So, of the new cars launched this year, which is the one that you would most like to take home?
I have found it quite a disappointing year overall, what with many of my favourite cars (Ferrari 458, 911/911 GT3 R3, Audi R8, C63 AMG, Civic Type-R) having been "ruined" by turbos and/or automatic transmissions. I'm sure that I exaggerate of course but I feel that some purity has been lost and does faster necessarily mean better?
It has been a pretty poor year for affordable "heroes" too (correct me if I wrong).
Next year looks promising though. Having dismissed the new Focus RS as a Haldex-equipped ST turned up to 11 and thus just another 4-pot turbocharged uber hatch, I have read a bit more about it and it seems that the RS is about as far removed from the ST as the Escort RS Cosworth was from a mk5 1.4 Escort and the ST was quite a decent car in the first place! There will also be a new Honda NSX, Aston Martin DB11, BMW M2 and Ford GT, so the future still looks rosy!
This year hasn't all been bad though. We got a new Mustang with IRS, I'm specifically thinking of the Shelby GT350/GT350R and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat (or was that last year). 707bhp and 650 lb ft of torque for virtually half the price of a BMW M5/Audi RS7/Mercedes E63 AMG. God bless 'Merica!
Oh, I forgot about the new MX5, which deserves an honourable mention. Lighter than the previous one, the looks have really grown on me and it definitely has potential.
In the real world, I recently drove the new Kia Sorento and it was not just good for a Kia, it was very good in its own right and when you get past the concept of a 30k+ Kia, great value compared to most of its rivals. I've driven the latest Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot and I would struggle to justify the extra outlay compared to the Kia.
However, what they taketh away with one hand, they giveth with the other. Having "ruined" the 911, Porsche finally let the Cayman have its day and the Cayman GT4 looks and sounds brilliant with a NA Flat 6 and a manual gearbox. For once, I agree with Evo magazine and the Cayman GT4 would be my car of the year and the one new car from 2015 that I would like to take home.