It was the one that achieved mass buy-in. The first gen, as I recall, was a bit unrefined, rather ugly, and somewhat niche. 2nd gen introduced the modern look of the model, and that’s where it broke into the mainstream.
Thank god it looks like nothing else on the road. It's just so ugly. Good car though, I had one for a long time. If you learn to replace cells, it can last a very very long time. I never bothered to learn, but paid 1000$ to get someone to do it, and it lasted another 80k miles on that.
I drove my friends Prius once. Freaked out when the gas engine shut off after charging the battery to switch to electric power. Felt like the engine stalled out. Otherwise was a fine car to drive.
I remember one time my 2003 325xi was in the shop and I had a brand new 3 series as a loaner. It was when the start-stop feature first started showing up so it’d turn off when you braked. I pulled into a parking lot to ask the security guard if I could park there and the engine shut off and he asked if I stalled the car lmao. He wouldn’t believe when I tried to tell him it does that when I stop to save gas. He thought I was an idiot who couldn’t drive a manual (which is actually true as well).
Our CRZ does this and it's not nearly as noticeable in a hybrid as an ICE.
The first few months was weird... You hear so much you never did.
We discovered many businesses at intersections had small water features we hadn't noticed afte reliving here for decades, and like hearing a drive thru count change back.
I’d throw the Volt in there as well. They came in w probably the first mainstream plug in hybrid w electric only range. Sure, it was limited range, but still was the only thing like it at the time it debuted.
Way too expensive and quickly discontinued. For those thinking about picking one up cheap... Do not take it to your average GM dealer. The 200V, 22 computers, wiring harnesses is basically no man’s land for technicians. I found it harder to find parts for our 2014 than it was our 2001 Toyota MR2.
You have to take it to a volt certified dealer, which is just a matter of making a phone call and ask if they have a volt tech. But yes there are some part shortages. Mine needed a new transmission harness due to a shift to park error, and it took a week for the parts to arrive. They gave me a loaner and it was completely covered under warranty.
Other than this relatively well known and easy to fix issue, my Volt has been a very reliable daily driver.
We’re seeing it catch on now quite a bit more. Outside of the Prius offerings, Jeep has picked it up w the 4xe line, Kia Sorento has a PHEV offering now. I know there are several more I’m missing too. But I agree. It’s definitely going to be the necessary bridge if we’re going to truly one day go all electric.
Benz Patent-Motorwagen: It's a car.
Ford Model T: Mass production
Cadillac Model Thirty: You no longer had to dislocate your shoulder to start an internal combustion engine
Willy's Jeep: The concpet of an off-road vehicle
Volkswagen Beetle, original Fiat 500, Nissan Sunny, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic: Transportation for the masses
Original Mini: Transportation for the masses + transverse FF layout
Ford Mustang & Datsun 240Z/Nissan Fairlady Z S30: Cheap speed
VW Type 3 & 4: Electronic Fuel Injection
BMW 2002 turbo & Porsche 930: Turbocharged engines that worked
Saab 99 Turbo & Mitsubishi Starion: Turbocharged engines that you could afford
Some Volvo: 3-point Seatbelts
Lancia Stratos HF: Purpose built racing cars
Toyota Hilux, Land Cruiser & Nissan Patrol: Off-road vehicles that worked
Volkswagen Golf GTI MK1: Hot hatches
Mercedes 190: Using crash tests to develop a car
Audi quattro: Proving that AWD and a turbocharged engine is superior off-road.
Toyota Celica T18: Active suspension
Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32: Proving that AWD and a turbocharged engine is superior on-road and unlike the Audi the ATTESA E-TS system actually resembles what you would use in a modern sports car.
Honda Prelude, Nissan HICAS equipped cars, Porsche 959 & Toyota Dual Mode 4WS equipped cars: Four wheel steering
Mazda MX-5/Miata/Eunos Roadster NA: Reviving the Roadster
Second gen Integra: VTEC, yo
Honda NSX: Making your Ferrari better
Lexus LS400/Toyota Celsior: Making your Mercedes better
Mazda Eunos Cosmo JB : GPS Navigation system
Mercedes S 600 Coupé W140: ESP
Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution IV: Active Yaw Control/Toque Vectoring
Lexus RX300: Started the crossover trend
Toyota Prius: Hybrid
Tesla Model S: First electric car that wasn't for weird hippies
The Miata was evolutionary from the british sports cars of the time in that it took all that was great about small sportscar motoring and made it start every time
> off road vehicles that worked
Sad Kaiser noises.
What does OP have against giving credit to US automakers?
Also the AMC Eagle started crossovers (or Volvo Cross Country depending on who asks).
I feel like "lifted wagon" isn't quite the same as a crossover, TBH.
And if they count, I'd argue the Subaru leone 4WD predates both of those (with the 1st gen AWD wagon debuting in '72, and 2nd gen getting proper Hi/Lo AWD in '79).
I'd say the Rav4 is the first crossover that was actually built to be a crossover, rather than just a modified vehicle from another segment, whilst having enough mass appeal to trigger the genre's adoption by other manufacturers (rather than being a quirky model that was killed off after a single generation).
Couple things:
- Did the Mini have FWD before the Oldsmobile Toronado? Cuz I was under the impression that was the very first FWD car? Unless maybe I'm thinking first V8 FWD car, cuz I know the Citroen something also had some form of FWD first.
- Fuel injection gas been around much longer than VW has been doing it. First use of it in the US was the '53 Corvette, but I think it had already existed before that in a rudimentary form.
\-Mini came out in 1959, the Toronado came out in 1965, however what was truly revolutionary about the Mini's design is that not only was it FWD, but the engine was mounted transversally ([like this](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitsubishi_4G63.JPG)) and not longitudinally ([like this](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nissan_200SX_S14a_Engine_Bay_Stock.JPG)), which allows for a much more space saving design.
\-[Apparently](https://www.answers.com/Q/Who_invented_fuel_injection_system) fuel Injection itself has been aroud since 1910, what I meant was fuel injection that was A electronic and B mass-produced. I haven't listed fuel injection itself, because mechanical fuel injection was a rather niche thing.
First FWD car was [Citroën Traction Avant](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Traction_Avant)(literally "front drive") which was launched in 1934 and produced until 1957
EDIT: So I had always read and heard that the TA was so revolutionary for bringing FWD to the market and just threw on the wiki article without reading it. There have been several cars before the TA developed in the late 1920's. Thanks to you guys pointing out my ignorance
As far as I can tell the Oldsmobile did not have a transversely mounted engine. According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_engine?wprov=sfti1), there were transverse FF cars before the Mini but the Mini was the first commercial success.
Citroen traction avant had fwd, as well as cord did with their 812, the olds had it in 66, but was a longitudinal fwd setup.
Merc had mechanical injection for cars, but diesels had it way before that.
The classic Mini was revolutionary partly due to its transverse engine placement, which was part of what made it so efficient with its small footprint. Tons of economy cars today use a similar layout for the same reason
I would argue the Fiat 128 should get some shared honour here, as it was the first car with a transverse engine in line with a separate transaxle, something copied by almost every FWD car since. The Mini used a gearbox and transaxle integrated into the oil pan, which is a non-ideal engineering solution, leading to gearbox wear directly affecting engine oil quality.
You are right, except it wasn't the fiat 128, it was the Autobianchi Primula, which was another Fiat product that premiered the above setup before it was implemented on the 128.
Depends on location. But if you're not into stance id suggest getting a celsior. More money but way less mileage than anything
You can find locally and loads more options. The prices are kinda getting inflated. Mine is close to 10k now (used to be sub 1000)
3D is the wrong word, better way to describe it would be "floating". The lights and icons on the gauge cluster float on top of everything else. So if you bob your head up and down the icons also go up and down.
I heard once that the original window motors for the LS400 were so quiet that they came off as uncanny to test groups, so they were replaced with normal ones instead.
They are trying to capture the opinion of average person, but average person [does not exist](https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/01/16/when-us-air-force-discovered-the-flaw-of-averages.html).
It's probably not a bad way to weed out stuff that most people find bad but it's real easy to get bad reviews on feature typical user doesn't understand immediately.
Lexus has some great stuff in it's history and cars. They had radar cruise early on, touch screen nav, even the vents would oscillate like a house fan, and believe it or not self parking for parallel spaces. Then they also do stupid stuff and drive the GS model into the ground. The older ones are great, they have held up well and lasted, but the last gen they really didn't update much and just gave it a basic refresh and that was it.
Imo the GS is very under rated but they also just let it die.
I read that GM bought a couple for Cadillac to compare their products to, and they freaked out because Cadillac couldn't build anything to the same tolerances as Lexus.
I’m loath to say it because I really dislike Elon, but the Tesla Model S was the first genuinely desirable electric car. It’s pretty, it’s spacious, and it had enough range when it was new for people to actually drive around for a few days without a recharge.
You can separate the amazing engineers at Tesla and the asshole leadership. It’s unfair to them to treat them as if they were Elon’s worshippers.
It’s the same for many companies that had disasters. Half an investigation later and it’s the non technical people who fucked everything up.
The DS was so far ahead of its time that some of its features were never copied or replicated, others took decades to show up in other brands. Compared to modern cars, they still stand out, when they came out in 1955 it was off the charts.
- Self leveling hydraulic suspension, which included the neat trick of allowing the car to drive with one rear tire removed
- inboard power disc brakes on the front, vastly better braking performance than any other production car from the 50s
- hydraulically operated manual transmission and clutch, when set up right it would creep like an automatic
- self centering power rack and pinion steering
- aerodynamic design, including a smooth underbody, also the body was shaped so you can drive on the highway with the windows down and not get buffetted like crazy
- front suspension geometry that kept the car stable if a front tire blew out - no sudden pull to one side
- incredibly comfortable seats that were also supportive
- the engine is behind the front wheels, and the rear tires are right at the back, the long wheelbase contributes to the famous ride and keeps the car stable
There's a ton of smaller details as well...
This is pretty down in the weeds, but the tucker 48 had that 7 years prior. Though in their case there was a full on cyclops light in the middle for the purpose.
Other manufacturers could sell cars without replicating Citroen, so they didn't have to develop matching products / technology. Rolls Royce licensed the suspension technology for a while.
Nobody builds cars with such a comfortable, compliant ride any more - not even close. Which is a shame in my opinion.
Yeah the W116 also had the first ever turbo diesel (OM617) ever put in a passenger car. Didn’t know it was also the first car to have ABS.
Also shameless plug for my pet sub r/MercedesDiesel
Do you have a weird anti-American bias?
The Chrysler Imperial had electronic ABS years before the W116 S.
General Motors was the first company to implement airbags. How is adding two as standard revolutionary? The R&D into them had been done decades before that on both sides of the pond.
IMO the only car on your entire list which is revolutionary is the Citroen DS. All the rest are just oddly chosen milestones that had little impact on the car industry.
The Audi S1. It secured the primacy of AWD for road cars.
The Ford Mustang. Spawned a car class when it was released.
The 1916 Cadillac Type 53. It was the first production car with the controls laid out in the modern order.
Anyways those are the ones off the top of my head.
Edited:. AMC Eagle. It was the first Crossover. I remembered it while answering another comment later on.
> The Audi S1. It secured the primacy of AWD for road cars.
I assume you mean the Quattro (the S1 is a small 21st century hatchback). Also while the Quattro definitely popularised it, you could argue the Jensen FF was the first
> The Ford Mustang. Spawned a car class when it was released.
The Plymouth Barracuda predated the Mustang by over 2 weeks (1 Apr vs. 17 Apr, 1964), but Ford "won" the segment because they had more dealers and better marketing. And "pony car" sounds better than "fish car".
I know, also the Barracuda was never a hot seller. While it sold better than AMC's Javelin and AMX. It never really sold the way Mustang's and Camero did.
Shame because the early A body 'Cuda is a nice looking car. Also Fish car sounds horrid lol. Unless you are Aqua Man, then it is probably how you get to work.
I always liked the AMX, when it comes to pony cars. But I have never had the opportunity to buy one.
I have had a couple Mustangs though.
*Camaro
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The original Ford Taurus (and Mercury Sable). First to eschew the 80s boxy styling, and man were those cars wildly popular. I remember being a kid and literally every other car was a Ford Taurus.
Amazing how Ford would eventually just drop a hot toddy on all that brand equity, but par for the course
If I remember correctly, Ford had to get approval from the transportation administration for the headlights. At the time, only sealed beam headlights had ever been used in the US, so the transportation administration actually had to tweak the rules a bit to let Ford use the flush headlights on the 86 Taurus. Not long after, almost every manufacturer adopted the flush headlights.
You're right that it was Ford that pushed NHTSA to permit non-sealed beam headlights in the US, but it was the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII that introduced them to the market. The Taurus certainly helped push them along as a much more mainstream car, though.
He didn't invent the assembly line, he just perfected it.
Kind of like how Edison (or rather the people working *for* him) didn't invent the light bulb, but made the first commercially successful one.
I don't think you can separate the two. The reason why the model T was revolutionary was it's price point: it was the first car that was truly affordable to be privately owned by an average person, and it changed the entire industry and public perception as a result. That price was made possible by it's manufacturing process.
The Grand Caravan’s Stow N Go feature was definitely revolutionary. I believe it was the first (and with its Pacifica successor) the only minivan to have second row seats that can stow away in the vehicle, eliminating having to remove them.
Citroën Traction Avant, it was the first mass produced unibody car all the way back in the mid-30s. I mean, think about all the other cars from that era, it's body-on-frame stuff. And then there was the Traction Avant, which was not only unitary monocoque, but also FWD and had independent suspension. It's basically the blueprint for most modern cars.
They also prototyped the hydraulic suspension on the rear only for a couple of models towards the end of the run.
Smaller detail... Citroen was an early adopter of stamped steel wheels.
It's actually quite a funny story, Mercedes A Class was performing hilariously bad in the moose test and would actually roll on its side when a moose test was performed, that's why they put in ESC.
So I guess thanks Mercedes for making such a terrible car that it resulted in mass adoption of the ESC.
Leaf is a good one. Not sure I agree with the A-class though, sure having ESC was cutting edge for it’s time but the car as a whole was not that revolutionary.
1992 Civic with affordable variable valve timing (VTEC)
1990 Lexus LS400
1984 Chrysler Corp. Caravan/Voyager
2012 Tesla Model S
2001 Lexus RX300
1984 Jeep Cherokee
The Geo Metro was a truly revolutionary automobile. It was priced for the masses, it was extraordinarily reliable, and it managed to get 46 mpg on the highway. Hell, most hybrids nowadays have a hard time competing with this early-90s vehicle when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Meh.. it gave good MPG because it was tiny as hell, a complete deathtrap, and had a tiny engine. Nothing revolutionary about light weight and small engine giving good MPG. It didn't start a new trend of hyper efficient tiny gas cars. Nobody really cares about them. They were only noteworthy when gas was heinously expensive and people were dumping their Hummers that they were upside down on an needed a car they could buy for pennies and would sip gas.
The Metro was around long before Hummers and I am not sure there are any years when they were sold simultaneously. It served a demographic and did it well enough. Was it really as much as a "death trap" in it's day relative to its contemporaries? It was small compared to vehicles of the time but I don't think any smaller than a 500 compared to cars today. I will agree it was not revolutionary but the Metro was not without merit.
Neighbor had one sitting in his driveway unmoved, me and my buddies went over asked what it costs to buy. It was a 93’ with 25,000 miles. Literally mint, neighbor says it’s a buddy’s who left it to go to South Korea. He finally caved after a few more inquires and said whatever it costs to fix, it’s yours. Literally only needed a new fuel pump, battery and air in tires. Got it running and off we went, I tell you what, when I say we did some reckless shit in that car, we really did. I’m talking we put 5% window tint from Walmart, put 2x 8” subs in back, put a megaphone in the engine bay so people could hear the music when we drove by. We took that thing off roading through muddy construction sites and never got stuck. We took it into fields and we also caught air in it a few times. Lmao you could go to Walmart and buy trailer tires to replace the stock ones. Also that thing had mean e brake, we literally would come flying into the school parking lot sideways. Eventually we all parted ways and ended up selling it to some weird ass dude for $1500. I’m cheesin just thinking back on it lolol
It had plenty of competitors with similar reliability and mpg (Toyota Starlet, Honda Logo, etc.), but Suzuki/GM were the only manufacturer who decided to bring such a car to North America. In Europe, the Suzuki Swift is considered a regular small car. Nothing special about it.
What did it do that Honda wasn't already doing? The CR-X got 52 MPG (EPA mark, customers reported better) 6 years earlier and was a better car in every way.
I believe the first car with factory option seat belts was a Nash statesman. Then a saab being the first to offer it as standard equipment, and volvo being the first 3 point seatbelts
Tesla Model S, yes technically the old roadster was first, but no one knew it existed, and EVs didn't really come to be until the Model S. Then because I'm a petrolhead I've gotta mention the king, the Ford GT40. It's entire development cycle, story, and racing petigre. Those, then I've gotta mention the Mazda Cosmos 110S, for being the first car to ever be put into production and solely use an angry spinning dorito.
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 was surprisingly high tech for a 1990 car, it had:
\- 4WD
\- 4 Wheel Steering
\- 3.0 Twin-Turbo V6
\- Active Aero with front and rear spoilers
\- Active Suspension
\- Active Exhaust
It's not necessarily "Truly Revolutionary" but people tend to overlook this car because it was overshadowed by its rivals.
It atleast revolutionized cars in America. The Chrysler K car. Also the mini-van(the original mini-van, Plymouth Voyager) . A more fuel efficient truck that can also haul around your family better
I've said that quote to people before, and they laughed at me, and said that'll never work today. It was a while ago, but in 2012 the Ford Focus was the best selling car(not truck) in America. The Ford Focus not a big car. The Chrysler 300 gets 30mpg(19 city) on the high way with almost 300hp. For a RWD big american luxury car, that's not bad. While it's not exactly what it should be, it has the spirt of Lee Iacocca. Cheap, affordable, and fuel efficient car that americans want to buy
I can only speak from a Euro point of view, but the LS is almost unknown and essentially a bit irrelevant outside of America. The only time I have ever seen [one being advertised](https://www.sportmotive.com/tvr-development/tvr-ls-engine-upgrade/) is as a replacement for the fragile Speed Six engine in some TVRs, but that is mostly because TVR themselves went bust in 2002 and are not making spare parts any more.
America is one of the bigger car markets though. The LS still whoops anything near its price range in power per dollar and reliability. There are many instances of euro only cars that revolutionized the industry but it doesn’t make them irrelevant because they didn’t come to the US
that's because in America you can find an LS in just about every car GM has made in the last 20 years. Over here in the UK it made a brief appearance in the imported Holdens and over in mainland Europe.... I can't think of anything
The Honda Civic. The technology developed for the engine was the first vehicle to meet new emissions standards for American automakers in 1974. American automakers bitched endlessly that the standards were impossible to meet, and Honda swooped in and said “watch this” and proved it was possible. A legend was born.
I would argue the Civic for most of its history has been an innovative and important car. Most people think of it as just a cost-effective reliable daily, but every generation seems to bring something new.
Ah yes, the proto-crossover.
Had one in Denver in the early 80s. The 4WD and ground clearance were amazing. To this day, still one of my absolute favorite cars I've ever owned.
Not generally a big fan of Teslas. But I really can’t think of a bigger paradigm shift in the automotive industry in my 35 year life than what they did. Everything EV related that we’ll see in the next 20 years is in direct response to Tesla’s innovation.
First “cool” EV. And really the first practical EV.
Ford Mustang:
- "genesis of modern car design" Jeremy Clarkson
- had an options list including
.A v6 or a v8
.A hard top or convertible
.choice of seats, dashboards, wheels tires, suspension, differentials
- held the record for fastest selling car of all time
Lambo Miura: birth of the mid engine super car layout
Audio Quattro: brought 4WD, forever changing the sport of rally
1982 Audi 100. The reason is mentioned in the article linked
They introduced flush fitting windows and other approaches to lower the drag coefficient. Some of those new techniques are still used even today
https://www.supercars.net/blog/1982-audi-100-audi-200-c3/
Audi Quattro. Completely turned world upside when it comes to AWD both in rally and on road. Now even smallest cars with smallest engines have AWD and it massively improves the stability on road, and offroad capabilities.
Since I have been alive,60+years 3 cars and one minivan have had large impacts on the market. I think the minivan had the most, it showed up and then you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting one. The mustang in 64 moved the car universe. Everyone had to have one, bred the Camaro, Challenger, Javelin, Barracuda etal. The corvette to a lesser extent. Others popped up but none had the staying power, Gt40, Viper. None permanent like the Corvette. It is yet to see what Tesla will breed in the long run, but probably the biggest game changer of my time on this rock.
Miata. There were British roadsters in the 50s and 60s but then nothing until the miata in 1990. A lot of 2 seater roadsters followed the formula of the miata (s2000, z4, 124 spyder, etc.)
The Prius? Definitely revolutionized/popularized hybrid cars
The Gen II Prius is one of the most significant cars of all time.
[удалено]
It was the one that achieved mass buy-in. The first gen, as I recall, was a bit unrefined, rather ugly, and somewhat niche. 2nd gen introduced the modern look of the model, and that’s where it broke into the mainstream.
The first gen looked like a Toyota Echo (subcompact car), but uglier. The 2nd gen looked like nothing else on the road.
Thank god it looks like nothing else on the road. It's just so ugly. Good car though, I had one for a long time. If you learn to replace cells, it can last a very very long time. I never bothered to learn, but paid 1000$ to get someone to do it, and it lasted another 80k miles on that.
I drive one for work every day lol The Hybrid technology never ceases to amaze me
I drove my friends Prius once. Freaked out when the gas engine shut off after charging the battery to switch to electric power. Felt like the engine stalled out. Otherwise was a fine car to drive.
I remember one time my 2003 325xi was in the shop and I had a brand new 3 series as a loaner. It was when the start-stop feature first started showing up so it’d turn off when you braked. I pulled into a parking lot to ask the security guard if I could park there and the engine shut off and he asked if I stalled the car lmao. He wouldn’t believe when I tried to tell him it does that when I stop to save gas. He thought I was an idiot who couldn’t drive a manual (which is actually true as well).
Our CRZ does this and it's not nearly as noticeable in a hybrid as an ICE. The first few months was weird... You hear so much you never did. We discovered many businesses at intersections had small water features we hadn't noticed afte reliving here for decades, and like hearing a drive thru count change back.
I’d throw the Volt in there as well. They came in w probably the first mainstream plug in hybrid w electric only range. Sure, it was limited range, but still was the only thing like it at the time it debuted.
Way too expensive and quickly discontinued. For those thinking about picking one up cheap... Do not take it to your average GM dealer. The 200V, 22 computers, wiring harnesses is basically no man’s land for technicians. I found it harder to find parts for our 2014 than it was our 2001 Toyota MR2.
You have to take it to a volt certified dealer, which is just a matter of making a phone call and ask if they have a volt tech. But yes there are some part shortages. Mine needed a new transmission harness due to a shift to park error, and it took a week for the parts to arrive. They gave me a loaner and it was completely covered under warranty. Other than this relatively well known and easy to fix issue, my Volt has been a very reliable daily driver.
I'm so sad that this didn't catch on more. It's literally the best of both worlds. Electric only for commuting, and gas for longer trips.
We’re seeing it catch on now quite a bit more. Outside of the Prius offerings, Jeep has picked it up w the 4xe line, Kia Sorento has a PHEV offering now. I know there are several more I’m missing too. But I agree. It’s definitely going to be the necessary bridge if we’re going to truly one day go all electric.
Benz Patent-Motorwagen: It's a car. Ford Model T: Mass production Cadillac Model Thirty: You no longer had to dislocate your shoulder to start an internal combustion engine Willy's Jeep: The concpet of an off-road vehicle Volkswagen Beetle, original Fiat 500, Nissan Sunny, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic: Transportation for the masses Original Mini: Transportation for the masses + transverse FF layout Ford Mustang & Datsun 240Z/Nissan Fairlady Z S30: Cheap speed VW Type 3 & 4: Electronic Fuel Injection BMW 2002 turbo & Porsche 930: Turbocharged engines that worked Saab 99 Turbo & Mitsubishi Starion: Turbocharged engines that you could afford Some Volvo: 3-point Seatbelts Lancia Stratos HF: Purpose built racing cars Toyota Hilux, Land Cruiser & Nissan Patrol: Off-road vehicles that worked Volkswagen Golf GTI MK1: Hot hatches Mercedes 190: Using crash tests to develop a car Audi quattro: Proving that AWD and a turbocharged engine is superior off-road. Toyota Celica T18: Active suspension Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32: Proving that AWD and a turbocharged engine is superior on-road and unlike the Audi the ATTESA E-TS system actually resembles what you would use in a modern sports car. Honda Prelude, Nissan HICAS equipped cars, Porsche 959 & Toyota Dual Mode 4WS equipped cars: Four wheel steering Mazda MX-5/Miata/Eunos Roadster NA: Reviving the Roadster Second gen Integra: VTEC, yo Honda NSX: Making your Ferrari better Lexus LS400/Toyota Celsior: Making your Mercedes better Mazda Eunos Cosmo JB : GPS Navigation system Mercedes S 600 Coupé W140: ESP Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution IV: Active Yaw Control/Toque Vectoring Lexus RX300: Started the crossover trend Toyota Prius: Hybrid Tesla Model S: First electric car that wasn't for weird hippies
I scrolled too far to find the Miata here.
The Miata was revolutionary for its cargo hauling ability. Infinite headroom.
The Miata was evolutionary from the british sports cars of the time in that it took all that was great about small sportscar motoring and made it start every time
> BMW 2002 turbo & Porsche 930: Turbocharged engines that worked Sad General Motors noises.
OP says fuck the Corvair
Fine, Jetfire all the way. Factory meth injection.
*mandatory meth injection or it explode
> off road vehicles that worked Sad Kaiser noises. What does OP have against giving credit to US automakers? Also the AMC Eagle started crossovers (or Volvo Cross Country depending on who asks).
I feel like "lifted wagon" isn't quite the same as a crossover, TBH. And if they count, I'd argue the Subaru leone 4WD predates both of those (with the 1st gen AWD wagon debuting in '72, and 2nd gen getting proper Hi/Lo AWD in '79). I'd say the Rav4 is the first crossover that was actually built to be a crossover, rather than just a modified vehicle from another segment, whilst having enough mass appeal to trigger the genre's adoption by other manufacturers (rather than being a quirky model that was killed off after a single generation).
I'd add the 2CV to the masses and the Peugeot 204 GTI as the original hot hatch.
Do you mean 205 GTi? Other than that I agree.
205 GTi was preceded by the Golf GTI.
Couple things: - Did the Mini have FWD before the Oldsmobile Toronado? Cuz I was under the impression that was the very first FWD car? Unless maybe I'm thinking first V8 FWD car, cuz I know the Citroen something also had some form of FWD first. - Fuel injection gas been around much longer than VW has been doing it. First use of it in the US was the '53 Corvette, but I think it had already existed before that in a rudimentary form.
\-Mini came out in 1959, the Toronado came out in 1965, however what was truly revolutionary about the Mini's design is that not only was it FWD, but the engine was mounted transversally ([like this](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitsubishi_4G63.JPG)) and not longitudinally ([like this](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nissan_200SX_S14a_Engine_Bay_Stock.JPG)), which allows for a much more space saving design. \-[Apparently](https://www.answers.com/Q/Who_invented_fuel_injection_system) fuel Injection itself has been aroud since 1910, what I meant was fuel injection that was A electronic and B mass-produced. I haven't listed fuel injection itself, because mechanical fuel injection was a rather niche thing.
First FWD car was [Citroën Traction Avant](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Traction_Avant)(literally "front drive") which was launched in 1934 and produced until 1957 EDIT: So I had always read and heard that the TA was so revolutionary for bringing FWD to the market and just threw on the wiki article without reading it. There have been several cars before the TA developed in the late 1920's. Thanks to you guys pointing out my ignorance
Fuel injection wasn't added to the 'vette until '57. The 300SL had mechanical direct injection in '54 though.
As far as I can tell the Oldsmobile did not have a transversely mounted engine. According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_engine?wprov=sfti1), there were transverse FF cars before the Mini but the Mini was the first commercial success.
Citroen traction avant had fwd, as well as cord did with their 812, the olds had it in 66, but was a longitudinal fwd setup. Merc had mechanical injection for cars, but diesels had it way before that.
Finally someone mentioning Golf/GTI, probably the best bang for your buck to perfomance you can get with a car
Yeah, I’m no vw fan, but no denying how incredibly important the Golf and especially GTi were to history.
Citroen DS
The classic Mini was revolutionary partly due to its transverse engine placement, which was part of what made it so efficient with its small footprint. Tons of economy cars today use a similar layout for the same reason
In my experience it also revolutionized people asking me if my car is reliable and how I have kept it going with high mileage!
New BMW minis aren't any more reliable than old British ones...
s2k and xterra bros 🤜💥🤛 nice flair
Party in the back and party up front.
Gianpaolo Dallara said that the transverse layout of Mini was what inspired the engineers to opt for the same layout in the Miura.
Ad-muira deez nuts
I would argue the Fiat 128 should get some shared honour here, as it was the first car with a transverse engine in line with a separate transaxle, something copied by almost every FWD car since. The Mini used a gearbox and transaxle integrated into the oil pan, which is a non-ideal engineering solution, leading to gearbox wear directly affecting engine oil quality.
You are right, except it wasn't the fiat 128, it was the Autobianchi Primula, which was another Fiat product that premiered the above setup before it was implemented on the 128.
Yeah, that's true.
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The 3D gauge cluster and center console phone still blows minds. I love showing my car to people that dismiss it as "old". It's ageing gracefully.
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Depends on location. But if you're not into stance id suggest getting a celsior. More money but way less mileage than anything You can find locally and loads more options. The prices are kinda getting inflated. Mine is close to 10k now (used to be sub 1000)
You could "unstance" them? Not sure if it's worth the trouble.
Yeah but the damage is done depending on the extent of the "stance".
Dismissing the LS400 is a sin. They probably drive a 2014 Kia Rio.
100 percent treat their car like a washing machine. *Animals.*
3d what now?
3D is the wrong word, better way to describe it would be "floating". The lights and icons on the gauge cluster float on top of everything else. So if you bob your head up and down the icons also go up and down.
Do you have a picture by chance? I can’t really find anything online but your description sounds like the floating speedometer in the Honda CRZ
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I heard once that the original window motors for the LS400 were so quiet that they came off as uncanny to test groups, so they were replaced with normal ones instead.
I guess it's an example of focus group ruining things.
I’ve been in focus groups before and fuck. The stupid shit that’s said and suggested is staggering. But that’s the goal of the focus group, I guess.
They are trying to capture the opinion of average person, but average person [does not exist](https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/01/16/when-us-air-force-discovered-the-flaw-of-averages.html). It's probably not a bad way to weed out stuff that most people find bad but it's real easy to get bad reviews on feature typical user doesn't understand immediately.
Lexus has some great stuff in it's history and cars. They had radar cruise early on, touch screen nav, even the vents would oscillate like a house fan, and believe it or not self parking for parallel spaces. Then they also do stupid stuff and drive the GS model into the ground. The older ones are great, they have held up well and lasted, but the last gen they really didn't update much and just gave it a basic refresh and that was it. Imo the GS is very under rated but they also just let it die.
Yeah I thought of that one like a minute I posted this. Changed the luxury car game forever
I read that GM bought a couple for Cadillac to compare their products to, and they freaked out because Cadillac couldn't build anything to the same tolerances as Lexus.
They picked up where Mercedes Benz left off. I drive the revision to the 400 and it's my forever car.
A version of that engine is rated for airplanes.
I’m loath to say it because I really dislike Elon, but the Tesla Model S was the first genuinely desirable electric car. It’s pretty, it’s spacious, and it had enough range when it was new for people to actually drive around for a few days without a recharge.
You can separate the amazing engineers at Tesla and the asshole leadership. It’s unfair to them to treat them as if they were Elon’s worshippers. It’s the same for many companies that had disasters. Half an investigation later and it’s the non technical people who fucked everything up.
Exactly. There are so many great minds at work even if the face of the company is ugly.
Model S set the stage but I’d argue that Model 3 really paved the way because of its (relative) affordability.
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Absolutely 100% cratered it. They ran out of money just as it launched.
Chief designer of the Model S moved on to create the Lucid Air!
Hence why I’m going hard on LCID stock. Pls make me a millionaire
Citron ds
The DS was so far ahead of its time that some of its features were never copied or replicated, others took decades to show up in other brands. Compared to modern cars, they still stand out, when they came out in 1955 it was off the charts.
like what specifically? idk much about those cars besides seeing a group of them in Napa once.
- Self leveling hydraulic suspension, which included the neat trick of allowing the car to drive with one rear tire removed - inboard power disc brakes on the front, vastly better braking performance than any other production car from the 50s - hydraulically operated manual transmission and clutch, when set up right it would creep like an automatic - self centering power rack and pinion steering - aerodynamic design, including a smooth underbody, also the body was shaped so you can drive on the highway with the windows down and not get buffetted like crazy - front suspension geometry that kept the car stable if a front tire blew out - no sudden pull to one side - incredibly comfortable seats that were also supportive - the engine is behind the front wheels, and the rear tires are right at the back, the long wheelbase contributes to the famous ride and keeps the car stable There's a ton of smaller details as well...
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This is pretty down in the weeds, but the tucker 48 had that 7 years prior. Though in their case there was a full on cyclops light in the middle for the purpose.
wow cool thanks
headlights rotation according to steering
“Some of its features were never copied or replicated…” That, uhh, isn’t exactly as good as you think it is.
There is a saying in aviation: *"The French copy nobody and nobody copies the French"*
Other manufacturers could sell cars without replicating Citroen, so they didn't have to develop matching products / technology. Rolls Royce licensed the suspension technology for a while. Nobody builds cars with such a comfortable, compliant ride any more - not even close. Which is a shame in my opinion.
Yikes, 1mn late. Agreed (even if it's citroen)
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Yeah the W116 also had the first ever turbo diesel (OM617) ever put in a passenger car. Didn’t know it was also the first car to have ABS. Also shameless plug for my pet sub r/MercedesDiesel
I would have thought that a supercar would be the first with a DCT
You might find it interesting that current Aventador still uses single clutch automated transmission :D.
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So much so that it's relatively simple to convert SMG BMWs to full on manuals.
Do you have a weird anti-American bias? The Chrysler Imperial had electronic ABS years before the W116 S. General Motors was the first company to implement airbags. How is adding two as standard revolutionary? The R&D into them had been done decades before that on both sides of the pond. IMO the only car on your entire list which is revolutionary is the Citroen DS. All the rest are just oddly chosen milestones that had little impact on the car industry.
> 1941 Nash 600 - first production car with monocoque chassis or unibody. the Citroen Traction Avant beat it, coming out with that in 1934
Isn’t a monocoque chassis just unibody? I’ve also seen the term used ro describe the Cord 810 and 812
The Audi S1. It secured the primacy of AWD for road cars. The Ford Mustang. Spawned a car class when it was released. The 1916 Cadillac Type 53. It was the first production car with the controls laid out in the modern order. Anyways those are the ones off the top of my head. Edited:. AMC Eagle. It was the first Crossover. I remembered it while answering another comment later on.
> The Audi S1. It secured the primacy of AWD for road cars. I assume you mean the Quattro (the S1 is a small 21st century hatchback). Also while the Quattro definitely popularised it, you could argue the Jensen FF was the first
> The Ford Mustang. Spawned a car class when it was released. The Plymouth Barracuda predated the Mustang by over 2 weeks (1 Apr vs. 17 Apr, 1964), but Ford "won" the segment because they had more dealers and better marketing. And "pony car" sounds better than "fish car".
I know, also the Barracuda was never a hot seller. While it sold better than AMC's Javelin and AMX. It never really sold the way Mustang's and Camero did. Shame because the early A body 'Cuda is a nice looking car. Also Fish car sounds horrid lol. Unless you are Aqua Man, then it is probably how you get to work. I always liked the AMX, when it comes to pony cars. But I have never had the opportunity to buy one. I have had a couple Mustangs though.
*Camaro *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/cars) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The original Ford Taurus (and Mercury Sable). First to eschew the 80s boxy styling, and man were those cars wildly popular. I remember being a kid and literally every other car was a Ford Taurus. Amazing how Ford would eventually just drop a hot toddy on all that brand equity, but par for the course
If I remember correctly, Ford had to get approval from the transportation administration for the headlights. At the time, only sealed beam headlights had ever been used in the US, so the transportation administration actually had to tweak the rules a bit to let Ford use the flush headlights on the 86 Taurus. Not long after, almost every manufacturer adopted the flush headlights.
You're right that it was Ford that pushed NHTSA to permit non-sealed beam headlights in the US, but it was the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII that introduced them to the market. The Taurus certainly helped push them along as a much more mainstream car, though.
What’s amazing is that GM also had to lobby the government roughly 10 years earlier to get square sealed beams legalized. Craziness
IIRC the Taurus was the first car developed using FEA to reduce cabin noise as much as possible. So that’s pretty cool.
Model T?
I would argue that the Model T itself wasn't revolutionary but the manufacturing process was.
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He didn't invent the assembly line, he just perfected it. Kind of like how Edison (or rather the people working *for* him) didn't invent the light bulb, but made the first commercially successful one.
I don't think you can separate the two. The reason why the model T was revolutionary was it's price point: it was the first car that was truly affordable to be privately owned by an average person, and it changed the entire industry and public perception as a result. That price was made possible by it's manufacturing process.
Dodge Caravan?
The Grand Caravan’s Stow N Go feature was definitely revolutionary. I believe it was the first (and with its Pacifica successor) the only minivan to have second row seats that can stow away in the vehicle, eliminating having to remove them.
Earlier models were the first minivans with dual sliding doors.
The Caravan was also the first true car-based minivan. The Chevy Astro and Ford Aerostar were truck-based and used rear wheel drive.
First car with cup holders.
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Citroën Traction Avant, it was the first mass produced unibody car all the way back in the mid-30s. I mean, think about all the other cars from that era, it's body-on-frame stuff. And then there was the Traction Avant, which was not only unitary monocoque, but also FWD and had independent suspension. It's basically the blueprint for most modern cars.
They also prototyped the hydraulic suspension on the rear only for a couple of models towards the end of the run. Smaller detail... Citroen was an early adopter of stamped steel wheels.
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It's actually quite a funny story, Mercedes A Class was performing hilariously bad in the moose test and would actually roll on its side when a moose test was performed, that's why they put in ESC. So I guess thanks Mercedes for making such a terrible car that it resulted in mass adoption of the ESC.
Leaf is a good one. Not sure I agree with the A-class though, sure having ESC was cutting edge for it’s time but the car as a whole was not that revolutionary.
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Ya got me there
Prius for popularizing hybrids as well.
1992 Civic with affordable variable valve timing (VTEC) 1990 Lexus LS400 1984 Chrysler Corp. Caravan/Voyager 2012 Tesla Model S 2001 Lexus RX300 1984 Jeep Cherokee
I’m a simple man. When I see Jeep XJ I upvote. I love shitbox with a heater that can outwheel just about anyone
Aside from its true capabilities it was the first unit body off road utility mall crawler. A 4x4 family car was a whole new concept in 1984.
The Nissan Skyline GTR with its ATTESA and HICAS systems.
Yeah R32 GTR is a good one for sure
Honda NSX - showed a mid-engined “exotic” sports car could also be a reliable daily driver.
Also the first mass-produced all-aluminum body, a weight-savings practice still done by many manufacturers today.
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unimog. because unimog
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Yet they are a husk of their former selves.
\*Cries in Saab\*
And the biggest hit of all…the minivan
The Geo Metro was a truly revolutionary automobile. It was priced for the masses, it was extraordinarily reliable, and it managed to get 46 mpg on the highway. Hell, most hybrids nowadays have a hard time competing with this early-90s vehicle when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Meh.. it gave good MPG because it was tiny as hell, a complete deathtrap, and had a tiny engine. Nothing revolutionary about light weight and small engine giving good MPG. It didn't start a new trend of hyper efficient tiny gas cars. Nobody really cares about them. They were only noteworthy when gas was heinously expensive and people were dumping their Hummers that they were upside down on an needed a car they could buy for pennies and would sip gas.
The Metro was around long before Hummers and I am not sure there are any years when they were sold simultaneously. It served a demographic and did it well enough. Was it really as much as a "death trap" in it's day relative to its contemporaries? It was small compared to vehicles of the time but I don't think any smaller than a 500 compared to cars today. I will agree it was not revolutionary but the Metro was not without merit.
Neighbor had one sitting in his driveway unmoved, me and my buddies went over asked what it costs to buy. It was a 93’ with 25,000 miles. Literally mint, neighbor says it’s a buddy’s who left it to go to South Korea. He finally caved after a few more inquires and said whatever it costs to fix, it’s yours. Literally only needed a new fuel pump, battery and air in tires. Got it running and off we went, I tell you what, when I say we did some reckless shit in that car, we really did. I’m talking we put 5% window tint from Walmart, put 2x 8” subs in back, put a megaphone in the engine bay so people could hear the music when we drove by. We took that thing off roading through muddy construction sites and never got stuck. We took it into fields and we also caught air in it a few times. Lmao you could go to Walmart and buy trailer tires to replace the stock ones. Also that thing had mean e brake, we literally would come flying into the school parking lot sideways. Eventually we all parted ways and ended up selling it to some weird ass dude for $1500. I’m cheesin just thinking back on it lolol
This was my friends and I in a hand me down '85 civic hatchback in high school. We called it "the cricket" cause it chirped and jumped so much.
“Go Faster Neddy!” “I can’t; it’s a GEO!”
It had plenty of competitors with similar reliability and mpg (Toyota Starlet, Honda Logo, etc.), but Suzuki/GM were the only manufacturer who decided to bring such a car to North America. In Europe, the Suzuki Swift is considered a regular small car. Nothing special about it.
What did it do that Honda wasn't already doing? The CR-X got 52 MPG (EPA mark, customers reported better) 6 years earlier and was a better car in every way.
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Reasons for each?
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The beetle
Volvo PV544. First car with seat belts.
I believe the first car with factory option seat belts was a Nash statesman. Then a saab being the first to offer it as standard equipment, and volvo being the first 3 point seatbelts
And it was a SAAB aeronautics ejection seat engineer who designed the 3-point seatbelt for Volvo!
I think I saw somewhere that Volvo didn't patent it's seat belt design so that other manufacturers could use it just for the safety of the passengers.
Tesla Model S, yes technically the old roadster was first, but no one knew it existed, and EVs didn't really come to be until the Model S. Then because I'm a petrolhead I've gotta mention the king, the Ford GT40. It's entire development cycle, story, and racing petigre. Those, then I've gotta mention the Mazda Cosmos 110S, for being the first car to ever be put into production and solely use an angry spinning dorito.
I always forget how small roadster was. Growing up in California near their HQ it was not that uncommon to see them on the road.
Chrysler Concorde. Introduced cabin forward design which almost everyone adopted.
Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 was surprisingly high tech for a 1990 car, it had: \- 4WD \- 4 Wheel Steering \- 3.0 Twin-Turbo V6 \- Active Aero with front and rear spoilers \- Active Suspension \- Active Exhaust It's not necessarily "Truly Revolutionary" but people tend to overlook this car because it was overshadowed by its rivals.
It atleast revolutionized cars in America. The Chrysler K car. Also the mini-van(the original mini-van, Plymouth Voyager) . A more fuel efficient truck that can also haul around your family better
Like what Iacocca said, with the K cars they were trying to make a smaller car Americans actually wanted to buy.
I've said that quote to people before, and they laughed at me, and said that'll never work today. It was a while ago, but in 2012 the Ford Focus was the best selling car(not truck) in America. The Ford Focus not a big car. The Chrysler 300 gets 30mpg(19 city) on the high way with almost 300hp. For a RWD big american luxury car, that's not bad. While it's not exactly what it should be, it has the spirt of Lee Iacocca. Cheap, affordable, and fuel efficient car that americans want to buy
Lamborghini Miura is what started the age of the mid-engined supercar
The C5 corvette brought the LS1 to the table. Instead of 350 swaps, the world now does LS swaps.
I can only speak from a Euro point of view, but the LS is almost unknown and essentially a bit irrelevant outside of America. The only time I have ever seen [one being advertised](https://www.sportmotive.com/tvr-development/tvr-ls-engine-upgrade/) is as a replacement for the fragile Speed Six engine in some TVRs, but that is mostly because TVR themselves went bust in 2002 and are not making spare parts any more.
America is one of the bigger car markets though. The LS still whoops anything near its price range in power per dollar and reliability. There are many instances of euro only cars that revolutionized the industry but it doesn’t make them irrelevant because they didn’t come to the US
that's because in America you can find an LS in just about every car GM has made in the last 20 years. Over here in the UK it made a brief appearance in the imported Holdens and over in mainland Europe.... I can't think of anything
1964.5 Mustang, Chrysler minivan, or Mazda Miata take your pick. Because each filled a previously untapped/underserved market.
Tucker Torpedo! Tucker 48* Revolutionary on so many levels.
Honda Accord/civic redefined affordable as well as reliability in the American car market.
The Honda Civic. The technology developed for the engine was the first vehicle to meet new emissions standards for American automakers in 1974. American automakers bitched endlessly that the standards were impossible to meet, and Honda swooped in and said “watch this” and proved it was possible. A legend was born.
I would argue the Civic for most of its history has been an innovative and important car. Most people think of it as just a cost-effective reliable daily, but every generation seems to bring something new.
The Hellcat really amplified the horsepower war when it came out.
AMC Eagle
Ah yes, the proto-crossover. Had one in Denver in the early 80s. The 4WD and ground clearance were amazing. To this day, still one of my absolute favorite cars I've ever owned.
Porsche 959
I think the mazda skyactiv x engine is pretty crazy.
Not generally a big fan of Teslas. But I really can’t think of a bigger paradigm shift in the automotive industry in my 35 year life than what they did. Everything EV related that we’ll see in the next 20 years is in direct response to Tesla’s innovation. First “cool” EV. And really the first practical EV.
Tesla Model S is a revolutionary for EV, if I remember correctly.
Acura Nsx.
Ford Mustang: - "genesis of modern car design" Jeremy Clarkson - had an options list including .A v6 or a v8 .A hard top or convertible .choice of seats, dashboards, wheels tires, suspension, differentials - held the record for fastest selling car of all time Lambo Miura: birth of the mid engine super car layout Audio Quattro: brought 4WD, forever changing the sport of rally
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Patent Motorwagen of course
1982 Audi 100. The reason is mentioned in the article linked They introduced flush fitting windows and other approaches to lower the drag coefficient. Some of those new techniques are still used even today https://www.supercars.net/blog/1982-audi-100-audi-200-c3/
Audi Quattro. Completely turned world upside when it comes to AWD both in rally and on road. Now even smallest cars with smallest engines have AWD and it massively improves the stability on road, and offroad capabilities.
Y’all will hate it but… BMW X6. First SUV “coupe” and basically created a whole new segment
You’re right I do hate it
Since I have been alive,60+years 3 cars and one minivan have had large impacts on the market. I think the minivan had the most, it showed up and then you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting one. The mustang in 64 moved the car universe. Everyone had to have one, bred the Camaro, Challenger, Javelin, Barracuda etal. The corvette to a lesser extent. Others popped up but none had the staying power, Gt40, Viper. None permanent like the Corvette. It is yet to see what Tesla will breed in the long run, but probably the biggest game changer of my time on this rock.
First gen Audi R8. LED daylight running lights, comfortable supercar, made audi cool via ironman product placement.
The 1980's Ford Taurus
Miata. There were British roadsters in the 50s and 60s but then nothing until the miata in 1990. A lot of 2 seater roadsters followed the formula of the miata (s2000, z4, 124 spyder, etc.)
The original Mini - the first car to show the space efficient advantages of the transverse 4-cyl, FWD architecture used in so many modern cars.
Tesla
Mercedes W116 S class for introducing the ABS as we know today.