2013 Best Car List According to Top Gear
Supercar of the Year: Ferrari 458 Speciale The Ferrari 458 Speciale is one awesome car. With a 4.5-liter V-8 that makes slightly insance 597 horsepower at its 9000-rpm peak you know performance won't be an issue. Some awesome technology has gone into this car. Engine changes like 14.0:1 compression ratio, revised combustion chambers, new pistons, shorter intake runners, reshaped intake ports, and higher lift on the exhaust and intake valves, along with a new carbon-fiber manifold and airbox all help boost power. The 458 also went on a diet and had shed some 200 pounds. The Speciale shifts faster, goes faster in a straight line and laps Fiorano track quicker than the standard 458 Italia. turns in quicker, and stops shorter. Thanks to an additional 35 horsepower and 200 fewer pounds, it is swifter than the car on which it’s based, in a straight line and around a track. Read our full 458 Special review. 
For its $22,195 base price, you’re getting a vehicle essentially identical to the European version, from the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder to the autobahn-firm suspension tune to the single-spec Bridgestone Potenza RE050A summer tires. Well, there is one major difference: The Euro ST will only be a three-door hatchback, whereas the American ST will come only in five-door form. The spunky little ST is more important for what it says about Ford than what it does for the company’s bottom line. It proves that Ford isn’t without a soul, that somewhere inside that giant transnational monolith that pays the bills with pickup-truck sales, there are people who actually care about small cars 
The biggest misconception about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series is that it's simply a higher-performing version of the SLS GT - a closer look, or better yet, a few hot laps on a high-speed racing circuit, reveals that is anything but the case. The engine mapping, crankshaft, connecting rods, valvetrain, intake, exhaust and cooling are all modified and the engine's redline bumps up from 7,200 to 8,000 rpm, which pushes output of the hand-built 6.3-liter V8 to 622 horsepower. The power steering receives a new ratio, a coilover AMG Adaptive Performance suspension is installed along with underbody braces, the track is widened, two-piece carbon-ceramic brakes replace iron rotors at each corner and a lightweight titanium exhaust is fitted beneath. The AMG Speedshift seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is modified and an electronically controlled AMG rear differential lock ensures the power goes to the pavement. In terms of performance, nothing has been left untouched by the AMG engineers, and the car's performance is nothing short of spectacular. Brilliant engineers who were tasked with creating this uncompromising devil. It is one of my favorites. 
Read any review of the Corvette and you'll see the same list of compliments and complaints: great performance, terrible interior, or some variation thereof. The Corvette now features an aluminum frame, not just the higher-performance models. Instead of two uniformly thick, hydroformed rails, the chassis is now made up of five sections using hydroformed aluminum, cast aluminum, and extruded aluminum, with each section tailored to its purpose in strength and stiffness. Providing the go power is the latest update to Chevrolet's famous small-block V-8. Resurrecting the LT1 moniker, the updated engine displaces 6.2 liters and pumps out at least 450 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The improvements in peak power are modest, but Chevy says the power curves are greatly improved, with the new engine producing as much torque between 1000 and 4000 rpm as did the 7.0-liter V-8 in the Z06. 
The first roadster from Jaguar in 40 years, the 2014 F-Type was worth the wait. Thisconvertible is a thrilling blend of style, performance and luxury. Featuring V-6 and V-8 power, the F-type debuts first as a roadster, but a coupe will soon follow. (Jaguar’s new turbo four-cylinder—essentially a Ford EcoBoost unit—doesn’t make the U.S. options sheet.) Both engines are supercharged, and the six is available in two strengths. The base F-type has 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque; the F-type S boasts 380 hp and 339 lb-ft. The top model is the V-8 S, which packs 495 hp and 460 lb-ft in its eight-pot ammo box. The V-6 S has a mechanical limited-slip differential. The top-of-the-line car gets an electronically controlled diff that actuates a multiplate clutch, depending on available grip. The brakes are progressively stronger as you climb the ladder, with the base car fitted with 13.9-inch front discs and 12.8-inch rears, the V-6 S upgrading to 15-inch discs at the front, and the V-8 S teaming the 15-inchers with 14.8-inch rear platters. 
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Car and Driver shares their pic of the best cars for 2014
We're huge fans of the team at Car And Driver. They're doing a great job of keeping us all up to date on what's awesome in the car industry. This month, they share with us their pick of the Top 10 Best Cars of 2014. According to Car and Driver, these are the best cars on sale for 2014, period. We'll summarize the list below, but make sure to check out their full article on the Car and Driver website. 2014 Porsche Boxster / Cayman
If every car were a Cayman, we would achieve world peace.” –JEFF SABATINIThere is no first place in 10Best. Officially then, the Porsche Boxster and its newly reworked tin-topped brother, the Cayman, are exactly equal to the other cars on our list. But lean in close now because we’re going to let you in on a secret: The Porsches are the winners among these winners. Read the review here 2014 Audi S6/A6/A7
“The S6 is a leather-covered cannonball.” –DANIEL PUND There are no-compromise sports cars and no-compromise luxury cars, but those sports cars typically compromise on comfort, and those luxury cars frequently compromise on performance. The Audis are genuine no-compromise cars: They don’t just offer something for everyone, they offer everything for anyone who can afford it. Full 2014 Audi S6/A6/A7 review here 2014 BMW 3- and 4-series
“I initially feared that the 4-series might be mere marketing posturing. Is there any substance here? Answer: Yes. Oh, God, yes.” –JOHN PHILLIPSToday, the 3 wears a bull’s-eye on its back as every luxury maker now takes aim at the fat, lower end of the luxury-car segment, which is the $35,000–$45,000 (or $399–$499/month) compact sports sedan. The current F30, which in its initial 320i, 328i, and 335i form, or 428i/435i as per the coupe’s new designation, is softer than ever and suffers from imperfect electrified steering. But it still bears the burdens of its leadership with understated, everyday excellence. Anchoring to the road with a balletic balance and a satisfying exactness to its controls, the 3 also delivers the premium experience—of powertrain isolation, switch feel, and ride quality—expected of its premium price. Read the full article here 2014 Honda Accord
“The Accord Sport is still a more gratifying car to heel-and-toe shift than most sports cars you could mention.” –DANIEL PUNDThe Accord is America’s Honda. We own it, and it is ours. It was the first Japanese car to be assembled here—indeed, in the middle of America, in Rust-Belt Ohio—and it grew and morphed with the needs of its prime constituency, the baby-boom generation. It even contributed to an American-style scandal in the 1980s when the demand for Hondas far outstripped the supply and the company’s U.S. sales managers skimmed millions in bribes and kickbacks from dealers desperate for stock. Read the full article here 2014 Cadillac CTS
“This thing feels nothing at all like anything else in its class—or any other class. The CTS is the ballsiest car here.” –JARED GALLThe Cadillac hasn’t quite made the same leap as the Corvette, but it didn’t have to. The CTS has always been the Cadillac for people who prefer solid handling to landau roofs. At its birth in ’03, however, the CTS seemed to prioritize numbers ahead of the driving experience. What’s unusual about the CTS is that it represents GM persevering against its worst, most empirically driven instincts, methodically evolving the car’s mechanicals and ladling on more feel with each generation. Yes, the General has flirted with putting experience ahead of the numbers before, but it never took. Remember the Oldsmobile Achieva SCX, Cutlass Calais 442 W41, and the Chevrolet Citation X-11? No? That’s because GM stopped suckling those sales runts. But the General has stuck with the CTS, making each successive model a more refined and entertaining sports sedan. The CTS is now unequivocally the best-handling car in the mid-size luxury segment. Read the full article here 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
“If I tried in the C6 what I just did on a wet road in the C7, I’d be in a tree right now.” –EDDIE ALTERMANIt is true that previous Corvettes came alive and got talkative when pushed to the edge. While the Corvette was doing anything else, though, such as fetching take-out Thai food, the controls went mute. But the new C7 is talking up a storm. The thing is just so well honed. Not only is its electrically assisted steering system unexpectedly sensitive, you can practically feel the thousands of man-hours spent developing its Michelin tires, its stiffer structure, and, on Z51 models, its electronically controlled limited-slip differential. Even on narrower rubber, the C7 has grip figures on par with the outgoing Z06. So, okay, numbers aren’t totally irrelevant. They’re just not everything. Read the full article here How the prosaic Fiesta gets turned into the winning ST.
How the prosaic Fiesta gets turned into the winning ST.The Fiesta ST lift-throttle oversteered into 10Best week like the champ it is. And aside from a cramped back seat and cargo hold, its bravado is justified. Ford offers its hot Fiesta only with a six-speed manual mated to a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter four borrowed from the Fusion. At 2750 pounds, the ST is light and tossable, with a highly competent chassis that can out-party cars costing twice as much. Read the article here 2014 Mazda 3
“Everywhere you look, selling out seems like the future. And then this happens. It’s heartwarming how great the 3 is.” –JARED GALLThe compact 3 and mid-size 6 are perfectly timed products from a company that many had presumed down for the count. Two years ago, Mazda was losing billions, and analysts talked of a potential bankruptcy. Abandoned by Ford, its longtime partner, Mazda would need its next crop of cars to stand on its own, with zero margin for error. Tiny Mazda finished just 13th in U.S. sales in 2012, at the back of the pack with lowly Mitsubishi. That’s not much higher than Maserati, which wishes it had a sedan as beautiful as the 6 in its stable. Read about the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 here 2014 Mazda 6
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.The new 6 delivers Mazda’s 2010 Shinari concept essentially intact to its 637 U.S. dealers. The 6 not only looks like a million bucks inside and out, it drives like it. Mazda’s long-held reputation for selecting suspension bushings is on prominent display in the 6, which has an imperturbable chassis that is always comfortable and controlled. Its steering, suspension, and structure coordinate deftly. A six-speed manual is available, yet its automatic shifts so quickly and effortlessly that the 2.5-liter four feels more robust than any 184-hp engine has a right to. Read about the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 here 2014 Golf GTI
“I like the GTI better than the Focus ST in much the same way most adults prefer the sound of vinyl to an MP3.” –EDDIE ALTERMANThe taut GTI glides to fame with one of automobiledom’s all-star drivelines: VW’s 200-hp, rev-happy, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four—with its delightful punch of midrange torque—mated to the optional paddle-shift dual-clutch DSG automatic ($1100). Never has plaid felt so fashionable or more happily been hustled. Drive it to the Home Depot on Saturday morning; enter an SCCA autocross at noon. How unlikely is it for a car this basic to feel so sophisticated, so mature, as if hatched in Munich or Ingolstadt? One C/D editor noted, “The GTI pours itself down the road, a fluid stream of disciplined control.” Okay, so that’s not exactly Faulkner, but we’re trying.
Read the article here Thanksgiving is over and we're heading towards 2014. It is probably as good a time as any to roundup our favorite cars of 2014 and thrash them to find the one we love best. Turns out we don't have access to the cars so we'll rely on our friends at Evo to do it for us with their 2013 Car of the Year award. Sometimes we care about these awards, sometimes we don't. But we the guys at Evo really know what they're doing, so the result matters. Every year Evo stages its Car of the Year test, bringing the best performance cars in the world to one location for an epic shootout. We won't tell you who comes in first, but their choice is so brilliant it's hard to argue with. Check out the lister of contenders below and check out the videos. Well worth the investment in time. - Aston Martin V12 Vantage S - Audi R8 V10 Plus - Mercedes-Benz SLS Black Series - Porsche 911 GT3 - Alfa Romeo 4C - Ferrari F12 Berlinetta - Porsche Cayman S - Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP 2013 Car of the Year Video ShakedownWatch eight of the world's best cars battle it out in this video shoot out for Evo Car Of The Year |
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