What’s in a name? Sometimes more than automakers bargained for. Here is a sampling of model names and their dictionary definitions. You decide which works best.
Armada: A fleet of warships or a fleet of Nissan SUVs?
Charger: A horse trained for battle or a high-horsepower Dodge sedan?
Cooper: A person who makes or repairs casks and barrels–in a Mini subcompact?
Corolla: The petals or inner leaves of a flower or a Toyota compact?
Eclipse: A loss of significance, power or prominence–hardly in a Mitsubishi sport coupe.
Escalade: The scaling of fortified walls using ladders, perhaps with a Cadillac SUV.
Fit: A seizure but hopefully not while behind the wheel of a Honda subcompact.
Lancer: A cavalry soldier armed with a lance–jousting with a Mitsubishi compact?
Legacy: Bequeathed money or property, possibly including a Subaru sedan.
Lucerne: Alfalfa, presumably not growing under a Buick sedan.
Matrix: The womb or a Toyota crossover?
Sable: A mammal valued for its fur, perhaps worn by some Mercury sedan drivers.
Tundra: A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region that can be traversed in a Toyota pickup.
SOURCES: COMPACT OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY