I was stuck in traffic behind a Toyota 4Runner the other night. Reading that car’s emblem over and over again made me think about what a great car name “4Runner” is. Sounds cool, is a rare numeronym that reads cleanly, and fits the vehicle’s anachronistic nature … it might actually be my favorite car name. What other models have the best names?
There’s still some creativity in the world of car naming, even as many automakers just use a letter or number combination for the sake of simplicity. All my faves are car-industry mainstains, though (what a surprise). “Corvette” is great — sounds cool, fitting definition. “Bronco” and “Ranger” both pack a lot of personality into short, purposeful words, too.
“Miata” also rolls off the tongue nicely and feels like it matches its vehicle well. “Escalade” is an all-timer; somehow the look and sound of that word pair perfectly with an enormous chrome-trimmed SUV.
Naming cars is tough. That’s probably why so many companies play it safe and do some kind of letter-and-number deal. If one of those is your fave, I’m gonna need to hear your reasoning. Regardless, I’m eager to hear what car names you like best.