The other day, a friend texted me the following question: “Do any manufacturers use exciting colors anymore? Seems like you have the choice of black, white, silver, gray, or some mixture of blue/gray or green/gray . . . ” He punctuated the sentiment with a yawning emoticon.
I told him that there are interesting colors available on mainstream cars, and I wish more people bought them. But I guess, when I look at my own cars, I’m part of the problem: black Jeep Gladiator, Ceramic Gray Chrysler Pacifica, Ice Silver Metallic Subaru WRX. The Pacifica at least has a vibrant interior: searing bright red. But outside, all is wan.
I’ve just never ranked paint color as a high priority when I’m car shopping. When I bought the Gladiator, I would have loved to get one in Hydro Blue, but I also wanted a Sport S with the Alpine stereo, the cold weather package, and the diesel engine. And the only ones with those options all seemed to be black. So I got a black one.
Likewise, my ideal WRX would be draped in WR (shorthand for World Rally) Blue Pearl, but my local dealer didn’t have one, and I didn’t care that much. The silver has grown on me. And it lowers the WRX’s cop-attention factor—I say if you’ve got a hood scoop, maybe go with the neutral paint.
But you, friends, you should all buy vibrantly painted cars so that I can enjoy looking at them on my travels. And I should clarify that I’m not talking about Skittles-hued Lambos and BMW M cars, here, or the obvious candidates for wild factory paint—you expect Dodge will have some vibrant colors for the Charger with names like Your Mom and Resisting Arrest. And Jeep always has a couple of SEMA-worthy paint options for the Wrangler (currently Reign, which is purple; Mojito, which looks like the color of an energy drink that would be illegal in 57 countries; and Goldilocks, which is yellow). But what about regular everyday cars?
Well, there are some good options out there. Here are some that I heartily endorse.
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid in Cavalry Blue with Jet Black Roof
Two-tone roofs are a trend, and a fine one at that. The Corolla Cross Hybrid’s blacked-out topsides add extra pop to the striking blue paint down below, and I say that’s $500 well spent. Note that only the hybrid Corolla Cross is available with the two-tone treatment, and this is the rare $30,000-ish car that has multiple levels of optional paint finery—Wind Chill Pearl is $975, as is Soul Red Crystal.
Hey, wait a minute, isn’t that a signature Mazda color? Why yes, padawan, it turns out that Mazda and Toyota’s collabs extend beyond the mechanical realm (see: the CX-50 Hybrid’s Toyota powertrain). The Corolla Cross and CX-50 are built in the same plant, so the Corolla Cross gets a Mazda color and the CX-50 is available with Cypress Green, a Toyota color. (Swappin’ paint: It’s not just for NASCAR.) But even if Soul Red doesn’t solely belong to Mazda, it belongs on one. Which brings me to . . .
Mazda Soul Red Crystal (on Anything)
Soul Red Crystal is such a cool color that we did a whole story on it. It’s a $595 option on the CX-5 and is well worth it. Soul Red Crystal’s deep crimson derives from a three-layer process: a reflective/absorptive layer with embedded aluminum flakes, a translucent layer with high-chroma pigment, and then a clearcoat. In the shade, Soul Red looks dark. When the sun hits it, it turns into liquid lava, bathing your retinas in its bottomless redness. Near where I live, someone has a Soul Red Mazda 3 that they park outside a hilltop medical building, always in the end spot, and when I drive by at sunset, that car lights up the whole town.
Nissan Frontier in Citrus Strike
Remember when the Nissan Xterra was synonymous with bright yellow? Nissan’s getting fun with its truck again, as exemplified by the Frontier’s available Afterburner Orange, Bluestone Pearl, and the aforementioned acid-yellow-green Citrus Strike (all $450).
I also have an affinity for the peak 1990s shades of dark green, and the Frontier’s got an option there, too—I drove one in Tactical Green Metallic, which isn’t quite a ’90s forest green, but close enough to warm my heart.
Nissan Leaf in Seabreeze Blue Pearl with Super Black Two-Tone
The new Leaf is a fantastic deal, so go ahead and spend $800 on Seabreeze Blue Pearl so that I can daydream of lounging on the beach in Barbados any time I see you drive by. Leaf buyers, it’s your responsibility.
Chevrolet Trailblazer in Marina Blue Metallic
Chevy offers some interesting colors for both the Trailblazer and the Trax, which makes sense because affordable cars also tend to be young-person cars, and Gen Z is perhaps more open-minded about fast-fashion paint jobs ($395 for this one). The Marina Blue also comes with a two-tone roof—but, unlike most of them, it’s white, which is a little bit braver. Unfortunately, the bravest small-Chevy hue, Nitro Yellow Metallic, was dropped this year.
Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo in Sparkling Yellow
Any turbocharged hatchback should be available in an eye-catching color, and Sparkling Yellow ($395) tells the world that you opted for a zesty K4. Sparkling Yellow is only available on the GT-Line hatchbacks and is unavailable on the sedan.
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid in Citron Yellow Pearl
The Crosstrek is somehow suited for eye-catching colors. In fact, last year marked the inaugural Sunshine Orange Crosstrek parade in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, an event that organizer Michelle Kaplan said was “completely ridiculous with no deeper meaning.”
Sunshine Orange is no longer available, but fear not, those of you who want to make your Crosstrek easier to find in the Mad River Glen parking lot: Citron Yellow Pearl ($395) is the new Sunshine Orange. You should check that option box, so I can live vicariously in my anonymous silver Subaru.
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Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.