Happy 2014 everyone! We continue our week of recapping the fun of 2013 with a conglomeration of the best cars I have reviewed during the past year.
I don’t think it is any secret that car reviews are my favorite thing to do for Mind Over Motor. Getting behind the wheel of different types of cars is something that I live for, and putting together these articles allows me to utilize a wide range of creative skills and concepts that I really enjoy. I won’t lie, it takes a lot of time and effort to produce these articles, but it is worth it for me because I get to have fun while also helping and entertaining people with the final product.
While I enjoy reviewing cars of all types, 2013 sort of became dominated by high end cars (not that I’m complaining, of course). We were fortunate enough to be given lots of opportunities to drive some very nice, and often very expensive, vehicles, so naturally we weren’t going to turn them down. Because of this, the High End & Exotic section has been split up into multiple sub-sections, so that I can fully represent my favorite drives of the year.
Here are the top cars, from each category, that I drove during 2013. Click the title links to see the full review articles. Enjoy!
Cheap Fun: Fiat 500 Abarth
Like many Italian cars, a lot of the Fiat Abarth may be crap, but it speaks directly to your soul. Sure this car did wind up having an issue with its cooling system after some mild thrashing, and I did give it a very mediocre score (6.5/10), but it’s just so damn lovable.
Dynamic Duels: BMW Alpina B7 vs BMW 760Li
More money, more problems… V8 or V12? The struggle is real!
Green & Economical: VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI Manual
The clutch pedal turns the Jetta Sportwagen TDI into the enthusiasts economy car, or as many would call it, a journalist special. It is a fantastically practical, and even pretty fun, way to get your 40mpg.
Sports and Executive: Infiniti Q50 S Hybrid
The new Infiniti Q50 Hybrid is a very interesting, and very advanced car that offers both high performance and great fuel economy. It may be the best way you to spend $50,000 in 2014.
High End & Exotic:
Supercar: Ferrari 458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 might be my favorite car that I’ve driven to date. It literally becomes a part of you when you drive it.
Sports Car: Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar’s first true sports car in decades, and they did a phenomenal job with it.
Sedan: Jaguar XFR-S
I managed to drive this one before the mainstream press did (shrug?). It is one of just 300, and it’s mad as all hell.
Grand Touring: BMW M6
I hated this car until I drove it. Proper M car or not, it’s probably the best overall GT car on sale today.
Ultra-Lux: Rolls Royce Wraith
Exquisite in every single way, the Wraith is a proper driver’s Rolls Royce.
Off-Road Able: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
The Jeep SRT is unbelievably badass, and surely the performance SUV bargain of the year.
Used Gems:
The BMW 335d is fast as hell, nice as hell, and 40mpg capable.
The Elise is a pure driver’s car. It was a ton of fun to drive on the race track, and in my case, it was also very pink!
An incredible value, if you want a used luxury car check out a Volkswagen CC.
My dad has had this Porsche 911 since 2007, I love driving it, and I finally reviewed it. You can’t go wrong with a Porsche!
Finally, this article would be incomplete if I didn’t include the video of the fun I had recently at Mach 5 cars. If you like supercar sounds and hoonage, check it out!
So those are my favorite cars from each category that I drove this year. 2013 was a lot of fun, and I look forward to reviewing even more cars, of all types, in 2014. I can’t wait!
-Nick Walker
Mind Over Motor 
Reblogged this on Curiosidades na internet.
LikeLike