Antuan's top 5 cars of 2020
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What's up Brody's Long time no see, like many of you could probably use a shave and a haircut but 2020 has been a rough one, haven't it at the beginning of the year injured, mundane clutch input and couldn't drive for a couple of weeks.
And then there's the global pandemic and the near economic collapse and the total cancellation of this year's Auto Show season.
I don't think I've ever been this happy to see a year in my rearview.
But looking back at the very least I had some pretty sweet rides to keep me sane.
And it's that time of year being the end and all for us to look back at my five favorite rides of 2020.
Now, this isn't an exhaustive list of the best cars that came out this year.
In fact, it's pretty subjective and you'll learn in a bit.
But of the 50 or 60 cars I drove this year These are my five favorites.
Last year the Mercedes E 63 AMG s sedan made the top of my list of the numero uno, best car.
I drove in 2019.
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The only way it could have been better is if it were a wagon.
Well, this year the entire E Class lineup is updated and in my driveway I found a 2021 Mercedes AMG e 63 s wagon asking you shall receive the E 63.
is powered by the same four liter by turbo V eight as before, and it's 603 horsepower and 627 pound feet of torque or just that.
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Chef's kiss delicious as they were last year, the exhaust note is just as intoxicating and the handling has been revived a little bit.
It's still just as sharp as before when you're ripping around your favorite background and support plus, but around town it's a lot more comfortable which is saying a lot because the 63 was already a very comfortable Very easy to live with machine.
Now the entire E-class lineup has been updated within VUX tech which is nice and the interior has been revived and is looking sharp.
The exterior design is streamlined and more aggressive with new front and rear fascia.
And I think that it looks really nice especially in this wagon configuration.
The wagon by the way, is much more practical I think than the sedan because it's got a lot more space inside for hauling people in hauling cargo and no compromises to actually hold an app.
The e63 wagon is half grand tour, half workhorse, half track, toy and 150% awesome.
If money were no option, this would definitely be my do it all daily driver, either that or the Audi RS six avant but I haven't been tossed the keys that particular model just yet, both in your corner at the Honda Civic Type R arguably the king of the hot hatches has been updated for the mid faculty.
This year, and after spending a week ripping around my favorite back roads earlier this year, I'm taking big old gulps of the radar cool aid.
Now the revisions to the type are pretty similar to those actually of the merch that we just talked about.
And they're mostly aimed at making this hatchback easier to live with day to day.
So, now you've got standard Honda fencing tech and driver aid.
Which is nice for those of us who need to actually commute in the thing between track days, and the interior and exterior design have been revised a bit.
The 302 horsepower from its two liter turbocharged engine is unchanged, but the braking and handling hardware have seen revisions to sharpen the other edges of its performance envelope.
Now it's not a perfect car.
The new electronic engine noise sweetening that they're doing this year doesn't do a whole lot of to actually fix the golf note which was kind of lacking.
And the look is, well, it's a lot, but from the turbocharged thrust to the engaging shifting to the excellent handling a ergonomics The Civic Type R has proven time and time again to be one of the best, most engaging for compacts that I've ever driven.
Believe the height the Type R is the real deal.
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The Genesis gap is a relative newcomer and in fairness, I haven't spent nearly as much time behind the wheel with this as I have with the other members of This list but holy cow, Genesis is on a tear.
And this luxury sedan has made a heck of a first impression, or should I say second impression.
The first impression was the exterior design, which I didn't love at first, but it's growing on me.
There's no way around it.
That's the whole lot of grill but Fortune favors the bold, and I'd rather excitedly discuss the controversial design then to ignore yet another boring sedan that looks like the rest of them.
Overall.
I think I'm picking up what Genesis is putting down with the design.
And I think it's a nice fit for the turbo-charged performance from its two engine options.
And it's Very smart and very engaging handling.
On the inside, however, there's no denying that this is a well made cabin with excellent materials, great looking design, and tech that pretty much blows Lexus and form out of the water though.
It doesn't take a whole lot to actually do that these days but it does rival the best that Audi, Benz, and BMW are offering in their dashboard.
My favorite feature is gonna be the remote smart parking assist which allows you to move the vehicle in or out of a parking space from outside of the car.
You can see the system also in the Genesis GV 80 SUV and a variety of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that came this year.
Inside and out and on the road.
I think the Genesis G80 gonna be one Winner.
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Now I'm just as surprised as you are to see the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer RS on this list and that's because I don't really think it's the best compact SUV in its class or the best value for your buck.
I think that honor probably belongs to the key FL toes.
I just keep catching myself thinking back warmly on my week with the Trailblazer it's just got so much personality.
It's like the little CV that could now it's 155 horsepower upgraded 1.3 litre turbocharged engine is not fast by any stretch of the imagination.
But it is peppy and it feels good around town.
It's an engine that it fills at low speeds, especially when paired with a nine speed automatic and all wheel drive.
At the very least.
It's an upgrade over the standard engine with the CVT which sucks all of the fun out of this little SUV.
Now inside the cabin makes good use of inexpensive somewhat considered cheap materials, and it looks and feels pretty good for the money.
The dashboard tech is as good or better than most of what you'll find in this class.
And I think that there are some pretty smart features scattered around the interior.
My favorite is going to be the full flat front passenger seat that allows this tiny tyke to transform into a cargo Titan when you need to move big things like shelves, although you do need to shuffle your passengers around a little bit to accommodate.
Now this is a bit of a case of rooting for the underdog.
I know but this isn't an objective lift.
If I said of the best cars of this year, it's the list of my favorites.
So don't ask me.
We do, sometimes I'd like a good internet fight.
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The 2021 Ram 1500 tr x is a 700 horsepower baha blast and it's probably definitely the most fun that I've had behind the wheel.
This year.
The difference is between this and our regular 1500 star in the engine bay where you'll find the 6.2 liter supercharged V8 from the Challenger Hellcat.
That's good for around 702 horsepower and 650 pound feet of good stupid fun.
And it would have been fine if they just stop there, but Rams engineers didn't.
They also added a unique X here, design that just keeps getting better the more you look at it, they loaded the TRX up with tech and they gave it a unique intake that allows it to breathe the sand and dust of the desert with ease as well as forward up to 32 inches of water.
It's also packing one of the most advanced adaptive suspension that you'll find on a production pickup truck today.
Balancing amazing off-road handling with 13 inches of travel.
I was able to put it to the test by tearing around from trails, blasting over books and by launching the TR Rex over and over again off of dirt jumps on a Racecourse earlier this year.
Now looking back at the photos, I'm guessing my longest jump was like three and a half truck length that's like 60 feet And it landed so smoothly.
Totally.
Between you and me.
I've only ever been in the air in a vehicle once before, and it did not end well, but the CRX feels like it was built to fly.
And there'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against Ford's updated.
F-150 Raptor.
Whenever that gets here.
So there you have it.
Those are my five favorite cars of 2020.
This year, let me know in the comments below, or maybe look me up on social media and let me know what cars kept you sane this year, or as you'll probably do, just nitpick my list.
I welcome that as well.
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