Top 10 best sports cars 2022

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2. Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 / Boxster GTS 4.0

Yes, it's a Porsche one-two at the top of the charts, but the German firm knows what it's doing when it comes to screwing together a sensational sports car. No more so than when Zuffenhausen took the decision to answer the critics and return an atmospheric flat six back into this car in 2019; it created series-production 718 derivatives with prices well above £60,000 before you put a single option on them. And so, while the more affordable four-cylinder, sub-£50k 718 derivatives continue to present themselves to buyers with less to spend (and are ranked in our affordable sports car chart), Porsche's higher-end 718s have absolutely progressed in among the bigger fish of the sports car class.

Not that they struggle in such treacherous water. Porsche's latest six-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine is an utter joy, offering as much outright performance as any road-going sports car really needs but also wonderful smoothness and response, and an 8000rpm operating range. Unusually long-feeling gearing makes the six-speed manual versions slightly less appealing to drive, in some ways, than the seven-speed paddle-shift automatics.

The 718's beautifully poised handling, incredibly linear handling response and effortless body control at speed are now widely celebrated. This is the kind of sports car that can seem word-perfect in how it takes apart a cross-country road tough enough to expose a lesser machine. If you like a sports car with more power than its chassis can easily deploy, or whose dynamic quirks and flaws present something of a challenge to be 'driven around', you might even think a GTS 4.0 too good.

Compared with some cars in this list, there is also perhaps a slight lack of desirability about this car, but its usability is first-rate - and, now at least, its powertrain can be considered every bit as stellar as its ride and handling.

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3. Lotus Emira

The last hurrah for internal combustion power at Lotus, the all-new Emira certainly has a lot resting on its shoulders. And the good news is that the Norfolk newcomer gets so much right, from its junior exotic looks, through to a chassis that maintains the decades-long tradition of Hethel handling greatness.

There are some novelties for a Lotus too, such as an interior that delivers previously unheard of levels of luxury and quality, plus all the latest gadgets and gizmos. It’s decently practical too, proving easier to get into and out of than an Evora and packing handy storage. This is an everyday usable sports car.

However, this extra usability and refinement comes at a cost, with the Emira weighing in at a very un-Lotus 1440kg, which is heavier even than a Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0. That means the supercharged Toyota 3.5-litre V6 doesn’t feel quite as strong as you’d expect, its efforts aided and abetted by the slightly slack six-speed manual gearbox. That said, this is still a quick car, with the 0-62mph emergency start taking 4.3sec.

More importantly, it drives like a Lotus where it matters - in the corners. The extra mass means it doesn’t feel quite as lithe as the old Elise, but the Emira is beautifully balanced and damped, helping it breathe with the surface where others attempt to pummel it into submission. The steering is quick and feelsome, and as a result the Lotus dives through bends with quick-witted agility, its ability to shrug off unsettling bumps further boosting confidence. 

The Emira feels like it's a few development tweaks away from greatness, but for now it’s a fine send-off for suck, squeeze, bang and blow sports cars.

4. Chevrolet Corvette C8

Much has been written about General Motors’ decision to gamble with this, the eighth generation of its iconic Corvette sports car, by switching from a front-mounted engine to a mid-mounted one. There were objective reasons to do it: because it improves the car’s weight distribution and enhances its outright handling potential. And there was a more complex argument: that a mid-engined layout has become expected of an operator within this part of the sports car market, and the old C7 Corvette’s front-engined configuration made it something of a relic to the latest generation of sports car buyers.

Whatever it took to finally convince GM to make the switch, you could say it was worth it. The C8 Corvette has all of the metal-for-the-money and bang-for-your-buck value appeal as any of its forebears possessed, its supercar-looks-for-sports-car-cash shtick earning it the Dream Car accolade in the 2022 Autocar Awards. Yet there's more to its appeal than simple showroom sparkle and prices that run to £81,700 for the coupé and £87,110 for the convertible (think Porsche 911 Carrera cash).

Bristling with small-block-V8 combustive charm, the C8’s engine has excellent throttle response and has a wonderful mid-range power delivery; it likes to rev to beyond 6500rpm and sounds superb doing it. For outright performance, it feels broadly in line with the old C7 Corvette. Perhaps not quite fully ‘supercar fast’, then, but for this money, you’re unlikely to quibble with any run-to-60mph figure that starts with a three.

The C8 also handles with plenty of stability and precision, feeling instantly more benign and easier to drive quickly than any of its front-engined forebears, even if the slightly numb steering and a predilection for on-the-limit understeer might take the edge of its appeal on track days. In a subsequent twin test with a Porsche 911, however, it stood up and held its own remarkably well; and any sports car that can retain its own particular appeal under pressure from a car as complete as a Porsche '992' must be a pretty good one. 

Yes, its cabin has plenty of ergonomic quirks and it still lags behind the best for perceived quality, but we can't helping feel grateful that a car like the Corvette exists at all, and in right-hand-drive form to boot. It's not an unequivocal recommendation, but the caveats are small and easily offset by the car's big-hearted character.

5. Jaguar F-Type

The sales fortunes of Jaguar’s much-hyped successor to the Lyons-designed E-Type will tell you much about the development of the modern sports car market. When it was launched in 2013, we imagined the buying public would value it as a sort of prettier and more dependable modern TVR – favouring the biggest-hitting eight-cylinder engines and viewing it as a cheaper and more powerful front-engined rival to the 911.

For a while, buyers did exactly so. But as the car aged and the focus of the purist sports car market migrated (both upwards towards mid-engined super-sports cars like the Audi R8, and downwards towards cheaper mid-engined machines such as the Porsche Cayman and the Alpine A110), the F-Type had to move with it. The six-cylinder models grew in popularity, until Jaguar created another wave of interest in the car by furnishing it with a four-cylinder engine.

So, after its latest facelift at the beginning of 2020, the F-Type straddles even more market territory than it used to, and it's to Jaguar's considerable credit that the car can manage that to such cohesive effect. At the top of the range, the new R version remains a bleeding-heart, 567bhp upper-level-911 and cut-price Aston Martin Vantage rival; at the lower end, it costs less than £60,000 and makes do with just under 300bhp; and in the middle, the V8-engined, rear-wheel-drive, £70k P450 version might even be the pick of the range. Note, however, that Jaguar no longer offers its rich-sounding six-cylinder engine in the F-Type.

Jaguar’s new styling treatment for the F-Type certainly gives it some fresh and distinguishing visual appeal, though. We have thus far only driven the range-topping R AWD coupé, but it charmed us with its somewhat antediluvian V8 hotrod speed and noise, and yet impressed with its outright handling precision and chassis composure too.

The F-Type has never been quite as complete as its key rival from Porsche, and is now considerably less ritzy and technologically sophisticated inside. There is, however, still an awful lot to like about it, and plenty of reasons to grab one while you still can.

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6. Mercedes-AMG GT

With the spaceframe body structure of a supercar, a front-mounted engine from a muscle saloon, suspension tuned for maximum attack on the track and yet the practicality and luxury allure of an elegant coupé or roadster, the Mercedes-AMG GT is an even more bewildering addition to the sports car world than the Mercedes-Benz SLS was.

With lower-end (if you can call 523bhp 'lower-end') versions available for less than £110,000, however, it deserves to be considered next to higher-end examples of the Porsche 911 Carrera and Jaguar F-Type. In fact, thanks to its bombastic hotrod character and somewhat rough-edged, unreconstructed and to-the-point handling, it's at this level that the car probably has the greatest appeal.

Of course, there would be times when you’d grow tired of the GT's high-adrenaline temperament and lack of civility; but cheaper versions of this car have that bit less wearing aggressiveness about their character than the pricier ones, and the car's highs would always outweigh the moments when it annoyed. The GT is certainly capable and versatile – as much as cars twice its price – and it's so charming and lovable with it, even if not quite as delicate as alternatives.

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7. BMW M240i xDrive

Straddling the line between sports car and coupé, the fairly freshly minted 2 Series makes a compelling case for itself as a driver’s car, particularly in racy M240i xDrive guise. This is the most focused version of the two-door machine until the arrival of the all-new M2, but it shares quite a bit of its Motorsport-infused DNA with its brawnier brother.

Muscular haunches hide a shortened version of the 3 Series platform, while the long nose houses a 368bhp version of the tried, tested and turbocharged B58 3.0-litre straight six. It’s mated to a four-wheel drive system that has a sense of humour, diverting enough torque rewards for some tail-happy corner exits if you’re in the mood. The rest of the chassis is pretty good too – meaty steering, strong grip and eager agility drawing you into the action.

Yet the BMW’s party trick is its ability to turn into an everyday cruiser, a touch of a button slackening of its adaptive dampers for a cushioned ride, while styling that’s at the sit-up-and-beg end of the coupé spectrum allows room for four and a decent boot. 

We still can’t wait for the full-blown M2, but for now the M240i is an engaging and entertaining understudy.

8. Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

That's right – another American on this Europe-centric list of driver-focused sports cars. Still, the Shelby GT500 isn't your average Mustang. For one thing, it's the most powerful production Ford in history, with 749bhp courtesy of the supercharged 5.2-litre V8 that lurks beneath the endless, vented bonnet. It also has a dual-clutch transmission, and bespoke suspension with unique spring, damper and anti-roll bar settings, all to make it the best-driving Mustang there is.

So is it? Well, yes. Or rather, the similarly set-up but lighter-in-the-nose Mach 1 probably is. Both cars have very few of the vices of the Mustangs past. The rear axle is well located and along with the smoothness of the DCT gearbox, putting more than 600lb ft to the road isn't the hair-raising experience you'd think it might be. The handling is also predictable – though the car is undeniably heavy, at almost 1900kg, and the balance quite understeer-led. A proper driver's car? Not exactly, but a fine sports car, and an immensely exciting one.

There is at catch, and it's the fact you can't get one officially in the UK. However, if you're that keen, then specialist dealers such as Clive Sutton will be able to source you one (or might even have one in stock ready to go). If you prefer the warm embrace of the bona fide Ford dealer network, then the less powerful but almost as entertaining Mach 1 should be just the ticket.

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9. Audi TT RS

There is nothing small or unassuming about Audi's warbling five-pot TT RS save, perhaps, its size. This range-topping compact coupé has a stonking 395bhp five-cylinder engine and, in upper-level trims, a price tag closing in on £70,000. Thanks to Quattro four-wheel drive, it can do 60mph in comfortably less than 4.0sec, and if you pay extra it will run on to as much as 174mph. That's right: this is a 170mph Audi TT. What a brilliantly unhinged idea.

The car's chi-chi design appeal probably doesn't have the same allure among cars like this that it might among Mazda MX-5s and Toyota GT86s, and it isn't the most multifaceted or engaging driver's car in this class either. The four-wheel-drive layout makes for a slight lack of throttle-on cornering balance on the limit of grip, with the TT RS's controls feeling a bit remote and over-filtered.

On the flip side, of course, those controls and that stability-first handling make the TT RS a singularly effective sports car, and one of the sports car segment's most notable giant-slayers, when it comes to point-to-point ground-covering speed.

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10. Lexus LC

As a keen driver, you feel inclined to make a case for the LC. It has a superbly charismatic and likeable V8 engine, while balanced, spry, involving handling makes it feel, at times, more of a natural rival for the Jaguar F-Type or Porsche 911 than the mix of two- and four-door sporting grand tourers that Lexus identifies as its true opponents. Hence its inclusion here.

But the LC seems large, heavy, leaden-footed and a bit cumbersome on the road at times, so you never quite escape a feeling of ambivalence towards it. On song, its V8 engine is hugely special, and on a smooth surface its sheer agility and balance are quite something. Equally, the cabin, while remarkably luxurious, wants for much in the way of storage space, while the car's touring credentials are undermined by a particularly unpleasant run-flat-shod secondary ride.