· BMW 3-series
· Cadillac CTS
· Chevrolet Corvette
· Chevrolet Malibu
· Honda Accord
· Honda Fit
· Mazda MX-5
· Mazda Mazdaspeed3
· Porsche Boxster/Cayman
· Volkswagen GTI





From Car and Driver:

Every year the entire Car and Driver staff gathers at a rural site about 30 miles west of our home office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a week of evaluating all the new cars and, hopefully, avoiding cops. We didn't do very well with the latter this year, receiving a record number of speeding tickets that, unfortunately, cannot be expensed.

We judge each car in three general areas, the first being how well the vehicle performs its intended functions. We expect sports cars to be fast and exhilarating, whereas we presume a family sedan will be frugal and practical. Second, we show a preference for the more engaging cars in each category, be it athletic driving manners, a seductive look, or a powerful engine sure to induce a grin every time we climb behind the wheel. Finally, we are suckers for a good deal, so an inexpensive car that’s fast, fun, and practical will certainly rise to the top of our list.

The invite list works as follows: Last year’s winners are automatically invited back, as well as other all-new or significantly upgraded machinery for 2008. Each car gets only one shot at making our 10Best list, but many stay on it for years. This year, all cars had to have a base price no higher than $72,000, which is 2.5 times the average new-vehicle transaction price as of August 2007. Eligible cars must be on sale no later than January 2008, and the manufacturer must, of course, deliver an example for our evaluations.

Read on to see the 10 we selected for 2008.

http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars...best-cars.html

 

Most of the cars on that list are expected but I'm surprised the new Malibu made the list.

 

Im not. I think it's going to be one of the best cars Chevy has made in YEARS. I know thats not saying a whole lot, but it looks good as far as midsized family sedans go. Its got some guts with the V6 option, and the interior on the higher model ones with leather looks damn nice. Id drive it as a daily.

 

Those new Malibu's don't look bad at all. I'd probably go with the New Accord over it though.

 

no Evo? WHAT?

 

good review... but I wasn't aware the 3 series BMW made it to the top 10 for 17 years in a row..

I think the Miata will always been there.

Carlos

 

Woohoo my new DD ('08 GTI MKV) made the list! I R Happy.

 

Same here but 4 doors (GLI)

Carlos

 

i dont really like car and driver or road and track because they are bias on testing the cars..it basicly comes down to what they like and not what the car is supposed to be

 

Car and Driver just seems so bias toward Chevy. I have a gut feeling that they do reviews on who pays them the most. Just my 2 cents

 

^^ I agree with you completely. If the driver/tester is a fat dude I bet he would give the most points and credit to the car that has the most cup holders that can hold 64oz Circle K refills or the car that has more trays to put the donuts while you drive or the one that has the most stupid "cargo storage spots".. do you follow me? I am not kidding.

I am not against people but I heard from a lot of people that they bought their cars because they like the "little compartments" in which they can put sunglasses, cell phone and that crap.

Carlos

 

Whats crazy is i used to be about about buying brand new every time i got a itch. But now maybe cause of older age I'm happy with my 99 Cummings diesel that runs 13s No emissions i can mod the hell out of her and she will run forever. The new cars just don't do anything for me. Well my wife on the other hand likes her BMW

 

Meh, every kind of award is going to have some bias, it's human nature.

What you have to consider is this: who else besides magazines like C&D have access to 30-40 cars at the same time that they can subject to the same tests? So of course we have to take reviews like these with a grain of salt, but we can't enirely dismiss them either.

 

The 3 series and the Accord are virtual locks year in and year out. The Accord has been on the list 22 of 26 years the list was released. The Vette has been on it 14 times, too.

 

I've read enough reviews in C&D absolutely slaying a Chevy (or GM) product to doubt they bias their articles too much. For about 5 years, I subscribed to AutoWeek, C&D, Motor Trend, R&T, and Automobile... I found C&D to be the least biased as a whole, even though they have car-crushes on the 3 series and Accord. They've never held back calling a turd a turd. Automobile was probably 2nd best in this regard, Motor Trend the worst. Motor Trend is the Paula Abdul of car mags, though they've gotten better in the last couple years.

The other aspect is that C&D tends to be the better at reviewing the car in light of who the typical customer is. Autoweek has their soccer mom reporter driving sports cars and their good driver reviewing SUVs and minivans. R&T rates everything based on lap times. Of course a Minivan doesn't handle, but it damn well better have 74 cup holders and 209 seating arrangements if you expect people to buy it.