Yahoo Autos 2016 10Best Cars: The Difference Between the Winners and the Losers Was Slim
From the January 2016 issue
Every year we pick our 10Best cars, and every year we leave four to five times that many off the list. Usually, there is a vast gulf between the winners and the losers. But not this time.
There was a thick boundary layer of excellence at this year’s base camp. Scores on my 10Best ballot only went as low as 72 out of 100. There were a lot of 90- and 92-point cars that didn’t win, cars that didn’t quite meet our guiding criteria, which is: Can we name another vehicle on the market that does what this one does but better and cheaper? If so, it’s not getting invited to the big photo shoot. What we wind up with are cars that combine astonishing dynamics with compelling value and a clear sense of purpose, but that are rarely the most popular vehicles in their segments. We’re fine with that. Anyone can look at a sales chart and pronounce the Bongtoke GLT a winner. It’s our job to unearth gems. Cars on the 10Best list should have your neighbors asking questions, sometimes relating to your sanity. Issues of personal taste, social conformity, and other base impulses rarely factor in. Except here, where to the chagrin of my co-workers, I get to wax on about favorite cars that didn’t make the list. Here are this year’s also-rans:
Cadillac ATS-V Sedan and Coupe
Incredible machines, these. Powerful, composed, knife-edged. But what torpedoed the ATS-Vs was, oddly enough, the Camaro. It has the V-8 the ATS-V doesn’t, and the assassin’s chassis it does. The Chevy was simply more fun at reasonable road speeds than the Cadillac, which seemed almost too planted, too grippy, too disinclined to lean or roll or flow. It was like a GT3 racer with an infotainment system. A staggering achievement that left too many of us cold.
Honda Civic
After looking at this car’s spec sheet, Jeff Sabatini said: “Hmm. It’s got a 1.5-liter four and a CVT. So it’ll be like a Porsche 930 Turbo except instead of punching you in the face, it’ll be a fly landing on your nose.” Not so fast, ye of the erstwhile ponytail. Honda, through its miraculous vehicle integration, makes the Civic’s hardware work. It is lithe, fun, reliable, and roomy. But alas, it’s no Golf.
Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG
Benz-slappy that I am, I find it hard to do one of these yearly columns without including one Mercedes. So here it is—the sweet spot between the country-clubbing C300 and the seal-clubbing C63. I’d buy one.
2016 10Best Cars: Return to Overview
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