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| Editors' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2004 |
Most Significant Vehicle of the Year
Winner: Nissan Titan
It is likely 2004 will go down as the year of the truck. Despite all the recent activity in the crossover, sports car and ultraluxury segments, it was a shot fired by Nissan across the bow of the American truck makers that will echo through the truck world for years to come. Appropriately, the vehicle rocking the truck world is called "Titan." As the first full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese company, the Titan has all the basics covered.
The standard (and only available) engine is a stout 5.6-liter V8 that produces 305 horsepower and 379 pound-feet of torque, with 90 percent of that torque available at 2,500 rpm. This engine is hooked to a responsive five-speed automatic transmission. Two body configurations are available: a King Cab that includes small reverse-opening doors that swing out to nearly 180 degrees, and a Crew Cab model with four full-size doors. Either model can be had with two- or four-wheel drive.
Though Dodge, Ford and GM still offer greater flexibility in terms of drivetrain and body configuration, the Titan's combination of innovative features and carlike driving dynamics have changed the rules in the full-size truck market. The truck has also redefined Nissan's image as the first Japanese automaker willing to enter this traditionally American segment. We're confident the fallout from Nissan's Titan will be quite significant.
Honorable Mentions: Cadillac
XLR, Mazda
RX-8, Volkswagen
Touareg
Anyone who remembers Cadillac as "the standard of the world" will welcome the arrival of the XLR. While the "creased metal" styling is reason enough to give the XLR a second look, it's the advanced platform (shared with the next-generation Corvette) that gives the XLR its "world beater" status. Handling dynamics are on par with today's best convertibles, and even the interior eschews typical GM plasticity for a higher grade of leather and wood. Throw in the retracting hardtop, as well as a bevy of standard luxury items, and you're left with a viable — and less expensive — SL alternative.
Rotary fans in the U.S. have bemoaned the passing of Mazda's RX-7 since it stopped being sold here in 1995. That engine's smooth, free-revving nature and high-rpm rush of power was unique to the rotary design. For 2004 Mazda brings the engine back in an all-new RX-8 that borrows heavily from the past while still charting its own future. This modern take on the sports car includes four doors (the rear doors are reverse-opening) and four seats. Despite the more practical design, don't write the new RX off as a "sell out" to mass-market appeal. This is one highly entertaining performance machine.
The company that made its fortune producing a small, simple and inexpensive car for narrow European roads now offers a highly advance and upscale SUV that can go just about anywhere. The Touareg is Volkswagen's entry into the ever-growing SUV segment, and this one is sure to be a hit due to its combination of secure on-road driving dynamics and ultracapable off-road prowess. Engine options range from a 3.2-liter V6 to a 4.2-liter V8, with both models getting a six-speed automatic and 4Xmotion all-wheel drive. Think of it as a less-expensive, better-looking Porsche Cayenne.
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