Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, continue to age, with the oldest turning 76 this year. However, some Boomers are willing to cash in some of their retirement savings to buy the cars they’ve always dreamed of owning or, at least, the cars that bring them the most satisfaction. So which cars are Baby Boomers choosing to spend their hard-earned money on, according to Consumer Reports?
New cars popular among baby boomers
Consumer Reports tracks the customer satisfaction scores of its members with data on approximately 300,000 member-owned vehicles. This customer satisfaction score comes from surveying owners with questions such as: “Would you buy the same car again?” Consumer Reports recently sifted through its data to highlight Baby Boomers’ five most satisfying new cars. They are as follows:
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Genesis G90
- Kia Telluride
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Tesla Model Y
The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most satisfying new cars for Baby Boomers
The 2022 Chevrolet Corvette represents the eighth generation of a long line of American sports cars. The eighth-generation Corvette enjoys top-level owner satisfaction scores, just like previous generations.
The 2022 Corvette features a 495-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine in a configuration reminiscent of “exotic supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini,” says CR. In a bold move, Chevrolet dropped the price of the 2022 model to start around $61,000, down from last year’s $90,000 starting price.
The Genesis G90 is a luxury sedan that aims to please
Sharing the same perfect owner satisfaction score as the Chevrolet Corvette, the 2022 Genesis G90 is the flagship full-size sedan in Hyundai’s luxury brand lineup. Consumer Reports says the G90 “embodies stress-free luxury at a competitive price.”
The G90 has a 5.0-liter V8 engine or, as a better alternative, a 3.3-liter turbo V6. There’s also a choice between rear-wheel drive and the preferred all-wheel drive. Although the Corvette offers class-leading interior amenities, it’s still a sports car, while Genesis built the G90 for luxury. Rear-seat mounted audio and climate controls add an extra touch of class, all with a starting price of around $75,000.
The Kia Telluride is a spacious 3-row SUV
Offering three rows of seating for up to eight people, the Kia Telluride also earned perfect owner satisfaction scores. The Telluride shares the same platform as the Hyundai Palisade and features a smooth and comfortable ride. Its 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 offers enough power to merge into freeway traffic and still gets up to 30 mpg on the highway, though city driving results in about half that fuel economy.
While the Telluride may not be the sports car or luxury ride of your dreams, it’s a perfectly reliable and comfortable midsize SUV capable of hauling the grandkids and all their gear to soccer practice in style, all for about $33,000.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is an affordable, sporty convertible
If you’re on a budget but still have your heart set on a sporty convertible, the Mazda MX-5 Miata might be for you. Pair the six-speed manual transmission with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder to get the most out of the Miata’s 155 hp. The automatic transmission option works well, but is less exciting.
The convertible top is easy to use, but lets in enough road and wind noise that, along with the uncomfortable seat and stiff suspension, make long drives uncomfortable. However, owner satisfaction remains high and pricing starts well below $30,000.
Take off the pump and jump into a Tesla Model Y
For Baby Boomers ditching gasoline for electric power, the Tesla Model Y scores high in owner satisfaction but receives low predicted reliability scores. The Model Y is “an SUV version of the Model 3,” albeit larger, with more interior space.
The good news is that the Model Y shares the Model 3’s sports car-like driving, and the AWD Long Range option gets an EPA-estimated 330 miles on a full battery. The bad news is that it has an uncomfortable ride and costs nearly $66,000.
CONNECTED: Baby Boomers won’t dominate the car industry for much longer