CultureMap Auto Awards
Best New Design: Porsche masterfully redrafts its iconic 911 Carrera into amodern classic
Editor's Note: In the first annual CultureMap Auto Awards, automotive writers Nic Philllps and Kevin McCauley bestow honors in 10 categories for the top 2012 cars and trucks and explain why they're deserving of a good hard look. Now for our fourth award:
Best New Design:2013 Porsche 911 Carrera
What was that about subtle updates? First introduced in 1963, the 911 is the poster car for gradual, incremental development and visual nips and tucks. But Porsche's flagship received one of the biggest-ever redesigns for the slope-backed coupe, which doesn't mess with a good thing.
It's longer, lower and a bit leaner, with long overdue but gorgeous Panamera-inspired interior.
See more of the all new 911 in our preview from early 2012
Best New Design Runner-up: 2013 Range Rover
How do you redesign something widely considered to be the best? Subtly.
The all new 2013 Range Rover packs tons of new features and technologies into the familiar, decades-old shape, and inches it along into the future. Lessons learned in the wildly-successful Range Rover Sport and sexy Range Rover Evoque are applied with a light touch, bringing an exterior update that most people will probably hardly notice.
And in this case, it's a good thing but once you step inside one you find yourself in a beautifully designed, benchmark setting interior finished as only Jaguar/Land Rover can do. Starting at just $83,000 Range Rover stands firmly at the top of the design pack.
Read more about the all new 2013 Range Rover from our exclusive preview