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| Meta Title | The Best Cars 2021 - Esquire Car of the Year Awards for Automobile Performance |
| Meta Description | Our 2021 Cars of the Year represent the best in style, design, performance, and that ephemeral quality of just wanting to drive the thing all the time, everywhere. |
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The automobile can be the perfect antidote to our modern existential malaise: the ultimate social distancing machine, no mask necessary. We may have used our cars less in 2020, but it was also a time when we could truly appreciate cars for all of the little joys they offered, whether yours was slowly cruising through the city, winding through twisty country roads, or simply sitting in the driveway waiting to be admired. Sometimes all you needed to do was recline in it and blast the radio.
Despite the understandable hiccups in the supply chain of new cars, this past year was rich with stellar models rolling off of lots. They include the return of icons like the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco Sport, the reimagined Corvette, an electrified Mustang, and the museum-worthy Ferrari Roma.
Here are the very best cars we had the pleasure of putting miles on over the past 12 months or so. As with our previous Cars of the Year, they represent greatness in style, design, performance, and that ephemeral quality of just wanting to drive the thing all the time, everywhere. May one of these cars, or the one you already have, offer you plenty of escape in 2021.
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Car of the Year, Part 1
The 2020 Corvette Stingray
You may find yourself wondering: Is it time for a sports car? And you may tell yourself: Wait, thatâs a bit of a clichĂ©. And you may ask yourself: Oh, no. Am I having an existential crisis?
Weâve been huffing dread into our masks almost all year, and the car sales prove it. While purchases of most new automobiles are down, faster ones like the Porsche 911, the Mazda Miata, and the Toyota Supra (
Esquire
âs 2019 Car of the Year
) have seen double-digit upticks. Why has the sports car become a homeopathic cure for the grim epoch in which we now find ourselves? Itâs freedom served fast, a pure appreciation of the act of driving, and the ability to feel special at the turn of a key. But for those who wanted to feel extra special, well, a Corvette was never in the running.
For the past sixty-seven years, Corvette has been the underdog, a fairly priced performance car from âMerica, more than good enough for multiple generations of gearheads, but thatâs also why many could never see themselves as a âVette Guy.â The affordable sticker made it a bit too accessible to carry the rarefied dignity many longed for in a sports car. And with interiors that were often lackluster and an overcompensating, football-field-length hood, the Vette announced Midlife Crisis at an Arizona Timeshare just a little too loudly.
But if you love cars, there is no way, no matter your opinion of previous Vettes or the people who drive them, that you can deny the moon-shot achievement of the new Corvette Stingray, also known colloquially as the C8. It is one of the most spectacular performance cars on the road today. And it starts at $60K, the cost of options on some rides in this speed class.
This Vette is still loudâheads will turn, cameras will appear, people will scream, âWhat is that?â The engine has migrated to the mid-rear, as in many a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and rumbles behind your head through a small windshield. Itâs a beautiful sensation. Because of the more balanced layout, the hood is shorter. You no longer stare over a long expanse of aluminum. All you see through the windshield is asphalt ready to be pummeled by massive traction at triple-digit speeds. (Keep your lawyer on speed dial.) Pop it into âtour modeâ and things calm down just enough to make long-range cruising comfortable, but the three-second-or-under 0-60 time virtually guarantees no one will pass you en route to the golf course. Yes, even with the mid-rear engine, the C8 still has a trunk big enough for a bag of clubs, long a Corvette trademark.
Inside, youâre cocooned in a cockpit with hand-wrapped leather bits, a squared-off steering wheel, a dashboard of cantilevered surfaces, and a distinctive slash of buttons that ensconces you from the passenger. Is this thoroughly modern and practically bespoke car really made by GM?
Thatâs the thing with the C8âitâs a car that, on paper, can compete with fancier, more expensive European models. And the more time you spend with it, the more you get the sense that the product planners held back a bit so that they could sell faster, more insane variants in the future. (Weâre scared, but we canât wait.) But now a Corvette actually feels and looks like a car that costs three times as much.
The Stingray is more than just a cure for existential dread. Itâs hope, wrapped in American ingenuity, that proves change is possible and that anyone can cross the aisle and fully unite behind Americaâs Greatest Performance Car.
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Car of the Year, Part 2
The 2020 Land Rover Defender
The tallest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield, is shaped like a human face and sits some 4,400 feet above sea level. Itâs a beautiful, desolate place where alpine tundra left over from the last ice age endures. Iâm getting close to the summit in the new Land Rover Defender, attempting to make my way up a narrow, quarry-like trail, when the right front tire lifts three feet off the ground while the others balance precariously on boulders. Only a mountain goat would consider this appealing. Suddenly, I think: Do real people ever find themselves in these circumstances?
Probably not very often. But the desire to hit eject from the world you know during such Times of Unhinged Insanityâą and get out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the things most important to you has never been stronger. The Land Rover Defender is the ticket to that fantasy, yet unlike many other SUVs and crossovers, itâs backed by some legitimate bona fides.
Hereâs a little history. This SUV can trace its DNA back to 1948, with the groundbreaking Series 1, which evolved into the Defender, then ceased production in 2016. It was revered as a rugged yet adorable box on wheels that could scramble over the roughest environmentâa more purpose-driven vehicle than the royal-feeling Range Rover. It has not officially been available in the U.S. since 1997, spawning a fervent resell and import market.
Like Defenders of old, this new version can handle any adventures you want to throw at it. The hill-descent feature (think of it as cruise control for steep terrain) can be optioned with a snorkel for wading through deep water, and it has the biggest off-road clearances of any car in its class. But itâs balanced with the right amount of luxury. The interior is just utilitarian enough yet proves to be a comfortable space where you donât feel as if youâre constantly rubbing shoulders with your escape-mates (a fairly common issue with OG Defenders). Thereâs even an option for a huge panoramic roof to accentuate the interiorâs spaciousness. And it is speedy: Highway travel is relaxing, capable. Youâre not dealing with sluggishness for the sake of off-road style.
Some will say that the new Defender isnât quite boxy enough, that it doesnât resemble the previous models. That would be true. Itâs a different kind of car. More modern, more usable. Could you ride out the apocalypse in an old Defender? Absolutely. But if the past few months have taught us anything, itâs that being prepared isnât enough. When youâre running from whatever calamity fate has in store for us next, you have to think of your comfort, too. Treat yourself. If the bunker is going to be packed with canned tuna, it might as well be the fancy conservas from Spain, right? (And donât forget the Rioja, too.)
Eventually, that right tire came down and I made it to the peak of Mount Mansfield. Surveying the vast Vermont landscape before me, I felt as if I had been through a special kind of hell, but I was also kind of relaxed. The new Defender had somehow pulled off a magic trick and made finding the ends of the earth feel joyful.
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Best Electric Car
Mustang Mach-E
Is it a true Mustang? Debatable. Is it one of the best electric cars you can buy today? Absolutely. Like most EVs, the
Mach-E feels zippy and grippy
âtorque-happy motors, heavy battery packs, and a low center of gravity will do that. But pop it into âUnbridledâ mode and youâll get more power kicking into the rear wheels for an involved driving experience, accentuated by a faux V6 noise pumped into the cabin for dramatic effect. Despite the Mustang badging, this is still a crossover through and through, and thatâs okay because the car hits all the right marks. It has the nicest interior to ever grace a Ford with a large touchscreen, a Bang and Olufsen soundbar stretching across the dash, an airy, panoramic glass roof, and a practically sized trunk for IKEA runs, even with the sporty, coupe-like shape.
The Premium model has 300 miles of range and fast charging. This is the one to spring for. (Check off the AWD option and the range drops down to 270, which is a respectable trade off.) Itâs quick enough, with a 0-60 mph of 5.5 sec. There will be a GT version later in the year that offers more of a âStang-like experience, with 0-60 in around 3.5 seconds. But for most, this version is the Tesla alternative you've been waiting for.
Base price: $43,995
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Best Designed Car of the Year
Ferrari Roma
Is it okay to catcall a car? Because thatâs what happens when you roll by in a Ferrari Roma. Heck, youâll even find yourself doing it.
Bellissima!
Itâs a bold move by Ferrari to name its latest land rocket after the Eternal City, but just one walkaround of this car leaves little doubt that itâs a design that will be admired for decades to come. While the trend among supercars has been more aggressively modern designs with abundant amounts of carbon fiber and aero bits to signal speed, the Roma is downright old school, those gently curving lines harkening back to the Ferrari Grand tourers of the '60s and '70s. (There are even back seats.) Yet, a closer examination reveals that it perfectly straddles both the new and the old. The perforated grille, the thin headlights, and the LCD instrument cluster nod to the future with restraint. What is loud, however, is the thrumming, 612 hp, 521 lb-ft torque turbocharged V8, and the
wows
the entire package creates for you, your lucky passenger, and the catcalling passersby.
Base price: $222,620
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Best âEntry Levelâ Supercar
Lamborghini HuracĂĄn Evo RWD
Lamborghinis have always been about spectacular drama, and the HuracĂĄn Evo RWD serves it with the heavy scent of burning rubber from the sticky P Zeros. You will smell it as you perform burnouts on secluded country roads. You will smell it when you hunt down the curviest on-ramps for tail-wagging powerslides. You will smell it always, because this is such a joyful car to drive. Oh, the ease at which you can perform glorious little drifts in this rear-heavy, âentry-levelâ Lambo. It will turn environmentalists into fans of the internal combustion engine. Yes, the all-wheel-drive version, at approximately $54,000 more, is grippier, more powerful, and quicker (0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds versus 3.1), but the fun factor that a RWD setup delivers, coupled with the brash noise only a ginormous, naturally aspirated Lambo V10 could manifest, means the RWD Evo is the choice to make. If youâre lucky enough to make that choice, of course.
Base price: $214,366
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Best Compact/Midsize SUV
Ford Bronco Sport
âI thought it would be bigger.â If you are behind the wheel of the Ford Bronco Sport, prepare to be examined in what feels like a very personal way. There is a lot of excitement around the reemergence of the Bronco brand, most of it due to the boxy, rock-crawling SUV due out later this year that is the
spiritual successor to the Broncos you remembered
. This, however, is not the Bronco proper. It's the smaller Bronco Sport, which shares much of its underpinnings with the Ford Escape, yet has a lot of the styling of its brawnier brother, most notably that in-your-face grille you can spot from a mile away.
You may initially find yourself apologizing to the curious who ignore social distancing rules to get a closer look.
Yeah, sorry, this is the Bronco Sport, not the Bronco you thought it was.
Donât apologize. The Sport is a bulldog of an SUV that is perfectly sized for adventure and parallel parking in a crowded city, and as confident and poised on the highway as it is on a dirt trail. What it lacks in the big Broncoâs presence and mystique it makes up for in real-world usefulness. There are strategically placed tie downs for bikes and other gear, rubber mats to easily clean out dirt (or Cheerios), and super bright LED lamps at the top of the rear hatch that make sure you can easily see into a cooler or a backpack when itâs pitch black outside.
The big Bronco will be great, Iâm certain. But the âBaby Broncoâ just might be the right amount of brashness you need for your everyday, outdoorsy-ish life.
Base price: $26,820
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Best Future Collectible
Lexus LC500 Convertible
The LC500 is a sharp, iconoclast choice for a sports car. (Yes, Lexus makes a sports car.) But when you take the roof off this thing, it becomes downright sensual because it reveals to the open air, a sumptuous interior that has always felt like it was shaped by the wind. The car moves with a confident strut when youâre just cruising. But open it up and it lets out a luxurious purr from the naturally aspirated V8, unadulterated by turbos, a rarity in itself these days. The fact that only a few hundred will be produced makes the LC500 Convertible one of the most highly covetable cars on the road for more than just its looks and performance.
Base price: $102,025
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Best Road Trip Car
Lincoln Navigator Monochrome Edition
When you spend two months and over 8,500 miles on a cross-country road trip with your family like I did this past summer, the vehicle you choose becomes your home. And there may be no better living room on wheels than the latest generation Lincoln Navigator, which has been updated in chic, monochrome trim. The infinitely adjustable driver and passenger seatsâyou can tweak the length of the seat for each of your legsâare some of the most comfortable in the car universe. Long haul drives across multiple states feel like nothing because of them. The same can be said of the 450 hp, twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 (the same found in the bodacious Ford Raptor), which has smooth, infinite power on wide-open highways while still keeping its poise in pockets of stop-and-go traffic. (Or while youâre inching ahead in the drive thru.) The level of quiet in the cabin is impeccable: laminated windows, oodles of sound deadening, climate control fans that operate at a whisper, all creating a hushness more commonly associated with the likes of a Rolls Royce.
Itâs worth noting that the Navigator is built on the same platform as the Ford F-150, the most ubiquitous car in America. That gives it a stance and stature that feel at home on American open roads. But when you roll into cities, the carâs sharp character, especially when outfitted with the Monochromatic package, fits right in at a fancy resortâs valet stand. Sure, itâs a family-mobile, but it doesnât pose in off-road cosplay to hide that fact. Instead, it fully embraces an elegant, understated kind of American luxury (with tons of space) that you wonât find elsewhere. A bit big? The superb Lincoln Corsair delivers much of the same qualities in a smaller package.
Base price: $76,185
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Best Family Car That Will Get You a Ticket
Audi RS6 Avant
If any new car could make you a celebrity among the car nerd set, it'd be a sport wagon, because no one in America really buys wagons anymore, and even fewer buy wagons that can keep up with exotic cars. The leader of this rarified breed of automobile is the Audi RS6 Avant, a legend in Europe that is finally available stateside. While there are wagons a touch faster and more powerful, 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds is more than plentyâthatâs faster than a standard Porsche 911âand the vicious 4.0-liter V-8, which generates 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, gives off a healthy, satisfying snarl that'll get you to the Home Depot for 2x4s in brutally quick fashion. But more than all of that insane performance, it is one of the most impeccable wagons ever created, with a look that is a little mean, a little friendly, and 100 percent gorgeous.
Base price: $110,045
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Best Hybrid
Polestar 1
Whatâs a Polestar, you may ask? Itâs the new electrified sports car company from the folks who brought you Volvo. While Polestarâs other cars will be all-electric, its first car, the Polestar 1, is a plug-in hybrid with an all-electric driving range of 52 miles and a combined system output of 619 hp and 738 lb-ft torque. Super grippy and fun to drive, with looks that harken back to the prettiest Volvo ever made (the P1800), the 1 is beautiful from every angle. A real rarity, only 1,500 will be made worldwide, and only 150 will be available in the U.S. each year. Other Polestars may be fully electric, but weâre glad this passion project exists.
Base price: $156,500
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Best Entry Level Sport Sedan
Mercedes Benz AMG A35
If the Mercedes A Class is the new baby Benz, then the A35 is the pugnacious runt of the litter that loves to punch above its weight. Even when you pop the car into âcomfortâ mode, itâs still stiff, agile, and high-revving, ready to pick a fight at a momentâs notice. Its turbo-boosted 302 hp, 295 lb-ft four cylinder is the furious little engine that could, delivering a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. On paper that doesnât look fast, but in real life the A35 manages to deliver a thrill because it is so turned up to 11 in the performance department.
There are other Teutonic speedsters that you could opt for, like the VW Type R or the Audi S3, but this is the most unhinged of the bunch, a true AMG. And it has an interior on par with its older siblingsâbeautiful air vents, a massive LCD displayâwith a surprisingly spacious trunk and back seat. It looks like an incredibly sensible compact car but drives anything like one, and thatâs what we love about it.
Base price: $44,950
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Best Luxury Car
Genesis G80
The mid-size luxury sedan segment has some pretty firmly entrenched players with loyal followings: You have the BMW 5 series and 6 series and their myriad variants, the Mercedes E Class, the Audi A6. All very good, but it might be time to reconsider things with the new Genesis G80. The car that launched the Genesis marque nearly a decade ago (it has since forgone the Hyundai branding), the G80 still presents a better value than its rivals, but now itâs more of a standout, iconoclastic choice for those who want that âWhoa, whatâs that?â reaction in an otherwise predictable corner of the car universe. The exterior, with its quad lamps and bold, crosshatched grille firmly announces Genesis as its own brand. Inside, you get restraint and elegant styling; if you think luxury interiors these days are a bit too much like '90s nightclubs, youâll appreciate the maturity of a G80. Quiet confidence is a good thing.
Base price: $47,700
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Best Supercar
Ferrari F8 Spider
At first, the F8 will make you feel like the King of Leisure in a way that only a convertible Ferrari can. Sun beaming down, a gentle breeze through your hair, the gorgeous growl of the V8 (710 hp, 568 lb-ft of torque) playing behind your head. But then you remember, as youâre going to the beachâyou are always going to the beach, literally or metaphorically, in a Ferrari convertibleâthis is the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever produced. So you turn the dial on the steering wheel to Race mode and gun it, pinning your heart to the back of the seat before a deliciously violent shift from the transmission assures a good bit of your life energy is left way down the road. The 0-60 time in this car is 2.9 seconds, but more significantly, the quarter-mile time is a brutal 10.2 seconds. Itâs a surprisingly smooth, comfortable car for those days when a slow drive and a bit of fresh air is enough to forget about the world. But when your mind needs involvement, a visceral distraction, the large, enticing paddle shifters and metal accelerator are on standby to take you to another planet.
Base price: $275,000
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Best Sound System
2021 Acura TLX
Cars always served as a means of escape, glass and metal pods on wheels that could get you where you needed to be. The TLX does that without even moving. Just crank up the ELS Studio 3D system and immerse yourself in 16-channel surround sound across 17 speakers. Part of the magic happens through four thin speakers in the ceiling that help create the illusion that youâre in the middle of the recording studio. The system was in part engineered by Elliot Scheiner, the sound producer whose early work included the meticulously recorded masterpieces of Steely Dan. Who knew that
Aja
would sound best in an Acura?
Base price: $45,275
Esquire
Best Diesel Vehicle
2021 Cadillac Escalade
While GM has big and bold plans to only sell all-electric vehicles by 2035, it's still making excellent cars that run on fossil fuels for the time being. Thereâs our Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Corvette, of course, but on the other end of the spectrum is the luxe family hauler of its lineup, the newly redesigned Cadillac Escalade. It has innovative tech like the Supercruise hands-free driving technology and a swooping 38-inch OLED screen, but its most notable feature just might be the availability of something that hasnât been offered in a Cadillac in decades: a diesel engine. Why diesel now? Because in an SUV this large, dieselâs efficiency just makes sense. (And itâs offered at no extra cost.) The Duramax turbo-diesel inline-six gets 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, compared to the standard V8âs 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Thatâs comparable to the fuel economy of a mid-sized sedan, but, you know, you have space to move an entire learning pod of kids. With a range that can easily be over 600 miles on a single tank, it makes the smooth, torque-filled diesel version the choice for less stops at the pump until you can take an Escalade to the recharge station.
Base price: $77,490
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Best RV
Airstream Flying Cloud
When you fantasize about hitting the road in an RV, you are likely dreaming of doing it in an Airstream. And if youâre not, you are dreaming all wrong, dude. Just look at all of that gorgeous, gleaming, hand-riveted aluminum. Drivers will slow down on the highway just to admire the streamlined glory that you are towing. People will let you park the thing practically anywhere. But itâs not all about the retro design. The interiors of the Airstream Flying Cloud have the finishing of a fancy, urban pied-Ă -terre complete with queen-sized beds, a dinner table/lounge area that converts into another bed, ample storage, and a large shower. You could live in it for a good long while. Thatâs the whole idea, right? And Airstream's latest, the Flying Cloud 30FB Office, also has the option of an office, so there's no excuse not to take that WFH life on the road.
Base price: $81,200
.
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# The 2021 Esquire Car Awards
The ones we want to drive all the time, all over the place.
By [Kevin Sintumuang](https://www.esquire.com/author/5382/kevin-sintumuang/ "Kevin Sintumuang")
Published: Feb 4, 2021
Save Article
Courtesy
.
The automobile can be the perfect antidote to our modern existential malaise: the ultimate social distancing machine, no mask necessary. We may have used our cars less in 2020, but it was also a time when we could truly appreciate cars for all of the little joys they offered, whether yours was slowly cruising through the city, winding through twisty country roads, or simply sitting in the driveway waiting to be admired. Sometimes all you needed to do was recline in it and blast the radio.
Despite the understandable hiccups in the supply chain of new cars, this past year was rich with stellar models rolling off of lots. They include the return of icons like the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco Sport, the reimagined Corvette, an electrified Mustang, and the museum-worthy Ferrari Roma.
Here are the very best cars we had the pleasure of putting miles on over the past 12 months or so. As with our previous Cars of the Year, they represent greatness in style, design, performance, and that ephemeral quality of just wanting to drive the thing all the time, everywhere. May one of these cars, or the one you already have, offer you plenty of escape in 2021.
***
Courtesy
## **Car of the Year, Part 1** The 2020 Corvette Stingray
You may find yourself wondering: Is it time for a sports car? And you may tell yourself: Wait, thatâs a bit of a clichĂ©. And you may ask yourself: Oh, no. Am I having an existential crisis?
Weâve been huffing dread into our masks almost all year, and the car sales prove it. While purchases of most new automobiles are down, faster ones like the Porsche 911, the Mazda Miata, and the Toyota Supra ([*Esquire*âs 2019 Car of the Year](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a30086877/toyota-gr-supra-car-of-the-year/)) have seen double-digit upticks. Why has the sports car become a homeopathic cure for the grim epoch in which we now find ourselves? Itâs freedom served fast, a pure appreciation of the act of driving, and the ability to feel special at the turn of a key. But for those who wanted to feel extra special, well, a Corvette was never in the running.
For the past sixty-seven years, Corvette has been the underdog, a fairly priced performance car from âMerica, more than good enough for multiple generations of gearheads, but thatâs also why many could never see themselves as a âVette Guy.â The affordable sticker made it a bit too accessible to carry the rarefied dignity many longed for in a sports car. And with interiors that were often lackluster and an overcompensating, football-field-length hood, the Vette announced Midlife Crisis at an Arizona Timeshare just a little too loudly.
But if you love cars, there is no way, no matter your opinion of previous Vettes or the people who drive them, that you can deny the moon-shot achievement of the new Corvette Stingray, also known colloquially as the C8. It is one of the most spectacular performance cars on the road today. And it starts at \$60K, the cost of options on some rides in this speed class.
This Vette is still loudâheads will turn, cameras will appear, people will scream, âWhat is that?â The engine has migrated to the mid-rear, as in many a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and rumbles behind your head through a small windshield. Itâs a beautiful sensation. Because of the more balanced layout, the hood is shorter. You no longer stare over a long expanse of aluminum. All you see through the windshield is asphalt ready to be pummeled by massive traction at triple-digit speeds. (Keep your lawyer on speed dial.) Pop it into âtour modeâ and things calm down just enough to make long-range cruising comfortable, but the three-second-or-under 0-60 time virtually guarantees no one will pass you en route to the golf course. Yes, even with the mid-rear engine, the C8 still has a trunk big enough for a bag of clubs, long a Corvette trademark.
Inside, youâre cocooned in a cockpit with hand-wrapped leather bits, a squared-off steering wheel, a dashboard of cantilevered surfaces, and a distinctive slash of buttons that ensconces you from the passenger. Is this thoroughly modern and practically bespoke car really made by GM?
Thatâs the thing with the C8âitâs a car that, on paper, can compete with fancier, more expensive European models. And the more time you spend with it, the more you get the sense that the product planners held back a bit so that they could sell faster, more insane variants in the future. (Weâre scared, but we canât wait.) But now a Corvette actually feels and looks like a car that costs three times as much.
The Stingray is more than just a cure for existential dread. Itâs hope, wrapped in American ingenuity, that proves change is possible and that anyone can cross the aisle and fully unite behind Americaâs Greatest Performance Car.
***
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## **Car of the Year, Part 2** The 2020 Land Rover Defender
The tallest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield, is shaped like a human face and sits some 4,400 feet above sea level. Itâs a beautiful, desolate place where alpine tundra left over from the last ice age endures. Iâm getting close to the summit in the new Land Rover Defender, attempting to make my way up a narrow, quarry-like trail, when the right front tire lifts three feet off the ground while the others balance precariously on boulders. Only a mountain goat would consider this appealing. Suddenly, I think: Do real people ever find themselves in these circumstances?
Probably not very often. But the desire to hit eject from the world you know during such Times of Unhinged Insanityâą and get out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the things most important to you has never been stronger. The Land Rover Defender is the ticket to that fantasy, yet unlike many other SUVs and crossovers, itâs backed by some legitimate bona fides.
Hereâs a little history. This SUV can trace its DNA back to 1948, with the groundbreaking Series 1, which evolved into the Defender, then ceased production in 2016. It was revered as a rugged yet adorable box on wheels that could scramble over the roughest environmentâa more purpose-driven vehicle than the royal-feeling Range Rover. It has not officially been available in the U.S. since 1997, spawning a fervent resell and import market.
Like Defenders of old, this new version can handle any adventures you want to throw at it. The hill-descent feature (think of it as cruise control for steep terrain) can be optioned with a snorkel for wading through deep water, and it has the biggest off-road clearances of any car in its class. But itâs balanced with the right amount of luxury. The interior is just utilitarian enough yet proves to be a comfortable space where you donât feel as if youâre constantly rubbing shoulders with your escape-mates (a fairly common issue with OG Defenders). Thereâs even an option for a huge panoramic roof to accentuate the interiorâs spaciousness. And it is speedy: Highway travel is relaxing, capable. Youâre not dealing with sluggishness for the sake of off-road style.
Some will say that the new Defender isnât quite boxy enough, that it doesnât resemble the previous models. That would be true. Itâs a different kind of car. More modern, more usable. Could you ride out the apocalypse in an old Defender? Absolutely. But if the past few months have taught us anything, itâs that being prepared isnât enough. When youâre running from whatever calamity fate has in store for us next, you have to think of your comfort, too. Treat yourself. If the bunker is going to be packed with canned tuna, it might as well be the fancy conservas from Spain, right? (And donât forget the Rioja, too.)
Eventually, that right tire came down and I made it to the peak of Mount Mansfield. Surveying the vast Vermont landscape before me, I felt as if I had been through a special kind of hell, but I was also kind of relaxed. The new Defender had somehow pulled off a magic trick and made finding the ends of the earth feel joyful.
***
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## **Best Electric Car** Mustang Mach-E
Is it a true Mustang? Debatable. Is it one of the best electric cars you can buy today? Absolutely. Like most EVs, the [Mach-E feels zippy and grippy](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a29815254/ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-suv-reveal/)âtorque-happy motors, heavy battery packs, and a low center of gravity will do that. But pop it into âUnbridledâ mode and youâll get more power kicking into the rear wheels for an involved driving experience, accentuated by a faux V6 noise pumped into the cabin for dramatic effect. Despite the Mustang badging, this is still a crossover through and through, and thatâs okay because the car hits all the right marks. It has the nicest interior to ever grace a Ford with a large touchscreen, a Bang and Olufsen soundbar stretching across the dash, an airy, panoramic glass roof, and a practically sized trunk for IKEA runs, even with the sporty, coupe-like shape.
The Premium model has 300 miles of range and fast charging. This is the one to spring for. (Check off the AWD option and the range drops down to 270, which is a respectable trade off.) Itâs quick enough, with a 0-60 mph of 5.5 sec. There will be a GT version later in the year that offers more of a âStang-like experience, with 0-60 in around 3.5 seconds. But for most, this version is the Tesla alternative you've been waiting for. *Base price: \$43,995*
***
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## **Best Designed Car of the Year** Ferrari Roma
Is it okay to catcall a car? Because thatâs what happens when you roll by in a Ferrari Roma. Heck, youâll even find yourself doing it. *Bellissima\!* Itâs a bold move by Ferrari to name its latest land rocket after the Eternal City, but just one walkaround of this car leaves little doubt that itâs a design that will be admired for decades to come. While the trend among supercars has been more aggressively modern designs with abundant amounts of carbon fiber and aero bits to signal speed, the Roma is downright old school, those gently curving lines harkening back to the Ferrari Grand tourers of the '60s and '70s. (There are even back seats.) Yet, a closer examination reveals that it perfectly straddles both the new and the old. The perforated grille, the thin headlights, and the LCD instrument cluster nod to the future with restraint. What is loud, however, is the thrumming, 612 hp, 521 lb-ft torque turbocharged V8, and the *wows* the entire package creates for you, your lucky passenger, and the catcalling passersby. *Base price: \$222,620*
***
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## **Best âEntry Levelâ Supercar** Lamborghini HuracĂĄn Evo RWD
Lamborghinis have always been about spectacular drama, and the HuracĂĄn Evo RWD serves it with the heavy scent of burning rubber from the sticky P Zeros. You will smell it as you perform burnouts on secluded country roads. You will smell it when you hunt down the curviest on-ramps for tail-wagging powerslides. You will smell it always, because this is such a joyful car to drive. Oh, the ease at which you can perform glorious little drifts in this rear-heavy, âentry-levelâ Lambo. It will turn environmentalists into fans of the internal combustion engine. Yes, the all-wheel-drive version, at approximately \$54,000 more, is grippier, more powerful, and quicker (0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds versus 3.1), but the fun factor that a RWD setup delivers, coupled with the brash noise only a ginormous, naturally aspirated Lambo V10 could manifest, means the RWD Evo is the choice to make. If youâre lucky enough to make that choice, of course. *Base price: \$214,366*
***
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## **Best Compact/Midsize SUV** Ford Bronco Sport
âI thought it would be bigger.â If you are behind the wheel of the Ford Bronco Sport, prepare to be examined in what feels like a very personal way. There is a lot of excitement around the reemergence of the Bronco brand, most of it due to the boxy, rock-crawling SUV due out later this year that is the [spiritual successor to the Broncos you remembered](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a33236917/new-ford-bronco-2021-revealed/). This, however, is not the Bronco proper. It's the smaller Bronco Sport, which shares much of its underpinnings with the Ford Escape, yet has a lot of the styling of its brawnier brother, most notably that in-your-face grille you can spot from a mile away.
You may initially find yourself apologizing to the curious who ignore social distancing rules to get a closer look. *Yeah, sorry, this is the Bronco Sport, not the Bronco you thought it was.* Donât apologize. The Sport is a bulldog of an SUV that is perfectly sized for adventure and parallel parking in a crowded city, and as confident and poised on the highway as it is on a dirt trail. What it lacks in the big Broncoâs presence and mystique it makes up for in real-world usefulness. There are strategically placed tie downs for bikes and other gear, rubber mats to easily clean out dirt (or Cheerios), and super bright LED lamps at the top of the rear hatch that make sure you can easily see into a cooler or a backpack when itâs pitch black outside.
The big Bronco will be great, Iâm certain. But the âBaby Broncoâ just might be the right amount of brashness you need for your everyday, outdoorsy-ish life. *Base price: \$26,820*
***
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## **Best Future Collectible** Lexus LC500 Convertible
The LC500 is a sharp, iconoclast choice for a sports car. (Yes, Lexus makes a sports car.) But when you take the roof off this thing, it becomes downright sensual because it reveals to the open air, a sumptuous interior that has always felt like it was shaped by the wind. The car moves with a confident strut when youâre just cruising. But open it up and it lets out a luxurious purr from the naturally aspirated V8, unadulterated by turbos, a rarity in itself these days. The fact that only a few hundred will be produced makes the LC500 Convertible one of the most highly covetable cars on the road for more than just its looks and performance. *Base price: \$102,025*
***
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## **Best Road Trip Car** Lincoln Navigator Monochrome Edition
When you spend two months and over 8,500 miles on a cross-country road trip with your family like I did this past summer, the vehicle you choose becomes your home. And there may be no better living room on wheels than the latest generation Lincoln Navigator, which has been updated in chic, monochrome trim. The infinitely adjustable driver and passenger seatsâyou can tweak the length of the seat for each of your legsâare some of the most comfortable in the car universe. Long haul drives across multiple states feel like nothing because of them. The same can be said of the 450 hp, twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 (the same found in the bodacious Ford Raptor), which has smooth, infinite power on wide-open highways while still keeping its poise in pockets of stop-and-go traffic. (Or while youâre inching ahead in the drive thru.) The level of quiet in the cabin is impeccable: laminated windows, oodles of sound deadening, climate control fans that operate at a whisper, all creating a hushness more commonly associated with the likes of a Rolls Royce.
Itâs worth noting that the Navigator is built on the same platform as the Ford F-150, the most ubiquitous car in America. That gives it a stance and stature that feel at home on American open roads. But when you roll into cities, the carâs sharp character, especially when outfitted with the Monochromatic package, fits right in at a fancy resortâs valet stand. Sure, itâs a family-mobile, but it doesnât pose in off-road cosplay to hide that fact. Instead, it fully embraces an elegant, understated kind of American luxury (with tons of space) that you wonât find elsewhere. A bit big? The superb Lincoln Corsair delivers much of the same qualities in a smaller package. *Base price: \$76,185*
***
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## **Best Family Car That Will Get You a Ticket** Audi RS6 Avant
If any new car could make you a celebrity among the car nerd set, it'd be a sport wagon, because no one in America really buys wagons anymore, and even fewer buy wagons that can keep up with exotic cars. The leader of this rarified breed of automobile is the Audi RS6 Avant, a legend in Europe that is finally available stateside. While there are wagons a touch faster and more powerful, 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds is more than plentyâthatâs faster than a standard Porsche 911âand the vicious 4.0-liter V-8, which generates 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, gives off a healthy, satisfying snarl that'll get you to the Home Depot for 2x4s in brutally quick fashion. But more than all of that insane performance, it is one of the most impeccable wagons ever created, with a look that is a little mean, a little friendly, and 100 percent gorgeous. *Base price: \$110,045*
***
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## **Best Hybrid** Polestar 1
Whatâs a Polestar, you may ask? Itâs the new electrified sports car company from the folks who brought you Volvo. While Polestarâs other cars will be all-electric, its first car, the Polestar 1, is a plug-in hybrid with an all-electric driving range of 52 miles and a combined system output of 619 hp and 738 lb-ft torque. Super grippy and fun to drive, with looks that harken back to the prettiest Volvo ever made (the P1800), the 1 is beautiful from every angle. A real rarity, only 1,500 will be made worldwide, and only 150 will be available in the U.S. each year. Other Polestars may be fully electric, but weâre glad this passion project exists. *Base price: \$156,500*
***
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## **Best Entry Level Sport Sedan** Mercedes Benz AMG A35
If the Mercedes A Class is the new baby Benz, then the A35 is the pugnacious runt of the litter that loves to punch above its weight. Even when you pop the car into âcomfortâ mode, itâs still stiff, agile, and high-revving, ready to pick a fight at a momentâs notice. Its turbo-boosted 302 hp, 295 lb-ft four cylinder is the furious little engine that could, delivering a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. On paper that doesnât look fast, but in real life the A35 manages to deliver a thrill because it is so turned up to 11 in the performance department.
There are other Teutonic speedsters that you could opt for, like the VW Type R or the Audi S3, but this is the most unhinged of the bunch, a true AMG. And it has an interior on par with its older siblingsâbeautiful air vents, a massive LCD displayâwith a surprisingly spacious trunk and back seat. It looks like an incredibly sensible compact car but drives anything like one, and thatâs what we love about it. *Base price: \$44,950*
***
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## **Best Luxury Car** Genesis G80
The mid-size luxury sedan segment has some pretty firmly entrenched players with loyal followings: You have the BMW 5 series and 6 series and their myriad variants, the Mercedes E Class, the Audi A6. All very good, but it might be time to reconsider things with the new Genesis G80. The car that launched the Genesis marque nearly a decade ago (it has since forgone the Hyundai branding), the G80 still presents a better value than its rivals, but now itâs more of a standout, iconoclastic choice for those who want that âWhoa, whatâs that?â reaction in an otherwise predictable corner of the car universe. The exterior, with its quad lamps and bold, crosshatched grille firmly announces Genesis as its own brand. Inside, you get restraint and elegant styling; if you think luxury interiors these days are a bit too much like '90s nightclubs, youâll appreciate the maturity of a G80. Quiet confidence is a good thing. *Base price: \$47,700*
***
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## **Best Supercar** Ferrari F8 Spider
At first, the F8 will make you feel like the King of Leisure in a way that only a convertible Ferrari can. Sun beaming down, a gentle breeze through your hair, the gorgeous growl of the V8 (710 hp, 568 lb-ft of torque) playing behind your head. But then you remember, as youâre going to the beachâyou are always going to the beach, literally or metaphorically, in a Ferrari convertibleâthis is the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever produced. So you turn the dial on the steering wheel to Race mode and gun it, pinning your heart to the back of the seat before a deliciously violent shift from the transmission assures a good bit of your life energy is left way down the road. The 0-60 time in this car is 2.9 seconds, but more significantly, the quarter-mile time is a brutal 10.2 seconds. Itâs a surprisingly smooth, comfortable car for those days when a slow drive and a bit of fresh air is enough to forget about the world. But when your mind needs involvement, a visceral distraction, the large, enticing paddle shifters and metal accelerator are on standby to take you to another planet. *Base price: \$275,000*
***
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## **Best Sound System** 2021 Acura TLX
Cars always served as a means of escape, glass and metal pods on wheels that could get you where you needed to be. The TLX does that without even moving. Just crank up the ELS Studio 3D system and immerse yourself in 16-channel surround sound across 17 speakers. Part of the magic happens through four thin speakers in the ceiling that help create the illusion that youâre in the middle of the recording studio. The system was in part engineered by Elliot Scheiner, the sound producer whose early work included the meticulously recorded masterpieces of Steely Dan. Who knew that *Aja* would sound best in an Acura? *Base price: \$45,275*
***
Esquire
## **Best Diesel Vehicle** 2021 Cadillac Escalade
While GM has big and bold plans to only sell all-electric vehicles by 2035, it's still making excellent cars that run on fossil fuels for the time being. Thereâs our Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Corvette, of course, but on the other end of the spectrum is the luxe family hauler of its lineup, the newly redesigned Cadillac Escalade. It has innovative tech like the Supercruise hands-free driving technology and a swooping 38-inch OLED screen, but its most notable feature just might be the availability of something that hasnât been offered in a Cadillac in decades: a diesel engine. Why diesel now? Because in an SUV this large, dieselâs efficiency just makes sense. (And itâs offered at no extra cost.) The Duramax turbo-diesel inline-six gets 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, compared to the standard V8âs 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Thatâs comparable to the fuel economy of a mid-sized sedan, but, you know, you have space to move an entire learning pod of kids. With a range that can easily be over 600 miles on a single tank, it makes the smooth, torque-filled diesel version the choice for less stops at the pump until you can take an Escalade to the recharge station. *Base price: \$77,490*
***
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## **Best RV** Airstream Flying Cloud
When you fantasize about hitting the road in an RV, you are likely dreaming of doing it in an Airstream. And if youâre not, you are dreaming all wrong, dude. Just look at all of that gorgeous, gleaming, hand-riveted aluminum. Drivers will slow down on the highway just to admire the streamlined glory that you are towing. People will let you park the thing practically anywhere. But itâs not all about the retro design. The interiors of the Airstream Flying Cloud have the finishing of a fancy, urban pied-Ă -terre complete with queen-sized beds, a dinner table/lounge area that converts into another bed, ample storage, and a large shower. You could live in it for a good long while. Thatâs the whole idea, right? And Airstream's latest, the Flying Cloud 30FB Office, also has the option of an office, so there's no excuse not to take that WFH life on the road. *Base price: \$81,200*
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| Readable Markdown | 
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The automobile can be the perfect antidote to our modern existential malaise: the ultimate social distancing machine, no mask necessary. We may have used our cars less in 2020, but it was also a time when we could truly appreciate cars for all of the little joys they offered, whether yours was slowly cruising through the city, winding through twisty country roads, or simply sitting in the driveway waiting to be admired. Sometimes all you needed to do was recline in it and blast the radio.
Despite the understandable hiccups in the supply chain of new cars, this past year was rich with stellar models rolling off of lots. They include the return of icons like the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco Sport, the reimagined Corvette, an electrified Mustang, and the museum-worthy Ferrari Roma.
Here are the very best cars we had the pleasure of putting miles on over the past 12 months or so. As with our previous Cars of the Year, they represent greatness in style, design, performance, and that ephemeral quality of just wanting to drive the thing all the time, everywhere. May one of these cars, or the one you already have, offer you plenty of escape in 2021.
***
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## **Car of the Year, Part 1** The 2020 Corvette Stingray
You may find yourself wondering: Is it time for a sports car? And you may tell yourself: Wait, thatâs a bit of a clichĂ©. And you may ask yourself: Oh, no. Am I having an existential crisis?
Weâve been huffing dread into our masks almost all year, and the car sales prove it. While purchases of most new automobiles are down, faster ones like the Porsche 911, the Mazda Miata, and the Toyota Supra ([*Esquire*âs 2019 Car of the Year](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a30086877/toyota-gr-supra-car-of-the-year/)) have seen double-digit upticks. Why has the sports car become a homeopathic cure for the grim epoch in which we now find ourselves? Itâs freedom served fast, a pure appreciation of the act of driving, and the ability to feel special at the turn of a key. But for those who wanted to feel extra special, well, a Corvette was never in the running.
For the past sixty-seven years, Corvette has been the underdog, a fairly priced performance car from âMerica, more than good enough for multiple generations of gearheads, but thatâs also why many could never see themselves as a âVette Guy.â The affordable sticker made it a bit too accessible to carry the rarefied dignity many longed for in a sports car. And with interiors that were often lackluster and an overcompensating, football-field-length hood, the Vette announced Midlife Crisis at an Arizona Timeshare just a little too loudly.
But if you love cars, there is no way, no matter your opinion of previous Vettes or the people who drive them, that you can deny the moon-shot achievement of the new Corvette Stingray, also known colloquially as the C8. It is one of the most spectacular performance cars on the road today. And it starts at \$60K, the cost of options on some rides in this speed class.
This Vette is still loudâheads will turn, cameras will appear, people will scream, âWhat is that?â The engine has migrated to the mid-rear, as in many a Ferrari or Lamborghini, and rumbles behind your head through a small windshield. Itâs a beautiful sensation. Because of the more balanced layout, the hood is shorter. You no longer stare over a long expanse of aluminum. All you see through the windshield is asphalt ready to be pummeled by massive traction at triple-digit speeds. (Keep your lawyer on speed dial.) Pop it into âtour modeâ and things calm down just enough to make long-range cruising comfortable, but the three-second-or-under 0-60 time virtually guarantees no one will pass you en route to the golf course. Yes, even with the mid-rear engine, the C8 still has a trunk big enough for a bag of clubs, long a Corvette trademark.
Inside, youâre cocooned in a cockpit with hand-wrapped leather bits, a squared-off steering wheel, a dashboard of cantilevered surfaces, and a distinctive slash of buttons that ensconces you from the passenger. Is this thoroughly modern and practically bespoke car really made by GM?
Thatâs the thing with the C8âitâs a car that, on paper, can compete with fancier, more expensive European models. And the more time you spend with it, the more you get the sense that the product planners held back a bit so that they could sell faster, more insane variants in the future. (Weâre scared, but we canât wait.) But now a Corvette actually feels and looks like a car that costs three times as much.
The Stingray is more than just a cure for existential dread. Itâs hope, wrapped in American ingenuity, that proves change is possible and that anyone can cross the aisle and fully unite behind Americaâs Greatest Performance Car.
***
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## **Car of the Year, Part 2** The 2020 Land Rover Defender
The tallest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield, is shaped like a human face and sits some 4,400 feet above sea level. Itâs a beautiful, desolate place where alpine tundra left over from the last ice age endures. Iâm getting close to the summit in the new Land Rover Defender, attempting to make my way up a narrow, quarry-like trail, when the right front tire lifts three feet off the ground while the others balance precariously on boulders. Only a mountain goat would consider this appealing. Suddenly, I think: Do real people ever find themselves in these circumstances?
Probably not very often. But the desire to hit eject from the world you know during such Times of Unhinged Insanityâą and get out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the things most important to you has never been stronger. The Land Rover Defender is the ticket to that fantasy, yet unlike many other SUVs and crossovers, itâs backed by some legitimate bona fides.
Hereâs a little history. This SUV can trace its DNA back to 1948, with the groundbreaking Series 1, which evolved into the Defender, then ceased production in 2016. It was revered as a rugged yet adorable box on wheels that could scramble over the roughest environmentâa more purpose-driven vehicle than the royal-feeling Range Rover. It has not officially been available in the U.S. since 1997, spawning a fervent resell and import market.
Like Defenders of old, this new version can handle any adventures you want to throw at it. The hill-descent feature (think of it as cruise control for steep terrain) can be optioned with a snorkel for wading through deep water, and it has the biggest off-road clearances of any car in its class. But itâs balanced with the right amount of luxury. The interior is just utilitarian enough yet proves to be a comfortable space where you donât feel as if youâre constantly rubbing shoulders with your escape-mates (a fairly common issue with OG Defenders). Thereâs even an option for a huge panoramic roof to accentuate the interiorâs spaciousness. And it is speedy: Highway travel is relaxing, capable. Youâre not dealing with sluggishness for the sake of off-road style.
Some will say that the new Defender isnât quite boxy enough, that it doesnât resemble the previous models. That would be true. Itâs a different kind of car. More modern, more usable. Could you ride out the apocalypse in an old Defender? Absolutely. But if the past few months have taught us anything, itâs that being prepared isnât enough. When youâre running from whatever calamity fate has in store for us next, you have to think of your comfort, too. Treat yourself. If the bunker is going to be packed with canned tuna, it might as well be the fancy conservas from Spain, right? (And donât forget the Rioja, too.)
Eventually, that right tire came down and I made it to the peak of Mount Mansfield. Surveying the vast Vermont landscape before me, I felt as if I had been through a special kind of hell, but I was also kind of relaxed. The new Defender had somehow pulled off a magic trick and made finding the ends of the earth feel joyful.
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## **Best Electric Car** Mustang Mach-E
Is it a true Mustang? Debatable. Is it one of the best electric cars you can buy today? Absolutely. Like most EVs, the [Mach-E feels zippy and grippy](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a29815254/ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-suv-reveal/)âtorque-happy motors, heavy battery packs, and a low center of gravity will do that. But pop it into âUnbridledâ mode and youâll get more power kicking into the rear wheels for an involved driving experience, accentuated by a faux V6 noise pumped into the cabin for dramatic effect. Despite the Mustang badging, this is still a crossover through and through, and thatâs okay because the car hits all the right marks. It has the nicest interior to ever grace a Ford with a large touchscreen, a Bang and Olufsen soundbar stretching across the dash, an airy, panoramic glass roof, and a practically sized trunk for IKEA runs, even with the sporty, coupe-like shape.
The Premium model has 300 miles of range and fast charging. This is the one to spring for. (Check off the AWD option and the range drops down to 270, which is a respectable trade off.) Itâs quick enough, with a 0-60 mph of 5.5 sec. There will be a GT version later in the year that offers more of a âStang-like experience, with 0-60 in around 3.5 seconds. But for most, this version is the Tesla alternative you've been waiting for. *Base price: \$43,995*
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## **Best Designed Car of the Year** Ferrari Roma
Is it okay to catcall a car? Because thatâs what happens when you roll by in a Ferrari Roma. Heck, youâll even find yourself doing it. *Bellissima\!* Itâs a bold move by Ferrari to name its latest land rocket after the Eternal City, but just one walkaround of this car leaves little doubt that itâs a design that will be admired for decades to come. While the trend among supercars has been more aggressively modern designs with abundant amounts of carbon fiber and aero bits to signal speed, the Roma is downright old school, those gently curving lines harkening back to the Ferrari Grand tourers of the '60s and '70s. (There are even back seats.) Yet, a closer examination reveals that it perfectly straddles both the new and the old. The perforated grille, the thin headlights, and the LCD instrument cluster nod to the future with restraint. What is loud, however, is the thrumming, 612 hp, 521 lb-ft torque turbocharged V8, and the *wows* the entire package creates for you, your lucky passenger, and the catcalling passersby. *Base price: \$222,620*
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## **Best âEntry Levelâ Supercar** Lamborghini HuracĂĄn Evo RWD
Lamborghinis have always been about spectacular drama, and the HuracĂĄn Evo RWD serves it with the heavy scent of burning rubber from the sticky P Zeros. You will smell it as you perform burnouts on secluded country roads. You will smell it when you hunt down the curviest on-ramps for tail-wagging powerslides. You will smell it always, because this is such a joyful car to drive. Oh, the ease at which you can perform glorious little drifts in this rear-heavy, âentry-levelâ Lambo. It will turn environmentalists into fans of the internal combustion engine. Yes, the all-wheel-drive version, at approximately \$54,000 more, is grippier, more powerful, and quicker (0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds versus 3.1), but the fun factor that a RWD setup delivers, coupled with the brash noise only a ginormous, naturally aspirated Lambo V10 could manifest, means the RWD Evo is the choice to make. If youâre lucky enough to make that choice, of course. *Base price: \$214,366*
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## **Best Compact/Midsize SUV** Ford Bronco Sport
âI thought it would be bigger.â If you are behind the wheel of the Ford Bronco Sport, prepare to be examined in what feels like a very personal way. There is a lot of excitement around the reemergence of the Bronco brand, most of it due to the boxy, rock-crawling SUV due out later this year that is the [spiritual successor to the Broncos you remembered](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/cars/a33236917/new-ford-bronco-2021-revealed/). This, however, is not the Bronco proper. It's the smaller Bronco Sport, which shares much of its underpinnings with the Ford Escape, yet has a lot of the styling of its brawnier brother, most notably that in-your-face grille you can spot from a mile away.
You may initially find yourself apologizing to the curious who ignore social distancing rules to get a closer look. *Yeah, sorry, this is the Bronco Sport, not the Bronco you thought it was.* Donât apologize. The Sport is a bulldog of an SUV that is perfectly sized for adventure and parallel parking in a crowded city, and as confident and poised on the highway as it is on a dirt trail. What it lacks in the big Broncoâs presence and mystique it makes up for in real-world usefulness. There are strategically placed tie downs for bikes and other gear, rubber mats to easily clean out dirt (or Cheerios), and super bright LED lamps at the top of the rear hatch that make sure you can easily see into a cooler or a backpack when itâs pitch black outside.
The big Bronco will be great, Iâm certain. But the âBaby Broncoâ just might be the right amount of brashness you need for your everyday, outdoorsy-ish life. *Base price: \$26,820*
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## **Best Future Collectible** Lexus LC500 Convertible
The LC500 is a sharp, iconoclast choice for a sports car. (Yes, Lexus makes a sports car.) But when you take the roof off this thing, it becomes downright sensual because it reveals to the open air, a sumptuous interior that has always felt like it was shaped by the wind. The car moves with a confident strut when youâre just cruising. But open it up and it lets out a luxurious purr from the naturally aspirated V8, unadulterated by turbos, a rarity in itself these days. The fact that only a few hundred will be produced makes the LC500 Convertible one of the most highly covetable cars on the road for more than just its looks and performance. *Base price: \$102,025*
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## **Best Road Trip Car** Lincoln Navigator Monochrome Edition
When you spend two months and over 8,500 miles on a cross-country road trip with your family like I did this past summer, the vehicle you choose becomes your home. And there may be no better living room on wheels than the latest generation Lincoln Navigator, which has been updated in chic, monochrome trim. The infinitely adjustable driver and passenger seatsâyou can tweak the length of the seat for each of your legsâare some of the most comfortable in the car universe. Long haul drives across multiple states feel like nothing because of them. The same can be said of the 450 hp, twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 (the same found in the bodacious Ford Raptor), which has smooth, infinite power on wide-open highways while still keeping its poise in pockets of stop-and-go traffic. (Or while youâre inching ahead in the drive thru.) The level of quiet in the cabin is impeccable: laminated windows, oodles of sound deadening, climate control fans that operate at a whisper, all creating a hushness more commonly associated with the likes of a Rolls Royce.
Itâs worth noting that the Navigator is built on the same platform as the Ford F-150, the most ubiquitous car in America. That gives it a stance and stature that feel at home on American open roads. But when you roll into cities, the carâs sharp character, especially when outfitted with the Monochromatic package, fits right in at a fancy resortâs valet stand. Sure, itâs a family-mobile, but it doesnât pose in off-road cosplay to hide that fact. Instead, it fully embraces an elegant, understated kind of American luxury (with tons of space) that you wonât find elsewhere. A bit big? The superb Lincoln Corsair delivers much of the same qualities in a smaller package. *Base price: \$76,185*
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## **Best Family Car That Will Get You a Ticket** Audi RS6 Avant
If any new car could make you a celebrity among the car nerd set, it'd be a sport wagon, because no one in America really buys wagons anymore, and even fewer buy wagons that can keep up with exotic cars. The leader of this rarified breed of automobile is the Audi RS6 Avant, a legend in Europe that is finally available stateside. While there are wagons a touch faster and more powerful, 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds is more than plentyâthatâs faster than a standard Porsche 911âand the vicious 4.0-liter V-8, which generates 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, gives off a healthy, satisfying snarl that'll get you to the Home Depot for 2x4s in brutally quick fashion. But more than all of that insane performance, it is one of the most impeccable wagons ever created, with a look that is a little mean, a little friendly, and 100 percent gorgeous. *Base price: \$110,045*
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## **Best Hybrid** Polestar 1
Whatâs a Polestar, you may ask? Itâs the new electrified sports car company from the folks who brought you Volvo. While Polestarâs other cars will be all-electric, its first car, the Polestar 1, is a plug-in hybrid with an all-electric driving range of 52 miles and a combined system output of 619 hp and 738 lb-ft torque. Super grippy and fun to drive, with looks that harken back to the prettiest Volvo ever made (the P1800), the 1 is beautiful from every angle. A real rarity, only 1,500 will be made worldwide, and only 150 will be available in the U.S. each year. Other Polestars may be fully electric, but weâre glad this passion project exists. *Base price: \$156,500*
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## **Best Entry Level Sport Sedan** Mercedes Benz AMG A35
If the Mercedes A Class is the new baby Benz, then the A35 is the pugnacious runt of the litter that loves to punch above its weight. Even when you pop the car into âcomfortâ mode, itâs still stiff, agile, and high-revving, ready to pick a fight at a momentâs notice. Its turbo-boosted 302 hp, 295 lb-ft four cylinder is the furious little engine that could, delivering a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. On paper that doesnât look fast, but in real life the A35 manages to deliver a thrill because it is so turned up to 11 in the performance department.
There are other Teutonic speedsters that you could opt for, like the VW Type R or the Audi S3, but this is the most unhinged of the bunch, a true AMG. And it has an interior on par with its older siblingsâbeautiful air vents, a massive LCD displayâwith a surprisingly spacious trunk and back seat. It looks like an incredibly sensible compact car but drives anything like one, and thatâs what we love about it. *Base price: \$44,950*
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## **Best Luxury Car** Genesis G80
The mid-size luxury sedan segment has some pretty firmly entrenched players with loyal followings: You have the BMW 5 series and 6 series and their myriad variants, the Mercedes E Class, the Audi A6. All very good, but it might be time to reconsider things with the new Genesis G80. The car that launched the Genesis marque nearly a decade ago (it has since forgone the Hyundai branding), the G80 still presents a better value than its rivals, but now itâs more of a standout, iconoclastic choice for those who want that âWhoa, whatâs that?â reaction in an otherwise predictable corner of the car universe. The exterior, with its quad lamps and bold, crosshatched grille firmly announces Genesis as its own brand. Inside, you get restraint and elegant styling; if you think luxury interiors these days are a bit too much like '90s nightclubs, youâll appreciate the maturity of a G80. Quiet confidence is a good thing. *Base price: \$47,700*
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## **Best Supercar** Ferrari F8 Spider
At first, the F8 will make you feel like the King of Leisure in a way that only a convertible Ferrari can. Sun beaming down, a gentle breeze through your hair, the gorgeous growl of the V8 (710 hp, 568 lb-ft of torque) playing behind your head. But then you remember, as youâre going to the beachâyou are always going to the beach, literally or metaphorically, in a Ferrari convertibleâthis is the most powerful V8 Ferrari has ever produced. So you turn the dial on the steering wheel to Race mode and gun it, pinning your heart to the back of the seat before a deliciously violent shift from the transmission assures a good bit of your life energy is left way down the road. The 0-60 time in this car is 2.9 seconds, but more significantly, the quarter-mile time is a brutal 10.2 seconds. Itâs a surprisingly smooth, comfortable car for those days when a slow drive and a bit of fresh air is enough to forget about the world. But when your mind needs involvement, a visceral distraction, the large, enticing paddle shifters and metal accelerator are on standby to take you to another planet. *Base price: \$275,000*
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## **Best Sound System** 2021 Acura TLX
Cars always served as a means of escape, glass and metal pods on wheels that could get you where you needed to be. The TLX does that without even moving. Just crank up the ELS Studio 3D system and immerse yourself in 16-channel surround sound across 17 speakers. Part of the magic happens through four thin speakers in the ceiling that help create the illusion that youâre in the middle of the recording studio. The system was in part engineered by Elliot Scheiner, the sound producer whose early work included the meticulously recorded masterpieces of Steely Dan. Who knew that *Aja* would sound best in an Acura? *Base price: \$45,275*
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Esquire
## **Best Diesel Vehicle** 2021 Cadillac Escalade
While GM has big and bold plans to only sell all-electric vehicles by 2035, it's still making excellent cars that run on fossil fuels for the time being. Thereâs our Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Corvette, of course, but on the other end of the spectrum is the luxe family hauler of its lineup, the newly redesigned Cadillac Escalade. It has innovative tech like the Supercruise hands-free driving technology and a swooping 38-inch OLED screen, but its most notable feature just might be the availability of something that hasnât been offered in a Cadillac in decades: a diesel engine. Why diesel now? Because in an SUV this large, dieselâs efficiency just makes sense. (And itâs offered at no extra cost.) The Duramax turbo-diesel inline-six gets 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, compared to the standard V8âs 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Thatâs comparable to the fuel economy of a mid-sized sedan, but, you know, you have space to move an entire learning pod of kids. With a range that can easily be over 600 miles on a single tank, it makes the smooth, torque-filled diesel version the choice for less stops at the pump until you can take an Escalade to the recharge station. *Base price: \$77,490*
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## **Best RV** Airstream Flying Cloud
When you fantasize about hitting the road in an RV, you are likely dreaming of doing it in an Airstream. And if youâre not, you are dreaming all wrong, dude. Just look at all of that gorgeous, gleaming, hand-riveted aluminum. Drivers will slow down on the highway just to admire the streamlined glory that you are towing. People will let you park the thing practically anywhere. But itâs not all about the retro design. The interiors of the Airstream Flying Cloud have the finishing of a fancy, urban pied-Ă -terre complete with queen-sized beds, a dinner table/lounge area that converts into another bed, ample storage, and a large shower. You could live in it for a good long while. Thatâs the whole idea, right? And Airstream's latest, the Flying Cloud 30FB Office, also has the option of an office, so there's no excuse not to take that WFH life on the road. *Base price: \$81,200*
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