Best Cars of the Year Run From Green to Mean: Jason H. Harper – Bloomberg.com Updated:New York, Dec 10 01:57London, Dec 10 06:57Tokyo, Dec 10 15:57 SYMBOL LOOKUP FEEDBACKHOMENEWSEXCLUSIVEWORLDWIDEREGIONSMARKETSINDUSTRIESECONOMYPOLITICSLAWENVIRONMENTSCIENCEOPINIONSPENDSPORTSARTS AND CULTUREEDITORS’ VIDEO PICKSBLOOMBERG MARKETS MAGAZINESPECIAL REPORTMARKET DATASTOCKSRATES & BONDSCURRENCIESMUTUAL FUNDSETFsCOMMODITIESECONOMIC CALENDARPERSONAL FINANCEJANE BRYANT QUINNJOHN DORFMANPORTFOLIO TRACKERCALCULATORSFINANCIAL GLOSSARYTV and RADIOBLOOMBERG TELEVISIONBLOOMBERG TELEVISION SYNDICATED REPORTSBLOOMBERG RADIOBLOOMBERG PODCASTSBLOOMBERG SHOWSCEO SPOTLIGHTCFO INSIGHTPORTFOLIO MATTERSMOBILEBUSINESSWEEKBUSINESS EXCHANGEBloomberg InnovatorsTechnologyCurrenciesForex Trading VideosETFsCEOCommoditiesExclusiveWorldwideRegionsMarketsIndustriesEconomyPoliticsLawEnvironmentScienceOpinionSpendSportsArts and CultureEditors’ Video PicksBloomberg Markets MagazineSpecial ReportRESOURCES Bloomberg TV Bloomberg Radio Bloomberg PodcastsBloomberg Press More News • Van Dyck’s Portrait Sets Record to Boost $24.6 Million Sotheby’s Auction • Hermitage Buys $4.8 Million Popoff Collection That Flopped at Christie’s • Feliciano, Steve Miller, Mike Stern Hit Iridium Stage for Les Paul Charity Best Cars of the Year Run From Green to Mean: Jason H. Harper Share Business ExchangeTwitterFacebook| Email | Print |A A A Review by Jason H. Harper Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — This year, I’ve driven overhyped andunderrated cars, green vehicles and 1,001-horsepower ones, smartcars and silly ones. Some rocked, many didn’t, and it’s naturalto compare them. So here’s my list of the best cars of the year, broken intoseven categories, including best executive sedan, green car andcar of the year. Each winner is a new or significantly revisedmodel for 2010 and is on sale now. Best Green Car: Ford Fusion Hybrid Toyota’s latest Prius may crow the loudest, but Ford hasquietly slipped into the hybrid market with an outstandingentry. A true parallel hybrid which can reach 47 mph on batterypower alone, the Fusion gets great mileage (41 city, 36 highway)in a much less self-conscious package than the Prius. An airymid-size which seats five, it drives confidently and surely,with no real compromises. The styling could be a bit moreinteresting, but at the competitive price and with greencredibility, who cares? From $28,350. Best Sports Car: Audi R8 5.2 A hot sports car should have an air of fantasy: If you were8, you’d have a poster of it on your bedroom wall. Audi stuffeda 5.2-liter, V-10 Lamborghini engine into the already supercoolR8 mid-engine sports car, and voila! Fantasy achieved. All thoseAudi Le Mans wins have translated to the real world, including atop speed nearing 200 mph and a naught-to-60 time of 3.7seconds. With faultless balance, 525 horsepower and all-wheel-drive, this badder-to-the-bone R8 is stupid fun on the racetrackand yet easy to motor around in town. One step closer to theLamborghini, with none of the embarrassment. From $147,200. Best Economy Car: Mazda3 It’s unclear how Mazda puts so much car into such aneconomical package, but the $16,000 Mazda3 is as much fun ascars twice the price. The smartly revised 3 comes in four- andfive-door configurations, seats five and has an exceptionallywell-designed interior. On-road, the front-wheel drive pullshard off the line and the brilliant suspension ably handles bothhighways and byways. The styling will put off some (the frontfascia looks like a maniacal smile), but you can see where theexterior designers got their inspiration. From $16,045. Best Executive Sedan: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG This is a category crowded with happy choices, includingthe Jaguar XFR and the updated BMW 7 Series. For the best blendof comfort, drivability and technology, however, the revised E-Class rules. It retains classic elements such as the uprightMercedes badge, supple ride and ample rear seat, while sheddingstodginess with a whole mess of new-age technology like a“drowsiness detector” and headlamps which automatically dim.In AMG guise, it’s also a highway bruiser, with a 6.3-liter V-8that channels more power (518 horses) than most muscle cars,achieving 60 miles in 4.4 seconds. A guaranteed CEO pleaser.From $85,750. Best People Mover and Family Car: Lincoln MKT EcoBoost Cadillac’s new CTS Sport Wagon is a close second for thisyear’s best people-mover, but the truth is most Americans don’tbuy wagons. They want something that can accommodate thebasketball team, the coach and all the equipment. The LincolnMKT fits that bill with room for seven plus stowage. Whatseparates it from other crossovers is the excellent engine andpleasing overall drive. Ford’s new twin-turbocharged and direct-injected V-6 has 355 horsepower and manages 22 mpg highway. Andeven at 17 feet long, the all-wheel-drive Lincoln handlesexceedingly well. After all, even with all the safety features,the best protection of all is accident avoidance. From $49,200. Best All-Around Sports Utility Vehicle: Land Rover LR4 The all-new LR4’s poor gas mileage (17 highway) nearly tookit out of the running, but the truth is the least expensive ofthe big Land Rovers is the most versatile, go-anywhere, do-anything SUV currently on the market. After a 1,000-mile trip upCalifornia’s northern coast on winding back roads, gravel andhard-core 4X4 tracks, the four-door truck held up brilliantly.Land Rover’s “command” driving position lets you seeeverything on the road, the new interior is plush and smart, andyou can throw a Home Depot-load of stuff in the back. For now,Land Rover remains king of the rugged hill. From $48,100. Best, period: Porsche Panamera Surprised? So was I. The Panamera is no purist’s Porsche,and the rounded, Chrysler Crossfire-like rear end takes time towarm up to. Yet Porsche’s first-ever sedan incorporates many ofthe legendary 911’s best elements — the upright seatingposition, the aggressive drive, the ideal on-road feel — into aspacious four-door. After driving it on the Autobahn, in theAlps, in crowded U.S. cities and ultimately on a racetrackagainst a BMW M5 at speeds of up to 160 mph, I was sold. It drives wonderfully, has the best interior ever done byPorsche, and the rear seats are hugely accommodating andmagically comfortable. The Turbo is the top of the line, but the(nominally) less-expensive S model with 400 hp handles and revsthe most organically and is my personal pick. A perfect car fora Master of the Universe. From $89,800. (Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Bloomberg News. Theopinions expressed are his own.) To contact the writer of this column:Jason H. Harper at Jason@JasonHharper.com. 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