'Thor: Ragnarok' Fans: These 3 Cars Are for You
CARS.COM — The just-released trailer for “Thor: Ragnarok,” the third film installment for the sole deity among Marvel’s Avengers, opens with a leading question by the titular superhero: “Now, I know what you’re thinking … ‘How did this happen?’ Well, it’s a long story.” We can only assume he means how he went from his flowing blond signature mane to a frat-boy fade from Floyd’s on Melrose.
Related: Seen ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Trailer? Now Drive Like a Spider, Man!
But we digress. As anticipation for the Thor-Hulk faceoff teased in the trailer generates some major (and much-needed) buzz for the Nov. 3 return of the son of Odin’s bulging biceps, don’t waste your time in the gym trying to look like Chris Hemsworth (you can’t, and you won’t). Instead, focus on a more attainable goal: getting yourself behind the wheel of a car befitting a Norse-god-turned-superhero.
Here are three Thor-themed cars…
2011 Saab 9-5
Get some of Thor’s Nordic mojo with one of the most famous Swedish brands ever sold stateside. Only a few hundred of now-defunct Saab’s flagship sedan, the 9-5, were available in the U.S. near the end of the 2011 model year. It came with a 300-horsepower, 2.8-liter V-6 sending power to all four wheels via six-speed automatic transmission, and exterior styling some found too Loki … er, low-key.
Sure, by the 9-5’s last model year in the U.S., Saab was owned by a Dutch automaker that had acquired the Swedish brand from GM — but, hey, Hemsworth is an Australian playing a blasphemized comic-book version of a Norse deity who lives in outer space. So let’s not get bogged down in strict authenticity.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Thor is the god of thunder, after all — so what better way to promote your personal brand than to be seen rolling around Asgard (or Scranton, Ohio, or wherever) in a Bolt EV? And like the man, the myth, the legend himself, the Bolt EV is virtuous — offering a 238-mile all-electric range on par with Tesla in a time when low gas prices are charging up SUV sales, at a sub-$30,000 price that keeps it affordable for mere mortals.
Hammer-schmammer. You won’t need enchanted hand tools to summon the lightning with this electric vehicle.
2017 Volvo XC90
Perhaps the best-known Swedish brand name next to Ikea is Volvo, and we can personally vouch for the pleasures of owning an XC90. Like Thor himself, the safety-focused automaker’s SUV could be counted on to protect us from peril while maintaining its gentile manners — and always looking cool.
It even has LED elements in its peepers that Volvo refers to as “Thor’s Hammer” headlights. We’re not sure that’s really an apt name; they look more like a T-square from the designers’ drafting table. In any case, Thor fans, the XC90 is just waiting for you to take it home and slap your “My Other Car Is Mjölnir” bumper sticker on the back.
