2012 Motor Trend Best Driver's Car

[Bru]

This is Motor Trend's comparison where the winner isn't the car with the fastest lap times. They're out to find the best "driver's" car, as described below. Though they still record lap and acceleration times.

After all, this is Best Driver's Car. It's not about numbers and straight-line performance. If it were, to paraphrase editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie, we'd just rent a top fuel dragster and call it a day.

Instead, we spent more than a week with all nine contenders to determine which one is the best to drive. We put each car through our standard battery of dynamic tests before letting our resident evil scientist Kim Reynolds rig up all the cars with a full battery of sensors for even more measurements. From there, we took our fast nine to one of our favorite California canyon roads and, with a little help from our pals at the California Highway Patrol, blasted them up and down a gorgeous 5-mile stretch of tarmac. One of the officers even whipped out his radar gun and -- while smiling -- clocked the Aventador hitting 130 mph. It's good to be friends with The Man.

Finally, we handed all the cars over to the aforementioned Pobst to see what he could wring out of them around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Oh, and for purely journalistic reasons, I was forced to jump into each one and have my own go around that gorgeous, iconic, 2.3-mile track. We also spent a few hundred miles running around on freeways. While that last part is a small piece of the overall puzzle, if a car rides so harshly that you don't feel like driving it to, let alone on, your favorite road, what's the point?

9. Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
8. Jaguar XKR-S
7. Ford Shelby GT500
6. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
5. McLaren MP4-12C
4. Subaru BR-Z
3. Nissan GT-R
2. Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series
1. Porsche 911 Carerra S

2012 Motor Trend Best Driver's Car - Motor Trend

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[Bob Kazamakis]

Hmmm good list. Not surprised by the Porsche at the top. They're so

 

[Bru]

What's odd is the absence of manual transmission in the top three cars, something you'd typically expect from a "driver's" car.

 

[Mook]

#3. suck my balls bitches!

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I didn't actually read the article; just the list you posted. I actually assumed the carrera and the merc were traditional manuals.

I'm actually surprised at the merc even being on the list. I just thought it was a brute (read german muscle car) but not really a drivers car.

 

[Turk]

See this list Rich. Like I said, DRIVE A PORSCHE

 

[willizm]

Hmmm, strangely absent is any bmw which have been known to be one of the best "drivers car's" out there. No m3, really?

 

[Turk]

Hmmm, strangely absent is any bmw which have been known to be one of the best "drivers car's" out there. No m3, really?

I dunno if the M3 is being made this year.

 

[Bru]

They didn't bring back a few cars because nothing has changed. The ZR-1, for example. Ferrari wouldn't give them the 458 - the previous winner - and the GT-R was in last year's competition but enough changed for 2013 to bring it back.

 

[Gav'sPurpleZ]

the one i could conceivably afford, i wouldnt want.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

the one i could conceivably afford, i wouldnt want.

SUBARU FTW

 

[Mook]

surprised this hasnt turned into a Zl1 pissing match yet

 

[Bru]

Love the BRZ in that color.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Can't argue about straight facts bro.

Zl1 > gt500

 

[Lord Tin Foilhat]

no vette.... stupid test

 

[Yaj Yak]

surprised this hasnt turned into a Zl1 pissing match yet

Zl1 was slower om the road course by half a second than the stang.... Oh shit!

 

[Chester Copperpot]

GT500 > coffin > ZL1

 

[greasy]

Shit fest primed!

 

[jason05gt]

Too many autos on the list and no Corvette. This list is bogus.

 

[Shibby50]

So the GT500 was faster and people still don't want it over the ZL1? Must suck

 

[PANDA]

vette would fuck up all these cars

 

[Chester Copperpot]

Panda's GTP would fuck up all these cars

Fixt.

 

[slowchevy]

"its stock" ok.

 

[Bru]

So the GT500 was faster and people still don't want it over the ZL1? Must suck

A 200-hp car placed higher than the ZL1 and GT500 in this subjective test

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Almost as good as a gtr