The American car business used to be the envy of the world. But thanks to too many years of pumping out uninspired, shoddily built, and overly thirsty vehicles, U.S. automakers dug themselves into a hole too deep even for a hedonistic, gas-guzzling full-size truck to climb out of.
But there are more and more bright lights appearing in this bleak landscape, lights that do not belong to trucks or SUVs. The Big Three seem to have gotten the memo that cars won’t sell on power alone but also must be good-looking, offer quality interior fit and finish, deliver driving satisfaction, and, yes, be relevant.
Now there are many shining reasons to buy ’merican. Here, we’ve selected five of our favorites—some fresh and some familiar, but each proudly wearing a badge from one of America’s Big Three automakers. And although they’re not all built in the U.S.A. (two are built in Canada), all five cars in this group feel American through and through.
Two years ago, if someone had told us the
Chevrolet Malibu would be on our
2008 10Best Cars list, we’d have laughed all the way to the driver’s seat of a Honda Accord and shown him or her what a real 10Best winner looks and drives like.
Fast-forward to today, and nobody’s laughing. For 2008, General Motors gave Americans a sedan to be proud of, one that has little in common with the Malibu we were driving a year ago. And since the ’08 model arrived, we have heaped on the praise it deserves, including that previously unattainable spot in the 10Best Cars winners’ circle.
Actually, Saturn deserves some praise as well, as its Aura sedan shares much of its Euro-tuned structure and powertrain components—and thus, much of its fine road manners—with the ’Bu.
Yes, it seems the all-American family sedan is back. And not a moment too soon.
We knew the 2008
Cadillac CTS would be a hit the first time we saw spy shots two years ago. We also had a feeling it would be fun to drive, given how many of those spy shots were snapped along the
Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. But we had no idea just how good the rest of it—the interior styling, the fit and finish, the seating comfort, and the spoils-rich amenities—would be. This is one comprehensively satisfying automobile, flattering to its Cadillac brand name and fully deserving of its 2008 10Best Cars award.
Nor did we know how prolific the new CTS would be, set as it is to spawn a wagon version to please European customers, a fabulous coupe for the glitterati, and ’bahn-storming, 556-hp supercharged CTS-V versions of the sedan and coupe that will be capable of sending the BMW M5 and M6 back to their bunker to ask for reinforcements—all within the next year or so.
The CTS is a luxury sports sedan with distinct American style, which is exactly what Cadillac should be building these days.