Every new year brings with it new opportunities, and among them is the chance to legally import cars that we previously couldn’t. Models never designed for American roads are eligible to disembark at the port of your choice and start a new life as soon as they celebrate their 25th birthday, though keep in mind that state-level rules sometimes come into play as well. With 2024 pretty much in the books, we’re taking a look at some of the highlights from the import-eligible class of 2025.
Alfa Romeo 147
You need to set your time machine to 2000 to fully grasp the Alfa Romeo 147’s importance. Pegged at the bottom of the brand’s range in terms of size and price, it aimed to lure younger buyers into showrooms by offering an attractive blend of performance, practicality, and affordability. Alfa boldly elbowed its way into the space separating the Volkswagen Golf and the Audi A3 and, against a great many odds, totally pulled it off.
Keep in mind that, 25 years ago, the choices were limited in this small-but-booming segment. The original Mercedes-Benz A-Class was a blob many still considered the Corvair of its generation. BMW had nothing positioned below the 3 Series, and Lexus didn’t enter the ring until it released the CT in 2010. Stylish and offered in several configurations, including two- and four-door models, the 147 was ahead of its time.
Unfortunately, the one you’d really want—the range-topping, 3.2-liter V6-powered 147 GTA—isn’t old enough to bring here yet.
Audi RS4 Avant
Audi’s long-awaited successor to the RS2 Avant was also the ultimate evolution of the B5-generation A4. Launched late in the production run and offered exclusively as a wagon, the RS4 Avant was powered by a 2.7-liter V6 modified by Cosworth and twin-turbocharged to develop 381 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque. For context, in 2000 a Ferrari 360 posted figures of 400 and 275, respectively, so you can see how the original RS4 was a huge deal.
Several visual updates set the RS4 apart from less powerful A4-based wagons, including a body kit, model-specific exterior trim, punched-out wheel arches, and Recaro seats, but the look was relatively subtle. Crucially, none of this came at the expense of the practicality you’d expect from a wagon. Audi built approximately 6,000 units of the B5-generation RS4 Avant, so finding one that’s been well-kept shouldn’t be too hard.
Holden Ute
If the Chevrolet El Camino had stuck around, it could’ve looked a lot like the Holden Ute by the turn of the millennium. The nameplate was new but the idea wasn’t: Australian automaker Holden, which was formerly owned by General Motors, had sold car-based pickups for decades. The original Ute was based on the VX-generation Commodore, so it featured rear-wheel drive and either a V6 or a V8 depending on the trim level selected. The enthusiast’s choice adopted the familiar SS nameplate and lived up to it with a 302-hp V8 and six-speed stick.
Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220
Loosely related to the Lotus Elise, the Speedster was the car no one saw coming from Opel. At the time, the brand’s portfolio included some of the most uninspiring cars you could drive off a dealer’s lot. Opel’s intention wasn’t to make drivers like the Astra; they simply needed to not dislike it. That’s why everyone sat up and made a funny face when the Speedster came out with a five-speed stick and mid-mounted engine.
It’s like if Buick suddenly came out with an alternative to the Mazda MX-5 Miata. And yet, the skeptics and naysayers were quickly proven wrong, because the Speedster was the real deal. It tipped the scale at less than 2,000 pounds thanks in part to the widespread use of aluminum and fiberglass, and its naturally-aspirated 2.2-liter four-cylinder Ecotec engine was rated at 145 hp (a turbo option was added later). It looked the part, too, with edgy styling, the proportions you’d expect from a roadster, a concept car-like interior, and cool vertically-stacked exhaust tips.
British enthusiasts knew the Speedster as the Vauxhall VX220, but American enthusiasts never got the chance to meet it. Until now, that is.
Suzuki Ignis
Cheap and cheerful, the Suzuki Ignis argues there’s no unwritten rule that says a car imported from abroad needs to tick the “performance” box. This 142-inch-long hatchback was available with two and four doors and either a 1.3- or a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It’s somewhat of a proto-crossover with vaguely rugged-looking exterior styling, and it’s more capable off the beaten path than you might assume when fitted with its available four-wheel-drive system. Better yet, the Ignis was sold in numerous global markets, including Europe and Japan, so you can choose the convenience of a left-hand-drive example imported from, say, Italy, or the eccentricity of a right-hand-drive, Japanese-market model.
Honorable Mention: The Euro-Spec W203 Mercedes C-Class Variants We Never Got
For the American market, the second-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class (called W203 internally) made its debut for the 2001 model year. Buyers initially had two variants to choose from called C240 and C280, respectively. If you traveled across the pond, though, where sales started a year earlier, you could see the rest of the iceberg beyond the tip. Buyers there could also order the entry-level C180, the supercharged C200 Kompressor, and the 2.7-liter turbodiesel five-cylinder-powered C270 CDI, among other variants. Fun fact: The 2.7 also ended up in the Austrian-built, European-spec second-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. (These were the days of DaimlerChrysler, after all.) If you dream of daily driving a stick-shifted, diesel-burning W203, the time has come! Good luck finding one that hasn’t been ravaged, though.
That’s our shortlist of attainable imports for the coming year. What are you most excited to potentially see on American roads for the first time, or even get your hands on? Let us know in the comments.
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