TCC\'s Top Wheels for Dad

2003 Infiniti FX45

Infiniti’s sleek new FX45 is one of this year’s hippest new rides for upscale buyers. The FX takes elements of a sport wagon, a luxury sedan, and a muscle car, with some unforgettable design charisma thrown in. Underpinnings are shared with Infiniti’s G35 sport coupe/sedan and Nissan’s 350Z sports car, so its performance and handling match the racy profile. It’s quite possibly the sexiest SUV yet — one that dads won’t hesitate to be seen in.

2003 Infiniti FX45 by Bengt Halvorson (1/24/2003)
Finally, the premium SUV buyers really want?

2002 MINI Cooper S

Cute but not cutesy, MINI’s Cooper S will put some excitement back in dad’s commute. Engineered and built by BMW, the MINI Cooper S is a nimble-handling driver’s car that’s great for the city, with plenty of power (163 hp) from the supercharged 1.6-liter engine, through the standard six-speed-manual shifter. If you do stray to country highways, the Cooper S stays glued to the road, with the stability of a much larger car.

2002 Mini Cooper by Marty Padgett (12/23/2002)
What’s that about small things in good packages?

2004 Volvo S60R

While driving a Volvo didn’t help David Letterman avoid his string of speeding tickets, Volvo’s new S60R is a 300-hp powerhouse that’s stealthy enough to make it look (from a distance) like Dad’s in an ordinary Volvo sedan. All-wheel drive assures all-weather traction, too, so it’s a safe everyday family car with a wild streak. The S60R arguably has the best seats in the business, is Volvo safe and solid, comfortable for long trips, and oh so very fast!

2004 Volvo S60R by Paul A. Eisenstein (3/31/2003)
The staid Swede gets some much needed speed.

2003 Honda Element

Boxy and offbeat, Honda’s Element is already garnering a cult following. Open-wide doors help make it one of the most efficient, practical designs on the market. Marketed as a youth lifestyle vehicle, the Element is actually the perfect vehicle for a family man: macho enough, with a rubber-like floor and built-in drains perfect for messy munchkins. Also perfect for the weekend fishing poles and tackle boxes. And it’s quite a bargain: prices start at around $17,000.

2003 Honda Element by John Pearley Huffman (9/2/2002)
Not just a chip off the periodic table.

2003 Land Rover Range Rover

The all-new Range Rover is back at the top. Rugged-looking on the outside, and absolutely posh on the inside, it makes no compromises. The unique air suspension system helps allow a class-leading ride and crisp handling on-road, yet it’s still capable of clambering up or down rocky slopes that would wreck lesser SUVs. Credit goes to former owner BMW, for the excellent powertrain and much of the design and engineering work, and to Land Rover’s longstanding off-road expertise.

2003 Land Rover Range Rover by Marty Padgett (1/28/2002)
In the oft-repeated words of the locals, “bloody brilliant.”

2002 Aston Martin Vanquish

It’s quite likely that James Bond’s new car of choice would be dad’s dream car. AM’s beautiful Vanquish supercar roars to life with a 460-hp V-12 engine, and puts the power to the road through an F1-style electromechanical paddle-shifter system. Limited to 300 cars per year internationally, with less than 100 bound for the U.S. and a price of nearly $235,000, the Vanquish is a very exclusive vehicle for high-rolling dads who already have it all.

Preview: Aston Martin V12 Vanquish by Paul A. Eisenstein (10/16/2000)
Will Aston’s new technology flagship live up to its powerful name?

2003 Subaru Baja

The modern successor to Subaru’s long-retired Brat (but a step up in size), the Baja is the perfect vehicle for dads who are often hauling around odds and ends — including the kids. There’s real seating for four, and four doors, with a small pickup bed in the back and a pass-through for long items. With full-time all-wheel drive, the Baja handles and performs well — in fact, as well as the proven Legacy Outback from which it’s based — and it’s good on gas, too.

2003 Subaru Baja by John Pearley Huffman (9/3/2002)
Brand extension, bed extension — what’s going on with Subaru’s multifarious Legacy?

2003 Porsche Boxster

So dad wants a real sports car, a flashy one that will be envied by the neighbors? The Boxster is the most satisfying of the basic wind-in-your-hair roadsters overall — and quite possibly still the one with the most curb appeal. Mid-engine packaging allows more cargo space than any of the other roadsters, so you won’t be confined to just a duffle bag. Porsche’s 228-hp, 2.7-liter flat-six (boxer) engine feels plenty powerful and balanced in the standard Boxster, while the Boxster S comes with a 258-hp, 3.2-liter version and upgraded performance hardware.

2003 Porsche Boxster/Boxster S by William L. Sharfman, Ph.D (9/9/2002)
A great roadster gets even better.

2003 Chrysler PT Turbo

Chrysler’s PT Cruiser isn’t quite the attention-getter it was a few years ago, but with a 215-hp turbo engine and performance upgrades available, the new Turbo model is much more fun to drive. Finally, there’s enough power to match its hot-rod styling. The Woodie package has limited appeal, but there are several racier packages (one is called Flame) that dad might appreciate while still in being in a practical, roomy wagon.

2003 Chrysler PT Turbo by Paul A. Eisenstein (3/26/2002)
A retro style now gets some substance.

2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10

The idea: put the Dodge Viper’s 500-hp, all-aluminum V-10 engine into a Dodge Ram pickup. The result: a positively outrageous 150-mph truck that can rocket to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Part teenage fantasy, part real workhorse, this one might even get responsible ol’ dad in trouble for burning rubber in the Home Depot parking lot! Speaking of gas and rubber, it will burn a lot of both, but it’s hard to resist supercar power in the everyday practicality of a pickup!