Welcome to our first top five Tuesday! While the car industry is always active with the big names making updates to their vehicles every year, there always a few cars that will have to wait longer than others, some of them wait much longer than others to get and update. There are a lot of factors that can make a car outdated, from it’s power and handling to its technology and even down to its looks all together.
Honorable mentions
Porsche 718
Lexus GS
The Porsche Boxster and Cayman are both great cars that are driver focused, and they have remained an easy way to get into the vast world of exotic cars. The only reason the Boxster didn’t make the list is because it was technically updated in 2016 and given a new designation; the 982. The update mainly was a mechanical overhaul, with the 981s flat six being replaced with a turbo flat four producing more power, but the exterior remained almost identical to the previous generation. Porsche recently unveiled the updated Cayman GT4 making 414 horsepower which means the 982 will be around for a bit longer than four years.
The Lexus GS is an amazing car and is one of the only RWD Toyota sedans left, it’s a shame that it was so neglected as it had the potential to be a fierce competitor with the BMW M5 and Mercedes E63. The only reason it didn’t make the list is because Toyota announced that production for the GS will end in August of this year. The GS received its final update in 2015 with some mechanical revisions and an updated grill to fit the rest of the lineup.
#5 - Lincoln Mkz
The Lincoln MKZ is a true warrior as it’s one of the only American luxury sedans left. Don’t let the word luxury trick you, however. The MKZ is more of a regular sedan but with a few more premium bells and whistles. The MKZ still remains as one of the most boring and uninspired luxury sedans with there being absolutely nothing remarkable about it. The MKZ received a facelift in 2017 to bring it up to date with the rest of the lineup. The reason it’s number 10 on this list is because I think Lincoln should replace the car with a more fancy car that fulfills it’s $37,000 price tag and maybe it should adopt a nautical name like the rest of the Lincoln lineup.
#4 - Toyota 86
The Toyota 86/Subaru/Scion FR-S has been around for a while and it really started the sub $30,000 sports car renaissance. The FT86 platform has remained almost the same over seven years aside from the facelift in 2017. In my opinion, Toyota has kind of forgotten about the 86 because they were too busy hyping up the Supra, and for that reason, the 86 probably won’t be updated for another year or two. Fans are still optimistic since ‘leaks’ about a new 86 are always floating around internet. All we know is that the next generation 86/BRZ will have a more power, but that’s it as of right now.
#3 - Toyota 4runner
When someone asks me about an outdated car, I always think about the Toyota 4runner. In recent years, the rest of the Toyota lineup has received complete facelifts while the 4Runner has remained relatively untouched. The SUV definitely has a very handsome and aggressive look to it, but compared to the rest of it’s SUV and Compact brothers, it sticks out quite a bit. The interior and technology also shows its age with only the infotainment system being updated. The 4Runner is one of the first SUVs Toyota ever made and it’s sad to see that they have left the SUV to go on for so long without an update.
#2 - Nissan GT-R
I always see people thrashing the 370z for being outdated. But now Nissan has confirmed a new Z in their recent commercials. Still, only a few people acknowledge that the Nissan GT-R has been in production even longer than the 370z! This year will be its 13th year. The technology of the car is quite aged compared to other exotics in its price range and the interior quality isn’t what one would come to expect with its price. Nissan tries to amend some issues with the Nismo version which is double the price and more track focused, but it still falls short in performance on track when compared to other track focused cars. Nissan is struggling to stay afloat amidst its recent scandal which means the future of the GT-R doesn’t look bright.
#1 - Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger takes everything we would think about performance and just throws it out the window. Car too heavy? No problem! We’ll just throw on a few hundred horsepower! Since Dodge cancelled the Viper; the Challenger is the flagship of Dodge with 12 trims which means there is a challenger for everyone out there, except for the people who want a convertible. The Charger; the Challenger’s four door brother, received a handful of facelifts and updates since 2006 while the Challenger basically hasn’t changed. I’m sure I’m not the only person waiting for an updated Challenger.