Image via Complex Original
2013 is over, and judging by the cars that were released this year, so is the recession. Some crazy cars were dropped, from hybrid-hypercars that cost more than $1,000,000 to affordable hot hatches from domestic automakers, and car fans have been truly showered in cool this year. We're happy that everybody's engineers and designers are working at full capacity once more, and this year has just left us more excited for what the future holds. After some bleak years, the auto industry is finally running forward at full speed again. But that's enough talk about the future, let's look at these kick-ass new cars that are The Best New Cars of 2013.
25. BMW i3
The i8 might have elicted all of the drool, but the BMW i3 electric car is surely going to be more significant in the market. The optional range extending combustion engine will certainly widen the appeal, and the 184 lb-ft of torque available from 0 rpms is enough for spritely, if not fast, acceleration (0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds). In addition, if you can find a quick chargin station, you can get the battery to 80% of capacity in just 20 minutes. There go the three main complaints with electric cars.
24. Ferrari 458 Speciale
The 458 isn't really new, but the added Speciale package makes it worthy of some love. Ferrari punched up its 90-degree V8 even more to 600 horses and 398 lb-ft of torque, supposedly the most powerful naturally aspirated production 8-cylinder out there. It also gets to 62 mph in 3 seconds flat (125 in 9.1), weighs 2,844 lbs (4.7lbs/hp), and has an aerodynamic efficiency rating of 1.5. Add that to the ability to turn and accelerate at 1.33 Gs, and you've got an absolute destroyer.
23. Jaguar XKR-S GT
The XKR-S GT is a rare track-tuned racer from Jag. It kept the 550hp, 502lb-ft, 5.0-liter V8, but it has a new ventilated hood, active exhaust, a new front splitter and canards, new wheel arches, that fantastically huge rear wing, height-adjustable adaptive dampers, carbon-ceramic brakes and sticky Pirelli Corsa tires.
22. Chevrolet SS
It's a family sedan with a Corvette engine and rear-wheel drive. There is definitely some skepticism about the decision to make it $50,000 with only an automatic transmission, but there's no doubt this car will make a lot of dads extremely happy.
21. Nissan BladeGlider
One of our favorite features of the McLaren F1 was the 1+2 seating arrangement that put the driver right in the middle of the car. It's a perfect driving position, and certainly helps to stroke the race car fantasies. When it comes to race car fantasies we also love the Deltawing, and we're thrilled to see that Nissan was working on a Deltawing-inspired road car. We were horrified to know that the makers of the Deltawing are now suing Nissan for IP theft. Don't expect to see this one on the roads any time soon.
20. Ford Mustang
The jury's still out on the new Mustang, but it's easily one of the most important cars released this year. The Mustang has been setting the tone of an entire segment for 50 years, and this new, more capable, less retro version seems to be carrying on that tradition. We just can't wait to get some track time.
19. Cadillac CTS
We're amazed at how quickly Cadillac has transformed from a bland also-ran like Lincoln to a genuine threat to BMW, Audi, and Mercedes, and the CTS was the driving force behind this. Now we have a new CTS that is even closer to the E-Class in size and capability, and we just have to wait and see what the market does.
18. Range Rover Extended Wheelbase
Land Rover's customers are mostly in it for the luxury these days, and a lot of Range Rovers get used for ferrying about wealthy businessmen of other VIPs, so it makes tons of sense for Land Rover to create this stretched limo-esque Range Rover with the nicest interior the company could manage. We think this thing is going to be very popular.
17. Ford Fiesta ST
As much as we love gazing at exotic cars, and then blabbing about them to you on the internet, we also want to see some fun cars in proleteriat-friendly price brackets. The Fiesta ST is a ton of fun to drive, it's practical, and at $21,400 it's actually cheap enough for a lot of us to go buy.
16. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The Mercedes S-Class has been one of the touchstones of the automotive industry for decades; if you want to see what kind of technology an affordable car might have in 10-15 years, just look at the big Benz. With the passing of Maybach the new S-Class needs to compete with everything from the BMW 7-Series to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and we think that once more variants drop it will do that job with aplomb.
15. Alfa Romeo 4C
We've been waiting a long time to finally get a good look at this car and, weird headlights aside, we think Alfa Romeo finally got one damn near perfect. It looks like nothing else on the road, and gives the driver mid-engined supercar performance for a very reasonable $54,000. We're welcoming the Italians back with open arms and a big cheese sampler.
14. Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo
We love that getting manufacturers and race teams to design crazy dream cars for Gran Turismo games is a tradition, but we don't ever expect them to become actual cars. Mercedes went balls-to-the-wall and made not just a digital supercar, but also a metal und carbon fiber version that wowed us, and everybody else, at the LA Auto Show. Now we just wait for the limited production run.
13. BMW i8
Most of the time, road cars look like somebody took a concept car and said "how can we make this look much, much less cool and inspiring?" It's sad, but (*cough* Subaru WRX) very true. The BMW i8, on the other hand, actually just looked sleeker and more refined than the concept version. A 4.0 second 0-60 in a 2+2 is nothing to scoff at either, especially when the words "94 mpg" are involved.
12. Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG
The CLA-Class is eating up Accord and Camry buyers, which is exactly what Mercedes-Benz was aiming for. They wanted a lower-priced little sedan that would attract new buyers, particularly younger buyers. The AMG gives buyers the option to add a little spice to the recipe.
11. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
The designers of the Z/28 (yes, the slash is back) didn't even want to have a single speaker in this car. But they had to, due to safety beep requirements. That's how stripped down and pure this car is. It's a track car that weighs 300 lbs. less than the ZL1, has a revised chassis, holds Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, and has a 427 LS7 dry-sump, 7.0L V8 that is estimated at 500 horses and 470 lb.-ft. of torque.
10. Jaguar F-Type Coupe
Jaguar once made the E-Type, and that car solidified the company's reputation as a maker of pieces of pure sex appeal. Since then, unfortunately, that same drool-worthy aura has left jag. When we all saw the F-Type coupe we knew it was back.
9. Rolls-Royce Wraith
As we pointed out in our test drive review, the Wraith can be summed up by this Marcus Aurelius gem. "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
8. Nissan GT-R NISMO
The Porsche 918 Spyder has a pricetag of $845,000 and set the record at the Nurburgring by lapping it in 6:57. The 2015 NISMO GT-R costs less than a quarter of that and lapped the 'ring in 7:08. Calculate how incredible that is.
7. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
The SLS AMG dropped at more or less the same as the Ferrari 458 and the McLaren MP4-12C, as such, it was relegated to the status of classy runner up. The SLS was a dude who shoed up to a track meet in a tailored suit. The Black Series on the other hand, seems like it's pissed about that, and in a really good way. It's the only road car that we've driven that honestly feels like a race car.
6. Ferrari LaFerrari
Once people are able to get past the name, they'll realize the LaFerrari really is a tremendous accomplishment.
5. Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
No hybrid for you, said Lamborghini. Inside the Veneno and Veneno Roadster sits a 750hp, 6.5L, 12-cylinder engine that will hit up to 220 mph. It's spectacle-causing looks were an incredible way to help celebrate Lamborghini's 50th anniversary this year and it will no doubt be a top-seller at an auction in 2057.
4. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
The C7 Stingray holds the title of feel-good and heart-warming story of the year. There isn't a person out there who didn't love this car, and if there is, they've probably been convinced otherwise by now. It's a car that surprised a lot of people, not because it's insanely good on the track at its price point, but also because the design is quite striking and the interior finally caught up to the attributes the car already excelled at. Good work, Chevy.
3. Porsche 918 Spyder
While the P1, Veneno, and LaFerrari all had their huge competition for supremecy at the Geneva Motor Show this year, Porsche was semi-quietly pushing forward. The Germans released initial specs for the car ... then outperformed them. With a new Weissach package (magnesium wheels, lighter hybrid equipment and more carbon fiber), the part-electric supercar does 0-62 in 2.6 seconds (0-124 in 7.2 seconds). That means the 887hp car, which runs on a V8 with twin electric motors, vaults to 186 mph in less than 20 minutes. Even running strictly on electric power, it still gets to 62 in 6.2 seconds. The 94 mpg rating is an added bonus, too.
2. McLaren P1
This takes the "most beautiful car of 2013" award. Stunning is the appropriate word for describing the curvy (all of which serve a purpose) exterior. The fact that it's a hybrid that can go 217 mph makes our heart start jumping just thinking about it.
1. Lamborghini Egoista
If we're talking about purely polarizing lunacy, the Egoista takes the cake, the ice cream, the brownies, and the cookies (leave the the dish of M&M's and the dinner mints for the Veneno Roadster and the AMG Vision Gran Turismo. The car is for those who are only concerned with "me, me, me." Naturally, it has one seat and an appearance that people will be talking about for pretty much the rest of forever.