The 5 Best Cars I Drove in 2015

by Collin Woodard

With 2015 started out strong, the premier members of the automotive press have all made sure to name their favorite cars of 2014. They talked about cars like the BMW i8 and how it’s one of the most important cars in years. Unfortunately, I haven’t driven the BMW i8. It’s without a doubt the car of the year, but if I haven’t driven it, how can I include it on my list?

I have, however, driven the Volkswagen GTI, which many people speak very highly of. Unfortunately, when I drove the GTI, it was in Virginia, and if I drove it any faster than 35 mph, I ran the risk of being hauled away to prison, and I would not do well in prison. If I told you that some of the most fun that I had in a car all year was driving along at 35 mph, you’d call me a lunatic, no matter how good the GTI is.

So what were the best cars that I drove all year? Here they are, in handy list format.

5. Rolls Royce Ghost

Figuring out what to do with the Ghost was a bit difficult, mostly because it’s an ultra luxury sedan. It’s a car that’s built specifically to isolate everyone inside the cabin from the road that the wheels are traveling on. If you’re looking for driver engagement, look elsewhere.

That said, everything else about the car is spectacular. It has perhaps the best engine in the world, and the fit and finish is impeccable. I liked its massage seats, and I like being gawked at like I’m a male model. Perhaps most importantly, there are maybe only a couple hundred people who have driven one, which means that if I say that it deserves to be on this list, everyone else has to listen to me.

4. GMC Sierra Denali

I somehow accidentally ended up driving a bunch of trucks this year, and while I was definitely very excited to get behind the wheel of the GMC Canyon, it was the Sierra Denali that impressed me the most. It’s a truck, yes, but it’s also somehow a legitimate luxury vehicle. It feels like a luxury vehicle, it has the technology that you would expect in a luxury vehicle, and most surprisingly, it has the suspension out of a racecar. In a stroke of genius, GM decided to include Magnetic Ride Control across the Denali line, and which performs dark magic on the Sierra and somehow makes it drive more like a car than a truck.

3. Mini Cooper S

I hadn’t ever driven a Mini until this summer, and when I finally did, boy was I surprised. Yes, it was cute, but it was also incredibly fun to drive. I expected it to be a blast to drive through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, but it also proved to be just as capable of tackling the long, straight highways of west Texas. The tweed seats were spectacular, and best of all, Mini lets you order any option you want without having to buy specific packages. It’s such a unique feature, I can’t think of any other mainstream brand that lets buyers do such a thing. It’s brilliant, and I had a blast driving the Mini. If you haven’t driven one, I highly recommend it.

2. Scion FR-S

This is, of course, the oldest car on the list, but since I was the last auto writer in the world to review it, I’m going to include it. The first time I drove it, I didn’t get a chance to go very far, but even so, the steering was an almost religious experience. I’d gotten too used to vague, over-boosted, electronic steering that I’d forgotten what it was like to drive a new car with legitimately good steering.

When I really did get to wring it out and have some fun, it turned out to handle exactly like a car is supposed to. I didn’t have to worry, I just had to drive. Oh, and the MSRP is barely over $25,000. Yes, I think it could better with a turbo, but it’s one of those cars that’s so good, I still think about driving it even months later.

1.Chevrolet Corvette

The Corvette is at the top of this list partly because it’s so good and partly because it’s so much better than I thought it would be. Chevy delivered a truly outstanding product with the C7, and if there was one car that I drove this year that made me grin more maniacally than the FR-S, it was the Corvette.

The C7 is loud, it’s fast, and it’s good, but it’s also fun. It made my heart race and flooded my veins with adrenaline, but unlike previous generations of Corvette, there was nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t good for a Corvette, and it wasn’t good for an American car. It was just good. The new Corvette looks great, it sounds better, the seats are excellent, and best of all, the interior really feels like the interior of a $60,000 car. Without a doubt, the C7 Corvette is the best car that I drove all year.

Now if only I could get my hands on a Corvette Z06.

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