UCP Car of the Decade [Final]

[VOGUE_MAN]

I voted for the R35 which I admit is the car I would least like own out of the three however I do think it is the best.
Generally speaking an R35 in Australia costs somewhere around 10% the price of a Veyron or Pagani and for that you get what I would think is about 99% of the car. Admittedly you won't get the same reactions from other motorists and people will know you're only well to do rather than super rich, but on a racetrack there's no reason you won't be alongside the Zonda and ahead of the Veyron.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by cmcpokey

does anybody else find the fact tha tthe Veyron and GT-R made to the finals a bit odd? they both have traits that we here at UCP generally eschew. Turbocharged, all wheel drive, paddle shifters.

I think that would be due to two things. First there's many people that vote but don't post usually so as far we are concerned they don't have an opinion on turbochargers, flappy paddle gearboxes or four wheel drive.

And secondly we shouldn't be judging personal preference here, but overall merit. And let's be honest, a car with a classic receipe isn't going to be very impressive today. The cars that make the automotive industry progres are the others, and even the classics can benefit from it.

[cargirl1990]

Nissan GTR. Why? Becuase I like it THAT much...

[csl177]

Originally Posted by cmcpokey

actually introduced october of 2007, on sale early 2008. the other 2 in 2005. so not that much newer, but still not the majority of the decade. i still think the mini is a better fit than any of these.

You're right, my bad. Should have remembered the year since I got to spend a day driving (hard and critically) one of the first GTRs brought to the USA. There were many more things about it that I disliked (as a driver) than liked, per my amateur review posted in this forum. Aside from my critique, just on merit it didn't belong in the COTD final. But we are dealing with opinions, no? Even critical thinkers must deal with emotion.

Overall COTD should be for something that made an impact on several levels, good or bad, and I agree the Mini is a strong positive choice. But this is the list we have. Hence my selection of an over-engineered, over-priced rolling temple to technology that has nothing to do with real-world conditions, but everything to do with excess for it's own sake. Telling that it's winning the popular vote.

[Ferrer]

The Mini is a great car, no doubt about it, but it isn't very practical, or comfortable, or frugal, or cheap, or easy to use. It had a crude, but lovely, Chrysler engine and you couldn't fit anyone in the back. And it's bloody expensive.

In my opinion the merits of the Mini, as far as an award would be concenrend that is, are that it is an astounding marketing success. And is that actually good?

[csl177]

You aren't wrong, Ferrer... although I wouldn't call the Mini a great car. The same marketing effort was used for the Veyron, though.
PR image is everything, particularly when your product is either unattainable or stylishly mundane. Just the targets are different.
Sell the image, bank the response.

[Ferrer]

Have you driven an S? It's without any shadow one of the cars I've had most fun in. Second only to the Z4M probably. Forget the image, forget the looks, forget the reputation. Forget even the lesser models, or many of the idiots who drive them. As a driving device the S is hard to beat in my opinion.

[csl177]

Yes, test drove one in 2006 and was sorely tempted. Scared the salesman when exploring the cars' lateral transition limits in an empty parking lot. They are a hoot, really fun but not especially practical, and it's not difficult to want $6K+ worth of options added,
killing the bargain vibe.

[Cotterik]

the zonda F is my favourite supercar. the GT-R is the one car i would want to own every day. but i cant not give the vote to the veyron. as far as automotive preference goes. it's a concorde.

[ScionDriver]

Has to be the Veyron. A car that was an impossible task, took most of the decade to actually get built, makes no sense other than for existing for it's own purpose and as Jeremy Clarkson says it was the automobile's Concorde moment. It is excessive and no doubt will be on the wall of tons of children for years to come. As the '90s had the McLaren F1, the 00's had the Veyron.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by csl177

Yes, test drove one in 2006 and was sorely tempted. Scared the salesman when exploring the cars' lateral transition limits in an empty parking lot. They are a hoot, really fun but not especially practical, and it's not difficult to want $6K+ worth of options added,
killing the bargain vibe.

That's precisely where we should change our approach to the Mini, especially the S. Don't be fooled by the four seats, the rear hatch or the city car looks, because it isn't one. What the Mini is, is a thoroughbred sportscar.

It's impractical, uncomfortable, thirsty, hard, noisy, expensive and can be a bit dangerous and unforgiving sometimes. DSC-off, you need to know what you are doing when you are trying to extract all the performance it can give, because you are going to go sideways often and it's going to take you into lairy situations.

On the upside though, it's a completely rewarding and enjoyable drive in the right roads. Don't try to use it anywhere else, it just doesn't work. In the city it's too hard, on the motorway too nervous.

And that's why you shouldn't compare it to a Volkswagen Polo GTI. You should compare it to a Porsche Boxster. And on that basis, it's a great car and pretty good value for money, especially if as you say try to keep sensible with the options.

Does that detract from the lesser, slower city car versions? Yes. Should we care about it? When the S is so good? I don't think so.

[Kitdy]

The Veyron wins UCP Car of the Decade. I am surprised that the Zonda got so many votes to be honest - nearly as many as the GT-R. Strikes me as odd - the GT-R really brought something new to the game, like the Veyron. The Zonda did not.

I woulda liked to hear from people the reason why the voted for such and such but not many commented. Oh well.