Cars are becoming a niche commodity. Once the dominant form of family transportation, the “car” as we once knew it now toes the endangered segment list. Just 11 years ago we enjoyed our biggest MotorTrend Car of the Year field ever, at 35 entrants—triple the number of SUV contestants that year. Four years later, new SUVs outnumbered cars (by one), and now for 2023 they more than doubled our COTY field. And as cars get rarer, they’re also becoming rarified. The few remaining producers of mainstream econoboxes, compacts, and midsize sedans fielded no newcomers this year. In their place was a roster of mostly sporty or luxurious contestants. Among them, one outshone its own competitive set to a degree we don’t always see in our Of The Year contests: the 2023 Genesis G90.
We’re gratified to see Genesis appears to read our words and act on them. Quickly. In our 2017 COTY contest, we knocked the original G90 for its conservative styling and lack of technical innovation. Just three years later we invited a refreshed G90 sporting bold new styling and other enhancements to our 2020 event. Then we criticized its underwhelming V-8 and lack of
