2004 New Car Buyer's Guide

Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

It's time to shop the crop
By Bob Plunkett

It's that time again.

It's time to shop the new crop of cars -- sensuous coupes and flashy sedans, sturdy pickup trucks and family-packing minivans plus go-anywhere sport-utility vehicles.

After all, this is the time when automakers around the world roll out a new year's collection of cars with promises of more of everything -- more powerful engines, more stylish sheetmetal, more sophisticated equipment for driving safely and, of course, more pizzazz.

This year also brings more choices for the kind of vehicles available and more options for the type of power employed to turn the wheels.

To describe the Car Class of 2004 as futuristic might be an understatement, however, because the typical new vehicle in this class is a computerized wizard that's smart and savvy.

The look is daring, dramatic and in some instances -- like the new retro-styled Chrysler Crossfire sports coupe or Mazda's rotary-powered RX-8 four-door sports car -- over the top.

Even Cadillac, bastion of limo-style luxury cars, carries a two-seat sports car this year. The new XLR, decked with composite body panels featuring chiseled forms and angular features, is a luxurious hardtop coupe that converts to an airy convertible through the push of a console toggle.

The feel of cars in the new class is substantial, but comfortable and -- in examples such as the new Audi A8L, Jaguar XK8 and Volkswagen Phaeton -- utterly lavish and luxurious.

The response is muscular and sometimes overpowering, as derived from massive engines in big trucks by the Big Three automakers of General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, plus newcomers to the big-truck field like Toyota and Nissan.

For the past 21 consecutive years Ford's full-size F-150 pickup has led all other nameplates -- car and truck -- to rank as the best-selling vehicle in America, and for 26 years it has scored the best-selling truck title.

But for 2004, Ford reinvents this mainstay model, bringing innovation and new features for performance with two V8 engine options, plus three cab styles and several lengths for the box in back.

Nissan's big truck -- titled the Titan -- looks brash and features a large cab and big rear truck box. Assembled in Mississippi on a new ladder frame chassis featuring full-length boxed rails, Titan rolls out in King Cab or Crew Cab format with a new Nissan 5.6-liter twin-cam V8 engine worth more than 300 hp.

In many instances, the new cars of 2004 can perform multiple functions and transform into different types of vehicles for different audiences.

Examples such as the GMC Envoy XUV represent the latest concept in crossover design, whereby traits of a sport-utility wagon, pickup truck and family sedan merge into a single four-door package of practical transportation rigged with seats for five people in a sedan-like cabin and a wagon's conventional cargo compartment but also an abbreviated truck box revealed when the rear section of the roof folds away like a sunroof panel to forge an open-air cargo bay.

Then there's the outrageous in crossover vehicles like the new Chevrolet SSR, which combines a two-seat roadster and a convertible with the rear truck box of a pickup.

And a power trend continues in the 2004 collection with many vehicles toting massive engines capable of hurling down the fast line.

Consider the new street muscle coming from Dodge SRT-4, Mitsubishi's Evolution, the resurrection of Pontiac's GTO and a turbo-charged WRX STi from Subaru.

With all of these developments, we've assembled a capsule guide that illustrates what's new about the Car Class of 2004.

New products appear, either as original concepts or fresh generational expressions. Example: Acura TSX sedan; Audi A8L sedan; BMW 5-Series sedans; BMW X3 wagon; Buick Rainier wagon; Cadillac SRX wagon; Cadillac XLR convertible-coupe; Chevrolet Aveo sedan and hatchback wagon; Chevrolet Colorado truck; Chevrolet Malibu sedan and Malibu Maxx hatchback; Chevrolet SSR convertible truck; Chrysler Crossfire coupe; Chrysler Pacifica wagon; Dodge Durango wagon; Dodge Ram SRT-4 performance truck; Dodge SRT-4 performance sedan; Ford F-150 truck; Ford Freestar minivan; GMC Canyon truck; GMC Envoy XUV wagon; Jaguar XK8 Sedan; Kia Amanti sedan; Lexus RX330 wagon; Mazda RX-8 sports car; Mazda 3 sedan; Mercury Monterey minivan; Mercedes-Benz E55 performance sedan; Mitsubishi Endeavor wagon; Mitsubishi Galant sedan; Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback hatchback; Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution performance sedan; Nissan Pathfinder Armada wagon; Nissan Quest minivan; Nissan Titan truck; Nissan 350Z convertible; Pontiac GTO performance sedan; Pontiac Grand Prix sedan; Saab 9-3 convertible; Saab 9-2 wagon; Subaru WRX STi performance sedan; Suzuki Forenza sedan; Suzuki Verona sedan; Toyota Prius hybrid sedan; Toyota Scion xA hatchback sedan; Toyota Scion xB wagon; Toyota Solara coupe; Toyota Sienna minivan; Toyota Tundra Double Cab truck; Volkswagen Phaeton ultra sedan; Volkswagen R32 sports car; Volkswagen Touareg wagon; Volvo S80 sports sedan.

New or different types of trucks emerge; Example: Chevrolet Colorado; Chevrolet SSR; Dodge Ram SRT-4; GMC Canyon; Nissan Titan; Subaru Baja Turbo; Toyota Tundra Double Cab. Minivans surge with remakes or new models. Example: Ford Freestar; Mercury Monterey; Nissan Quest; Toyota Sienna.

Powerhouses continue, along with daring new designs. Example: Cadillac XLR convertible-coupe; Chevrolet Corvette Z06; Dodge Ram SRT-4 truck; Dodge SRT-4; Dodge Viper SRT-10; Mazda RX-8; Mercedes-Benz E55; Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution; Pontiac GTO; Subaru Baja Turbo; Subaru WRX STi; Volkswagen Phaeton.

All of these innovations are cataloged in the Model Review that follows. Use it to sort through the automotive Class of 2004, the biggest class yet with the utmost in power, performance, comfort and snazzy styling.