10. Chevrolet Sonic
This bold name fits the striking front fascia of the Sonic perfectly, and the exposed head and taillights always reminded me of a subwoofer on a speaker.
9. Bentley Flying Spur
The Flying Spur originally was a designation for the sedan variant of the Continental, but it became a separate model in 2013. While there was a British tea ship known by this name in the late 1860s, I've found no direct link between the clipper and the über-luxury sedan. Nonetheless, this is one cool, elegant, and slightly mysterious name for the Conti sedan.
8. Chevrolet Volt
Although not quite as glamorous as the Flying Spur, the "Volt" name works because of just how appropriate it is. A volt is a unit of measure relating to electricity and movement of current in an electric circuit, which fits perfectly for the plug-in hybrid electric Chevy. It sure is a lot better sounding than it competitor, the Nissan Leaf.
7. Porsche Panamera
While this name is derived from the endurance race "Carrera Panamericana," which took place four times in the 1950's in Mexico, that was not why I included it on this list. Phonetically, I think it rolls off the tongue perfectly and also looks very nice when written, most likely because of the semi-symmetrical nature of the "a-n-a-m" section.
6. Dodge Durango
This tough SUV has a very appropriate name in the "Durango." Called this for the city in Colorado, it has a particularly rural, cowboy, Wild West feel to it, and when said aloud the "a-n-g" produces a Western twang.
5. Maserati Quattroporte
Though I wasn't a fan of the fifth generation
Quattroporte, I have always loved the stylish-sounding name. In Italian, "Quattroporte" simply means "four-door," describing the Maser's sedan body style. But to non-Italian speakers, it sounds exotic, and quite luxurious.
4. Dodge/SRT Viper
Just look at the slinky Dodge sports car, and try not to think of a vicious, venomous snake. This is one of the most aptly named cars of all time, especially considering the fifth generation's sleeker curves and even more aggressive front fascia.
3. Jeep Renegade
When the ambitiously styled Renegade Concept debuted in 2008 and was immediately designated as a design study, I was disappointed that I wouldn't ever see a Jeep Renegade production model. Lucky for me, the name revived for a funky subcompact crossover in the 2015 model year. The rebellious nature of this name fits in with the "all-American" Detroit advertising scheme which Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram have been using of late, and matches Jeep's slew of other outdoorsy, patriotic names, including the Cherokee, Commander, Wrangler, and Patriot.
2. Aston Martin Vanquish
One of the greatest recent designs from Aston was paired with paired with one of my favorite names of all time. The powerful grand tourer features many strong, backward sweeping character lines, which is accurately mirrored in the swooshing sound that is produced by the "i-s-h." Also, while the word sounds elegant, its means "to defeat thoroughly," showing the Aston's performance aspirations.
1. Ford Mustang
While the term "mustang" refers to a small, wild horse, the legendary sports car was actually named for the P-51 Mustang, a fighter plane produced by North American for WWII (Though the horse was chosen for the logo). But the key similarity between the beast and the machine is their small structure and fast, aggressive nature. This is exemplified is the car's iconic trapezoidal grille, angled headlights, and bulging rear haunches. Overall, the qualities of speed and size seen in the Mustang's inspirations make the name a perfect fit for the classic pony car.
Honorable Mention- Tesla Model S, III, X
While it is quite
juvenile, I, as a 16 year-old boy, appreciate Elon Musk's current plans
to eventually have a model lineup consisting of the Model S, III, and X
for the not-that-subtle sexual innuendo.
