Best American Cars: 10 Great Choices

For some, there’s nothing better than a good American vehicle.

Regardless if the vehicle is actually made in America or not does not matter. What matters is that the brand that designed, manufactured, and sold the vehicle is from the land of the red, white, and blue. If this sounds like you then you’ve come to the right place. Below we have gathered a list of the best American cars from 10 different segments. We tried to cover a wide variety of vehicular needs and manufacturers. So read on and enjoy. Oh, and of course let us know what your choices would be.

Starting our best American cars list is our choice for the ultimate Family Road Trip vehicle. During a comparison test last year featuring the Buick Enclave, we came away highly impressed with its ride comfort. Not many other vehicles on sale today, at any price point, offer the supple road manners of this big SUV. By eschewing any sporty pretensions, the Enclave focuses on isolating passengers from cracked, broken, and rough surfaces below. It swallows up every road imperfection and remains composed, regardless of the situation. Think of it as a throwback to the living-room-on-wheels feel of American sedans of yesteryear.

This one is a bit of a no brainer. With the discontinuation of the Dodge Viper and the Ford GT, the Chevrolet Corvette is once again left on its own to carry the American sports car flag. Yes, there’s the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, but neither are dedicated sports cars like the Corvette. Plus, the ‘Vette went mid-engine a few years ago, better positioning it against the finest sports cars from around the world. Then there is the upcoming Chevrolet Corvette Z06 which should continue the car’s proud tradition of offering supercar performance for a fraction of the price.

While on the topic of performance cars, we dig into the hotly debated topic of Best American Muscle Car. Our choice is the Dodge Challenger for a variety of reasons. Mainly, it’s the fact it’s the closest modern interpretation of a classic American muscle car. It follows the formula of stuffing big powerful engines into a stylish, yet useful coupe. While the Camaro and Mustang are as much svelte sports cars as they are muscle cars, the Challenger knows its role in life. It’s a big heavy two-door that can pack a variety of V8 engines, including the bonkers 807 hp jailbreak supercharged V8. It also oozes personality and road presence while featuring a V8 sound track that’s hard to beat.

Take the Challenger’s drivetrain, add the Corvette’s reflexes, and add a dollop of luxury. That’s basically the formula for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. With a supercharged V8 engine that can be paired to a honest-to-goodness manual transmission, the Blackwing is as much a luxury car as it is sports sedan. With little competition form other USA four-doors, it’s our choice for Best American Sports Sedan. The Dodge Charger, especially in SRT form, get’s honorable mention as does Cadillac’s own CT4-V Blackwing. But after a week with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, we fell in love and had a tough, tough time giving it back to Cadillac.

What would a best American cars list be without choosing a best American pickup truck? Pickups have long been the top selling vehicle in America and our choice, the Ford F-150, just happens to be the best selling vehicle period. But that’s not why we choose it. The American pickup market is hotly contested and it would be easy to make a case for the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, or GMC Sierra as well. But the F-150 stands out from the crowd by being the first to offer a bit more variety, namely the Powerboost hybrid and the fully-electric Lightning. Add in a well designed range of traditionally gasoline powered options, and the F-150 has a truck for just about every taste.

The Lucid Air is a revolution in the electric vehicle world, and is the next entry on our best American cars list. It features one, two, or three electric motors that are not just powerful, but incredibly efficient as well. In fact, only the extended range Tesla Model 3 RWD is more efficient in its electricity use as the Lucid. Combine sleek styling and an incredibly luxurious interior, and we have the makings of a fantastic car. But the real icing on the cake is the car’s range. The Air is capable of traveling 410 – 520 miles on a single charge depending on trim level. Of course, the price for entry into one of these fantastic machines is steep.

Sticking with upstart American electric vehicle manufacturers, next we have the best American electric truck, the R1T courtesy of Rivian. Sure, the Ford F-150 Lightning is more affordable, will sell better, and makes the most sense for most consumers. But in terms of the ultimate electric pickup truck, nothing touches the R1T. The specifications on the truck are mind boggling. It can offer up to 14.9-inches of ground clearance, accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3 seconds, or tow 11,000 lbs of weight. The quad motor design provides power to each individual wheel allowing the truck to exploit traction in all conditions. It also has a usable front trunk and passthrough lower body cargo hold.

It’s no surprise to see a Tesla make our list. No American automobile manufacturer has a more loyal fanbase than that of Tesla, and for many good reasons. When it comes to the best American electric SUV, the Model X is our choice. Although it may not be as shiny new as the Hummer EV or Rivian R1S, it still offers a great combination of power, efficiency, range, and practicality. Buyers can choose from two models currently, the sensible regular Model X with its 348 miles of range, or the ludicrous Model X Plaid featuring 1,020 hp. It can seat up to seven passengers and carry a lot of cargo thanks in part to the front trunk.

Here’s yet another category that’s going to lead to a lot of debate. For years, the Jeep Wrangler was the obvious choice for best American Off-Roader. But new competition has arrived, manly in the form of the Ford Bronco, Ford F-150 Raptor, Ram 1500 TRX, and Chevrolet ZR2 pickups. But the Wrangler offers the most choice to consumers. It has two body styles, much like the Bronco, that can be equipped with a hard top, soft top, or no top at all. There’s a huge selection of engines for the Wrangler as well including diesels, turbo four-cylinders, plug-in hybrids, and even a fire-breathing Hemi V 8. Finally, consumers can opt for just how much off-road ability their Jeeps need, including the rock-crawling Rubicon models.

Although we selected the Buick Enclave as the best American family road trip vehicle, it’s not our choice for the outright best American family vehicle. Nothing is, or ever has been, better suited for family life than a minivan. No other vehicle matches its utility, efficiency, value, and comfort per cubic foot than the tired-and-true minivan. The Chrysler Pacifica is the best (and arguably only) American minivan currently sold and easily wins the pick for this category. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also a well executed vehicle. Besides being a spacious family hauler, it can also be had as a plug-in hybrid for added efficiency, or with all-wheel drive to help in messier climates.