My $1.6 Million Fleet in 2017 - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

by Timothy Cain

Published: December 26th, 2017

my 1 6 million fleet in 2017 the good the bad and the ugly

In a year of great political transition, there was also much change afoot at The Truth About Cars and more than a few alterations made in the way my life intersects with the automotive industry.

2017 was crazy. Yet midst all of the external upheaval (Trump, TTAC, Apple skipping the iPhone 9, the launch of a new Honda Odyssey) and an array of internal disorder (GoodCarBadCar’s acquisition, a move to rural Prince Edward Island, Miata purchase, new job) there was at least one constant.

I drove a ton of cars. Many tons of cars, to be more accurate.

Until transitioning away from a full-day gig as road test editor and sales analyst here at TTAC, there was a new manufacturer-supplied vehicle filled with fuel sitting in my driveway every week. There were 35 vehicles in total, not counting many different vehicles I’ve driven for other reasons during the first 10 months of the year and since October ended.

Valued at nearly $1.64 million, they ranged in price from the high teens to nearly 90 grand. 20 of the 35 utilized all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Three were equipped with a manual transmission, and two of those three were Mazdas. 11 would charitably be called utility vehicles. There were only two pickup trucks, two convertibles, and one minivan.

After 35 vehicles, which weeks stood out? Which vehicles were most pleasantly surprising, which vehicles received the harshest verdicts, which vehicles failed to live up to expectations and left me disappointed? I answered these questions in 2015 and again in 2016. As 2017 ends, let’s answer them again.

Best Of The Best: Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Cabriolet

Granted, it was the second-most costly weekly test example, so it ought to be great. But the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Cabriolet excelled for reasons aside from the fact that it was an expensive and fast non-Benz Benz. Interior quality, front seat comfort, rear seat space, limited buffeting, impressive audio, and a charming balance between comfort and athleticism would make the AMG C43 a suitable companion even if it were to cost $25,000 more than it does.

Beyond the fact that Mercedes-Benz nailed so many details, the AMG C43 Cabriolet arrived at exactly the right time: the sun shone for days on end during the first week in which we moved into our new home in Prince Edward Island. Meandering coastal roads and friends who wanted to experience the AMG and convertible weather? This was the best vehicle I drove all year.

Honorable Mentions: Honda Odyssey, Audi A4

Biggest Surprise: Lexus IS350 F Sport AWD

Not all ISs are created equal. As Lexus enters a drastic name change phase for the IS and RC, recognize that the Lexus IS350 F Sport AWD is still powered by a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6, is still fitted with an awfully sorted suspension, is still visually distinct, and is still obviously Japanese. I expected the IS350 to be overshadowed by newer, turbocharged competition. But because it’s more fun to drive than its competitors, it wasn’t.

Honorable Mentions: Hyundai Elantra Sport, Cadillac CT6

Worst Of The Worst: Buick Envision

Hilariously overpriced, woefully underpowered and under-equipped, disturbingly brown, and even troublingly smelly inside, the $38,830 2017 Buick Envision with which I spent a forgettable week in August 2017 was quiet. Yep, it was quiet. Impressively hushed. Any other redeeming qualities? Not really.

Dishonorable Mentions: Toyota Corolla XSE, Buick Encore, Audi Q3

Biggest Disappointment: Volkswagen Tiguan

By no means the worst vehicle I drove in 2017, the second-generation 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan that visited PEI in late August nevertheless failed to live up to expectations. It doesn’t drive like a Volkswagen, doesn’t accelerate like it should, and vibrates at the same frequency as a Jeep Liberty CRD’s headliner. It’s bigger, Volkswagen says. And of course, it is. But enlarging the Tiguan seemed to result in a Tiguan that lost every ounce of prototypically positive Volkswagen characteristics.

Dishonorable Mentions: Audi TTS, Ford Flex

Most Efficient: Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, 46.1 mpg

As the only dedicated hybrid I drove all year, it only makes sense that the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq would also be the most fuel-efficient vehicle I drove all year. Making the Ioniq more appealing is the fact that it’s a perfectly pleasant vehicle to live with regardless of its fuel economy.

Honorable Mentions: Kia Optima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid

Least Efficient: Nissan Titan 12.7, mpg

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Nissan didn’t address the first-generation Titan’s drinking issues to the degree the issues should have been addressed when the second-gen Titan rolled around in 2016. Titan market share is nevertheless growing as Nissan focuses on specific areas of the country with meaningful incursions. But one wonders how the Titan would fare if tests like this didn’t result in 12.7-mpg findings one year after an F150 EcoBoost 2.7 did 19.4 mpg.

Dishonorable Mentions: Ford Flex, Cadillac CT6

THE CARS

2017 Infiniti QX30 AWD • 2017 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve • 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE • 2017 Honda Ridgeline Sport • 2017 Cadillac CT6 Twin Turbo AWD • 2017 Ford Flex Limited EcoBoost • 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback • 2017 Honda CR-V Touring • 2017 Volkswagen Passat V6 • 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Limited • 2017 Audi Q3 Quattro • 2017 Buick Encore AWD • 2017 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE • 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport • 2017 GMC Canyon SLE Diesel • 2017 Volkswagen Jetta GLI • 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid • 2017 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Hatchback • 2018 Toyota C-HR • 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 4Matic • 2017 Audi TTS • 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF • 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Cabriolet • 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk • 2018 Honda Odyssey Touring • 2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro • 2017 Buick Envision AWD • 2017 Lexus ES300h • 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium 4Motion • 2017 Lexus IS350 AWD F Sport • 2018 Acura TLX V6 SH-AWD A-Spec • 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 4Matic Coupe • 2018 Kia Rio Hatchback • 2018 Mazda CX-3 GX Manual •

2018 Honda Fit

#2017 #2017BuickEnvision #2017LexusIS350 #2017Mercedes-AMGC434MaticCabriolet #2017Recap #2018VolkswagenTiguan #CarReviewRound #HyundaiIoniq #NissanTitan

Timothy Cain

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Rpn453 on Dec 29, 2017

Is an awfully sorted suspension good or bad?

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Ra_pro on Jan 02, 2018

Surprised about the Lexus. I was looking for a car in the IS 350 category last year. I didn't check IS 350 at all, never even entered my mind through I drove just about anything else. I remember many reviews when IS came out saying that essentially it's an accountant's car, it checks all the boxes right but just doesn't seem to drive/be in the same league as the Germans. While I do see quite a lot of them around here I always assume the number one motivation for the owner was to save some money compared to going German.

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Recent Comments

Ajla Remember when Cadillac introduced an entirely new V8 and proceeded to install it in only 800 cars before cancelling everything?
Bouzouki Cadillac (aka GM!!) made so many mistakes over the past 40 years, right up to today, one could make a MBA course of it. Others have alluded to them, there is not enough room for me to recite them in a flowing, cohesive manner.Cadillac today is literally a tarted-up Chevrolet. They are nice cars, and the "aura" of the Cadillac name still works on several (mostly female) consumers who are not car enthusiasts.The CT4 and CT5 offer superlative ride and handling, and even performance--but, it is wrapped in sheet metal that (at least I think) looks awful, with (still) sub-par interiors. They are niche cars. They are the last gasp of the Alpha platform--which I have been told by people close to it, was meant to be a Pontiac "BMW 3-series". The bankruptcy killed Pontiac, but the Alpha had been mostly engineered, so it was "Cadillac-ized" with the new "edgy" CTS styling.Most Cadillacs sold are crossovers. The most profitable "Cadillac" is the Escalade (note that GM never jack up the name on THAT!).The question posed here is rather irrelevant. NO ONE has "a blank check", because GM (any company or corporation) does not have bottomless resources.Better styling, and superlative "performance" (by that, I mean being among the best in noise, harshness, handling, performance, reliablity, quality) would cost a lot of money.Post-bankruptcy GM actually tried. No one here mentioned GM's effort to do just that: the "Omega" platform, aka CT6.The (horribly misnamed) CT6 was actually a credible Mercedes/Lexus competitor. I'm sure it cost GM a fortune to develop (the platform was unique, not shared with any other car. The top-of-the-line ORIGINAL Blackwing V8 was also unique, expensive, and ultimately...very few were sold. All of this is a LOT of money).I used to know the sales numbers, and my sense was the CT6 sold about HALF the units GM projected. More importantly, it sold about half to two thirds the volume of the S-Class (which cost a lot more in 201x)Many of your fixed cost are predicated on volume. One way to improve your business case (if the right people want to get the Green Light) is to inflate your projected volumes. This lowers the unit cost for seats, mufflers, control arms, etc, and makes the vehicle more profitable--on paper.Suppliers tool up to make the number of parts the carmaker projects. However, if the volume is less than expected, the automaker has to make up the difference.So, unfortunately, not only was the CT6 an expensive car to build, but Cadillac's weak "brand equity" limited how much GM could charge (and these were still pricey cars in 2016-18, a "base" car was ).Other than the name, the "Omega" could have marked the starting point for Cadillac to once again be the standard of the world. Other than the awful name (Fleetwood, Elegante, Paramount, even ParAMOUR would be better), and offering the basest car with a FOUR cylinder turbo on the base car (incredibly moronic!), it was very good car and a CREDIBLE Mercedes S-Class/Lexus LS400 alternative. While I cannot know if the novel aluminum body was worth the cost (very expensive and complex to build), the bragging rights were legit--a LARGE car that was lighter, but had good body rigidity. No surprise, the interior was not the best, but the gap with the big boys was as close as GM has done in the luxury sphere.Mary Barra decided that profits today and tomorrow were more important than gambling on profits in 2025 and later. Having sunk a TON of money, and even done a mid-cycle enhancement, complete with the new Blackwing engine (which copied BMW with the twin turbos nestled in the "V"!), in fall 2018 GM announced it was discontinuing the car, and closing the assembly plant it was built in. (And so you know, building different platforms on the same line is very challenging and considerably less efficient in terms of capital and labor costs than the same platform, or better yet, the same model).So now, GM is anticipating that, as the car market "goes electric" (if you can call it that--more like the Federal Government and EU and even China PUSHING electric cars), they can make electric Cadillacs that are "prestige". The Cadillac Celestique is the opening salvo--$340,000. We will see how it works out.
Lynn Joiner Lynn JoinerJust put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?
Lynn Joiner Just put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?
Ollicat I am only speaking from my own perspective so no need to bash me if you disagree. I already know half or more of you will disagree with me. But I think the traditional upscale Cadillac buyer has traditionally been more conservative in their political position. My suggestion is to make Cadillac separate from GM and make them into a COMPANY, not just cars. And made the company different from all other car companies by promoting conservative causes and messaging. They need to build up a whole aura about the company and appeal to a large group of people that are really kind of sick of the left and sending their money that direction. But yes, I also agree about many of your suggestions above about the cars too. No EVs. But at this point, what has Cadillac got to lose by separating from GM completely and appealing to people with money who want to show everyone that they aren't buying the leftist Kook-Aid.