All Cars, All the Time

North American Car/Truck of the Year Finalists

The votes have been tallied and the Fusion, Civic, Solstice are up for car of the year and Explorer, Ridgeline, Xterra are all finalists for the truck of the year. Personally, I've got to give the Solstice the nod on car side. It truly is a stroke of genius that GM was able to build this car and they deserve props for it. Granted the Fusion is of huge importance for Ford and the Civic is a money maker for Honda, but only the Solstice truly shines with brilliantly inspired design. I'm not saying that the Pontiac is perfect, but it is special--far more special than the other two nominees.

As for truck of the year. Ho Hum. Yawn. Well, I think the Honda is quite unattractive, so I can't award a vehicle that barks so loudly no matter how well it performs or what innovations it has. However, journalists have heaped on the praise for this truck, calling it a breakthrough vehicle, so it has to be the favorite. As for the Explorer and the Xterra: the Explorer may be a great all rounder, but it's a bit of a snoozer while the Xterra is the sporty entry in the field. None of these trucks really tickle my fancy, but if I had to drive one home it would be the Xterra.