What are the five best vehicles I reviewed in the smoldering toxic waste dump of the year?
That is 2020.
Well, believe it or not, that's a surprisingly difficult question to answer because cars and trucks are so good these days.
Actually tough to find a bad one.
Still I did manage to narrow things down and in no particular order.
Here are my automotive all stars.
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Certainly one of the most interesting vehicles I reviewed over the last 12 months is the 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
The size of a freaking battle cruiser and dressed in a similar gray paint job.
This machine really wowed me with its high tech firepower and ample refinement.
This behemoth sex terrier is handsome if somewhat sedate, but don't let that rapper fool you because the Escalades cabin is anything but plain constructed of high end materials and serving up plenty of comfort in all three rows of seats.
Its interior is truly luxurious, sweet enough to give you diabetes, so be careful.
Now, cherry on top of all of this is the array of screens it comes with.
Three individual OLED panels give you more than 38 inches of [UNKNOWN] to play with.
Plus they offer some amazing features, things like augmented reality navigation.
Beyond all that engineers, also fitted the escalator with a new independent rear suspension design, something that dramatically improves its road manners, making the thing ride well, practically like a Corvette, rather than a kind of stoke wagon.
So basically this Cadillac has gone from myth to masterpiece, and that's why I love it.
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But not everyone needs a three ton extended length luxury SUV.
For drivers that are a bit more, let's say reasonable I suggest checking out the Toyota Rav4 Prime This plug in hybrid crossover delivers incredible efficiency 38 miles per gallon combined when operated as a standard hybrid and a whopping 94 mpg IE when powered solely by electrons Now it's generously sized battery pack means it has an Eevee driving range estimated at 42 miles, which shouldn't be more than enough, I would think for many commuters and of course, a gasoline engine is ready to help out on longer drives.
And that stuff is certainly impressive.
But what really makes the rav4 Prime interesting is its performance.
See this Toyota drive train packs a 302 horsepower punch enough to rock at it from a standstill to 60 miles an hour.
In just 5.7 seconds.
It is legitimately quick and it feels even faster thanks to all of that succulent electric tour.
Now the 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime was probably the most surprising vehicle I drove this year.
But what was not unexpected like at all, was the Mazda Miata I reviewed.
I mean, no list of favorite cars is complete without Hiroshima's little wonder, as always this Roadster prove to be an absolute delight and unmitigated joy.
Its dynamics are almost impossibly crisp and everything is just.
Perfectly dialed in the car feels like an extension of your body.
It's made of flesh and bone rather than plastic and steel.
This Mazda6 speed manual transmission is slicker than a tub of hot merger.
And the engine smooth 181 horsepower provides spunky performance without being overkill.
And of course the suspension tuning is as forgiving as it is immediately intuitive.
The Miata is just the perfect driver's car.
And I've got to say, I enjoy driving it more than some vehicles costing three times as much.
And you know, something I'm not alone because collectively members of the road show crew own.
Five of them.
In fact Amihall has to miatas that this raid, she may qualify for the next season of hoarders.
Speaking of my illustrious colleagues, both NTM and Antwan Goodwin both put together videos just like this one.
So when you're done here, make sure to check out those features to see what their favorite vehicles are.
I can tell you this they are totally different from what I chose.
As much as I enjoy vehicles like the Miata I also love smooth quiet comfortable cars.
I mean, this is no secret I'm basically a geriatric not everything needs to set a Nordschleife for lap record.
In keeping with all this one of the more memorable vehicles I reviewed in 2020 was the Lincoln Corsair.
A comfortable and tasteful luxury crossover with handsome styling and upscale interior and plenty of room.
There's a lot to love here.
And in particular, I enjoyed this Lincoln's 24 way perfect position front seats.
It's near silent operation seriously.
It is super quiet and the ride is very smooth which is great news for people with long commutes or really bad haemorrhoids nothing.
The optional 2.3 liter 295 horsepower engine provides vigorous performance and the course is easy to use tech further bolsters its appeal.
And you know, it's nice that Lincoln was able to distill the inherent goodness of its larger navigator and aviator models down into something that is smaller and more affordable.
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All right, my fifth and final pick of the best vehicles I drove in 2020, is the Kia telluride.
And since, it was introduced a year or two ago, This three row utility has won a crap ton of awards.
I mean seriously, people love this thing.
And after just five minutes behind the wheel, it's easy to understand why the telluride is so great.
For starters, its interior is super nice, rife with high quality switches and knobs, great materials and an elegant overall design.
Thing is also comfortable in all three rows of seats and it offers plenty of tech, like the Coursera key is telluride is also the smooth and silent type with a hushed cabin and coddling ride.
And when you factor in its refined powertrain and buttoned down road manners, it becomes easily one of the best three row SUVs available today.
All righty that'll do it for this list of the best vehicles I drove in 2020.
Are you on board with my pics, or am I crazy?
Well leave a comment down below and I'll make sure to read all of the positive ones.
And as always thank you so much for watching stay safe and health out there and let's all hope 2021 is much brighter than this damn [UNKNOWN] of year.
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