Top 10 Best Car Commercials of Super Bowl 2014 [w/ Videos]

on February 3, 2014 at 12:22 pm

If, like a staggering number of American TV viewers, you witnessed yesterday’s Super Massacre, er, Super Bowl, you probably saw many of the commercials companies concoct for this annual sporting contest. Of course, if you’re a Broncos fan who tuned out when it was clear your team was getting shipped to the glue factory (or you were rooting for the Seahawks and thought it would be more fun to attempt to make replica of the Burj Khalifa out of empty beer cans than watch any more of Peyton and Posse getting pounded), you missed more than a few good ads. Fortunately for you, we’ve rounded up what we reckon to be the 10 best car commercials of Super Bowl XLVIII for your viewing pleasure. And you could use some viewing pleasure right about now, yes?

Audi, “Doberhuahua”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl0zw1YVZd4

There are many facets of life that require compromise, but Audi thinks choosing a car shouldn’t be one of them. This point is driven home by the Doberhuahua, a fanciful mix of two dog breeds at extreme opposite ends of the badass scale. Yeah, the ad’s a bit over-the-top in terms of whimsy, but it’s so well executed that we were able to look past most of it. Of course, the fact that we already dug the newA3 helped.

Chrysler, “America’s Import”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlSn8Isv-3M

You can accuse Bob Dylan of being a sellout all you want, but that’s not going to change him. Why? Because he’s Bob F*cking Dylan and does what he wants, that’s why. The Bard of Hibbing’s latest venture? Providing the voice of Chrysler’s 2014 Super Bowl spot, highlighting the new, no-longer-rental-fleet-detritus 200. This ad also marks the premiere of the new tagline for the Chrysler brand: “America’s Import.” Ironic, given that the company is now 100% part-and-parcel of Fiat? Yeah, but that doesn’t make the former Mr. Zimmerman’s musings ring any less true.

Kia, “The Truth”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob-wn52Dkmk

Although The Matrix and its two sequels were hugely popular during and a fair while after their release last decade, it doesn’t seem like they’ve had quite the staying power of other sci-fi flicks (*cough*Star Wars*cough*). Even so, Kia convinced Laurence Fishburne to reprise his role as Morpheus for the purpose of peddling the company’s hoity-toity new big sedan, the K900. Naturally, things get all slow-motion-destruction-y (as well as…operatic) as the lucky couple’s travel guide reveals the enticing zeroes and ones hiding behind their luxury car badge snobbery.

Jaguar, “British Villains: ‘Rendezvous’”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bls1KKDwmo

While we very much doubt the typical NFL fan falls into Jaguar’s target demographic, the hallowed British nameplate has nevertheless chosen 2014 to take its first stab at a Super Bowl advert. Starring the stupefyingly-gorgeous F-Type Coupe, Mark Strong, Tom Hiddleston and Sir Ben Kingsley, this spot points out how numerous Hollywood baddies are played by British actors. While some might question the wisdom of comparing Jaguar’s newest super coupe to movie villains, there’s no denying that the end product is sharp, sophisticated, and stylish. In other words, veddy British.

Maserati, “Strike”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmpiwU50f5w

This 90-second number from Maserati (another iconic Old World sporting luxury car brand whose marketing involvement in such a blue collar American event is, to put it mildly, a head-scratcher) caught us by surprise, which is rather fitting. It would seem to be an allegory of Maserati watching the mid-size luxury sedan segment from the sidelines, waiting for ze Chermans to reach their cockiness and complacency zeniths. For the sake of the brand and its new Ghibli, we hope this fusillade of shock and awe pays off.

Volkswagen, “Wings”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns-p0BdUB5o

Volkswagen is known for putting clever, quirky commercials on the airwaves, and this latest one continues the tradition. It riffs on a famous line from It’s a Wonderful Life, substituting “a Volkswagen hits 100,000 miles” for “a bell rings” and “German engineer” for “angel.” On premise, you’d think the joke would fall flat on its face. But thanks to splendid special effects and some witty writing, it happens to work rather well. Oh, and shooting on location in actual German VW plants (including the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden that builds the no-longer-sold-here Phaeton)? Double points right there.

Ford, “Nearly Double”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XFoRpYvf8M

Ford decided to take an unusual approach for its Super Bowl commercials this year. Yes, we said commercials, plural, because that’s what Ford did to promote the Fusion Hybrid and how it gets nearly double the fuel economy of the average new car sold in America. The second played toward the end of the same ad break as the first one and, wouldn’t you know it, nearly doubled everything the first one did: The length, the glitz, and the size of the “Nearly Double” sign. But is James Franco nearly double the celebrity that Rob Riggle is? Lots of folks will probably agree, but there will be some who will dispute the notion, like Mr. Riggle’s mom, for example…

Toyota, “Joyride”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5A3R4XqhOA

Modern Toyotas are often accused of being emotionally bankrupt transportation pods with souls more beige than the most khaki of trousers. Will the latest rendition of the Highlander – the company’s most corpulent crossover – change that? Probably not. But it’s kinda fun watching the one-and-only Terry Crews and a bunch of Muppets try to do so in this heavy-on-the-happy spot.

Chevrolet, “Romance”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOMrA-BGuLY

Do you ever think about where your favorite hamburger comes from? Yes, we know you know it comes from a cow, but do you ever go further up the production chain? As in all the way to the ritual bovine bumping of the uglies? Chevrolet did when crafting a commercial to tout its latest Silverado HD pickup. And the musical cut Chevy’s ad agency chose for this cross-country beefsteak booty call? Perfecto (if mildly predictable).

Honda, “#hugfest”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQi9cBFm4pE

There’s certainly no rule against broaching serious topics in Super Bowl ads, but if there was, Honda would have broken it with this thought-provoking piece titled “#hugfest.” Yeah, it stars Bruce Willis and Fred Armisen, and there is a certain component of levity, but the overall message is stone-cold sober: You care about the people around you. Honda cares about building safe vehicles. Therefore, you and the people you care about should care about Honda. Simple, straight-faced, and altogether swell.