Cars / Vans that absolutely nailed it

[twosmoke300]

Was thinking today of cars that absolutely excelled at their job right from the start 

For me it’s 

Mx5 

169 panda ( basic models )

Smiley Transit 

[twosmoke300]

Mk1/2 focus 

[Cavcraft]

Mk2/3 Cavalier

[Stroller133]

Peugeot 205

[MantaGTE85]

Mondeo mk1.

[Three Speed]

My list:

2CV

ZX

Citroen GS

Mk1 Focus

Renault 4

Ford Cortina

Ford Model T

Morris Minor

Volvo 144

Triumph 2000

MX5

Oldsmobile Toronado

Transit

some may expect me to list the traction avant and the DS, but they weee certainly not right when they were launched.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

17 minutes ago, Stroller133 said:

Peugeot 205

I'd add 106, 306 and 405 to that list - all great to drive, frugal, reliable and still unmistakably French.

[fatmanblue]

13 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

I'd add 106, 306 and 405 to that list - all great to drive, frugal, reliable and still unmistakably French.

306, nailed on.

[R Lutz]

For 'nailed it' then its got to be a commercial success surely?

1989 Rover 200/400.

[Matty]

2.5 DI Transit

MK1 Uno

MK3 cavalier

[junkyarddog]

Original Mini.

[fatmanblue]

31 minutes ago, junkyarddog said:

Original Mini.

And, following on - and unfairly overshadowed by its little brother - Morris/Austin/Riley/MG/Wolseley/MG/VdP 1100/1300

[twosmoke300]

8 hours ago, Three Speed said:

My list:

2CV

ZX

Citroen GS

Mk1 Focus

Renault 4

Ford Cortina

Ford Model T

Morris Minor

Volvo 144

Triumph 2000

MX5

Oldsmobile Toronado

Transit

some may expect me to list the traction avant and the DS, but they weee certainly not right when they were launched.

 

Gotta disagree on the Zx . Bloody awful despite being based on the amazing 306 . Maybe I was too used to quirky Citroens 

[mk2_craig]

Ka. They sold bucketloads. 

[ETCHY]

K11 Micra. Great cars.

[Jimblob]

1979 mk1 Citroen Visa. A proper 5 door hatchback that could do 50mpg, carry 4 people, comfortable easy to park fun to drive. Electronic ignition (my 1980 car still on its original system with no new parts). Reliable- I'd trust this over my other water cooled classics to get me anywhere 

[junkyarddog]

Vauxhall Viva HA.

Vauxhall's 1960's small ugly and unassuming family car sold well,and spawned the van version that lived on until the 1980's.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Perhaps a controversial nomination, but I think the humble Xsara Picasso was a great design as evidenced by its massive commercial success. They are really spacious, well built and easy to repair. They  also handle far, far better than a blobby family carrier has the right to.

The same applies to its boxy-but-good Partnerlingo brethren.

[lesapandre]

Citroen C1 and siblings. Million + sold.

[AndyW201]

Mk1 Mercedes Sprinter. Moved the van game on in the 1990s the way the Mk1 Transit did in the 1960s.

Mk4 Astra, Might not have looked as sharp as the Mk1 Focus but drove far better than the dowdy looks suggested and the amount of them still kicking about attest to their longevity.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

11 hours ago, Matty said:

MK3 cavalier

This 100%. Such a well designed car, both ergonomically and aesthetically. My redtop GSi was a riot to drive, too. 

[twosmoke300]

39 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Perhaps a controversial nomination, but I think the humble Xsara Picasso was a great design as evidenced by its massive commercial success. They are really spacious, well built and easy to repair. They  also handle far, far better than a blobby family carrier has the right to.

The same applies to its boxy-but-good Partnerlingo brethren.

No argument from me . Fulfilling its design role perfectly 

[fatmanblue]

1st generation BINI.

Given the job it had to do, an incredible success. Despite early cars needing quite a lot of warranty 'updates'.

[danthecapriman]

Ford Transit smiley without a doubt. Exactly what a big van should be.

Ford Cortina. Motoring for masses, big range of spec’s to suit everyone. Did the job of rep mobile or family car and everything between.

Ford Capri. The European Mustang and sold well from start to finish. Huge range to suit all budgets so anyone could have a slice of the magic! An absolute icon.

Volvo 240. Rock solid, safe, reliable and incredibly tough cars built to last.

[Stroller133]

12 hours ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

I'd add 106, 306 and 405 to that list - all great to drive, frugal, reliable and still unmistakably French.

I'd  extend to the 206, perhaps even the 406? The x07s went wrong though. 

[Stroller133]

It dull, buts it meant to but the Qashqai. 

[big_al_granvia]

mk2 escort, still the weapon of choice for club and national rallying and still winning 50 odd years on

mk2 transit, dozens of variants but if it has a diesel engine it will do a job, easy to work on

volvo v70, a new volvo for a new century d5 manual is unbeatable 

[quicksilver]

14 hours ago, R Lutz said:

For 'nailed it' then its got to be a commercial success surely?

1989 Rover 200/400.

Agree 100% with this. People don't really appreciate just how good the R8 was after so many years of BL mundanity and how many Escort/Astra customers it won over to really make Rover a mainstream brand. It links to the Mondeo too by forcing Ford to up their game after the disappointing Mk5 Escort and the Mondeo certainly achieved that.

Controversial choice: the Vauxhall Zafira. Not the first mini-MPV but the first with seven seats and that's just what the market wanted at the time. Just an Astra underneath so nothing radical to scare anyone away, but with more practicality than its rivals and it sold bucketloads.

What about the MGB? Nothing special but it was good looking, affordable and fun to drive and had a long life selling in massive numbers so it must have done something very right.

Skoda Octavia?: the Favorit and Felicia had started it but it was the Octavia that really convinced the market that Skoda was a mainstream brand and threw off its joke image once and for all. Cabbies loved it too and that is surely a measure of a good car.

[Cavcraft]

Can't believe I forgot what's quite probably the best small car ever made:

Corsa B.

 

[sierraman]

Mondeo Mk4. I love mine, does plenty to the gallon, reliable, reasonably cheap parts, comfortable enough that driving from Falmouth to Sheffield in it in one go last week didn’t feel a hardship, big boot. Unpopular opinion but it was the best Mondeo of them all. Unfortunately good ones are becoming thin on the ground, they’re going through that phase of making you look like a crackhead.