Most new vehicles go through major revisions and enter a new model generation every five to seven years, via either a complete ground up redesign, or from significant changes to their platform and power train. We are now in the third decade of the 21st century and there are still a number of new vehicles on sale from major manufacturers going on ten years or more without significant changes. Here are fifteen examples of 2020 model year vehicles that are still clinging to life as they eagerly await a full remodel or replacement.
Toyota Sienna – 2011 Model Year
The current generation Toyota minivan has been on sale since 2010 as a 2011 model, entering its third generation with a major redesign from the XL20 generation. The 2020 model pictured has since undergone some engine and transmission changes along with a visual update in 2018, but the entire package is struggling to remain relevant against newer minivan offerings from Honda, Chrysler, and Kia.
Dodge Charger – 2011 Model Year
The Dodge Charger is one of the rawest and most old school muscle cars still on sale, which shouldn’t be surprising because the current platform (LD) has been unchanged since the 2011 model year. The front and rear end benefited from heavily updated exterior styling from a mid-cycle refresh in 2015, but the platform and most of the interior design has been lingering around for nine years. Luckily FCA has kept the Charger relevant all this time by continuously infusing it with more power. The Hellcat among other SRT packages such as Daytona, Super Bee, and Scat Pack have given the Charger some of that old school American muscle charm despite its age.
Chrysler 300 – 2011 Model Year
Sharing a platform with its FCA cousin, the Dodge Charger, it isn’t surprising that the Chrysler 300 sedan has also remained relatively untouched since the 2011 model year. While it also received a minor face lift in 2015, Chrysler also stopped offering the high powered SRT model after 2015. Sales have continued to drop since then, not aided by an overall shift from sedans to crossovers in the U.S. market.
Infiniti Q70 – 2011 Model Year
Infiniti overall have been struggling with their model lineup. The QX50 is their last fully redesigned vehicle, but their other vehicles have soldiered on with minimal changes, relying on a nomenclature change to be seen as a new offering. The current Q70 range is the most obvious example of this. Originally sold as the M36 & M56 from 2011 to 2014, it was later rebadged as the Q70 during Infiniti’s name change strategy to dictate all sedans with “Q”. The basic design has remained the same since 2011 and sales have continued to decrease, potentially influencing Infiniti’s continued neglect of this model in favor of their crossovers.
Jeep Grand Cherokee – 2011 Model Year
The current Jeep Grand Cherokee has been around for 10 years, debuting for the 2011 model year. In typical FCA fashion it has seen minor face lifts and other tweaks over the decade, along with thunderous new SRT variants to keep American buyers interested in the ever popular performance crossover segment. Despite its age, the popularity of the recent SRT Trackhawk model have kept sales numbers strong, while the exterior design has been aging better than other FCA products.
Toyota 4Runner – 2010 Model Year
Similar to the Grand Cherokee, the current Toyota 4Runner has also been experiencing an unusual sales renaissance lately. Now on its tenth model year, 2018 specifically marked the strongest annual sales in the 4Runner’s entire history since the 80s. The exterior design is aging well, especially as Toyota has been playing into the whole “rugged off-roader” vibe lately with the TRD Pro model. We’re probably getting close to Toyota giving us a new 4Runner, but fans probably won’t have any issue with the current generation moving into the 2020s with its old school setup unchanged.
Cadillac XT5 – 2010 Model Year
The Cadillac XT5 offers another example of a new naming convention failing to extend the life of an aging product in a competitive segment. Until the 2017 model year, the XT5 was known as the second gen SRX. When Cadillac introduced their new “XT” and “CT” naming structure, it became the XT5 accompanied by a mid-cycle refresh. Despite this, the rest of the vehicle easily showed its age, which put Cadillac at a major disadvantage while it held the solo spot in Cadillac’s crossover lineup for a couple years. With the newer XT4 and XT6 crossovers now on sale, the XT5 falls even further behind for the brand.
Nissan 370Z – 2009 Model Year
The Nissan 370Z has become a bit of a swan song in the market of dwindling Japanese sports cars on sale in the U.S. It’s easy to get this impression after Nissan introduced the 50th Anniversary Edition for the 2019 model year with simple cosmetic updates, and still no sign of a new model. In it’s current state, the 370Z has been on sale since the 2009 model year when it replaced the 350Z. Step inside the car and before you even get to driving it, you will struggle to justify a brand new 2020 vehicle being sold with interior materials and tech aged as poorly as the 370Z.
Dodge Journey – 2009 Model Year
For the 2009 model year, Dodge debuted its first crossover vehicle, the Journey. Twelve years later, that headline hasn’t really changed at all, as the brand has yet to introduce an additional crossover or give the Journey the new generation it so desperately needs to remain competitive. Dodge’s logo change in 2013 provided the Journey with it’s most significant exterior change to date, swapping out the old logo for the current cross-hair style grille pictured above.
Toyota Sequoia – 2008 Model Year
The second generation Toyota Sequoia is entering its thirteenth model year unchanged. Given the recent buzz surrounding other new full size body on frame three row SUVs, you’d think Toyota would have jumped in the fight with an all new Sequoia, even Nissan came out with a new Armada, which no one ever thought would happen. However, for the 2020 model year Toyota has expanded its popular TRD Pro trim into the Sequoia family, pictured above. Hard to tell if that will signal an approaching finale for the Sequoia or hint at a third gen model.
Dodge Challenger – 2008 Model Year
The Dodge Challenger is arguably the last flat out, old school, unapologetic muscle car on sale today. It’s long, wide, loud, excessively overpowered, low tech, RWD, and has optional classic cartoon character decals. No matter how many wide body, Demon, Hellcat, and SRT variants are thrown out of the factory, Americans keep on begging for more power and aggression, with sales climbing. The Challenger dates back to the 2008 model year without any major exterior changes or technical advancements. The Dodge Challenger truly embraces the concept of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Dodge Grand Caravan – 2008 Model Year
FCA seem to be dominating this list, therefore we need to acknowledge the Grand Caravan, which can still be bought in 2020, relatively unchanged since the 2008 model year. While FCA decided the Chrysler Pacifica would carry the burden of a competitive minivan offering, the Grand Caravan has quietly carried on. Funny enough, in Q1 & Q2 2019, FCA sold more Grand Caravans than Pacificas. Grand Caravan production will finally cease in the second half of 2020, with a lower spec Chrysler minivan, the Voyager, filling the hole in the lineup.
Nissan GT-R – 2007 Model Year
The Nissan GT-R, Godzilla, has been around since the 2007 model year. Although it is still a massively capable super car, its relatively unchanged existence this far into a thriving super car and sports car market, is almost unheard of. 2017 represented its most significant model year change, with tweaked exterior styling, improved chassis, and updated interior design. Although the performance is still respectable, the $200,000+ price tag of the Nismo model has become a hard figure to swallow given the date of the model compared against newer similarly priced options in the segment.
Nissan Frontier – 2005 Model Year
The Nissan Frontier is the last mid size pickup truck on sale in the U.S. not redesigned alongside its segment counterparts. The Toyota Tacoma, GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado, Jeep Gladiator, and Ford Ranger have all seen recent introductions or remodels for the demand shift in this truck segment. Even though Nissan rolled out an updated Navara during this time (the Frontier’s international counterpart), Nissan showed no concern over the extended age of the North American Frontier. Moving past fifteen years on the market, it is the only Nissan model that still shows evidence of their previous design language, before their current V-motion grille design. Rumors suggest a new model will finally surface in the early 2020s, but until then Nissan has still been enjoying steady sales figures from the ancient Frontier.
Chevrolet Express / GMC Savana – 2003 Model Year
The oldest vehicle entering the 2020 model year for its 18th consecutive year, is easily the least interesting vehicle on this entire list, by a long shot. Plus it’s technically two vehicles, the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans. Both vans can still be purchased in cargo, passenger, and chassis cab cutaway configurations with no notable changes of any kind since the 2003 model year redesign. Commercial and passenger vans still represent an important segment in the U.S. for delivery services, shuttle companies, and commercial firms looking for reliable and affordable adoption to a variety of needs. Meanwhile all other full size vans on sale in America have shifted over to the euro-influenced models with “high roof” and extended wheelbase configurations like the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Nissan NV, and Ram Promaster (Fiat Ducato). All of those models have seen more frequent updates and additions than the GM twins, allowing them to dominate the van market. It stands to reason GM will not fully exit the full size van market in North America, leaving us wondering when new GMC & Chevy vans will finally debut.