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10Best Cars for 2026

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:03:12 +0000

Cadillac’s ground-pounding sports sedan roars back onto our 10Best list for the fifth consecutive year because, really, what’s going to knock it off? Granted, it did face fresh competition this year in the form of the new BMW M5, but the CT5-V Blackwing vanquished that challenger, along with the Audi RS7, in a comparison test earlier this year. Plus, the M5 and the RS7 weren’t even invited to 10Best, as both start above our $115,000 cutoff. The CT5-V still slides comfortably under that bar, but if you’re looking to spend more, you can have yours custom equipped and hand-built for a roughly 50 percent premium as part of the new Curated by Cadillac program.

MORE ABOUT THE CADILLAC CT5-V BLACKWING

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Car and Driver’s 10Best Cars, Trucks, & SUVs Through the Decades

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:44:24 +0000

For the seventh consecutive year, it’s our pleasure to bring you Car and Driver’s annual 10Best issue—the oldest and best of its kind. Each autumn, as the leaves begin to turn, we begin to assemble a field of automobiles from which our editors select—by secret ballot—our 10Best Cars. We take this assignment seriously, and, judging from the flood of mail that our January issue generates, so do you. And so do the numberless newspapers, radio stations, television shows, and magazines who call us for interviews about our 10Best Cars.

FULL 1989 10BEST COVERAGE

Winners:
Acura Legend Coupe
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Colt Turbo / Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo
Ford Probe GT
Ford Taurus / Taurus SHO
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Lincoln Continental
Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo / Plymouth Laser Turbo
Saab 9000 Turbo

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These Cars Have Won 10Best the Most

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 04:43:46 +0000

Years Won: 1992–2014; 2023

With the second-longest-running continuous streak of 10Best wins, BMW’s bread-and-butter sedans, coupes, convertibles, and wagons had a dynastic hold on the award for more than two decades. Awards went to the E36, E46, E90, and current F80 generations of these supremely balanced cars that we characterized as “the definitive sports sedans.” But our eye strayed in 2014 when BMW introduced the lithe 2-series. This new coupe showed the same poise and engaging dynamics as the 3-series had for decades, while the renamed 4-series coupe grew softer and larger in an attempt to please a wider swath of the population. The battery-electric BMW i4, however, gives us hope for the brand’s return to form. Though its steering is still a bit wanting, the rest of the i4 reminds us of the entry-level Bimmers we always loved—albeit with an EV twist. With plenty of driving range, multiple powertrains, and a cohesive driving experience, the i4 combines the best qualities of the automotive past, present, and future.

MORE ABOUT THE 10BEST-WINNING BMW I4

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Car and Driver 2026 10Best Trucks and SUVs

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:41:49 +0000

From the January/February 2026 issue of Car and Driver.

Ram didn’t need to resurrect its V-8. It could have trolled Chevy, Ford, and others with something like: “Six in a row, ready to tow.” Instead, a different sentiment resonated through the corporate corridors: “We went to six, and customers threw bricks.” The point is, the Ram faithful loved the Hemi V-8, and now it’s back.

The 395-hp 5.7-liter V-8 isn’t quicker, more fuel efficient, or quieter than the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six (which continues in either 420- or 540-hp tune), and its return is not what kept this pickup in a 10Best parking spot for 2026.

With the 1500, Ram sticks with the winning formula it’s had for the better part of 15 years: building half-ton trucks that are plenty capable for weekend warriors—max towing of 11,610 pounds with the turbo inline-six and a max payload of 2360 pounds with the base 305-hp V-6—but downright excellent to drive for everyone, even owners who are just in it for the look. We’ve said it before: The pickup truck has become the de facto American luxury car, and the Ram 1500 is the pinnacle of its class.

You can still get a basic work truck with cloth seats and vinyl floor, though the two-door, three-seat regular-cab pickup has been off the order menu for some time. Ram offers two cabs—smaller Quad and roomier Crew—and bed lengths of 5.6 feet and 6.3 feet. All Rams get the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission Stellantis builds and markets under the TorqueFlite banner. Optional four-wheel drive is of course available across the board.

The Ram 1500 rides better, steers smoother, and corners flatter than many SUVs, thanks in part to the coil-spring rear suspension it pioneered for the half-ton trucks—air springs are optional. You can get a bench seat in the front, making it a throwback six-seat alternative to the popular three-row ute. Ram fits upper trim levels with premium materials, and lower trims feature durable finishes that clean up nicely when you wipe off accumulated work dust.

Then, of course, there’s the RHO. It picked up where the Hellcat-powered 702-hp TRX left off. Basically, if Bo and Luke Duke were still running ‘shine, it would be in a long-travel, 540-hp, hot-rod RHO—until Ram brings the TRX back from the dead, that is. Life will find a way.

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Specifications

Specifications

Ram 1500
Base: $43,620–$75,385
Power: 305–540 hp

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.2–7.8 sec (C/D est)
1/4-Mile: 12.8–16.0 sec (C/D est)
Top Speed: 105–119 mph

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined: 15–22 mpg

K.C. Colwell, the executive editor at Car and Driver, is a seasoned professional with a deep-rooted passion for new cars and technology. His journey into the world of automotive journalism began at an early age when his grandmother gifted him a subscription to Car and Driver for his 10th birthday. This gift sparked a lifelong love for the industry, and he read every issue between then and his first day of employment. He started his Car and Driver career as a technical assistant in the fall of 2004. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant technical editor. In addition to testing, evaluating, and writing about cars, technology, and tires, K.C. also set the production-car lap record at Virginia International Raceway for C/D‘s annual Lightning Lap track test and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro. In 2017, he took over as testing director until 2022, when was promoted to executive editor and has led the brand to be one of the top automotive magazines in the country. When he’s not thinking about cars, he likes playing hockey in the winter and golf in the summer and doing his best to pass his good car sense and love of ’90s German sedans to his daughter. He might be the only Car and Driver editor to own a Bobcat: the skidsteer, not the feline. Though, if you have a bobcat guy, reach out. K.C. resides in Chelsea, Michigan, with his family.

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