What an SUV is Supposed to Be
I remember a time when I wouldn't have even considered a domestic car. My mother owned nothing but, yet my dad, a
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| Some domestic vehicles now rival their European and Asian counterparts - the Jeep Liberty being one. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
first-generation Canadian originating from Austria, almost always had something European or Japanese in the driveway, except for that customized van stage in the mid-'70s. Mom's big Chevys and Pontiacs had the power a young kid with a lead foot could never get enough of, but after spinning both a '75 Malibu coupe and a '78 Caprice Classic station wagon (faux wood paneled no less) in embarrassing 180 degree circles while attempting to corner at what I deemed to be "reasonable" speeds, I started to lean towards the nimble handling of my dad's cars.
He taught me to drive at a young age behind the wheel of a '76 VW Scirocco, which not only looked way cooler than mom's wagon but was more comparable to the go-kart he welded together for me during our time together on weekends. My first car was an Audi, followed up by a bunch of VWs, BMWs, Toyotas, Hondas, and the odd slant-six Plymouth, a mid-'60s Biscayne and the
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| I've mostly bought VWs, BMWs, Toyotas and Hondas, but the Liberty hit a new level of respectability for domestics when it debuted in 2001. Now with the diesel, it has the makings of legends. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
same era Merc Montcalm coupe, most of the domestics only because they were incredibly cheap transportation, at least initially, then I bought more BMWs, a Jag and on and on, somewhere over 40 in total. But now I'm looking longingly at a few domestics, not because they're particularly cheap, but more so because they're particularly alluring. Why the newfound appreciation for homegrown vehicles? Let me be completely clear in saying that I'm not partial to all domestic cars, trucks and SUVs, just some of them. Those that I like have raised their nameplates to new levels of respectability, and in so doing deserve to be lauded and then hopefully purchased by new car buyers, in order to show their manufacturers that building quality-made, comfortable and well-appointed vehicles pays off.
