I suppose we should firm up what a perfect car is before attempting to determine what cars come closest to achieving perfection, but I’ll leave the firmification process entirely to you. Does the perfect car balance comfort, power, and handling in equal and high measure? Or does it embody perfection in design and proportion, with other considerations scoring lower? Or is the perfect car the one best-built with precision tolerances and clever engineering to perform impeccably and reliably?
Probably all of the above, with different amounts of each ingredient, and I look forward to reading your criteria and most-perfect selections in the comments. As for me, my choice is a car that I suspect few would choose as the “perfect car” (spoiler alert: it’s the one in the topshot), but hear me out.
Spacer
My Dad was a big Beetle guy, and regularly extolled what he liked about them: they were cheap to purchase and operate, mechanically simple, and thus easy to fix and maintain. “There’s no cooling system to worry about, and you can set the points by the side of the road with a matchbook cover,” he would say. I don’t recall Dad ever actually performing the matchbook trick in the driveway or garage let alone by the side of the road, but I trust that it could be done. My Dad saw the Beetle was the platonic ideal of a car as basic transportation, and that vision stuck with me as well.
Certainly, many – most, even – cars could handily outperform the Beetle even when new examples were rolling off VW assembly lines, and today, a Beetle of any vintage is positively bronze-age compared to the technological miracles we take for granted as we go along our merry ways. But in it’s own way, to me, the Beetle is still very much a perfect car.
Top graphic image: DepositPhotos.com
The Original Mini is a serious contender. It was made for 41 years largely unchanged, brought compact FWD layout to the masses, managed to be both cheap AND stylish, and is a Rally champion.
People still show up to watch them race door to door with American iron at GoodWood FOS.
Whether you need a weekend cruiser, family transportation, or a track car, a Mini will do it well.
The 1999 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (with the 2.5 diesel). It is:
Reliable
Easy to work on
Spacious
Capable of handling mild to mid offroading
Basic, no unnecessary stuff
Has airbags so it’s at least somewhat safe
Extremely practical with the fold-flat rear *and* front seats
Good looking
Right size, high driving position, but not a giant car
Seriously, it’s only downsides are fuel consumption and safety. With the front passenger seat folded flat I believe it has a longer cargo area than a single cab L200 from the same time.
First-gen Mustang
That my friends, is the correct answer!
By your rationale, the Falcon is the winner then…
I’m not knocking the Falcon, but point #1 is timeless styling, the Falcon lags a bit in that category.
My cheap EV (cheap to purchase, cheap to run, cheap to service)
It is fully charged every morning
It is cool when it is warm outside
It is warm when it is cold outside
It is stressless when traffic is bad
It is quick when traffic is good
All I have to do is add wiper fluid and switch between summer and winter tires.
This, I think, might be the correct answer for a modern car.
Unfortunately, EVs are mostly associated with huge, heavy, tech laden and expensive touchscreens.
Whenever someone buys a modern car they think is perfect, I can always reply my cooper SE is cheaper to buy used, cheaper to own and operate, very comfy and still a hoot to drive.
Really good point, luckily we have reached peak screen and are now reverting to physical buttons, knobs and toggles.
The one that fills your needs.
Is it strange, that it is not you, who is emperor of the galaxy?
-New two door Rolls Royce!
Poor and just need to get there?
-Used Chevrolet Spark!
An average person, who just likes a bit of fun?
-Miata!
Miata definitely one of the best cars for people with no kids.
I’d add a may be the Toyota Camry, or Corolla for people who did have kids
Simple to maintain, runs for ever, easy to work on and get parts for.
Toyota Hilux
Mazda Roadster.
EG/EK Civic.
In/around the 90s Japanese cars struck a perfect balance between simplicity and durability.
VW Golf 7th generation – One of the last good cars before it went downhill for VW.
A simple, elegant and understated design from the leadership of Walter da Silva. A roomy and pre-haptic classy interior. A car that looks good, that’s never out of place, fun to drive and practical.
Debate’s over: the 1981 Subaru DL wagon. Manual shift, 4 wheel drive, roof rack, cassette deck, secret center headlight. Perfection!
I never felt the perfect combination of grace, space and pace before or since I had a 1988 Audi 100 (5000) C3/Type44, 5 cylinder 2.2E:
-Really good futuristic yet classic styling.
-Solid tech that just kept going and going, with power to go 200km/h (125) if I wanted.
-Quality and comfort inside and out, and loads of space. Very well insulated too.
BUT the combination of all of the above made it a bit of a compromise, and maybe a little boring in the long run… So now I mostly drive cars scoring very high on design and fun, and not so much on the other parameters: Porsche 356 and Nissan Figaro.
OK, hear me out. A 1954 GMC 100 pickup. Does it ride well? No. Does it handle well? No. Mileage? Ah, no. Creature comforts? Why make me laugh out loud? No. But you can beat the living hell out of it and it just keeps on going. Know any modern vehicle that can really take a frame busting bang off-road?! No.
It’s the most basic everything, you can almost stand in the engine well, the bed has wood flooring you can replace yourself when needed. A/C? You’ve got windows!
Best part it would only cost around 18k new. Now THAT is as close to perfect I can think of.
(Since we are three pages in and it hasn’t been said yet…)
What Car Comes Closest To Perfect? Why anything surrounding the most perfect transmission ever made; The Jatco XTronic CVT of course!
Where has he been lately? I was just thinking about him yesterday.
Jatco posted just yesterday so they’re still around. They don’t seem to be posting as much though.
My theory is they bought a *perfect* car and now they have their hands full with all that perfection to deal with.
Oh, good to know! Yes, if there’s one thing better than reading about cars, it’s working and driving cars! 😉
The Honda Fit is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a perfect car, and if Honda could have been bothered to make an Si variant it may well have been the perfect car.
Surely it’s possible to, ahem, ‘fit’ one together from other Honda parts?
There’s more to it than just hotting up the engine. If I could combine the 197hp, handling, and eagerness of my Fiesta ST with the practicality of the Fit it would be perfect. But it would be a significant project.
Fair.
I never knew there could be a “perfect” car until I found the B9 Audi S5 Sportback. It’s absolutely amazing at everything. Fast. Comfortable. It has buttons! Also, a screen that is actually helpful and not clunky. Good tech when you want it, but also unobtrusive when you don’t. Looks great. Sounds great. Lots of cargo space. AWD with rear bias. Incredible handling. I could go on for days.
Buick Reatta.
The most competent car I’ve driven is a BMW e38 740iL. It’s quick, surprisingly nimble, rides supremely well, comfortable on long journeys, perfectly designed from an aesthetic standpoint, has the right amount of technology, and even gets alright fuel mileage. It’s as close to perfection as I’ve experienced. That’s saying a lot from someone that only owns manual cars, the five speed auto in an e38 is the perfect automatic transmission. It’s tuned to do exactly what you want it to do, no gear hunting, no bogging, no hard shifts, just smooth effortless performance.
Perfection has been achieved many times. Sometimes in design, sometimes construction, sometimes performance, sometimes reliability, rarely all four.
* MB’s final R107 (560SL) and W126 S class
* Citroen 2CV, SM, XM, DS, Traction Avant (15)
* Most Camrys
* Miata NA
* Ferrari F40
* Renault 5 Turbo 2
* BMW 635CSi
* Genesis G90
* Volvo 850 Estate
* Toyota Land Cruiser
* Lexus LC500
Having spent the past two years attempting to get an R107 560SL to not misfire, I struggle with this, but I’m sure a well sorted one would be incredible. My impression driving it is it feels like a German take on a C3 Corvette.
That’s too bad about your SL. A good running one is really something.
Have you checked your timing chain?
If Toyota made an all-electric Prius, that would likely be the perfect car… at least for me.
In terms of cars I could buy, the Tesla Model S could be, except for the expensive parts, expensive insurance and negative image.
Or the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6… except for the ICCU issues, expensive insurance (but not as expensive as the Model S) and expensive service costs.
Similar deal with the Ford Mach E.
The 3rd gen Camry is the best car ever made (92-96)
Every 90s Toyota was awesome and well-made.
Clearly Citroen SM.
Citroen deux chevaux!
Yes yes but I like actual padded seats
Try changing the battery in one! Or just google it 😉
VW Golf – any trim, any fuel.
VW Golf indeed! I’m on my third. First was a 1982 “Rabbit” Diesel that got 52 mpg highway at a time when I traveled 120+ miles per day to and from work. Second was a 2018 Golf R, APR stage 1 tune. Third is a 2024 Golf R, IE stage 1 tune to which I am currently fitting a FlexFuel system so I can run E85. All of them have well suited my needs for carrying passengers and cargo. The ’18 and ’24 also satisfy my desire for power and get excellent fuel mileage, and with the spike in fuel cost the ability to run less expensive corn juice is welcome.
Acura NSX
first gen has overly long steering, NA1 has overly long gearing.
My submission: the 2013-17 Honda Accord Sport. Reasonably priced, all the features you need, fuel efficient AND reasonably quick, available with a stick, durable, plenty of room for plus-sized folks and their kids, and its handling was best-in-class.
And: inoffensive (I would even say handsome) styling.
It had the total package.
I have a ’17 EX-L V6. I would liked to have gotten it with a stick, but that wasn’t available. But the automatic is fine. The V6 is a really nice engine. Thirsty around town, but capable of 40 mpg on the freeway. More than adequate power always on tap.
Overall, it’s been a great car, but not perfection.
The fifth-generation Honda Civic, specifically the hatchback (EG6) SiR. The platonic ideal of a hot-hatch.