Best Production Car

Jonathan: There weren’t a lot of options to pick from as far as North American models, so in my mind it came down to the Toyota Prius, BMW M4 GTS and Audi A4. The Toyota Prius, although significant to the market, and possessed of radical new styling, still isn’t what you’d call pretty and we’ll have to wait on word as to its driving character, though we don’t expect it to stray too far from its proven formula for pleasant, innocuous motoring (though we’ll know soon as Brendan McAleer is driving it this week and will have a full report shortly).

As tempting as it is to pin the ribbon on BMW’s racecar for the street in the M4 GTS, it’s just a little too niche, even if we would sell an organ or a couple fingers and toes to get behind the wheel, the 2017 Audi A4 is an evolution of the company’s meat and potatoes, has already proven that it is a great car to drive, and it looks fabulous even alongside the spectacular concepts littered around Tokyo’s Big Sight convention centre.

Brendan: Sure, they could have toned down the orange accents a little; just because it’s October, BMW, we aren’t all into the whole pumpkin spice latte scene.

But leaving that aside, the M4 GTS is a complete monster of a machine, and for the first time, we’re actually getting it. Not just North America, Canada too! This water-injected 500-hp Teutonic menace is headed for our shores come spring, and as the ultimate expression of the M4, I just can’t wait.

Least Disguised “Concept”

Brendan: It’s a dead heat. Both the Subaru Impreza 5-Door Concept and the Lexus LF-FC painted a picture of the future that’s not so much a crystal ball as it is a virtual guarantee. This is what the future is going to look like, and by future, we mean sometime around next Tuesday.

The LS is the oldest model in the Lexus range, and if you ignore all the hydrogen-powered fuel-cell breathlessness, the LF-FC is pretty much what the new one’s going to look like. Surprisingly, it pulls off the hyper-futurism look, but perhaps that just because we’re all used to giant grilles these days.

The Impreza is a bit duller, but that might just mean it’s close to being production-ready. Interesting that they’d choose a hatchback concept – could the sedan version be on borrowed time? Does that mean a WRX hatch might return? That’s the hope expressed any time Subaru does any sort of concept whatsoever. Bring it back, Subie.

Best Taillights

Jonathan: Slow down there Brendan – did you not see the taillights on the back of the LF-FC? If the production car comes even close to those wild, Y-shaped multi-strip LEDs wrapped around that stainless steel Klingon knife blade, I’ll eat an LED matrix. But yeah, aside from that, the LF-FC seems only a few subtle details and powertrain removed from being a viable flagship design, and we’ll be lucky to have it on our roads, with a grille worthy of an art gallery or a scary Halloween lawn display, long hood, coupe-inspired roofline and subtle folds and creases of sculpted metal that will wow the neighbours and valets.

But yeah, the Impreza, also with some captivating taillights, seems ready for production, though no doubt we won’t get quite the full effect of the creased and complex front grille.

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