Overview
The Subaru BRZ’s mission is simple: provide all the necessary ingredients for pure and unadulterated driving fun and forget everything else. The light and limber chassis makes the 2.4-liter flat-four under its hood feel surprisingly strong considering its relatively paltry 228-hp output. Sure-footed handling and vivid steering feedback imbue the BRZ with potent aliveness in the corners. This little Subie is best experienced with a six-speed manual transmission, although an automatic is also available.
The BRZ’s rear seats aren’t there for carpooling but rather add additional cargo space; flip them down and you can even carry four tires to your track-day adventures. The BRZ and its Toyota GR86 mechanical twin are more practical than the Mazda Miata, which is the only other option in the rapidly disappearing affordable-sports-car segment. For doing its part to keep the barebones enthusiast car alive, the Subaru BRZ has earned a spot on our 2026 10Best list.
Expert Tip: There’s nothing wrong with a light and nimble coupe, but there’s something special about a sporty roadster. If you have an affinity for open-top motoring, the Mazda Miata comes as a convertible.
2026 Tesla Model 3
One of the first and most recognizable players in the segment, the Tesla Model 3 remains a textbook example of an electric compact sedan. Its core strengths are its quick acceleration, its long-range estimates, and its impressively fast charging times. It also recently received suspension and interior quality updates that keep this five-passenger EV at…
2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
Overview Chevrolet casts the 2026 E-Ray as the Corvette you can drive in all four seasons, but its all-wheel-drive traction and electrified powertrain have another, more impressive talent: beastly acceleration. With a 6.2-liter V-8 burbling behind the cabin and an electric motor spinning the front axle, the E-Ray boasts a combined 655 horsepower. That’s less…
2026 Aston Martin Vantage
Overview While most manufacturers toil in a perpetual cycle of new-model creation, Aston Martin traditionally moves at a pace befitting a producer of limited-edition, hand-hewn classics. Count us impressed, then, with the arrival of the 2026 Aston Martin Vantage roadster. Appearing hot on the heels—for Aston, anyway—of the revised-for-2025 Vantage coupe, this soft-top convertible ramps…
Leave a comment