This is the first of four behind-the-scenes looks at our 2012 10Best Cars competition. Don’t forget to come back next Tuesday, December 6, to see the list of this year’s winners.
Since 1983, the end of summer at C/D has meant gathering at an undisclosed location in the hinterlands of Michigan to determine the 10 best cars available for purchase in a given year. To choose the 2012 winners, we spent four days performing what’s become ritual: flogging dozens of cars—some in several different trim and powertrain combinations—over twisty, hilly, and pockmarked roads, and in weather that ranged from sunny and splendid to gray and soggy. How well a car performs its intended task is just as important as how well it handles, goes, and stops on our 14-mile loop, and drives always end with the editor fiddling with gadgets, testing the back seat (if one is present), and poking around in the trunk.
On the first day, we’re confronted by a couple of acres of brand-new cars—68 in all—which we have to evaluate in a relatively short time. It requires a Zen-like clearing of the mind, a conscious effort to purge any preconceived notions, and the utmost professional detachment. It also takes a lot of coffee, as well as doughnuts from Washtenaw Dairy. On the first day, the sustenance is late—“I thought you were getting it!?”—and we get rather cranky. What’s more important, however, is that every car is at the test site, fueled and clean, and ready to hit the loop, thanks to our indomitable road warriors.
This year’s field is large, but not unusually so compared to previous 10Best sessions. The stack of metal includes the 2011 10Best winners (among them the BMW M3 and 335i coupes, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Mustang GT, and Honda Fit); models that were substantially updated for 2012 (including the Audi TT RS, Hyundai Genesis sedan, and Mercedes-Benz C-class); and all-new cars such as the Audi A7, Buick Regal GS, Fiat 500, Hyundai Veloster, and Toyota Camry. (The full list of nominees will be published with the winners next week.)
The 2012 test sees a larger-than-typical representation in two major categories: economy cars and family sedans. Neither segment generally raises our pulse rates very much; we are, of course, performance enthusiasts. That said, these segments account for two very large slices of the American automotive pie and are evaluated with the same keen eye as everything else. Plus, if we need to blast the cobwebs from the corners of our brains, Detroit muscle, V-8–powered German techno-barges, and semi-exotica like the Lotus Evora S are just a few feet away.
Let’s do this.
Day 1 Standouts: Audi TT RS, Porsche Cayman R, Chrysler 300 V-6/8-speed auto
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