Motor Trend’s 2017 Best Driver’s Car

If you missed last week’s article, you should go back and read it before you read this one.  We went over the results of Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car of 2017 award.  This week we are actually going to tackle all of the cars in the contest and rearrange the order of things a little bit.  Boy, this is going to be great!

 

First, if you remember, Motor Trend talks about “useable performance” in their definition of what a driver’s car is.  I completely agree.  However, I also have to point out that some of the best cars to drive today are the ones that many consider to be underpowered.  And when I say underpowered, I’m referring to the current standards set by the industry.  Back in the 1980’s, General Motors was producing the LG4 engine.  In the Camaro Z/28 of the time, that meant you got a 5.0 V8 engine that only produced 143 horsepower.  While that is just about the poorest example I have, it still gets the point across.  There were very few cars back then that were producing as much power as cars do today from smaller engines, of course with a few exceptions.

 

We are currently in the midst of the horsepower wars.  The Aston Martin DB11, Camaro ZL1 1LE, Ferrari 488 GTB, and the Nismo GT-R all are at or above 600 horsepower.  No matter what anybody says, that is a lot of power, especially for a road car.  There’s always going to be the issue of using all of that power.  There’s a reason that all of these cars were considered, and in fact, the Ferrari 488 was the winner of this year’s award, but for me, that is where the “useable performance” comes to a halt.

 

That being said, it isn’t like the rest of the field faired too much better.  All but the Porsche 718 Cayman S and Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club have more than 450 horsepower.  That is at least approaching the “unusable” limit if it doesn’t already cross it.

 

For a road car, a good limit is about 300 horsepower.  It’s fast enough when you need it and not so over the top that you can’t open it up every once in a while.  That isn’t to say that you would be able to always go all out in a 300 horsepower sports car, but at least you have some kind of ceiling to work with.

 

Another consideration for the best driver’s car has to do with feel.  How does the car feel when you drive it and what can you do with the car before you feel like you can no longer control it?  Traction control, electronic stability control, and other systems that nobody can pronounce do a good job of keeping a car in line today.  The reason for these systems is that otherwise, most of these cars would kill the driver if one wrong move were to be made.

 

Just think about it… The Camaro, if all the electronic systems were turned off, would never be able to be driven because the back tires would melt off at the touch of the accelerator.  The same could be said of all of the cars with more than 500 horsepower!  Some also don’t inspire confidence with the traction control on let alone with it off.

 

A well balanced car gives the driver the confidence to push it.  The Porsche Cayman has that balance.  The Miata, Porsche 911, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo also possess a certain balance that the other’s lack.  Coupled with balance is weight.  The Nissan GT-R, Aston Martin, Lexus LC 500, and Mercedes are all really heavy.  Some manufacturers do a better job than others of hiding the weight of their vehicles, but weight is something that can’t always be hidden or tamed.  Such is the plight of the LC 500 and Nismo GT-R.

 

Some cars just have a lack of feel.  The Nismo is the prime example of this.  For years, people have been marveling at what the Nissan GT-R can do, and seriously, the GT-R was and continues to be a game-changer in the performance arena.  In regard to performance, the GT-R has and continues to beat much more expensive performance cars at their own game.  But this is precisely what has prevented the GT-R from ever winning the award before.  The fact that it’s still even in the competition is a testament to its capabilities, but it always lacks that “something special” that makes it a legitimate driver’s car.

 

What’s left then?  Well, the rest is kind of up to you.  I have personally never driven most of these cars, though I have driven some versions of a few of them.  I’m sure that if I got to drive them all back to back, some of my suspicions would be confirmed and my opinions affirmed, but the next guy to do the same thing might just think the exact opposite.  The ball is in each of your individual arenas.

 

That being said, I think that Motor Trend actually did a pretty fair job this year with their picks.  There are a few I thought were a bit out there, and just like everyone else, I had my disagreements.  Here’s how I would draw up my picks for the Best Driver’s car from the 2017 contenders:

 

1. Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio:

The Alfa Romeo is just about the complete package.  It is a rear-wheel-drive sports sedan – which means that it’s practical too – that can be tame when it needs to be a super car the rest of the time.  It sounds great, handles well, and it’s a true driver’s car.  Even more than that, it’s far from perfect because it’s an Alfa Romeo.  But, that’s kind of what makes it just a little more special than any other car here… right?

 

2. Porsche 718 Cayman S:

Balance, useable performance, and handling in one package.  The epitome of what it means to be a driver’s car.  That’s the name of the game for the Cayman.  The fact that it beat out much higher performing cars here is a testament to just how good it actually is.  Oh yeah… it wasn’t even scheduled to be in this contest according to Motor Trend!

 

3. Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Club:

I’m a sucker for an MX-5 Miata, but this one falls a little because of the competition.  The MX-5 is one of the only cars still manufactured that has consistently stuck with the same recipe that made the original one of the best cars in history.  The slowest car in the group, that doesn’t matter as soon as you drive one.  Just hop on over to your local Mazda dealer where you will probably find one or two.  If you want, you can even buy one for much less than any other car here.

 

4. Porsche 911 Turbo S

Again, a car with a great motorsport tradition and history has continued to shine in the competition.  With well over 500 horsepower, this car is definitely not lacking in grunt.  It just seems like the 911 keeps getting better with time.  This one isn’t any different.

 

5. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport:

Motor Trend repeatedly complained about the lack of power produced by the Grand Sport.  I wholeheartedly agree that on a track, it may lack the muscle of the Z06, but 99.9% of the rest of the time, it fits the bill of a really good driver’s car.  It handles well, looks and sounds fantastic, and it has all the power you would ever need for a weekend out on the back roads.  Plus, it’s a Corvette!  It may not be as refined as some of the others in the competition, but it’s simple and affordable.

 

6. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE:

One of the best values for the money on the list, the Camaro has surprised a lot of people with its improvement over the past couple years.  It has become a legitimately good car, and a pretty good driver’s car, but the excess of power is just a little too much for me to put this any higher.  Even though it’s in the middle of this list, don’t think for a minute that means the Camaro is a slouch.  It will put just about every other car at its price point to shame, but nobody would ever be able to wring all of that power out on any street.

 

7. Ferrari 488 GTB:

This car won the Driver’s Car of the Year.  And really, who doesn’t want a Ferrari?!  For me, the Ferrari doesn’t quite make it.  It has too much power, and it’s a little bit too untouchable for most people that just want a great driver’s car.  If you can afford it, more power to you, and by all means, enjoy all that the Motor Trend Driver’s Car of the Year can give you.  We can all dream, but it’s the fact that it’s only a dream, not a reality, that puts this car a bit too over the top to rank this any higher in my list.

 

8. McLaren 570GT:

Most of the same can be said of the McLaren as the Ferrari.  There is absolutely no doubt that just about any McLaren is a dream to drive, and would make a great driver’s car.  It’s just a little too out of reach for most people to rank it higher in the list.

 

9. Aston Martin DB11:

This car kind of falls along the same lines as the Ferrari and McLaren.  Who wouldn’t want an Aston Martin?  It just has that feel surrounding it that makes it special despite its faults.  However, the biggest issue with the Aston, along with most other Aston Martin models is that they are built more as grand touring cars rather than hardcore sports and super cars.  They are fantastic to drive and make some of the best sounds in the world, but they also make you want to just sit back and enjoy the ride.  The car never makes you want to push it.  It just isn’t the Aston’s style.

 

10. Mercedes AMG GT-R:

The Mercedes has the opposite problem from the Aston.  The car is too track focused and too finicky to really be a good driver’s car.  One of the chief complaints of Motor Trend during the testing of this car is that the suspension kept bottoming out in some of the bumps and curves.  That seems like a bit of a problem.  It’s fast, it has enough torque to move the entire island of Madagascar, but it’s also that power and track focus that takes AMG this far down the list.

 

11. Lexus LC 500:

It looks good, it has a fantastic sounding V-8 engine, and it doesn’t have nearly the horsepower as some of the other cars in the competition.  Seems like a great recipe right?  Well sort of…  The issue is the weight.  The LC 500 weighs a whopping 4300 pounds.  That’s massive for a sports car.  As good as every other aspect of the Lexus is, it just can’t hide its girth, and it hurts the car’s potential.  Now, if Motor Trend held a beauty contest, the Lexus may have walked away with little trouble.

 

12. Nissan GT-R Nismo:

Finally, we come to the infamous Godzilla.  The car is fantastic, and the engineering that goes into the production of the GT-R is just staggering.  That’s what hurts the car though.  It’s so advanced, that it takes away from the organic feel of driving the car.  It almost drives itself!  In fact, the car is so good, that it’s bad… but only when it comes to being a driver’s car.

 

So that’s how I would reorganize Motor Trend’s list.  You may reorganize it differently than I did, but that’s part of the fun of analyzing what others have done.  Let me know how you would do it differently.  Until next year, we will continue to debate what was good and bad about this year’s pack of vehicles.  Come back next week when I will give you my own list of the best driver’s cars that you can buy today, and why they make the cut.

–SWF