Continuing with our made-in-the-USA theme, this list of the top 10 American made cars seems fitting right after the 4th of July. Buying American is still a point of pride for many consumers, and even though some American auto makes ended up with a relatively negative reputation, there's no doubt they're seeing surging positivity now.
But what's American made? It would be very easy to confuse matters here as we live in a fully global economy where Hondas are built in Ohio and Chrysler is owned by Fiat—an Italian company. But the concept of a car being “Made in the U.S.A.” even if it was built, designed and engineered somewhere else still goes a long way with many Americans. So for this list we will be sticking to the very best from Ford, GM, Chrysler and all of their many subsidiary brands.
Besides, your next new car may not be 100% “American Made” but that no longer means it is in any way an inferior product next to the Japanese, European and South Korean competition. In fact, many times cars from the Big Three are superior in many ways. Now let’s see who made our list. Is your car on it?
2013 Dodge Charger—Available with Chrysler’s excellent 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 that is powerful and fuel efficient in conjunction with the standard 8-speed automatic, only the power-mad will really require the Hemi fed R/T with the 5.7 liter V8. The insane will require the SRT-8 with over 6 liters of V8 powered accelerative lunacy. Holy moly.
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee—Simply the most luxurious and best built Jeep that has ever been made, this SUV is a success for good reason. Also, it’s built on a Mercedes ML platform, but as we said earlier it’s a world manufacturing economy and brands do well when they borrow from each other's successes.
2013 Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited—Two doors or four, nothing can get you anywhere off-road like this Jeep. Plus, it will make you look cool, and that's the epitome of being American made.
2013 Chevy Cruze—The Focus has no rear legroom, the Dart’s automatic transmission is still a bit harsh but it seems that Chevy got the Cruze right from the beginning. So much so that sales have skyrocketed and this coming model year will see the introduction of a diesel version.
2013 Cadillac ATS—The turbocharged engine, manual transmission option, interior style and handling characteristics are all revelations that will shock BMW owners. In fact, we’d rather have an ATS than a 3-Series. Go America!
2013 Chevy Volt—Sure, it’s pricey but it goes nearly 40 miles on a single electric charge, then a few hundred more miles on the gas engine alone. The best part is how seamlessly smooth all of this technology works in tandem. A work of genius from the future, indeed.
2013 Buick Enclave—Do you need to seat seven or eight real-sized adults in relative comfort on a long road trip? Look no further than this leather, chrome and wood lined luxury liner.
2013 Dodge Durango—All sporty machismo to the Enclave’s more feminine lines and demeanor, you can get a Durango with a thumping R/T 5.7 liter Hemi V8. Which, in fact, we might recommend, as this SUV is no shrinking violet. But it is roomy and quite handsome.
2013 Ford F-150—The gold standard of pick-up trucks. Period. Everyone knows this is true. There's not even anything else left to say about this truck.
2013 Lincoln MKZ—Now, not many luxury sedan buyers shop their local Lincoln dealer, and that is a shame. The latest MKZ is the best looking car put out by the brand in decades. The interior is sumptuous, there is a full length glass roof and the exterior is stylistic perfection. Check it out.