Winding Road’s Top Ten Drives of 2013

 

 

10. 2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8: Simply put, one of the finest GT cars money can buy. "There isn’t a single car that is this comfortable, this beautifully crafted, this quick, and this solid, available for this price. The addition of its new V-8 has just made the overall formula better and more accessible. $191,400 is a lot of money to pay, but unlike many exotics, it’s a price we think is totally worth it."

 

 

  

9. 2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Park Edition: Even after seven years of production, the M3 still holds its own against rivals like the Audi RS5 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, and the Lime Rock Park Edition makes this benchmark car even more desirable. "If you ask the members of our team which vehicle they’d want to shell out their own money for, you’d be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t answer, “The M3.”"

 

 

 

8. 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392: Perhaps the last of the purpose-built muscle cars of this era, the Challenger still stands out in a crowd. " Even in this garish red-on-white color scheme, the Dodge Challenger is probably one of the coolest looking cars on America’s roads."

 

 

  

7. 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG: "The Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG is a perennial favorite among the Winding Road staff. It’s a fast, stylish, and muscular vehicle that we never get tired of driving." If nothing else, this is one you’ll want to put on headphones and turn up the volume for.

 

 

 

6. 2014 Lexus IS350 F-Sport: "The F-Sport package is not merely a styling option. Lexus has put some hard mechanical work in to its sportiest IS, with the core of the changes coming to the suspension and chassis." While we couldn’t recommend the IS350 F-Sport over its rivals from Cadillac and BMW outright, this offering from Lexus still made for a compelling third option in a very competitive class.

 

 

  

5. 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE: The ZL1’s little brother was a surprisingly fun ride. While not quite in Boss 302 territory, "Where the 1LE comes into its own, and indeed its entire reason for being, is when you come upon a corner." The retuned suspension, gearing and wheel/tire package went a long way to provide a very significant improvement over the standard SS model.

 

 

  

4. 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel: Porsche + SUV + diesel = a purist’s aneurysm. Well heads up, traditionalists: This is a great car. And with 406lb-ft of torque on tap from 1750rpm, it’ll walk all over your neighbor’s BRZ in a sprint to 60 mph.

 

 

  

3. 2014 Roush Stage 3 Mustang: Can an aftermarket tuner like Roush out-do Ford’s acclaimed Boss 302? Well, no actually, they cannot. But with 575 hp at the command of our right foot, we sure had fun finding out.

 

 

  

2. 2013 BMW M5: BMW’s sport sedan icon comes packing a biturbo 4.4-liter V8 generating some 560 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. And it needs it too, as this bruiser weights in at nearly 4400 pounds. Still, with an available six-speed manual transmission – as this one here is equipped – here’s no question that the M5 can make for a very entertaining drive.

 

 

  

1. 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish: Well let’s see. 6.0-liter V12? Check. Aston Martin styling? Check. 0-60 in 4 seconds flat? Check. Seriously, stop reading this and start the video already – you’ll thank us later. 

 

 

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