Best Wagon: Mercedes-Benz E63AMG
In the sledgehammer-shaped E63AMG wagon, Mercedes finds a way to make a grocery-getter feel like Darth Vader. It has 602 horsepower, a 3.4 second sprint time, and a silky smooth, nine-speed transmission with massive sport brakes that bite the instant you hit them. The raw, roaring intensity outmatches the Porsche and Audi wagons in its class, while cool new factory paint colors and prohibitively small production volumes spell out b-a-d-a-s-s without saying a word.
Best Track Star: Lamborghini Huracán EVO RWD
Driving this volatile rear-wheel-drive Huracán feels like a throwback to days when Lamborghinis were wild, gas-gulping bulls meant to impose themselves on anyone and anything in their path. A thoughtful, cockpit-style interior and intuitive entertainment systems make it comfortable to shuttle between your home and its true home: the track. The 631-horsepower V10 engine and zero-to-62 mph sprint time of 2.9 seconds match a body chiseled to aerodynamic, aggressive perfection.
Best Convertible: Ferrari F8 Tributo Spider
Ferrari revved it up in the convertible category this year, too. The F8 Tributo Spider has jaw-dropping body styling, leather handiwork unparalleled within the segment, exciting rear wheel drive, and a hardtop that drops in just 14 second at speeds of nearly 30 mph. But the refined engine note on its 710 hp V8 is the most commendable thing about it, having left me refreshed—not buzzing and frayed—after hours of driving, as other screaming machines in the segment do.
Best Sedan: The Rolls-Royce Ghost
There’s a reason the phrase “it’s the Rolls-Royce of [insert appliance here]” exists, and the next-generation “post-luxury” Ghost does nothing to dispel that. The powerful V12 engine, imposing new grille, deep-pile lambswool carpeting, and blessed silence has road presence enough to satisfy the heads of state who ride in it, while my multiday test drive felt like joining a regal club that has stretched a century. No other production sedan approximates the upscale accoutrement, total exclusivity—or price tag.
The Best Car of 2020
Even with all those winners, the single best car I drove this year will be memorable for years to come. It combines performance, looks, cost-to-value, and comfort with a true X factor that made me fall in love. It’s the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S. (If you’re tracking, this also makes it the year’s best coupe.)
The eighth-generation installment updates an iconic design that started in 1964 with new modern cabin and safety technologies but without rendering it unrecognizable. Most of all, it provides intoxicating performance in a package that is drivable every day—arguably more capable over uneven or steep terrain, and in inclement weather, than that Roma—while still feeling special every time you slip behind the wheel.
It is faster and more powerful than previous generations, with a 640 hp, twin-turbo, six-cylinder engine (60 hp more than the previous 911 Turbo S) and 590 pound-feet of torque (37 pound-feet more). It goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, a 0.2-second improvement. Top speed is 205 mph—the same as the scintillating, track-targeted 2021 McLaren 765LT.
Impressive stats. But the truly brilliant side to the car is its control. With the 911 Turbo S, driving becomes a meditation on a knife’s edge. It is the roaring, gas-gulping embodiment of power controlled by precision, like those muscled Lipizzan stallions that seem to pirouette on a thimble. It’s a balance that evades many sports cars with more cylinders, more horsepower, and more torque.
I love the 911 Turbo S because it made me a better driver than I actually am—better able to dip into corners and carry speed faster through them, braking later and getting back on the gas sooner than I normally am able to do. But instead of being scary or reckless, forcing me to drive beyond my ability, it instilled utter confidence from behind the wheel.
Plus, there are (a few) cup holders.