Cars Of The Year 2012

AND THE

EDITORS oe PLAYBOY

lalUn could have imagined this scenario? Fiat is expertly driv-nnU ing Chrysler. GM axed Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn and then resurrected its industry-leading styling heritage. Buicks are hot again. Unencumbered by bailout blues, Ford is making the best cars in its history. Surging Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia are giving the Japanese fits. Indian conglomerate Tata owns Land Rover and Jaguar; both have never been better. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW are locked in a battle for luxocar supremacy. There is bad news. Volvo is struggling, as is Mitsubishi, and Saab is pretty much sunk. But all in all, the car biz is ham­mering forward, and fun driving is still PC. playboy has piloted everything new on four wheels. Here are our picks for 2012.

AH, ITALIA. Think of the Piazza

Navona in Rome; fantasize about the fresh pizza from the bakery at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. The Fiat Cinquecento takes you there. A reimagining of the swing­ing 1960s Fiat 500, this car stays true to its DNA. And yet, all who drive it agree: "It's so contempo­rary!" And with seven air bags, electronic stability control and interfaces for Bluetooth, iPod and USB, it certainly is. The 500 feels game, athletic and lively. Its steering is as taut as a bowstring. Though the engine produces just 101 horsepower, it feels like much more. You'll look for reasons to test the grip and be a driver. The painted dash,'the placement of the shifter—it all comes together as a sparkling Italian design, a crisp-shifting five-speed manual coupe or automatic convertible.

THROWBACK

FIAT 500 ENGINE 1.4-LITER 1-4

HORSEPOWER 101

ZERO TO SO 10.2 SECONDS

MPG 30 CITY, 38 HIGHWAY

LAMBORGHINI

AVENTADOR

ENGINE 6.5-LITER V12

SEPOWER 700

MPG 11 CITY, 17 HIGHWAY

BORCHINI gets away with murder. As long as the latest, lowest, light-est and most wicked Lambo to date looks as if it rocketed in from another car-crazy planet, nobody cares if it's remotely comfortable, has trunk space or gets decent fuel mileage. This sexy stiletto is about impressing everyone, except maybe a Bugatti owner. The razor-edged all-wheel-drive seven-speed Aventador is a ride that makes even seasoned valet parkers quiver. It packs obscene horsepower from a mammoth V12 with quad pipes. Don't try to back up; you can't see behind you. Ripping down an autostrada at warp speed, the 217 mph Aventador transcends anything most mortals can imagine on wheels. You flick the paddles to the next cog and the surge hurls you back in your seat like the torque thrust of an F-22 Raptor. Come to think of it, the carbon-fiber-bodied Aventador resembles a Top Gun fighter for the street.

RAIIPF RfiVFR ENGINE 2-LITER TURBOCHARGED 1-4

EVQQUE

HORSEPOWER 240

ZERO TO 60 7.7 SECONDS

MPG 18 CITY, 28 HIGHWAY

WE LOVED THE styling of this futuris­tic, chopped-top, ultracontemporary SUV when we first laid eyes on it. Then we drove it and loved it even more. In northern Wales we clambered through squishy peat bogs, forded streams, descended a small mountain and ham­mered all the way to Liverpool, where

four cylinder gets decent mileage, but you'll never feel you've been handed half an eight. Whether you choose the coupe or four-

LEXUS

CT 200H

PRICE $29,120

ENGINE 1.8-LITER 1-4 WITH

ELECTRIC ENGINE

HORSEPOWER 134

ZERO TO 60 9.8 SECONDS MPG 40 CITY, 42 HIGHWAY

BEST KNOWN FOR smooth crossover SUVs and luxurious sedans, Lexus has stepped completely out of character with its CT 200h. Billed as a hybrid that handles, this stream­lined four-door hatch—with its efficient ergonomics, lively handling and cool demeanor—charmed us at the Paris Auto Show and afterward on the streets of rural France. Sure, a Prius is a little bigger inside and more fuel efficient. But a CT, which is far more fun to drive, can match most of its tricks. In EV (full electric) mode, you meander along at 25 mph, slowly creeping up to 40, with the engine off. Switch to Sport setting and the econ gauge becomes a tachometer, the 134 horses come to life and the continuously variable transmis­sion shifts with more alacrity. If you keep the revs up, the CT will definitely motor. Styling is subjective; we liked the curved roofline and retro wraparound rear window. Lexus hopes green-minded drivers will sign on. We bet they will.

fine point on the definitive small urban perfor­mance car with an eye-catching, nicely balanced entry-level version of its bigger models, called the 1 Series. Now the company has given that automobile the motor-sport treat­ment with its 1 Series M. Roomy enough for four, with a little extra behind the front seat, the 1 Series M fits the fundamen­tal BMW "driving machine" concept. It's what GTI should stand for. The clarity of this car's mission is apparent the first time you slide behind the wheel. The fit is right; the feel is right. That big three-liter twin-turbo has no business being shoehorned into a car this size. When you stomp on this little beauty's accelerator, hold on to your driver's license. BMW fans have had lots to talk about. The new 650i convertible is gorgeous, and the M3 (such a rocket, it should come with NASA signage) is a perennial favorite of car guys worldwide. Now the 1 Series M joins the party.

BMW

1 SERIES M

PRICE $47,010

ENGINE 3-LITER TWIN-

TURBO 1-6

HORSEPOWER 335

ZERO TO 60 4.7 SECONDS MPG 16 CITY, 24 HIGHWAY

CONVERTIBLE

secret agent John Steed from The Avengers were to trade in his vintage Bentley for something contem­porary, this would be his ride. Bentley keeps improving a cabriolet that needs no improvement. Want it stiffer? This is the most rigid convertible in the world. More power? Try 567 thoroughbred

horses. Electronics? The GTC packs a 30-gigabyte infotainment system. Did we mention all-wheel drive and the quick-shift ZF six-speed gearbox? There's even a neck warmer so you don't get chilled when you reach for the 195 mph top whack. Once you savor the distinctly British interior and rev that W12 engine, you'll realize why the GTC is worth every cent of its hefty tag.

BENTLEY CONTINENTAL

GTC

I PRICE $212,800

ENGINE 6-LITER W12

MPG 11 CITY, 19 HIGHWAY

1:11-11

_ SPORTS COUPE

FORD MUSTANG BOSS 302

ENGINE 5-LITER V8

HORSEPOWER 444

ZERO TO 60 4.3 SECONDS

MPG 17 CITY, 26 HIGHWAY

IF YOU'RE A Ford guy, the Boss 302 lives up to its billing. If not, this untamed pony will convert you. This car is pure. Think road king. Street racer. The cool paint schemes are straight out of the 1960s. We stormed Blue Ridge Mountain back roads in an orange Boss that cops could see for

miles. The rumbling V8, mated to a six-speed stick, delivers track-quality acceleration and can triple speed limits. Not surprisingly, the beefy brakes are a perfect match. This pony's platform and suspension have been super-tuned,

At $40,145 this automobile is a bargain. For $7,000 more, go for the Laguna Seca edition with up-rated suspension, a Torsen limited-slip differential, 19-inch alloys and R-compound Pirellis. Bottom line? It's the Boss.

SUPER

SEDANS

AUDI A7

ENGINE 3-LITER SUPERCHARGED V6 HORSEPOWER 310

ZERO TO SO 5.4 SECONDS .

MPC28 CITY, 40 HIGHWAY

MERCEDES-BENZ

CLS63 AMG

PRICE $97,000

ENGINE 5.5-LITER TWIN-TURBO V8

HORSEPOWER 518

ZERO TO 6O 4.4 SECONDS

MPG 76 CITY, 21 HIGHWAY

a banner year for badass sedans. Serious wheels are available at every price point. For $50K: Chrysler's

300 SRT8, with its herculean 6.4-liter 465-horsepower Hemi V8, has a John Wayne-size personality and rides the great American road with swagger. For $60K: Consider Audi's A7 sportback an automo­tive aphrodisiac. It puts you in the mood at first sight, and the more you drive it, the more you want to. The A7 has uncanny tactile feed­back and undeniable presence. Audi is enjoying great success in America, and with rides like the

A7, it's easy to see why. For $97K: The Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG is a gorgeous four-passenger thunderbolt, a

vehicle poised for greatness, a work of art with an engine. And not just any engine: a mighty V8, tuned to perfection with twin turbocharg-ers by the company's vaunted AMG performance arm. A car this com­fortable and roomy that can go from zero to 60 in a blistering 4.4 seconds? That gets 21 mpg on the highway? The CLS63 is a master­piece. You can't get a Van Gogh for this price—and even if you could, you couldn't drive it.

HYUNDAI

VELOSTER

PRICE $17,300

ENGINE 16-LITER 1-4

HORSEPOWER 138

ZERO TO 60 8.8 SECONDS

MPG28 CITY, 40 HIGHWAY

AFTER YEARS OF copying and then improving on hot-selling Japanese models, the neighboring Koreans have hit their stride. The result is the high-style fuel-sipping Hyundai Veloster, a sports coupe with a secret entrance: a cleverly hidden rear door on the passenger side for easy access. The

Veloster, with its raked roofline, muscular fender bulges and smart stance, is distinctive. Its wide grille may have taken a cue or two from Audi's TT, but who cares? It's a looker. The direct-injected engine is easy on the wallet and peppy, though the Veloster cries out for a turbocharger. Guess what—there's one in the works.

Behold the fastest production Jag ever built. Top speed: an electronically controlled IBB mph. Onboard computer settings let you instantly optimize the transmission, suspension and traction control, whether you're in a blizzard or on the racetrack. This automobile may be about performance, but the inte­rior is still posh and British, as you'd expect.

JAGUAR

XKR-S

ENGINE 5-LITER SUPERCHARGED V8

HORSEPOWER 550

ZERO TO SO 4.2 SECONDS MPG 15 CITY, 22 HIGHWAY

JAGUAR'S PREDILECTION for silky-smooth catlike coupes dates to the XK120 that took the U.S. by storm after WWII. The current XK (even the R upgrade) is more genteel than aggressive. Now comes the sinister-looking XKR-S, the most pow­erful production Jaguar of all time—just a roll bar shy of serious racing trim. We first

rove it on rural California roads; its performance matched its pulchritude. In an attempt to get everything out of it we could, we hit Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York, where we tested our mettle with Davy Jones, a bona fide Le Mans champ and a Jaguar R Performance Academy instructor (info at jaguarperformanceacademy.com). Getting one-on-one coaching with Jones in a car like

a commuter, as gorgeous as they come and a wildcat on the track. That's why the XKR-S is playboy's 2012 Car of the Year.

• See more Cars of the Year at playboy.com/cars2D1E.