Benjamin M. Monroe Blog: Best Car Super Bowl Commercials of 2018

Monday, February 5, 2018

Best Car Super Bowl Commercials of 2018

The 2018 Super Bowl has come and gone. The Philadelphia Eagles have been crowned Super Bowl champions in what was one of the most impressive offensive performances, from both teams, I’ve ever seen in the big game. Between both teams, they punted the ball once and they broke the Super Bowl record for combined offensive yards…in the third quarter. But for many viewers, the high-scoring game acted as the background for the famous Super Bowl commercials. This year was actually sort of a down year for SB commercials, as there weren’t as many really great ones as in years past (although, the NY Giants’ rendition of the Time of My Life dance from Dirty Dancing was genuinely hilarious). There were a few good car commercials, though, so we’re going to show you the best of them.

BMW didn’t show up this year yet again, not having a Super Bowl commercial since its i3 commercial a few years back. To be honest, there weren’t a ton of good car ads this year at all. Though, there were a few good ones and two great ones. So here are our favorite car commercials from the 2018 Super Bowl.

“Feel Something Again” — KIA Stinger

It’s not often there’s a KIA commercial for a car enthusiasts are actually excited about. And that’s really why this commercial makes the list, as the KIA Stinger is finally an exciting and interesting car from KIA, so much so that seeing an ad for it during the Super Bowl actually made us happy. In the ad, rock god Steven Tyler steps out of a trailer on an oval race track and gets into a KIA Stinger GT while his famous “Dream On” plays in the background. But rather than tear off as you’d expect, he throws it into reverse and takes off going backwards. So fast, in fact, that he goes back in time and a young Steven Tyler steps out of the car, only to be bombarded by fans.

The idea is that the Stinger makes you feel young and exciting again. Which is very well could for the typical KIA customer. It wasn’t a brilliant ad but it was cool to see one for the Stinger and it’s always good to see Steven Tyler, even if he is looking more and more like a marionette version of himself.

“Long Live the King” — Lexus LS 500

Lexus is the sponsor for the new Marvel movie, “Black Panther”, and the pair showed off that connection in this new advertisement. It shows the titular character beating up some baddies and taking the “Vibranium” back. That precious metal goes in the trunk of the new Lexus LC 500, which is the brand’s newest sports car. However, T’Challa (Black Panther) doesn’t get in the LC 500. Instead, he jumps through the sunroof of an autonomous Lexus LS 500 that’s being remotely driven by his younger sister, Shuri. Once in, T’Challa drives himself to a premiere of some sort and gets out wearing a suit. It’s an exciting commercial that features some cool cars, cool driving and one of the best new superhero characters. Also, the new LS 500 looks pretty good and it’s shaping up to be the best luxury car from Lexus is a very long time.

“Anti-Manifesto” — Jeep Wrangler

This commercial is great because it’s short, simple and drives the point home with only a few words. The entire commercial is the new Jeep Wrangler showing off its off-road prowess. We see it wading through deep water and then climbing up some pretty treacherous looking rocks and it does it all in one smooth take, no quick editorial cuts and without slowing down. It’s just pure Jeep, off-road bad-assery and it’s awesome.

“Good Odds” — Toyota

Toyota has been getting really good at tugging at our heartstrings during Super Bowl commercials. This one is no different and it does so in a somewhat shocking way. The very first scene shows a nurse holding up a newborn baby that had lost her legs from the shin down (my Wife who’s also a new mother saw that and left the room so as to not get upset). During that scene, text reads “Odds of winning a Gold Medal?”. The ad then continues to her practicing skiing throughout her life as the odds for winning a Gold Medal continue to get better on the screen as she gets older. It shows her falling as she’s skiing, training and practicing before finally reveal that the little girl in the beginning of the ad grew up to be Lauren Woolstencroft, an 8-time Paralympic Gold Medalist. It’s an incredibly touching commercial that’s hard to watch without wondering if someone nearby is cutting onions (I wasn’t crying, dammit).

“Jeep Jurassic” — Jeep Wrangler

Maybe I’m a bit biased because Jurassic Park is one of my all-time favorite movies but this commercial was great. It starts off showing Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm in the back of a Jeep Wrangler being chased by a T-Rex, from the first Jurassic Park movie. During the chase, we see that massive dino in the side mirror chasing the Jeep. It then transitions to modern day with Jeff Goldblum driving the brand-new Jeep Wrangler while running away from yet another T-Rex. This time, though, he’s driving a far more capable Wrangler. He then pulls a car chase move on the Tyrannosaur by letting it get alongside of him before slamming on the brakes and moving behind the big T-Rex. The rolls then become reversed.

He then wakes up from that daydream behind the wheel of a Wrangler on the showroom floor of a dealership. A saleswoman asks him if he wants to take a test-drive, to which he responds “I just did.” The famous Jurassic Park theme then plays and we see a Jeep Wrangler chasing a T-Rex into the sunset. It’s an awesome commercial that’s both funny and a throwback to many of our childhoods watching one of Spielberg’s best movies.