Mikaniki’s picks for the 5 best car commercials ever

When it comes to commercials, it’s pretty hit and miss. Especially for cars. I think we all wanna forget Jennifer Lopez’s Fiat 500 debacle, right?

Conversely, there have been some insanely epic and creative car commercials. Here are five of our favourite.

5. 2011 Chrysler 200

What’s cool about it?

A brief history of industrial Detroit explicated through the rich reverberations of ad monster Kevin Yon, seen aboard the Chrysler 200, depicting the ardour of labourers’ efforts. And who else is behind the wheel but legendary rapper; the GOAT, Eminem?

A beautiful segue from narration to “Lose Yourself” instrumental, with gospel overtones is just about as close to perfection as you can get in an ad, taking nothing away from the wonderful cinematography and snapshots of a truly underrated city.

At just over 2 minutes, this was one of the longest commercials to have aired at the Super Bowl, but when you’ve signed Eminem up, you have the license to bend the rules a bit.

The Chrysler 200 may have bombed in the market, but the commercial that aired at the Super Bowl on Feb 2011 changed the way the public saw Chrysler forever.

Brownie points for Marshal Mathers and Kevin Yon.

4. 2011 Volkswagen Passat

What’s cool about it?

Here’s a question. How do you take a fairly pedestrian car like the VW Passat, and give it an otherworldly edge? Simple, you combine cute with clever, add in a wee Vader, and you’ll really grab the attention.

In this strange turn of events, Mini Darth Vader seems to have lost his grip on the Force. He stomps around the house in his complete attire, and attempts to make things move with his mad Sith skills, but to no avail. Even mom’s half hearted attempt at sliding a sandwich across the table didn’t get passed him.

Enter 2011’s dad of the year in his VW Passat. Kid got no time to greet him on his way in. This is his last chance to prove that the Force is strong with him! He strains his concentration, focuses, and then BAM the indicator light flickers.

This ad was a massive moment for VW, who prior to that day, hadn’t shown off at the Super Bowl in over a decade. The Marketing team had to do it right, and they let the public decide the ad’s fate by airing it on YouTube four days before the Super Bowl. Needless to say, it was well received. Power to the People.

3. 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S

What’s cool about it?

We’ve all heard the Hare and Tortoise fable. You know, slow and steady wins the race and all that. Good lesson for the youth of today.

Mercedes’ marketing team elevated the tale, with a very modern twist. Firstly, can we just take a minute to appreciate the tortoise giving us young Master Oogway vibes?

Naturally, hare takes a massive lead at the start, bundling right into pole position, leaving tortoise coughing up his dust trail. Even snail has the audacity to yell “on your left” as he glides ahead. What the shell?

Hare gets cocky, tortoise stumbles upon a Mercedes assembly plant and watches as a 4.8L M178 twin-turbocharged V8 engine is lowered into the open hood of a stunning silver GT S. It’s pedal to the metal, hare’s slackin’ off, tortoise wins and to rub salt in the wound, he’s got a hot bunny in the passenger’s seat. Smooth.

This minute-long marvel debuted on the Ellen DeGeneres Show ahead of the SuperBowl. As far as commercials go, this one was cute AF #teamtortoise

2. 2017 Audi

What’s cool about it?

In a day and age where gender equality has climbed up any policy-maker’s agenda, this commercial is relevant and topical, if not a little poignant.

A man’s daughter goes kart racing with a bunch of guy friends, using quick wit and intellect to overcome her testey rivals and take first prize. Not that there was a prize, but still…

It embraces feminine qualities in a male-dominated arena, in a non-preachy way, showing women and girls around the world that you don’t need to adopt a masculine demeanour to get ahead. Master stroke.

Oh, by the way, that’s not George Clooney’s voice on the ad. It’s actually Peter Jessop. You know, the guy who voiced Miraak in Elder Scrolls V…

1. 1970 Pontiac GTO

What’s cool about it?

This one’s a throwback to bell-bottoms, disco and rumbling V8s, and is every bit the old school fun we need for our nostalgia fix.

Guy with an attitude (a lost breed) rocks up in a Pontiac at one of those parking lots where the kids hang out. He side-eyes another dude and then tugs on a magic knob that amplifies the exhaust’s roar. In case you didn’t know, this is called a Humbler. Could it be any humbler?

Pontiac guy wants the whole lot to hear all 8 cylinders. It’s how they used to do signalling back in the day, and he sure draws a lot of looks from the babes. He makes his round, revs it one last time, and then drives off to the next lot.

The ad finishes off with some nifty wordplay, saying: “we take the fun of driving seriously.” Noice bit o’ the old oxymoron there. Is it an oxymoron? Well, it’s something.

This was shot at a Bob’s Big Boy in Michigan. Bob’s Big Boy was a big deal, with more than 240 branches open for dining in the late 80s. It was also the scene of one of LA’s worst crimes, but let’s not get into that here.

So that’s it! We hope you had fun counting down our five favourite car commercials. Which one’s your favourite?

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