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We’re not impressed easily here at Autocar.
It takes something deeply special to rise above the mediocre mainstream, so when we award top marks to a car that we review, you just know it’s worthy of your attention.
Few cars on sale today make the top grade; here we chronicle why they’re so special. All you need to do is start plotting how to put one of them into your garage.- Slide of
Alpina D3 Biturbo
We said: “The D3’s trump card isn’t its smooth ride and handling, or its tidal wave of mid-range performance, or even its quietly breathtaking good looks. It is instead the fact that it manages to combine all of the above with 50mpg real-world economy – and a price tag that is the right side of £50,000 in the UK. And that makes it one of the most desirable saloon and touring cars that sensible money has ever been able to buy, if not THE most desirable.”
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Ariel Nomad
We said: “Plenty of our testers would pick a Nomad to play with on a circuit before they’d consider a dozen high-profile sports cars and supercars, and that’s not even the Nomad’s home turf. Get it on the road, where it’s also sensational, or loose ground, where it’s best of all, and it excels on another level."
"The key to it is that it’s not just technically accomplished and not just huge amounts of fun; it’s both at the same time. No other car lets you take so much joy from so few components.” - Slide of
Bentley Bentayga diesel
We said: “This car rises head and shoulders above any other in fulfilling the role of the consummate, complete, luxury SUV. And in five years, when there may be rivals from Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and others, we won’t be surprised if it still does."
"But for now it tops our list ahead of its closest competitors in the shape of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Audi SQ7, Range Rover SV Autobiography and Mercedes-AMG GLS 63.” - Slide of
Ferrari 488 GTB
We said: “Ferrari’s greatest achievement with the 488 GTB is not simply how fast it goes. Nor is it how it has integrated turbochargers onto its mid-mounted V8 yet retained far more character than any other manufacturer that has tried artificially aspirating its engines."
"Nor is it that it has given the 488 all the track poise and ability of the 458 Speciale that went before it. No, the feat is how all of the above have been melded into what is undoubtedly today’s greatest supercar.” - Slide of
McLaren 720S
We said: “While McLaren won’t openly admit it, it’s probably faster than a 675LT and therefore, I suspect, even faster than a P1. And while it’s less furious in attitude than a 675LT or, say, a Porsche 911 GT3, it’s so much more approachable and broadly capable at the other end that it is almost beyond comprehension that the very same car can be this docile, this comfortable and yet this fast. It shouldn’t happen."
"But it has. In only McLaren’s seventh year as a car manufacturer, it has built a new-generation model that answers nearly every criticism thrown at the car it succeeds. The 720S is a world class supercar, no question. It may even be the world’s best supercar.” - Slide of
Ferrari LaFerrari
We said: “LaFerrari is a more than worthy successor to the Enzo. Indeed, it makes the old-timer feel gruesomely under-achieving in most respects, and is also a much easier, far sweeter car to drive in the process.”
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McLaren 540C
We said: “We’ve already decided that the 570S is a superb place to put your money, and there’s precious little to criticise about the 540C that hasn’t already been said about the 570S. Sure, the cheaper car has iron brakes, not the carbon variety used on more expensive McLarens, but on the road you hardly notice the difference."
"And true, the 540C’s interior décor is a little less ornate than its pricier siblings, but we actually enjoyed that simplicity, especially since it did nothing to disguise the abiding impression of quality. But if you’re a personal lease buyer — and more and more supercar owners seem to be — the 540’s extra affordability may just make the vital difference.” - Slide of
Ford Focus RS
We said: “The RS isn’t an easy car to live with – it’s too thirsty, its seats are too high and the opportunities to exploit its handling are not ever-present. But if the modern interpretation of RS has finally established itself as anything, it’s occasional, high-end pleasure."
"To find something that corners with the same ability, breathtaking confidence and mind-bending mechanical trickery, you have to look at a car like the Nissan GT-R.” - Slide of
McLaren 570S
We said: “The 570S isn’t just another supercar slayer. Its job is to occupy purer and more exciting territory than rivals with front-mounted engines, occasional back seats, four driven wheels and the like – and it does that quite brilliantly. But unlike other rivals, the 570S can do that job entirely without pummelling your backside, trying your patience or testing your concentration.”
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Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
We said: “No rival better mixes handling prowess, off-road talent and an SUV sense of functional plushness. But more importantly, none comes close to capturing the perfect savagery and lewd sense of fun it keeps so amply on tap. It will not appeal to everyone, but if your two tonnes must come thus, there really is nothing else like it.”
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McLaren 570 GT
We said: “You could call this the bravest product yet to be built by the new-era McLaren. Why? Simply because all the others have been pure supercars that you’d expect a company bearing the McLaren name to make. The 570GT is the first to spear off in another direction."
"This is a softer, quieter and more practical McLaren – hardly core brand values for the marque, you'll agree. This is a McLaren trying to be a touring car. A McLaren whose makers trumpet the claim that it has more boot space than a Ford Focus. A McLaren, in other words, unlike any other seen before.” - Slide of
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
We said: “This grandest of Benzes may not seduce its driver like a Jaguar XJ – our incumbent luxury saloon champ – but that is not what it is for. Whether or not you’re ever personally likely to give up the driver’s seat, you can’t deny that this car does what it’s supposed to do superbly."
"It is functionally exceptional, and that’s the irreducible definition of a five-star car in our book. Where the Mercedes-Benz S-Class leads, the rest of the car-making world follows. And on this evidence, it will continue to do so for some time.” - Slide of
Morgan 3 Wheeler
We said: “Unashamedly, the 3 Wheeler sets out to put the biggest smile imaginable on its driver’s face. It cares not for Nürburgring lap times or market segments, and it and the motor industry are all the more wonderful for it. The 3 Wheeler is the most fun thing Morgan, or quite possibly any other car maker, produces today. As a template for making motoring enjoyable, Morgan’s attitude should be both applauded and more widely adopted.”
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Porsche 911 GT3 RS
We said: “The fact that the new 911 GT3 RS gets the full five stars, despite being neither the fastest-accelerating car of its kind nor the quickest around our handling circuit, says everything you need to know about the true brilliance of its fluent, poised, gregarious and multi-faceted track handling. In this respect, the GT3 RS is truly outstanding and deserves our categorical praise."
"The powertrain, meanwhile, is good enough to be the equal of that stellar chassis. It’s capable of engaging in complex interactions and conversations with the chassis as well as pinning you back into those gorgeous bucket seats and frazzling your senses with its texture and virtuosity.” - Slide of
Porsche Panamera
We said: “There will also be those who still can’t accept that a four-door pseudo-saloon belongs at the summit of Porsche’s model hierarchy, in the place once taken by the elegant 928 coupé. Such grumblings aren’t unheard of even among Autocar road testers. But the new Panamera’s success is in its ability to wipe away any reservations about what it is via the sheer breadth and brilliance of all it does."
"In the 4S Diesel in particular, Weissach has a car that’s astonishingly complete for a modern GT. Fast, tactile, smooth, easy to drive, poised, engaging, comfortable, spacious and long-legged, its versatility is incredible. Our final rating doesn’t mean we think it’s flawless, but Porsche has added such strength to this car, from cabin to chassis to engine and elsewhere, that it now stands apart from any sub-£100,000 GT on the market.” - Slide of
Porsche 911 GT3
We said: “I dearly wanted to tell you what it is like with a manual gearbox, but Porsche is apparently starting with deliveries of PDKs, for reasons best known to itself. But it is to Porsche’s credit, I suppose, that in 0.2 phase of progress, there is so much to share, so much to learn, and so much to tell you."
"Regardless of the transmission, this is some car. And if somebody told me they wanted to order the best driver’s car on sale today, I’d recommend this in a heartbeat.” - Slide of
Porsche 918 Spyder
We said: “The 918 Spyder has nothing to fear from any other car in its class. If we were being picky – and we can be – we’d say that most of our testers would prefer to drive a P1 hard, and the McLaren also has a slightly more purposeful interior. Does that prevent the 918 being considered a technical triumph and gaining five stars? It does not.”
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Subaru BRZ
We said: “At the BRZ’s heart is Subaru’s 2.0-litre flat-four front engine, which sits 12cm lower in the engine bay than in an Impreza, and 24cm further back. The result is a claimed 45/55 percent front/rear weight distribution. The engine produces 197bhp at 7000rpm and 151lb ft at 6400-6600rpm. Not a huge output, but it feels quick enough, and, thanks to the Toyota-derived cylinder head and direct injection it spins up faster than any other normally aspirated Subaru boxer engine."
"Only from 1800-3000rpm is the absence of any boost slightly noticeable. The Subaru BRZ feels agile and light-footed. Turn in to a fast corner and it understeers only very slightly, but trail the brakes or lift mid-corner and that quickly turns into controllable oversteer. And at high speeds it feels very stable, thanks in no small part to a relatively long 2570mm wheelbase.” - Slide of
McLaren 675LT
We said: “Don’t want one only because the 675 LT is quick. The difference you’ll note from behind the wheel is not necessarily how much faster you’d be going than in a 650S, but how much more fun you’re having while you’re doing it. Until now I’ve felt this car – and by which I mean MP4-12C, 12C and 650S – has just needed to loosen its top button, worry less about impressing people and kick back and unwind a little. In the form of the 675 LT it has become precisely that car.”
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Toyota GT86
We said: “With the GT86 it is necessary not just to accept a few compromises but, as with a Caterham Seven, positively embrace them, for they make the car what it is. They’re visible, audible, tangible characteristics that serve to remind you that you’re driving the keenest, sharpest, most enjoyable and loveable small sports car for a generation."
"Importantly, it's an accessible sports car - one which won't break the bank to run either – and it's a refreshing alternative to the likes of the Mazda MX-5 for those seeking lightweight rear-drive fun.” - Slide of
The original car magazine, published since 1895 'in the interests of the mechanically propelled road carriage.'
The weekly British title Autocar is the world's longest-running car magazine, with an editorial team of over 20 people in-house and a host of contributors from all over the world.
It is also a thriving digital brand around the world, and also publishes several international editions in territories including China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
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