Cars
The Motoring Standings — ranked by what the whole field of reviewers concludes, on involvement, not 0–60.
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japan · FWD· manualCivic Type R
The driver's benchmark in the hot hatch class. Four decades, five generations, one of the most committed FWD platforms ever built.
1997–present
japan · FWD· manualCivic Si
The everyday enthusiast Honda, still.
1986–present
japan · FWD· manualIntegra Type S
The Type R that wears a suit.
2024–present
germany · AWD· manualGolf R
All-wheel-drive sleeper, every weather.
2012–present
germany · FWD· manualGolf GTI
The original. Still the template.
1976–present
japan · AWD· manualGR Corolla
Rally-bred turbo triple. Toyota remembered.
2023–present
japan · AWD· manualGR Yaris
The homologation special everyone wants and nobody got.
2020–present
korea · FWD· manualElantra N
The hot sedan Koreans built while everyone else gave up.
2022–present
korea · FWD· manual· heritageVeloster N
The car that proved Hyundai could.
2019–2022
germany · AWDAudi RS3
Five cylinders, all-wheel-drive, no apologies.
2011–present
germany · AWDAudi S3
The reasonable RS3, except it isn't.
1999–present
germany · AWDBMW M135i
The M Performance hatch the M2 fans pretend they hate.
2019–present
us · AWD· manual· heritageFord Focus RS Mk3
Drift Mode happened. We were there.
2016–2018
us · FWD· manual· heritageFord Focus ST
The torque-steering, recaro-clad people's champion.
2013–2019
japan · AWD· manualSubaru WRX
Turbo boxer, symmetrical AWD, three pedals — the rally sedan carries on.
2022–present
japan · AWD· manual· heritageSubaru WRX STI
The boxer-rumbling, rally-bred Impreza we still miss.
1992–2021
uk · FWD· manualMini John Cooper Works
Go-kart hot hatch, John Cooper Works tune.
2008–present
uk · RWD· manual· heritageLotus Elise
The bonded-aluminium featherweight that rebooted Lotus.
1996–2021
uk · RWD· manual· heritageLotus Exige
The hard-roof Elise that grew into a supercharged V6 weapon.
2000–2021
japan · RWD· manualToyota GR86
The everyman sports car, sharpened.
2022–present
japan · RWD· manualSubaru BRZ
Twin-of-the-86, with a quieter personality.
2022–present
japan · RWD· manualMazda MX-5 Miata
Lightweight, rear-drive, manual roadster. The blueprint nobody else has the discipline to ship.
1989–present
japan · RWD· manualToyota Supra
Mk4 to A90 — two halves, one nameplate.
1993–present
japan · RWD· manualNissan Z
Five letters of Z heritage, finally turbocharged again.
1990–present
japan · RWD· manual· heritageHonda S2000
Nine thousand RPM. Still resets the bar.
2000–2009
japan · FWDHonda Prelude
The four-wheel-steered icon returns as a hybrid coupe.
1978–present
japan · RWD· manual· heritageMazda RX-7
Rotary twin-turbo. Featherweight. Untouchable.
1985–2002
japan · RWD· manual· heritageMazda RX-8
Four doors, four rotors of fuel. Rotary's last stand.
2003–2012
japan · FWD· manual· heritageIntegra Type R
The greatest front-driver ever made. Yes, that one.
1995–2006
japan · RWD· manual· heritageToyota MR2
Mid-engine on a Corolla budget. Three takes, all worth it.
1984–2007
germany · RWDPorsche 911 GT3 RS
The GT3 maxed for downforce — swan-neck wing, DRS, center-locks, and a 9,000-rpm naturally aspirated flat-six.
uk · RWD· manualLotus Evora
Lotus's mid-engine 2+2 GT — a Toyota V6 (supercharged on the S/400/GT), a manual, and Hethel ride-and-handling.
2009–2021
germany · RWD· manualPorsche Cayman GT4
Mid-engine, naturally aspirated, finally legitimate.
2015–present
germany · RWDPorsche Cayman GT4 RS
2022–present
germany · RWD· manualPorsche Boxster Spyder
The roadster the purists kept asking for.
2010–present
germany · RWDPorsche 718 Spyder RS
The 911 GT3's 9,000-rpm flat-six dropped into an open-top Boxster — PDK only, no roof to hide behind.
2024–present
germany · RWD· manualPorsche 911 GT3
Six generations of naturally aspirated, motorsport-derived 911. The benchmark for what a road-legal track car should be.
1999–present
us · RWDChevrolet Corvette C8
Mid-engine America. The shift everyone underestimated.
2020–present
uk · RWD· manualLotus Emira
Lotus's last combustion car — Toyota V6 or AMG four, your call.
2022–present
japan · RWD· manual· heritageHonda NSX
Aluminum, mid-engine, Senna-tuned. Japan's supercar.
1990–2022
japan · RWDLexus LC 500
Concept-car looks, naturally aspirated V8 — the GT Lexus dared to build.
2017–present
germany · AWDPorsche 911 Turbo
All-weather all-wheel-drive supercar — plus the RWD GT2 outlier.
2000–present
japan · AWD· manualNissan GT-R
Skyline GT-R to Godzilla. Four decades of pursuit.
1989–present
germany · RWD· manualPorsche 718 GTS 4.0
The flat-six comes back to the mid-engine Porsche — manual GTS 4.0.
2020–present
germany · RWD· manualBMW M2
The last small M coupe with a stick.
2016–present
germany · RWD· manualBMW M3
Six generations, six different engine architectures, one of the most consistently re-evaluated nameplates in performance cars.
1986–present
germany · RWD· manualBMW M4
M3 in coupe form. The original idea, reasserted.
2014–present
us · RWD· manualFord Mustang
V8 pony car, from Boss 302 to the Dark Horse.
2005–present
germany · RWD· manualBMW M5
The original super-sedan — V8, V10, and back to V8 hybrid.
1998–present
germany · AWDAudi RS5
The RS coupe — from screaming 4.2 V8 to twin-turbo V6.
2010–present
korea · AWDHyundai Ioniq 5 N
The EV that made enthusiasts care — fake shifts and all.
2024–present
germany · AWDBMW M5 Touring
Eight cylinders, five seats, one continent of luggage.
2025–present
germany · AWDAudi RS6 Avant
The wagon that made wagons cool again.
2002–present
sweden · AWDVolvo V60 Polestar
Sweden's answer, in the only body style that matters.
2013–present