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Skip to main contentLast week, our “Car Buy of the Year,” Top-10 list concentrated on the “best bang for the buck,” with the “green-oriented” 2019 Honda Insight winnin …
Last week, our “Car Buy of the Year,” Top-10 list concentrated on the “best bang for the buck,” with the “green-oriented” 2019 Honda Insight winning top honors. This week, we showcase our “Car of the Year” list, in which we focus on the best car, truck, crossover or SUV and what it delivers, regardless of price – just the pure vehicle – and how it feels to be behind the wheel, although we have something luxurious and “green” on the Car-Buy side as well this year.
For our 15th annual Car of the Year list, we see five countries of origin represented with muscle cars, luxury cars, roadsters, convertibles, “supercars” and that “green” crossover. And while power counts – one vehicle at 755hp and three of the 10 over 600 horses – one car made the list with less than 200 hp. As for price, two (not the No.1 pick) was priced over $100,000, but one also stickered under $35,000; and many cars I tested this year that were priced from $60,000 to $125,000 didn’t make the list.
My rules: To make this list, I must have test driven the car in calendar 2019 and it must have stood out from the pack, had something “extra”, surprised me, impressed me, and satisfied the “car guy” in me, as well as amaze any passengers or onlookers who rode in or saw the vehicle. I test drove 56 different vehicles this year, and after a weeklong (in most cases) assessment as a daily driver and/or track car, I graded each ride in the following categories: Interior; Safety; Power; Handling/Ride; Economy/Price; Looks; Niche-fitting and a Miscellaneous grouping in which I took into consideration the “feel-good” factor and other intangibles.
Last year, the 365-hp turbo Kia Stinger combined power, luxury and elegance from a badge not generally considered to deliver those attributes, to win the crown. This year, a racing icon crossed over and went “green” to produce something unexpected and worthy of the title. Prices reflect sticker-as-tested.
Next week we begin coverage of the 2020s, and we start rating and reviewing style, performance, nuances, improvements and deals on wheels.
> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>
Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals event weekend has, in some form or another, been taking place in May annually since 1986. With 20 …
Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals event weekend has, in some form or another, been taking place in May annually since 1986. With 2020 offering the 35th edition of this international automotive celebration in Carlisle, guests who attend now have a chance to benefit a great cause, all while enjoying the cars, the people and the excitement. For the first time ever at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, instead of a presenting sponsor supporting the event, the event is supporting the sponsor so to speak. From May 15-17, the Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals benefit Driven to Cure!
Since the car community is such a tight-knit group, they often come together to support “one of their own” in times of need. That solidarity will be on display with the aforementioned partnership and benefit car show in May in Carlisle. Founded by car enthusiast Andrew Lee, DTC is a non-profit 501(c3) established to help raise awareness and provide funding for the research of rare kidney cancers like Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC) in children and young adults. Andrew passed away on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019 after a long and courageous battle. Despite his passing, the cause forges on with events, fundraisers, etc. and has raised $600,000 in three years for research.
So, how can Import & Performance Nationals showgoers help? At the May event in Carlisle, DTC will be onsite hosting a show within the show. More so, their showcase serves as the OFFICIAL memorial for Andrew, just over a year after his passing. By doing so, their mix of cars and excitement for Andrew and the hobby he loved so much will be a must-see within Building Y. Plus, while checking out the cars, guests can also meet folks inspired by Andrew. This includes friends, family and fellow car lovers. In addition, Andrew’s car, a customized Nissan GTR complete with a personalized license plate that reads F CANCR will be the centerpiece attraction. The car was supported by BASF during its time at SEMA, Liberty Walk made a replica model of it and the DTC cause gained so much traction that following Andrew’s passing, he received a moment of remembrance at the 2019 Paul Walker Memorial Ride in Canada.
Prior to his passing, Andrew noted the following: “My GTR has proven to be the closest thing I have to a cure for my cancer. Driving the GTR has become a tremendous outlet for me. The places I have gone, the people I have met and the passions I have developed just because of this gift have become the best medicine available.”
“Carlisle Events takes great pride year in and year out by giving back,” noted Carlisle Events co-owner Lance Miller. “This year will be extremely special due to Andrew and Driven to Cure evolving around the automotive hobby. Two great friends introduced me to Bruce, Andrew’s father from DTC and upon our first meeting we knew we had the perfect ingredients for a wonderful way to showcase DTC and even more so, to provide a nice backdrop for a memorial for Andrew as part of our May event,” continued Miller. “Andrew started Driven to Cure to help others. He poured his passion into helping others. We at Carlisle Events want to honor his legacy and help his mission. What better way to do so than to pay tribute to an amazing person that was taken away from this earth way too early. Please join us to celebrate Andrew’s life during the 2020 Import & Performance Nationals event starting May 15, 2020 as we support DTC.“
Event details, including information on the DTC show and how to support it can be found at www.CarlisleEvents.com via the Import & Performance Nationals specific page or by calling 717-243-7855 today!
Carlisle Events is family run and has been since 1974. Not only is Carlisle Events run by two families who happen to share the same last name …
Carlisle Events is family run and has been since 1974. Not only is Carlisle Events run by two families who happen to share the same last name (Miller), those families also believe that every person who comes through the gate should get the family treatment too. That mentality also carries over to its staff, with instances of employee’s kids hanging out at the office during work days, couples working together and of course supporting each other in times of need. It’s the latter of the aforementioned items that has Carlisle Events offering its endorsement to a local business as it takes in food donations in honor of one of its late employees.
Diane Pike passed away in 2018 and she wasn’t just an integral part of Intelliprint Solutions of Harrisburg, she was the mother of Jodi Morrison, a Carlisle Events staff member. Jodi and her mom had a great relationship and her sudden passing around Mothers Day in ’18 was tough, both for their family and the team at Intelliprint Solutions.
Now, more than a year after Diane’s passing, her staff is hosting the food drive in her honor. They, along with Carlisle Events, encourage donations during this season of giving. Items may be donated in person through December 20 at Intelliprint Solutions, located at 3930 Chambers Hill Rd. in Harrisburg or a monetary donation can be made via text to 44321 with the message Intellishare.
Tangible donations should be non-perishable items that come in boxes, cans or plastic bottles. Priority items for this year’s food drive include peanut butter, canned tuna, stew/chili, shelf-stable milk, nuts, trail mix or granola bars, pasta sauce, canned veggies, unsweetened applesauce, canned fruit and Similac advance/stage 3 baby food.
“I can’t really explain how much it means to me that the people my mom worked with are still remembering her after 18 months,” said Jodi who serves as Assistant to the Owners of Carlisle Events. “It is truly a testament of the kind and gracious woman that she was. I miss her every single day!”
Learn more about Project Share and all that they do online now at www.projectsharepa.org and please take time to donate today.
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