Cheers and Jeers for 2013

[bobo]

Well, we survived another year. As 2013 comes to a close, the entire automobile industry is doing well while the rest of the economy plods along in the jobless recovery.

In politics, the bickering two parties continue to bring shame on themselves in petty upmanship, with the losers being the American public. The Tea Party made a mockery of itself as the country waited weeks for the federal government shutdown to end, and the President’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, struggled in its implementation. Edward Snowden, working as a contract worker for the National Security Agency, spilled the beans on what many would say is overreach in the U.S. government spying. One of the greatest leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela, passed on. The holiday season ended with millions of Americans’ credit and debit card information pilfered from Target by hackers, which showed the weakness of the antiquated plastic cards with magnetic strips, while most of the rest of the civilized world has moved on to cards with chips, a transition made more difficult in the U.S. with the numerous competing financial institutions.

A new Pope, Francis, showed an uncharacteristic but refreshing concern for the poor and eschewed any kind of luxury trappings. He would also refrain from passing judgment on those who are routinely scorned by the religious establishment, much to their dismay. Boston was bombed during their marathon, and the city was paralyzed in fear as the perpetrators were being sought. George Zimmerman got a not guilty verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin, and the trial sparked numerous conversations on race relations. Miley Cyrus became the most overexposed celebrity, and Duck Dynasty got more attention than it deserved. Paul Walker died when the Porsche Carrera GT in which he was a passenger struck a tree in a business park and caught on fire.

In the automotive world, GM paid back the U.S. government its debt, at the country’s loss of 10 billion dollars, which is just a fraction of what would have been lost had the company been liquidated. A changing of the guard at GM occurred as Dan Akerson was replaced by Mary Barra, the first woman CEO of the Big Three. She may not be the enthusiasts’ favorite of Mark Reuss, but she is still a “car guy” and not some beancounter.

On Cheers and Gears, it was another quiet year as some of the more prolific posters sat on the sidelines. The obligatory server issues occurred, but overall the site is running smoothly under Drew’s leadership.

And now, time for a look at the best and worst of all things automotive and Cheers and Gears in the 12th Annual Edition of Cheers and Jeers::

Cheers to Ford for the Most Impressive Sales of the Fusion, which shows solid mechanicals, a sense of style, and interior room can overcome a lackluster interior or reputation for quality. Industry leaders Toyota Camry and Honda Accord also continue to do exceptionally well with the recent redesigns.

Cheers to Chevrolet for the Best New Truck, the Silverado, which is class leading for the moment, but how long can that last with the pending release of the new 2015 Ford F-150? However, Jeers for a design that hardly looks all new, more like a refresh of the old model with a slightly bolder grille, and for boosting the price by $1,500 shortly after its introduction. More Cheers to Chevrolet for the onslaught of competitive product, including the Corvette Stingray and Impala. While the Cruz is starting to grow a little stale, the diesel offering is impressive, though not a match yet for Volkswagen’s offerings. The lackluster Malibu got a crash update after only one model year, almost unheard of at GM. The upcoming Colorado, with an available diesel engine, shows that GM can do things well if they want to and have the resources.

Jeers to Toyota for Least Plausible Explanation in declaring that the Tundra has not caught on with consumers because it had a rounded, bubbly look and not because it missed the mark in what buyers want in a pickup.

Cheers to Cadillac for the Best New-Car Introduction with the larger but lighter CTS, a smashing follow-up to the ATS. However, the price is as lofty as its accolades, and those still expecting a $40k CTS may be in for a shock with the $60k to $70k sticker price as the car moves upmarket. Too bad the previously rumored Pontiac sedan on the Alpha platform is not to be.

Jeers to Cadillac for the ELR for the Worst Value with the stratospheric $75,995 price and lack of any significant innovation over the original Volt. Positioning it as a more practical alternative to a Tesla due to its extended range rings hollow. Still, it has the virtue of ravishing looks, and just its availability is a positive development as long as it doesn’t doom a future high-end electric vehicle.

Cheers to Tesla for having the Best Sedan, the Model S, which tied with the Lexus LS as being their highest rated car in Consumer Reports with a score of 99 out of 100. However, some of the burnish on the car faded with a series of fires caused by projectiles penetrating the battery packs, and their stock price seems unrealistically high. However, a new crossover and more affordable sedan are pending and may be the real test of whether Tesla has any staying power..

Cheers to Mazda for offering the highest fleetwide EPA fuel economy and doing it without expensive hybrid or alternative fuel system but instead using their Skyactiv technology. Of course, Mazda does not have many large vehicles, but the vehicles they do have tend to be sporting, and thank goodness the big black plastic smiles have been leaving their vehicles.

Cheers to Subaru for the Best Safety Technology with EyeSight, which helped several Subaru vehicles attain the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick (TSP) + award for good crash test results and the effective accident avoidance technology. While many on this site dislike all forms of automotive nannies, Subaru brings adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, and lane departure warning to the masses with its affordable price and placement on accessible vehicles, and it is optional for those who want it.

Jeers to Ford for Most Misleading Information with its inflated mpg ratings on its hybrids. Disappointed owners showed vastly lower fuel economy particularly on the C-Max, which was partly due to the Fusion’s rating being used due to having the same drivetrain. Ford dropped the fuel economy rating from 47 mpg to 43 mph and reimbursed owners of the vehicles. With Hyundai’s and Kia’s deceptively high ratings from last year, more awareness has been brought forth in the weaknesses of the fuel economy methodology.

Jeers to all the infuriating in-dash infotainment systems, the worst being the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) and Sync with MyFord Touch or MyLincoln Touch. Boo, we want our buttons back, or at least make the systems intuitive to use.

Cheers to the Most Valuable Poster on C&G, dwightlooi, for continuing to share his technical expertise in things mechanical, including valvetrains and turbos. Even though he has his detractors when discussion turns to topics such as global warming, and hyperv6 is not fan, his explanations to the layman are always enlightening and educational..

Cheers to ocnblu for being the Best Automotive Consumer by doing his part again to sustain the automobile industry by getting his Volkswagen Beetle TDI. Of course, it’s almost time to change his underwear again (though if I recall correctly he actually goes commando) and a new Chevy Colorado may be in his future.

Cheers to William Maley, aka Mudmonster, for his Best Car Reviews, striking the right balance of compliments and criticism and without any blatant bias. These reviews are starting to become a hallmark of C&G.

And finally, Cheers to everybody on C&G for making this a comfortable place to go, where we can be armchair CEOs but also let our guards down and seek advice from those we have known for years only virtually. Cheers to pow for his measured reasonableness, Z-06 for his levelheadedness, and regfootball for his review of every family car. There’s also comfort in knowing that GMTruckGuy74 will always be there for GMC, NINETY EIGHT REGENCY will provide those blasts from the past, and Charger4U’s Word Association will still be there after almost half a million views.

Hope everybody has a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year!

[GMTruckGuy74]

Dear bobo,

Thanks for another great end-of-the-year wrap up. I look forward to this every year (I've been here long enough!). I also enjoy being included in your review; I guess it's no mistake that I'm known for my dedication to GMC Maybe for the 2014 edition I'll finally get a classic GMC or a new model (or both! How lucky would that make me?) for you to write about.

Happy New Year 2014 to you!

GMTruckGuy74 (aka Roger)

[ocnblu]

Hey bobo! Your annual wrap-up has become a great tradition here at Cheers&Gears, and this one is no different. Oh, and thanks for the mention, what you say is true about me.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Thank you for the mention. I posted another blast from the past today.

[G. David Felt]

Awesome write up, way to go, you really hit it spot on. Love these to read.

[Drew Dowdell]

Cheers to this whole post.