Lawrence Ulrich’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By LAWRENCE ULRICH

December 31, 2010
Lawrence Ulrich’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By LAWRENCE ULRICH

1. FERRARI 458 ITALIA The world’s best sports car, a racing video game come to life in three gorgeous, thrilling dimensions. This is the car I would buy tomorrow if I inherited $250,000 today.

2. JAGUAR XJ In one swoop, this flagship sedan has been transformed from Prince Charles (stiff, conservative, tradition-bound) into David Beckham (athletic, fashionable, devilishly handsome). The XJ, especially in its supercharged versions, is not only the lightest and fastest of the big luxury sedans, but it is the most cheeky and vital.

3. CHEVROLET VOLT Let me get this straight: General Motors, after being criticized for (supposedly) killing the electric car and for lagging Toyota in green technology, develops a plug-in hybrid that outdrives the Prius and returns better overall economy than any other new hybrid or clean diesel. And G.M. is excoriated for doing so, not just by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, but by some greenniks. G.M. just can’t win.

4. PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER Among sports cars, the Boxster is like the golden retriever at your feet: Loyal and eager to please, but so old and familiar that you trip right over it. The Boxster Spyder solves that as a lightened-and-toned version that reminds you that this midengine stalwart is one of the sweetest performers around — and the world’s best-handling sports car to boot, according to Car and Driver magazine. The only drawback is its contraption of a manual top: it looks and fits great, but takes several minutes to put down or up, making the Spyder suspect as a daily driver.

5. AUDI A8 By the high-flying standards of Audi design, the tranquil exterior is a letdown. But all is forgiven when you jump into the A8 and drive. The cabin blends near-bespoke luxury with intuitive technology to set the new interior benchmark for large luxury sedans. And the Audi is an amazingly versatile dance partner, able to waltz, tango or mosh, depending on its driver’s mood.

6. HYUNDAI SONATA Never thought I’d say it, but if I were buying a straight-up family sedan I’d take the Sonata over Honda’s Accord, the perennial front-runner. Consumers have noticed, handing the handsome Sonata — in regular, turbo and hybrid versions — the year’s biggest jump in unit sales — up roughly 90,000 — of any car in America.

7. NISSAN JUKE When I first saw the Juke at an auto show, I didn’t know whether to chuckle or upchuck. But this moon buggy turns out to be the year’s most unexpected success, a tall hatchback with more muscle and spirit than the youth-centric crossovers from Scion, Kia and others. A 188-horsepower direct-injection turbo 4, available 6-speed manual transmission, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive and a winning interior filled with cool details, all for around $25,000. What’s not to like?

8. FORD EXPLORER The name sounds like a nostalgic holdover from a VH1 show. But this is the new Explorer, and all I can say is, Welcome back. Aside from the lack of a honking V-8, you won’t notice much difference in dynamic on-road handling, quietness and comfort between this Ford and much more expensive S.U.V.’s like the Land Rover LR4 or Mercedes GL-Class. It’s that good.

9. VOLVO S60 Another pleasant surprise, this sedan reminds me of the XC60 crossover, subtly amassing virtues until it’s impossible to ignore. For those who aren’t already set on a BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class or Infiniti G37, the S60 is a striking alternative and the most fun-to-drive Volvo yet.

10. LOTUS EVORA Driving enthusiasts often profess love for the nano-scale Lotus Elise or Exige, but few show their love by buying such a track-focused toy. The midengine Evora makes just enough compromises to be accommodating — it’s larger, heavier and more deluxe, with a roomier 2-plus-2 layout — but it still feels exotic, adventurous and every bit a Lotus.

When S.U.V.’s Are Parodies

DESIGNER IMPOSTOR Sure, it’s a relative bargain, it comes with a free iPad and the Hyundai dealer will fetch the car for service while dropping off a loaner. That’s all great, but if I’m going to drop $60,000 on a Hyundai, there’s only one real issue: is it really a stand-in for flagships like the Mercedes S-Class or Audi A8, or even the smaller BMW 5 Series? The Equus does not even come close. Dated and dowdy on the outside, a pale imitation of Lexus on the inside, it doesn’t drive or satisfy like the real McCoys.

FREE WILLY By the standards of full-size luxury S.U.V.’s, the redesigned Infiniti QX56 blows away the last version. But who at Infiniti approved the swollen shape, Beluga-whale grille and excessive bling? The QX is so obliviously unfashionable it should come with a trucker hat.

ROCKY TERRAIN Another S.U.V. that didn’t get the memo about changing tastes, the GMC Terrain is a parody pile-up of every Hummer-inspired styling theme to emerge from G.M.’s studios: tacky chrome rims, steroid-pumped sheet metal and an overwhelming air of half-bakedness, from its straining engines to its sloppy transmission.

WHAT A HAM For the Kia Soul, the return of the hip-hop hamsters was the year’s most watchable car ad. (I especially enjoyed the rodent cheerleaders, the Hamsterdam Avenue street sign and the stoned-looking drummer.) Best of all, the funky Soul is as endearing as its ad campaign.

THE HEARTBEAT HAS FLATLINED The worst car-company slogan of the year, perhaps among the worst ever: Chevy Runs Deep. What, like a submarine? A tunneling gopher? A wide receiver? By the time you figure out what Chevy’s talking about, the message (and your brain) are vaporized.