As quickly as I conjured up today’s Autopian Ask, I already had my answer (which is only my answer, and needn’t be yours): the third-generation Ford Taurus as seen above, in all its ovoid jellybeaned glory. I was thinking more of the sedan than the wagon, but the wagon had a better pic, but anyway – it’s the Taurus for me.
… which is kind of an odd choice if you think about it, because as The Bishop noted, “[The] oval Taurus was too much of an outlier. It didn’t start a trend, and even Ford knew they fucked up right away.” That’s very true: I can’t think of anything that looks quite as soft and cornerless as the Taurus and Sable, but they were kind of the ultimate expression of the 90s trend toward softer shapes and a clear break from the crisp folds of the eighties. It didn’t start a trend, but it sure finished one. At least that’s what my zero-research, as-I-remember-it take is telling me.
Also worth noting: the third-gen Taurus didn’t arrive until 1996, well into the 90s. Before I went looking for pics, I thought it arrived around 1993 or so, but no! Ford was still on the second-gen, which wasn’t very (to my eye) 90s at all; just a handsome car really, neatly tucked and tailored compared to the plumper originals birthed in 1986. I think the Bishop is correct about the ovalized third-gen starting no trends, but I do think the success of the then-futuristic 1986 design did a lot to move mainstream car design to toward the rounder shapes that really took hold in the 90s.
Some other opinions from the team:
Your turn:
What Is The Most 1990s Car?
Top graphic image: Ford
I concur
https://autododo.wordpress.com/2017/02/23/what-is-the-most-90s-car/
Jeep Cherokee. For better or for worse, the first SUV to punch sedans right in the face.
I remember seeing my first “luxury” Cherokee in 1992. It was totally a luxury car replacement for this rich guy and it was a year before the grand cherokees came out.
I’ll go with the G2 Mitsubishi Eclipse (mostly because I had one and loved it)
https://www.rkmotors.com/vehicles/5019/1995-mitsubishi-eclipse-gsx
Turbo-tastic!
The wife and I completely skipped the ’90s cars. I went from a 1987 Quantum Syncro to a 2001 Allroad (6mt), while she went from a 1989 Golf GL to a 2012 Golf TDI (6mt).
I guess my dad had a 1994 Audi S6. That was a fun car. He sold it in 2024 when he stopped driving.
When the third-gen Taurus came out, I had an hard time shaking the insane idea that its designers intentionally made it look like a tuna. There had to be a mounted bluefin hanging somewhere in that studio.
First-gen Ford Explorer in turquoise green.
Anything teal like a Geo Tracker or Storm, Beretta, CRX, etc.
My sister once had a black Beretta GT with the 3.1 and a five-speed. I always thought the Beretta was quite the looker.
I’d nominate a category: Small oddball open cars, a genre that flourished in the ‘90s:
-RAV-4 soft top
-Civic Del Sol
-Suzuki X-90 targa
-Geo Metro convertible
-Chevy Tracker et al
-Isuzu Amigo (there’s always a white one by my local Safeway and it makes me happy every time I see it)
Mazda millennia. its everything about the 90s cars wrapped up into a “greatest hits” album.
Beige Camry
I would go for the Exploder far more than the Taurus.
Though really, I don’t think you can pick just one. There is a swath of cars that scream “90s” equally loudly.
The first Smart concept, The Eco-Speedster Concept from 1993.
I owned the blue Taurus like in the top shot but the SE version. It had the oval rear window. It was great.
Any Volvo wagon
Jurassic. Park. Ford. Explorer.
1994 Ford Taurus, for me personally.
Hmm. One could argue that no car is so quintessentially 90s as a Mk3 Golf Harlequin. No other decade could have produced such a delightfully bonkers version of a relatively ordinary model (it’s one thing to produce outrageous versions such as the Renault 5 Turbo which was a RWD mid-engined version of the FWD front-engined 5 but that was mainly for racing/homologation whereas it was another thing to produce the Harlequin for just simply fun and for looks more than anything to do with performance.)
Indeed, it’s almost as if the Harlequin was a manifestation of the cover of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s album Homebase: https://www.discogs.com/release/421389-DJ-Jazzy-Jeff-The-Fresh-Prince-Homebase/image/SW1hZ2U6MTIyODMwMDU=
It was like a Cross Colours jacket you could drive.
Civic EG and EK. It was the golden era for Honda. Also Geo Tracker and Fox body Mustang
Fourth Gen Chevy Caprice wagon, with the wood trim decals. This was a time when Grunge had a firm hold and it co-existed with a resurgence of Swing and Rock-a-Billy. The Caprice wagon is a good analogy for the new mixed with the old.
A white Ford Mustang GT convertible driven by Vanilla Ice.
Saturn SL, although a Ford Explorer is a close second.
I second the Saturn. The whole concept of the Saturn–overturning old orthodoxies, offering something modest yet ambitious, mixing conservative design with futuristic aspirations– encapsulates the whole post-Cold War, pre-9/11 ethos of America.
Gotta go with the Bishop, the Neons are prime 90s, a good portion of Chrysler at the time, the LH cars, Eagle Talon, Viper, Ram truck, Dakota, all very 90s.
Eclipse/Talon really scream 90s to me – not just because of looks and color, but they really embodied the sporty coupe segment just before it fell off a cliff. But a teal or purple 2-door Neon is certainly up there.
2 tone Eddie Bauer 4 door Ford Explorer 4×4.Tan interior,aluminum running boards,bug shield on the hood,and a Nirvana CD playing inside.
I don’t know if it screams 1990’s the way that the entire Chrysler lineup did, but it was probably the most important car of that era, in terms of influence on the future of the auto industry…
If only because I walked up to and attempted to enter one of these belonging to someone else in parking lots, on several different occasions since they were so omnipresent:
1997 Taurus GL. Grey. With the mighty Vulcan 3.0.
Mine was optioned up with leather and a 6 CD changer and fell into my lap; it had been a company car that was orphaned and available to me on terms I dictated.
Mind you I should’ve been more dictatorial since it’s not like they really had much negotiating room, but that’s a tale for another time.
Can I just say I miss Ford’s 80s/90s trim level designations? Sure, GT and LX are still remembered, but G and GL are wonderful for the “huh?” factor alone.
They need to bring back Ghia
Also Cartier
So upsetting to me that the only time (I think, please correct me if wrong) we got “Ghia” here in the States was in the late 70s!
Yeah, pretty sure we only got it on the Mustang II, Granada, and Monarch. Plus the Capri, Imported by Lincoln-Mercury
The svx gets a call.
Gets my vote.