Winners. We like winners. And in 2010, the auto industry found enough creativity and courage to make a real challenge of picking a Top 10 list of Best New Models – my list of winners.

From high-horsepower supercars to thrifty and affordable runabouts, the best of 2010 is an eclectic mix. Without further ado, here are my Top 10 New Vehicles for 2010:

2010/2011 Audi R8/R8 5.2 FSI V-10/Spyder ($187,000): Lamborghini Gallardo? Forget it. Ferrari F430? Lovely, but overpriced. Porsche 911 GT2? Ah, why spend the money? If you want a supercar, pick something out of the R8 lineup. You'll pay less for more car.

Audi, of course, is the proud owner of a outstanding lineup of supercars. The original 420-horsepower R8 ($141,000) is nice enough, but since that all-aluminum, all-wheel drive, mid-engined gem arrived, Audi has launched the 525-hp 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V-10 ($173,000). And now the $187,000 Spyder convertible as a 2011 model. The Spyder is not only fast and equally powerful, but adds the open-air dimension. Even if I were as rich as Warren Buffet and could afford anything, I'd drive the Spyder.


2011 BMW 5 Series (includes GT): The 5-Series ($53,900-$73,300) is a stunning achievement for this Bavarian auto maker. By starting with the basic mechanical foundation of the 7-Series and adding a body with hints of the 7, also, the 5 is the complete package.

Adrian van Hooydonk, the Dutch-born BMW design chief says the 5 visually resembles the 7 and that is by intent. "This is a vehicle that moves and we want to show it in the design," says van Hooydonk.

The BMW flagship model is the 5, even though this car is not the company's highest-priced or biggest-volume seller. This is the BMW that shows the world what BMW can do at a reasonable price (relatively).


2011 Buick Regal ($31,990, base price): The 2011 Buick Regal is such a smart entry from General Motors. This re-badged Opel Insignia from Germany is an excellent entry-luxe sedan with street cred: The Insignia was Europe's 2009 Car of the Year.

The Regal is terrific. You may not like Buick's fussy waterfall grille, but the rest of this thick-shouldered, graceful design is like nothing else we've seen with a Buick badge in decades, if ever. The cabin is equally well done. Wheeling about in this Regal is not embarrassing, but actually rewarding.


2011 Jaguar XJ: The 2011 XJ is a stunner, a breakthrough design matched by excellent engineering – from the starter XJ, which at $88,000 comes with a normally aspirated 5.0-litre V-8 that spins up 385 horsepower: 0-100 km time in 5.7 seconds. Or it could be the $107,000 Supercharged XJ, which at 470 hp will do the same sprint in less than five seconds. Or there is the 510–hp Supersport at $133,500.

The XJ is a delight to drive, grabs attention wherever it goes and the cabin is nothing less than special. Just when so many were ready to write off Jag as yesterday's car company, along comes this new XJ. It surely gives those tired of the big German sedans – Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8, BMW 7-Series – a British alternative.

Take note: The XJ is the lightest and fastest of the big luxury sedans and as Jaguar design chief Ian Callum is wont to point out, the design has reincarnated Jaguar's flagship sedan in a bold and clever way.


2011 Ford Fiesta (sedan and hatch): "B-cars (subcompacts) do not have to look like appliances," says Frank Davis, Ford's North American product program executive director.

The Fiesta, despite its pricing, is no toaster. It might start at $12,999 (plus $1,350 destination fee), but even the most basic version (a sedan, though there is also a much hotter five-door hatchback that starts at $16,799) is anything but undersized, underpowered or understyled.

The One Ford vision of the chief executive, Alan Mulally is all about making global vehicles like the versatile, well-executed Fiesta, along with the coming new Focus as well). The made-in-Mexico Fiesta is a world-class addition to the subcompact market.


2011 Hyundai Sonata (turbo/non and hybrid): Starting at $22,499, the redesigned, front-wheel drive Sonata is quick, sophisticated, fuel-efficient, comfortable and stylish, inside and out. The new Sonata matches or bests the competition by almost every measure. New hybrid and turbo-charged versions of the Sonata make Hyundai competitive in every niche of the midsize sedan market.

Key point: This Sonata is technologically sophisticated. Hyundai decided to offer only a 198-hp, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine in the latest Sonata. Meanwhile, the Sonata's dramatic new styling, with its curvy, carved side profile and radically raked roofline, isn't just for show. The car's co-efficient of drag—a measure of the slipperiness of its body in wind tunnel tests—is just 0.28, nearly as low as that of the Toyota Prius.

Is the 2011 Sonata the best midsize sedan on the market? Personally, I'd take the Sonata over Honda's Accord or Toyota's Camry, the two top-selling midsize cars in North America.


2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Rugged, refined and fun, the 2011 Grand Cherokee has been reborn. Many thought the Grand Cherokee might disappear entirely, but not so. Think about it: the Grand Cherokee redesign -- this is the fourth generation -- has endured three companies and a handful of CEOs.

Note the engines: an all-new 3.6-litre V-6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission (290 hp) and the 5.7-litre V-8 (360). Most important of all, Jeep avoided the mistake of simply building a bigger SUV. Overall, the new Grand Cherokee is bigger inside, but only marginally larger on the outside. The cabin has more room and looks so, so much better than ever before. Jeep has nailed this remake.

In a nutshell, the Grand Cherokee has best-in-class utility, along with plenty of comfort, style and even fuel economy. It also costs thousands less than the new (and less off-road-capable) Ford Explorer.


2010/2011 Volkswagen Golf: Over six generations, dating back more than 30 years, VW has sold more than 25 million Golfs – that means more Golfs than Beetles in history. This version is the best of them all by a large margin.

The redone 2010 Golf and Golf GTI ($20,175-$29,675) is the complete lineup. VW has given the Golf handsome styling inside and out. On top of that, there is the return of the VW diesel engine, called TDI clean diesel. The performance piece of the story is all good, but it's the cabin that stands above all else. The new interior looks rich and feels expensive for a compact car.

For fun, you want the GTI. A direct-shift gearbox mates brilliantly with the turbo four-cylinder engine, making the GTI the most fun you can have for less than $30,000 and with great fuel economy.


Porsche Boxster Spyder ($72,900): I've always loved the Boxster, which can mean I can only love more this lighter, more powerful version. Sure, it's pricy and the complicated two-piece top is silly. But in the driving, this car is close to perfect. Light and quick, this midengine Porsche is a sweetheart – one of the world's best-handling sports cars, period.


Ford Mustang ($22,999 base price): Ford wisely chose to update its Pony car by tweaking and updating almost everything in response to the Chevrolet Camaro. For 2011 fixed car's power train deficiencies. Yes, yes, for the first time since 1985, the Mustang has been outsold by its archrival, the Chevrolet Camaro. But the Mustang is a much superior driver's car and we should all encourage car companies to stay focused on creating cars with which we can fall in love.


Nissan Juke ($19,998 base price): Not everyone loves the design of this small and sporty crossover, but I do. Makes me smile every time I eyeball its wild shapes. The Juke is a tall hatchback with more muscle and spirit than the youth-intended crossovers from Scion, Kia and others. Nuts and bolts: a 188-horsepower direct-injection turbo four-cylinder and available six-speed manual transmission and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. It's a riot to drive. And a winning interior filled with cool details rounds out the package.

Nissan has a surprise winner here.