2017 Motor Trend Car, Truck and SUV of the Year

[Gecko]

Car: Chevrolet Bolt:

A roomy, practical, quiet, and comfortable compact hatchback; an energy-efficient small car; and a benchmark electric vehicle—all in one. The marvelously accomplished and endlessly engaging Chevy Bolt EV is all these things. “The important point is that the Bolt is not just a great electric vehicle but also a great commuter vehicle in every respect,” Theodore said. “Well done, GM. You are now the leader.”

The Bolt EV is also a car for a world that’s increasingly urbanized and that needs to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels—partly because there’s only so much we can frack and partly because air quality in our cities is again becoming a significant health issue. But this isn’t some earnest, po-faced science project we should endure to save the planet. The Bolt EV is fast, fun, and genuinely entertaining to drive. It makes you smile.

American engineering ingenuity and manufacturing capability kick-started automobility in the early 20th century. Now, a little more than a century later, America is about to do it again. The practical, affordable, fun-to-drive Chevrolet Bolt EV has made electric-powered transport for the masses a reality. The 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year is the car of tomorrow, today.

Truck: Ford Super Duty

As with any Of The Year competition, Truck of the Year is not a direct comparison test. Each truck is judged against our criteria, based on the class it competes in. The Ford F-250 and F-350 score remarkably well on all six—as well as against their direct competition. With its latest Super Duties, Ford has set new benchmarks for capability and functionality. We have no doubt the competition will race to meet Ford’s new standard. Putting the competition on notice and forcing them to catch up is a hallmark of an Of The Year winner. Consider the bar raised.

SUV: Mercedes GLC

The GLC isn’t the sexiest choice for SUV of the Year, but it’s without hesitation the smartest. The design is solid, the interior is first-class, the engineering is as good as small SUVs get, and the value proposition is strong. We have no crash data yet, but the E-Class chassis that the GLC is based upon underpins one of the safest cars on the road. And despite surprising all of us with its power output, displacing just 2.0 liters means that the engine is also scarily efficient.

If one of our ratings categories carries more weight than any other, it would be performance of intended function. Is there another small premium SUV out there that does so many things right? And one that will satisfy as many of its customers? Not this year. I’ll give the final word to Cammisa, as his thoughts echo all of ours. “Mercedes for the win.”


I haven't personally followed the Bolt or new Ford Super Duty trucks, but I definitely agree with the selection of the GLC. Well done, Mercedes.

 

[mmcartalk]

These latest Ford trucks get a lot of hype because of their lightweight aluminum skins. With maybe some exceptions for those that are driven a lot of miles in one year, most of these latest-generation Ford trucks probably don't have a whole lot of long-term use miles on them. Let's see how those lightweight beds and supporting parts look after they've taken on load after load of firewood, furniture, gravel, handy-man gear, and all the other heavy stuff that is typically loaded into pickups, and if they can take the strain without buckling. Not only that, but, as with some Audis and Jaguars, aluminum parts and panels can't be repaired at your typical body shop.....only special certified shops can be used.

Of course, the Heavy-Duty F-250/350 series (not to mention the commercial-grade 450 and up) can be expected to have heavier, more substantial beds and supporting parts than simple F-150s, so, again, we'll see.

 

[CIF]

IMHO I think moving to aluminum on all F-Series trucks was a foolish decision. Others will disagree of course. Not only is the F-Series the top selling vehicle line in the US, and for Ford, but many of these are workhorse vehicles that go through tough working conditions every day. Not all, but many. as you mentioned mmcartalk, in terms of repairs, these new aluminum F-Series trucks have a more expensive cost of ownership. I don't even want to imagine what the repair cost would be for a damaged bed, or fender, etc. on one of these new aluminum trucks vs the old steel trucks. Also I agree that another problem is the time and hassle involved in finding a body shop that can do the work. Body shops experienced and specialized with aluminum are rare, and that adds an additional hassle to the ownership of one of these trucks.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Chevy's new commercial where they drop an empty toolbox in the back of an F-150 and it gouges through the aluminum is brutal. (The same test on a Silverado just results in some dents).

 

[CIF]

Chevy's new commercial where they drop an empty toolbox in the back of an F-150 and it gouges through the aluminum is brutal. (The same test on a Silverado just results in some dents).

Ironically, word is that GM will be using a lot of aluminum on their next-gen trucks. The big question here then is, will the beds in GM's next-gen trucks be aluminum? Will the trucks be all aluminum or only partially aluminum? Reportedly, these Chevy commercials came about as a result of internal GM testing of their own next-gen trucks vs the competition.

Also with regard's to Ford's marketing, I take slight issue with it. They've marketed the current F150 as having "military grade" aluminum. That claim has been somewhat debunked, but more to the point, aluminum is aluminum, no matter what alloy or grade. It's impossible to magically transform how aluminum behaves as a material.

So the Chevy commercials are no surprise at all. What else did anyone expect was going to happen? Aluminum is a soft metal.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Ironically, word is that GM will be using a lot of aluminum on their next-gen trucks. The big question here then is, will the beds in GM's next-gen trucks be aluminum? Will the trucks be all aluminum or only partially aluminum? Reportedly, these Chevy commercials came about as a result of internal GM testing of their own next-gen trucks vs the competition.

I'm not surprised. Aluminum is a pretty obvious (and relatively low-cost) way to cut weight for CAFE, but it'll be interesting to see what the General comes up with to avoid a similar commercial targeting them.

 

[mmcartalk]

I'm not surprised. Aluminum is a pretty obvious (and relatively low-cost) way to cut weight for CAFE, but it'll be interesting to see what the General comes up with to avoid a similar commercial targeting them.

Aluminum is not necessarily lower cost. Depending on who you buy it from, how it is made, and market conditions, it is often more expensive than steel.

Chevy's new commercial where they drop an empty toolbox in the back of an F-150 and it gouges through the aluminum is brutal. (The same test on a Silverado just results in some dents).

Ford (and some other sources) have videos and ads on Youtube trying to debunk those Chevy drop-load ads (and the one where they dump big cement chunks in instead of a tool box). I looked at some of these counter-ads, and IMHO they didn't look very credible, so I didn't post them.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Aluminum is not necessarily lower cost. Depending on who you buy it from, how it is made, and market conditions, it is often more expensive than steel.

Right, which is why I said "relatively" given alternatives like carbon fiber and who knows what else.

 

[mmcartalk]

Right, which is why I said "relatively" given alternatives like carbon fiber and who knows what else.

Yes, carbon-fiber, like titanium, can be ridiculously expensive...which is why it is generally used only on exotic vehicles and multi-million-dollar aircraft.

I liked the thermo-plastic body panels that Saturn formerly used for their early-generation vehicles, but I don't know if that material could be made strong enough for use in a pickup bed. One of the favorite Saturn displays at auto shows was for a Saturn rep to take a wooden baseball bat and clobber the side of the panels as hard as he could....with no dents (I tried it myself once or twice)....though you could easily scratch the paint, of course.


Anyhow, back to the F-150, you and CIF are correct.......Chevy is going to look pretty dumb with those aluminum-dumping ads if they just turn around and follow suit with their next-generation trucks.

 

[mmcartalk]

On the other awards, I can understand the Bolt being ideal for urban settings and tight-parking conditions. But I don't see it having much appeal outside of big-city commuting....except maybe in California, which has a better infrastructure/support-system for electric and other alternate-fuel vehicles than the rest of the country.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

The recent announcement that the Bolt will only be available in, I think, 2 states in 2016 kinda takes some of the shine off of it too.

And the plastic body panels on the "true" Saturns were indeed awesome. No idea if they'd stand up to truck duty though.

 

[mmcartalk]

The recent announcement that the Bolt will only be available in, I think, 2 states in 2016 kinda takes some of the shine off of it too.

And the plastic body panels on the "true" Saturns were indeed awesome. No idea if they'd stand up to truck duty though.

For a pickup bed, the plastic panels would have to probably be of much greater thickness than was typically found on S-class Saturns. I've never seen one of those plastic panels dent or ding, but I have seen them crack under some conditions. Even so, they were very easily replaced on the bolt-on/space-frame.

On the Bolt, the article doesn't specifically mention it, but I'd bet the farm that one of those two states is California.