In just a few days, we will close the door on 2012, a year that brought us important contributions to human civilizations like the "Gangnam Style" video, idiots buying supplies in preparation for the Mayan apocalypse, and memes involving that frowny girl from the Olympics. What a wonderful year it has been!
So while we've already talked about the most desirable cars that came out this year, I thought we should also take the chance to look at the best cars that hit the streets over the last decade — and from that, I mean 2002 to 2012.
My thoughts are that last 10 years have been kind of a double-edged sword in terms of car development. We have seen huge jumps in horsepower and performance, as well as safety and fuel economy. But cars are also getting larger and heavier for the most part, and I can't say I'm crazy about the way things are going in terms of styling.
I wracked my brain trying to come up with an answer. We've seen a lot of amazing cars over the last decade, from the mighty but insanely expensive Bugatti Veyron to the Tata Nano, a car with the potential to get an entire nation motoring en masse for the first time.
But here's what I finally settled on: the Cadillac CTS-V. The base model CTS breathed new life into Cadillac and brought it into the 21st century, taking it from a staid brand for rich old people waiting to die to something that appeals to enthusiasts.
And the V version showed the world that us Americans can kick the teeth out of M and AMG any time we damn well please. It even comes in wagon form, for God's sake! And now, the first generation, 400-horsepower CTS-V is a fantastic used car bargain. I just wish Lincoln would follow Cadillac's example.
Your turn, folks. What's the greatest car to come out in the last decade? I'll let you define greatest however you want.
Photo credit GM