31
A Jeep Gladiator helps us find
love in an unexpected place.Every once in a while, a vehicle comes along
that forces us to revisit our priorities and
question ourselves. The Jeep Gladiator did
that this year.
While driving dynamics will always be at
the forefront of our minds, we will no longer
completely damn a vehicle because it falters
in a single dimension, as long as it excels in
many others and accomplishes what it’s
built to accomplish. A good vehicle—be
it a sedan, convertible, wagon, pickup, or
SUV—can be good for more than just its
straight-line sensations or dynamic won-
der. And in today’s integrated 10Best com-
petition of cars, trucks, and SUVs, we will
PRYRO_NaRN[Q¼[QaU\`RcRUVPYR`/baQ\[μa
worr y; when something doesn’t measure up,
we will continue to grade with a scy the.RQN[TR[R_\bYf\ßR_V[TaUR`aVPXdVaU
both gas engines. Our pick is the $31,990
Accord Sport 2.0T with the six-speed
manual, which requires just one deci-
sion: paint color.
The Accord’s excellence never rests,
even if the driver does. At a slower pace,
the tied-down body control manifests
as assertive damping that sops up our
broken roads. The cabin is calm at
highway speeds, and both the front and
rear seating areas feel cavernous. The
hybrid Accord returns Prius-like fuel
economy without Prius-like despair
and ineptitude.
Driving an Accord has been a safe
and sensible decision as long as the car
has existed. It becomes something much
more than that—rewarding, engaging,
fun—when you hustle the car harder
than most drivers do. The attributes
that make it so special are likely missed
by the apathetic, sleepwalking masses
who don’t know what they have. The
Accord’s dynamic competence is always
lying in wait for a discerning driver to
wake it. —Eric Tingwall
Audi A 8 L 55
At 70 mph, it
feels as if you’re
going 25.
—
I don’t know
that any car in
this segment
is a 10Best car.
They serve a
purpose,
but they’re
objectively not
a good value.Audi e-tron
Not a game
changer.
Just pleasant
and without
the games of
Tesla.
—
A perfectly fine
EV doesn’t stand
a chance against
perfectly
different Teslas.Audi Q3 S line
Too small and
not special
enough to justify
its price.BMW M 340 i
An improvement
over the last
gen but still not
the best.Expert
Opinion
—
The good,
the bad,
and the meh:
everything
we found
in the editors’
notebooks.Atypical
Winner
The Accord appears
to be serious and
mature, but below the
subdivision-friendly
exterior lies a real
sports sedan.PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO ~ ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLINT FORD