Feel and feedback pegged the BMW M4 CS back to seventh place, too. On dry tarmac, its point-to-point pace is mind-blowing. However, it becomes quite unnerving to drive in the wet, especially with a driving position that won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Sixth goes to the Aston Martin Vantage, which blends muscle car, grand tourer and Porsche 911-baiter into one package. It’s among the finest all-rounders here.
Up next is the Toyota. This mini-WRC monster is a huge giggle in any weather. With a little more positivity from the front end and a friendlier power delivery, it could have troubled the top four.
The Audi RS 6 GT is a mind-blowing car. It offers all the qualities of the Vantage – agility, remarkable grip and speed – yet manages to do so in the form of a five-door estate with a huge boot and space for five.
The Mazda’s amazing bang for buck helps it overcome many rivals. It’s the cheapest car on test by an enormous margin, yet still delivers as much fun as anything else.
One of the greatest internal combustion engines of all time is just one of the huge list of things that makes the 911 S/T such a phenomenon. Also in its favour are the chassis, the balance, and the way it rewards the driver. However, we can’t award the overall win to a car whose clutch feels one three-point turn away from failing.
Flaws were incredibly hard to come by on all nine of the brilliant contenders we assembled, but they were most difficult to find on the McLaren Artura. Stunning performance is a given, but it’s the fact that its chassis is so sweetly balanced and its steering so loaded with feedback that makes it the Auto Express Sports Car Superstar of the Year for 2024.
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