The year 2018 was fruitful in terms of car innovations — and yes, many were SUVs and crossovers. Much of the news was predictable, new generations of familiar models; others were unprecedented additions to their makers' ranges, and there was even room for surprises.
Among the hundreds of new models launched, there were a few that stood out.
We've summarized some of the highlights from 2018, without detriment to others. It doesn't mean that they are objectively the best cars to have been released this year, but they are definitely the ones that most captured our attention.
The future may be electric…
If there were an award for the most popular car of all in 2018 — and 2017 and 2016… — that award would have to be given to the Tesla Model 3 . Ok, the first units started to be delivered in 2017, but for all the reasons and more it is, without a doubt, one of the cars of 2018.Whether for its initial quality issues, for the production line issues, or for the report where they dismantled a unit to analyze it down to the last screw, everything seems to have happened to the Model 3. Things seem to be finally getting back on track …
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We were already able to conduct it and soon the Performance version, and we have to admit that it surprised… in a positive way.
But the world of streetcars isn't just about Tesla, although it sometimes seems like it.
We must also highlight the Jaguar I-PACE . It not only anticipated the usual German trio, but brought with it a new set of (very good) proportions, very good performance and autonomy values, and exemplary dynamics — something not always easy to achieve when dealing with excessive weight of electric cars. A bold and surprising bet from Jaguar.
…but this recipe always has a future
Reducing the ballast of our cars is still the best way to make them better. Less weight will have — and if everything else is well executed — positive influences on dynamics and performance, as well as on issues that concern the industry today, such as consumption and emissions.
The most recent example to follow this philosophy is the Alpine A110 , which, in addition to being light, has also managed to remain compact in the face of the gigantic nature of today's cars.
It is lighter than the small hot hatch, which combined with a small engine and “modest” 252 hp allows for features capable of embarrassing higher caliber machines, always with very reasonable consumption. And all accompanied with a dynamic bordering on the sublime.
The recipe is not new, but given the challenges facing the car industry, it should certainly be reconsidered.
Also to be congratulated is the recovery of the Alpine brand — something that has been discussed since the 1990s(!) — with a car that is a refreshing contrast to the rest of the current automotive landscape.
The Super SUV
We leave it up to you whether the selection of these two models was for the best or worst reasons — we are also discussing this at Razão Automóvel — but for that reason they are two of the highlights of the year.
The crossover and SUV craze remains high in 2018, and has spread to even the most unsuspecting builders. These two SUVs, or will be Super SUVs, represent two new extremes in the interpretation of this typology, but for very different reasons.
On the pure performance side we have the Lamborghini Urus . Despite extensive component sharing with other members of the Volkswagen group the numbers are respectable. Urus wants to be to SUVs what Huracán and Aventador are to automobiles. Extremism is not just visible in the numbers it presents; its dimensions and lines are the equivalent of a… “eye opener”.
On the luxury side, we have the giant Rolls-Royce Cullinan , an SUV that promises to take us to the end of the world and back in as much luxury and comfort as possible. We can question why a Rolls-Royce (or Lamborghini) SUV, but if there would have to be a “Rolls-Royce SUV”, nothing better than being the original.
The epic return of struts and stringers
A type of construction in danger of extinction, as we traded capacity for appearance, but 2018 saw its return in a remarkable way. Its innate robustness remains the best solution for off-roading, so it's no wonder that the upcoming models mentioned are all true “civilian” off-road vehicles (the SUV concept taken to its essence) .
THE Mercedes-Benz G-Class , despite being completely revised, remained equal to himself. Super capable off-road, but now more spacious, refined, technological, luxurious and… absurd, this if we refer to the AMG G63…
FCA was also excellent with the new generation of Jeep Wrangler , modernizing it where it was needed — technology, comfort, daily use — but still capable of “climbing walls”. And what other current car on the market can we rip off the top, doors and fold the windshield? Phenomenal. But around here we had an even greater “weakness” for Gladiator, the Wrangler pick-up…
The only model capable of rivaling the Tesla Model 3 in 2018 in media coverage? only if it is the Suzuki Jimmy . It continues to generate enormous fascination and curiosity and the demand for the model is so great that the waiting list already exceeds a year in some markets...
Why all the fuss about Jimny? There's a lot to like, but if we could summarize it in one word it would be authenticity . Unlike most of the crossover and SUV universe, it doesn't want to be multiple things at once.
It has an absolutely refreshing honesty and clarity of focus in these times, and it all conveys it — from its simple, nostalgic design to yet unanimously appealing; to the choices made for your hardware, “artillated” with the right tools for the capabilities it touts and demonstrates.
And you? What caught your attention in 2018?
Read more about what happened in the automotive world in 2018:
- 2018 was like that. The news that “stopped” the automotive world
- 2018 was like that. “In memoriam”. Say goodbye to these cars
- 2018 was like that. Are we closer to the car of the future?
- 2018 was like that. Can we repeat that? The 9 cars that marked us
2018 was like this... In the last week of the year, time for reflection. We remember the events, cars, technologies and experiences that marked the year in an effervescent car industry.