Originally Posted by rockville

I disagree that the Explorer didn't do anything new. It really targeted the SUV as family transport rather than a truck with an attached cab. The Explorer wasn't new technology. It was damned near nothing more than a Bronco 2 with a longer wheelbase. Then again the RAV4 was a combination of old parts ('91 Camry chassis with an AWD system from a Celica). BTW, the RAV4 came out in '94 in Japan so it predates the CRV by 2 years based on my quick search. What the RAV4 and CRV were really doing is taking what Ford showed with the Explorer to the next level. Ford showed that there was a real market for an SUV as a people mover rather than utility vehicle. The Japanese took that idea and then dumped the truck chassis under the people mover. Ford did more to show the market. The Japanese refined the market yet were still out sold by Ford for many years.

Putting together a list like yours is really hard because its tough to decide what is "significant". GM was the first company with turbo cars. They had the turbo Corvair and a turbo Olds. While they were first I wouldn't call them as significant as say the turbo SAABs. In part due to limited technology of the time GM didn't address many of the issues associated with turbos. Proper boost control is a big deal. In the end GM dropped turbos and they wouldn't come back until the late 70s.

I believe SAAB was the first to setup a robust turbo control system. I believe Porsche ended licensing parts of the system (that doesn't mean Porsche didn't independently develop the same technology). So one could argue that SAAB showed the world what a modern turbo would be. Now turbos are common. The question is, are turbos common because of SAAB? I would guess probably not. While SAAB did answer many questions related to turbos, the other companies may have answered those same questions just as quickly without SAAB. The SAAB turbos were a way to get more power out of an existing engine since SAAB couldn't easily drop in say a V6. Throughout the 80s and much of the 90s turbos were the way to boost the power of a motor when a larger engine didn't fit (not always true but common enough)

Perhaps the VW 1.8T deserves more credit for turbos in the US. It was one of the first turbos that wanted the driver to forget the car had a turbo. It was the base motor in the A4 and B5 Passat. Prior to the 1.8T most turbos were one line the SAAB. They came on higher in the rev range in a very obvious fashion. The 1.8T was a low pressure setup and initially only made 150hp out of a 1.8L motor. But that motor had a nice robust mid range and virtually no turbo lag. Compare that to a mid 90s SAAB which will have more power but noticeable lag and slow throttle response. With that in mind perhaps the 1.8T is one of the most influential engine of the last 20 years. It showed the world that turbos can be mainstream engines, not just the high power engine. It also showed that a turbo could be made to make an engine feel like a larger motor while delivering smaller motor mileage*.

*I don't know that it actually delivered in that regard. My parents had a '98 B5 Passat 5spd and a '99 Accord I4 5spd. The Accord was just as quick and just as good on gas (but used regular vs premium). The Accord was a 2.4L I4.

Originally Posted by MBHs2k

i dont think the NSX should be on the list. It was a dud of a car for many years. Barely sold any units. Yes it was unique but it didnt revolutionize rthe auto industry like the corvette or the mustang has.

Originally Posted by cbehney

Someone mentioned the Corvair, and since the list is most "significant" cars, I'd add the Corvair (not just for the turbo but overall). It was a major focus of Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed and kicked off an era of concern with safety. You can argue about whether it was over done, but it led to many changes. I owned three Corvairs in my days, so I might be biased...