Alex's Eight Best Drives of 2015

Checking the files, I drove over 120 different cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers in 2015. On track, off road, and in the Taco Bell drive-thru line. No wonder I’m tired and fat.

Here are my eight top picks from 2015. If you’re car shopping and you don’t buy one of these, you should be forced to own a Mitsubishi Mirage. Yes, I said it.

2016 Kia K900

Since I’m writing this with a bottle of wine in one hand and an $2,800 parts bill for my Super V8 (not repair bill since I’m doing the work), I’m going to start by including a car I drove 2014.

If you’re hunting for the best buy in the luxury segment, look no further than the Kia K900. Say what?

I wouldn’t say the K900 is the equal of a 740i or S550 but it’s half the price of the Merc. Ask yourself how much the Mercedes logo is worth to you. If the answer isn’t $70,000 then you should buy the Kia, swap in some new logos and enjoy your long warranty. For the best deal, lease one. Kia is throwing some serious cash on the hood. This car is on my short list for 2016 as my Jag replacement. It should be on yours too.

2016 Volvo XC90

Volvo’s new flagship crossover arrived just as most luxury shoppers were forgetting the Swedes still built cars. While it’s about five years late, the XC90’s exterior and interior are worth the wait. The seats are comfy, the wood is divine, and somehow Volvo manages to make a front-wheel-drive-based, three-row crossover dance like an X5. While I’m still not sure about Volvo’s claim that a 2.0-liter engine will satisfy everyone, it did scoot to 60 faster than the X5 xDrive35i. And XC90 T6 is easier to say than X5 xDrive35i.

If you want the craziest drivetrain you’ve ever heard of, the T8 is turbocharged, supercharged, hybridized, and fitted with a plug. What could go wrong? Who knows? Leasing is your friend.

2016 Kia Sorento

Kia is on a roll these days and I have to think their relationship with Hyundai is the cause. Hyundai takes the first stab at a new car and Kia has about a year to tweak the related Kia model after seeing how Hyundai’s take was received.

The Sorento is a tweener crossover being neither compact nor mid-sized. Although trying to be everything for everyone usually ends in abject failure, the Sorento surprised on every front except fuel economy. It’s an upgrade to the RAV4 or CRV, a strong competitor to the Edge and Murano, and a value alternative to an MDX or Highlander Titanium. A close runner-up for me would be a Mazda CX-5 with a manual transmission. Why?

The MKC is the only compact luxury crossover that’s not trying to be an X3. For that I am eternally grateful. The suspension is as supple as the leather, the 2.3-liter turbo gets the baby Lincoln to highway speed in 6.1 seconds, and you get real wood trim for $5,000 less than the Germans.

Don’t get me wrong, the MKC is eminently capable with high limits, but the softly tuned suspension and overboosted power steering make it hard to figure out where those limits are located.

If that sounds like the kind of product Lexus used to be known for (before they, too, started chasing BMW), you’re right. Is that damning with faint praise? Not at all. Remember, I willfully purchased a 2000 Chrysler LHS. Long live the soft American highway cruiser!

2016 Dodge Charger SRT 392 / 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT 392

Nobody does bat-shit-crazy like Chrysler, and that’s why the non–Hellcat SRT is my top pick. Say what?

You see, justifying a 485 horsepower family sedan would normally be tricky, but the mere existence of the Hellcat changes everything. Just tell your wife that the 707 horsepower Hellcat “seemed excessive” so you opted for the “responsible engine choice.” See? Problem solved.

Chrysler’s shoe-string budget resulted in minimal body changes for SRT-duty, so 275-width tires are as big as you can go. That’s okay for 485 ponies, but swizzle-stick thin for 707 and a curb weight over 4,400 pounds. Does it matter? Not when a 6.4-liter V-8 sounds this good. If you’re gentle on the go-pedal, you can even approach 30 mpg on the highway thanks to the ZF 8-speed automatic.

God bless ‘Murica.

2016 Mazda MX-5

The Alfa 4C didn’t make it to the list. Neither did a list of other cars I’ve driven on or off the track, including the BMW i8, Audi S7, BMW M235i, Ford GT 350, Dodge Viper, Jaguar F-Type, or Corvette Stingray. Aside from the fact that I can’t afford or afford to operate any of those cars, the MX-5 bubbled to the surface anyway.

There’s something refreshing about a car that’s unpretentious and puts a smile on your face every time you drive. It’s not fast, it’s not quiet and it doesn’t handle as well as the list of cars above, but it’s the only one that I didn’t want to give back. ‘Nuf said.

The front of the iA looks like the unholy spawn of a Dustbuster and a catfish, but Scion’s new sedan is a well-disguised slice of forbidden fruit. You see, this is the Mazda2.

I was worried the Toyota/Mazda tie-up would produce the worst of both worlds but the opposite has happened (except for the front end). The iA is 100-percent Mazda, from the great driving dynamics to the slick manual transmission and high fuel economy.

What’s Toyota’s contribution? Pricing. It comes only two ways: with or without the automatic. The crazy-low price of $15,700 even includes the touchscreen infotainment system, pre-collision warning and navigation can be added for a tuppence after you buy the car. Move over Versa, the new King is in town.

Note to Toyota: Can you have Mazda design the next FR-S?

First there was Camcord, now there is Optinata.

As of December 1, more than 346,000 Optinatas have found new driveways in America. That’s one out of every five midsized sedans sold in 2015. While the Camcord basks in the glow of Honda and Toyota’s reputation for reliability and resale value, Optinata is a better value, has a longer warranty and is 41-percent less boring. If a more sedate style is your choice, go for Sonata. If you want a more aggressive look and slightly better steering feel, choose Optima.

Remember: friends don’t let friends buy Camry.