars. Facing $4 a gallon gasoline and a lack of available credit, North Americans bought 34 percent fewer cars and trucks in 2008 than three years ago.General Motors and Chrysler find themselves on the sharp edge of bankruptcy, weakened by years of gross mismanagement. The summer's high gas prices wrecked family budgets, reined in a lot of travel plans and made every driver in New Mexico grouchy and nervous about their utter dependency on cars and gasoline.
Yet, even in such a terrible year for cars and trucks, we as a nation bought almost 13 million new ones, and kept a staggering 260 million registered and on the road.
Cars remain deeply entwined in the nation's DNA, still attracting plenty of energy and effort to dream them up, get them built and then sold.
Here's some notes on different cars I tried in 2008, in no particular order. And remember, it's still fun to drive.
Biggest relief to drive: Mini-E Electric Mini
I enjoy driving today's cars so much that I am always worried that tomorrow's greener ones might be boring by comparison. This year's electric Mini puts that anxiety to bed.
The take off from every green light is a rocket-ship ride, all to the tune of an ominous, yet strangely alluring, high pitched whine.
The future looks bright.
Car I should have liked, but didn't: Acura TL Super Handling All-Wheel Drive
When it comes to building a great car, the whole has to be more than the sum of its parts.
This Acura has all the goodies, including 305 horses of Honda power, all-wheel drive, a sumptuous interior and a lean body package.
If it all worked in harmony I could forgive the outrageous beak, but the whole set up was out of tune.
Car I shouldn't have liked, but did: Toyota Prius
Driving a Prius is nothing special, which is pretty special.
Its unique Synergy Drive system returned 40 miles per gallon on a test drive in Seattle. Its futuristic good looks will withstand the test of time and its interior is as useful as an sport-utility vehicles.
The Prius is an appliance for sure, but it's the top of the line.
Car I'd steal to have one: Lotus Elise
The sole purpose of this tiny two seat Lotus is to provide a road going roller coaster. Your facial muscles will get cramped into a goofy grin, mile after whooping it up mile.
It would be difficult to rationalize spending money on something so frivolous, but stealing something so small might not be much of a crime, right?
Car you could force me at gunpoint to buy: Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
The Tahoe is a big old fashioned SUV with electric motors buried someplace in the transmission. They worked enough magic to return 20 mpg on my test drive here in Santa Fe, a whopping 40 percent improvement over my experience with regular SUVs.
It still has a V8 punch when needed, and with its buttoned down handling and well-finished interior, the Tahoe's the best cruiser of all the SUVs.
Car that I'd buy to replace an SUV: Mercedes Benz ML320 AdBlue Diesel
Mercedes' latest generation of turbocharged-diesel engines feels just as good, if not better, as any powerful V8 installed in a large car.
The 320 platform is more right sized than earlier generations of SUVs, and combined with the diesel, makes a balanced overall package that seems to have that old fashioned Mercedes quality feel.
It should last awhile, and it gets 24 mpg, so the ML320 is a good investment at less than $50,000.
Car no one likes but me: Volvo C30
I find this small coupe to be a handsome design, with the bit of chunkiness in its lines, giving it a presence that its competition lacks.
A hatchback makes it useful as an everyday car and the interior is a refreshingly austere Swedish design.
With its turbocharged motor and standard six-speed transmission, the C30 gets up and goes, but I never see them out on the road.
Car that everyone likes, but there's still something fishy: BMW 1 Series
Except for the Mini, this is the smallest BMW on the road.
Equipped with a twin turbo gasoline engine, it is probably the best driving four-seater in the world right now, feeling like the lighter and more nimble BMWs of yore, with all the sumptuous overtones of a contemporary luxury car.
A large prolem is that it weighs too much and looks clunky. But why can't the mainstream BMW 3 series, with a real back seat, drive this well?
Car I'd buy if i had $1 million that needed spending: Audi R8
Just looking at an R8 is fun, not to mention actually driving one. It's a mid-engine V8, based loosely on a Lamborghini Gallardo super car.
The R8 provides all the sensual thrills of that Italian exotic, with a comforting dose of long haul German conservatism.
At $125,000, I'd have enough money left for a little place out in Las Campanas.
Bill Agnew can be reached at bill@williamagnew.com.
