Picking the car of the year seemed so easy a few months ago.
Then, along came the chiseled physique of the Mercury Cougar.And there was that joy ride in the Plymouth Prowler production street rod, now available in yellow.
BMW tried to confuse the issue with a GT version of the Z3 roadster called the M Coupe, a wickedly quick two-seater with a roof.
But nothing defined the year like the New Beetle from Volkswagen. It's the bug you want to hug.
With the Beetle leading the way to the new millennium, 1998 had a strong German accent. It was the year the Big Three ceased to exist as Daimler-Chrysler was born and new Mercedes and BMW models emerged from the German makers' American assembly lines.
All in all, it was a great year for cars, trucks, and minivans. Here's my list of the best of the bunch:
BEST FAMILY SEDAN: Picking a leader in this category is no picnic. They're all great cars. But Chrysler flooded the market with a host of flashy new coupes and sedans, any of which could stand atop the pyramid. My favorite was the redesigned Chrysler Concorde. For $21,000, you get a powerful V6 sedan that is generously equipped and beautiful to boot. You can spend more for the 300M or the 400M, but there really is no need.
Honorable mention goes to the Oldsmobile Alero, an intelligent, well designed, well equipped and highly competent replacement for the Achieva with a price range between $16,325 to $20,875. .
BEST MINIVAN: General Motors has made an amazing recovery in the minivan market, and the Chevrolet Venture, priced from $20,169 to $24,276, as exhibit A. Roomy, comfortable, versatile and strong, Venture closes the gap with the best selling Dodge Caravan.
Venture's cousins in the GM fleet include the Pontiac Trans Sport and Olds Silhouette. The Silhouette deserves honorable mention for bringing the most sophisticated video/stereo system to the world of production minivans.
BEST SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE: Chrysler introduced a new 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that represents a nice, incremental improvement over the previous generation.
But another SUV proved considerably more dazzling: The Lexus RX 300 that retails in a range of $31,550 to $32,950.
If General Foods were selling this vehicle, they would name it "I Can't Believe It's Not a Luxury Sedan!" It's smooth as butter on bumpy roads and as fast as greased lightning.
The RX 300 is slightly longer and wider than a Grand Cherokee, though you would never guess it by looking. If you think the ride and handling of the RX 300 is impressive, you should try the full-size Lexus LX 470. Imagine a Chevy Suburban that drives like a luxury sedan.
BEST PICKUP TRUCK: Without a strike, General Motors was well on its way to taking over the truck sales lead from its archrival Ford, a truly shocking development. And the new Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup was sure to put GM over the top. Now, the Silverado is kicking up plenty of dust and selling quickly as GM tries to retake the lead.
But my favorite member of the farm club is the Dodge Dakota, the only "midsize" pickup on the market. The Dakota, which straddles the compact and full-size classes, is priced from $13,125 to $19,755. And you can equip your Dakota with a 250-horsepower V8 engine, an option that is not available in the compact Ford Ranger or Chevrolet S10 pickups.
Honorable mention has to go to the full-size Ford F-Series, a beauty and a beast. The F-Series is perennially the best-selling vehicle on the road. And Ford did a magnificent job with the redesign.
The competent Chevy Silverado, by contrast, is barely distinguishable from its predecessor.
BEST SPORTY CAR: The Mercury Cougar has to be the gutsiest design to emerge from a Ford studio in weeks. The performance of the new Cat is somewhat underwhelming, but the blend of sharp edges and curves is clearly cutting edge.
When the motoring press caught an eyeful of this Cougar, some became excited at the prospects for the new Thunderbird that is expected to debut next year.
BEST LUXURY CAR: Power, beauty, high-tech marvels. That describes most luxury cars on the market today. But nobody matches the combination of the Cadillac Seville STS.
The redesigned STS is powered by the 275-horsepower, 32-valve Northstar V8 engine, with an automatic transmission that heightens the performance. High-tech features abound, but the Adaptive Seat System with 10 air cells that adjust to body contours is unique.
Yes, you can find similar equipment in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but not for $42,495.
Honorable mention goes the BMW 5-Series, a sedan with amazing road manners and intuitive responses. Still the gold standard in midsize luxury cars.