Welcome to 2016, Spies! We're excited to start an all-new year and move forward with providing you with some of the most unique coverage of the automotive industry.
Helping us start off on the right foot is my Top 007 of 2015 — my favorite rides. This is the first installment of several. To refresh you as to how this is compiled, I'll be giving you my Top 007 based on cars that I piloted in 2015. If it wasn't driven in 2015 then it does not get a shot at making the list.
We take pride in providing you with honest and straightforward commentary on products we drive. So, to be 100 percent clear, this is based on my experience and not bias or conjecture.
Having said that, let's get to the list.
Congratulations to all of the winners!
1) Cadillac ATS-V Coupe
2) Cadillac CTS-V
3) Mercedes-Benz S550 Coupe
4) Hyundai Genesis
5) Lexus GS F
6) Honda Accord
7) Chevrolet Volt
1) Cadillac ATS-V Coupe. Years ago when Cadillac first introduced its V-Series I never thought the General Motors luxury brand could compete with the benchmark, BMW's M GmbH. As BMW's cars have slowly started to er from their path, all-new competition is giving the blue and white trouble. The all-new ATS-V is one of those cars. The manual coupe I drove is, simply put, brilliant. The forced induction motor pulls in an endless fashion, the Recaro seats are supportive yet comfortable and now even the CUE system works fine. While there are certain elements that could use some refinement, such as the door cards, the gearbox that requires a bit of force, and the exhaust note, overall, I walked away with one major impression: I could totally envision having one of these OVER a BMW M4. If I were making a purchase decision, I'd be in hard pressed not to walk away with the Cadillac. The ATS-V is a sensational product.
2) Cadillac CTS-V. Who would have thought that another Cadillac would make the list? Well, the all-new CTS-V sits at the top of the high-performance, sport sedan food chain. Astonishingly, even though it is equipped with a monstrous 6.2-liter, supercharged V8 motor producing 640 horsepower, this V rings the register cheaper than the Audi RS7, BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S costing merely $83,995 — this is thousands less than the other guys. When you step on it, the whining supercharger makes you feel like you're in a jet taking off. The V8 makes absolutely NO apologies for how loud it is but if you want to have a good relationship with the neighbors, you can quiet it down. That speaks to its true two-faced personality. Where the competition has trouble handling the comfortable stuff, the CTS-V doesn't. Speaking of the competition, they're packing on the pounds weighing in at about 4,300-4,500 lbs., GM made sure to keep it less porky at about 4,150 lbs. Though it may seem trivial, it does matter at the end of the day. The only thing missing to take this insane piece of hardware completely off the charts is a manual gearbox. Unless you're married to having a do-it-yourself shifter that's only offered on the M5 and M6 Gran coupe, you're making a mistake if you buy anything else over the CTS-V.
3) Mercedes-Benz S550 Coupe. When the current-gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class came onto the scene it destroyed all expectations of what a large luxury sedan should be. So, it should come as no surprise that the coupe variant has done the same exact thing for big body, grand touring coupes. Word to the wise: Skip the Bentley Continental GT and get behind the wheel of the three-pointed star. It rides better, is more nimble and has the BEST technology money can buy. All for a fraction of the price. If you look at the interior closely, it's easy to tell that whoever led this project considered this their baby. Everything is so well thought out and executed flawlessly. Then there's things like the Burmeister sound system. Now I thought it was pretty staggering but that was only compounded when I had a friend of AutoSpies, a studio owner who's work was recently Grammy nominated, described it as "The best OEM sound system I've ever heard." By the way, did I mention it looks stunning? The S550 Coupe lives up to the brand's tag line: The best or nothing.
One of two surprises this year goes to the Korean-built Genesis. I had heard some great things about this product when the vehicle first made its debut, but they were completely underselling how amazing this new-generation Genesis is. It's clear this vehicle was conceived as a proper luxury sedan; however, it can be sporty should you want it to be. Hit a couple buttons and you're there. Personally, I liked it in its most comfortable settings. That's because it rides like a last-gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It's mind boggling how well dampened this suspension is and it feels better than most large luxury sedans on offer today. Forget about its direct competition in form of the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Infiniti Q70 L, Lexus GS and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Although I am sure folks will push for the optional V8 power, the six-cylinder is more than capable and smooth. Compared to the last-gen Genesis the interior is stepped up but could use a little more fine tuning to make this a complete no brainer to snobs. The Genesis is a game changer. It's the one product I've been
insisting anyone looking to get into a midsize luxury sedan
must test drive.
5) Lexus GS F. When you look at the GS F on paper it's very disappointing, but if you keep an open mind this vehicle will completely shock you. I know, because that's what happened to me. Equipped with a 5.0-liter V8, an eight-speed automatic and the same wheel/tire size from the RC F, it's an experience similar to Lexus' outrageous F Performance coupe. In fact, after spending quite a bit of time in the GS F working my way around the track and then hopping into the RC F, I preferred the GS F without hesitation. While everyone else is going forced induction, it's nice to have a naturally aspirated motor with a linear power band. In addition, the GS F's driving dynamics are so well tuned it's really hard NOT to fall in love with this vehicle — its dynamics are superior to what you'll find in an RS7, M5, CTS-V or E63. Could it use some more power? Sure. But, honestly, unless you have dedicated track time you're not going to miss it. That's because you'll be spending more time on the brakes instead of winding that motor up past 6,000 revs. I loved every second of the GS F and that's more than I can say for the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Oh, and unlike the other guys I'd be comfortable buying and living with the GS F for
many years. Though it's too early to tell how the GS F will do with reliability, my bet is it will NOT be problematic down the road while the competition's products slowly turn into nightmares.
6) Honda Accord. One of the biggest questions for Honda over the past 20 years has been "When will there be another Acura Legend?" Well, folks, this is it. I recently had a Honda Accord Touring and while you may be asking "Who would spend $35,000 on an Accord?" I have to say it would be completely worth it. After driving the all-new Acura TLX I was more impressed with the Accord. To me, the refreshed 16 model year Accord actually nullifies Acura's effort, which only matters to buyers interested in all-wheel drive. The problem with an AWD TLX is that it quickly becomes a ~$45,000 product and, frankly, there's much better vehicles out there for those kinda bucks. The Accord delivers it all: its V6 is smooth, the steering is nicely weighted, the interior trimmings are nicely executed and I really like the company's use of LED lighting and slick five-spoke wheels. The car's pitfall is its two-screen infotainment setup that doesn't make life easy and it's a bit of a cluster-eff. Aside from that, this 2016 Accord is an excellent choice. If Honda rebadged this product as an Acura and gave it AWD there's no doubt in my mind it would be a better Acura than the currently existing TLX.
7) Chevrolet Volt. This is my second surprise. I just had the chance to drive the 2016 Volt in the past two weeks and I have to say that this second-gen effort really takes GM's electric vehicle game to an all-new level. While the first-gen product was a noble effort it wasn't quite executed right. The interior was suspect, the electric range didn't cut the mustard and its noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) sucked when the range extender kicked in. Much of this has been remedied as its interior features a nice, fat steering wheel and better materials across the board, the pure electric range got a bump and the NVH when the range extender kicks in is actually very minimal. In addition, it actually is pretty fun to drive. In fact, I'd rather have the 2016 Volt over the BMW i3 range extender, which essentially sounds like you've attached a portable generator to your i3 when the range extender kicks in. While the i3 wipes the floor with the Volt from an interior design perspective, it's just not a better vehicle overall. GM deserves a thumbs up for this product, now let's see if it can move them off showroom floors.