'10Best' Cars of 2011

2011 Honda Fit

No sooner had the first-generation Honda Fit alighted on U.S. showroom floors than it shouldered its way onto our 2007 10Best list. Now it's a five-time champ, maintaining its entertaining demeanor through a comprehensive 2009 makeover. Since its debut, the Fit Sport has won a seven-car comparo [May 2006], then faced a pair of brand-new challengers — the Ford Fiesta SES and the Mazda2 Touring — to score another triumph [October 2010]. One-hundred seventeen horsepower ain't much — there exist Montanans with lawn mowers as powerful — but the 2500-pound Fit nails 60 mph in 8.3 seconds, 1.8 seconds quicker than the Fiesta and 0.8 second sooner than the Mazda2. We're equally zinged by this Honda's upscale interior, its quick and precise steering, an engaging shifter, spot-on ergonomics, a windshield as big as a minivan's, and a rear seat that is both adult-habitable and drops to the floor faster than a Marine pumping push-ups. All of the foregoing, plus an observed 34 mpg. Although it's close, the Fit isn't perfectly fit. Its 197-foot braking distance is substandard, the front seat's lumbar support is too aggressive, and the air conditioning strains to keep up with the solar load caused by all that glass. Nonetheless, the Fit offers a fun-to-drive quotient that proves basic transportation isn't always basic.

2011 Hyundai Sonata

Being that it is at the heart of new-car sales volume, the mid-size family sedan must delicately balance its attributes to appeal to hundreds of thousands of disparate car buyers. This sixth-gen Sonata does so masterfully. It offers the most standard horsepower in its class, with the segment's first direct-injection four-cylinder, and it gets the top EPA highway rating of 35 mpg. The optional and very responsive turbo four introduces the category to the downsizing concept: It makes more power than competitors' V-6s and achieves far better fuel-economy ratings, too. The swooping shape makes the Sonata best-in-class attractive, but it doesn't sacrifice on the very reasonably sized back seat and generous trunk. Despite having the lowest base price in its segment, the Sonata packs standard six-speed transmissions. And a high-quality interior. And standard Bluetooth and XM radio. It's very much a car of "ands." Still, it's not perfect. The electric power steering doesn't feel very natural; the Honda Accord's manual gearbox shifts more sweetly, and the Accord is a bit more athletic, too. We left the hybrid powertrain out of the winner's circle because we found the system a touch crude in its operation. No longer simply great for the money, this latest Sonata propels Hyundai to 10Best glory for the first time because its greatness is undeniable.

2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata

You've probably seen the TV ads touting Mazda's ubiquity on America's road-racing circuits and autocross courses. The message goes like this: On any weekend, more racers are driving Mazdas than any other brand. That's a big claim, but this little roadster makes it credible. The Miata is a favorite with amateur racers for essentially the same reasons it's perennially popular as a road car: affordability, low curb weight, high agility. This is not the kind of sports car that provokes acceleration brownouts. Mated to one of two manual transmissions (five- or six-speed), its 2.0-liter four generates 167 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. (Opting for the six-speed automatic takes nine ponies from the corral, slows acceleration, eliminates the crisp-shifting manual, and adds $2260 to the bottom line.) If 167 horsepower sounds tepid, keep in mind that it only has to propel some 2450 pounds, which it manages smartly. And in any case, the Miata's magic lies in its eager responses and the unfiltered connection between car and driver. It doesn't hurt that the magic is wrapped in bargain pricing. A basic roadster with the five-speed manual starts at $23,905; the excellent folding-hardtop version (12 seconds up or down, and it preserves the softtop's trunk space) begins at $27,945. So it's easy to see why this is the world's best-loved roadster.

2011 Porsche Boxster/Cayman

Drive a Boxster or a Cayman, and most people will think you're just some jerk in a Porsche. You will suffer painful service bills. Carrera drivers will look down on you as though you're a poor Porsche wannabe (they're just jealous that your car has front and rear trunks). Ignore all that. Enthusiasts know that the Boxster and the Cayman are blessed with a mechanical arrangement that yields better driving dynamics than the rear-engined 911. In a lineup whose purity is diluted by the brisk-selling Cayenne and Panamera, the Cayman and the Boxster still exemplify, even heighten, classic Porsche values such as a flat-six's raspy purr, steering that's telepathic, and brakes that can almost stop the Earth's rotation. Raw performance numbers are impressive in either standard or S trim, but behind the wheel of a Boxster or a Cayman, you forget the numbers and simply enjoy the connection to the road. Nowhere is this more true than in the Boxster Spyder, a car barely quicker and a bit less useful than the standard Boxster but even more vivacious. That's why we named it the best-handling car in America for less than $100,000. We're surprised that, in a world of endless 3-Series and Accord clones, no automaker has tried to copy the little Porsche's formula. But we aren't surprised that the Boxster and the Cayman are on this list again.

2011 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

Perhaps you've heard that Volkswagen has gone and dumbed-down the Jetta for the U.S. market; fortunately, the Golf and the GTI haven't suffered the same ignominious fate. Even the entry-level Golf continues to offer hatchback practicality, refined driving dynamics, and luxury-car levels of interior quality. It's the master of a budget-conscious segment whose other entrants ask buyers to compromise on refinement, fun, or both. The Golf's inline-five engine looks weak on paper, but its copious torque moves the car without much effort. Think of it as a mini Mercedes, and you won't be far off. For the planet-conscious, the Golf offers an optional turbo-diesel, which burns fuel with the stinginess of a hybrid and, thanks to a firmed-up chassis, blazes through corners with sports-car ambition. At the top of the Golf range is the car every enthusiast should own at least once in his or her lifetime, the GTI. As practical as the Golf, the GTI adds serious performance to the mix with its strong and efficient 200-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Its chassis is so well sorted that it can devour back roads as happily as it swallows the indignities of the daily commute. Sure, some of its competitors might be quicker than the GTI, but you'll grow out of them. The GTI gets a hold of you and never lets go.

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