Car and Driver’s 10Best: Celebrating Automotive Excellence
Since 1983, Car and Driver has released its 10Best Cars list, recognizing the pinnacle of automotive achievement. These aren’t necessarily the newest cars on the market, but rather the vehicles that represent the best of what’s available on a consumer’s local dealer’s lot. The magazine emphasizes that the winners must be attainable for the average consumer, understanding that a car priced well into six figures had better be exceptional.
1983 10Best Cars
That first year, Car and Driver aimed to showcase the best in ten automotive categories, providing 100 examples of excellent vehicles, with sidebars included. The cars selected for 1983 were:
- AMC/Renault Alliance
- Chevrolet Caprice
- Ford Mustang GT 5.0
- Honda Accord
- Mazda RX-7
- Mercedes-Benz 380SELPontiac 6000STE
- Porsche 944
- Toyota Celica Supra
- Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
1984 10Best Cars
Car and Driver continued its 10Best tradition, celebrating vehicles that performed exceptionally well. This year, the list included:
- Audi 5000S / Turbo
- Dodge Daytona Turbo
- Honda Accord
- Honda Prelude
- Mazda 626
- Pontiac 6000STE
- Pontiac Fiero 2M4
- Porsche 944
- Toyota Celica Supra
- Volkswagen GTI
1985 10Best Cars
The 1985 selections were a showcase of the automotive industry’s positive developments. The winners were:
- Audi 5000S / Turbo
- Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic/CRX
- Honda Prelude
- Merkur XR4Ti
- Pontiac 6000STE
- Porsche 944
1986 10Best Cars
By 1986, the tradition continued, celebrating the best cars available. The winners of the fourth annual list were as follows:
- Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable
- Honda Accord
- Honda Prelude
- Lincoln Mark VII LSC
- Porsche 944
- Saab 9000
- Toyota MR2
- Volkswagen GTI
1987 10Best Cars
Continuing the tradition, Car and Driver announced this year’s list of exceptional vehicles.
- Acura Integra
- Audi 5000/CS Turbo
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Ford Mustang GT
- Ford Taurus
- Honda Accord
- Mazda RX-7 Turbo
- Pontiac Bonneville SE
- Saab 9000 Turbo
- Toyota MR2
1988 10Best Cars
The following cars were recognized for their excellence in 1988:
- Acura Integra
- Acura Legend Coupe
- Audi 5000
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Ford Mustang 5.0
- Ford Taurus
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Honda CRX
- Saab 9000 Turbo
1989 10Best Cars
The 10Best list was in its seventh year with these winners:
- Acura Legend Coupe
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Dodge Colt Turbo / Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo
- Ford Probe GT
- Ford Taurus / Taurus SHO
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Lincoln Continental
- Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo / Plymouth Laser Turbo
- Saab 9000 Turbo
1990 10Best Cars
Car and Driver’s eighth annual list of 10Best cars included:
- Acura Legend Coupe
- Diamond-Star Turbos
- Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Lexus LS400
- Mazda MPV
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Nissan 300ZX/300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Maxima SE
1991 10Best Cars
The 10Best issue continued to evolve, recognizing the increase in quality vehicles.
- Diamond-Star Turbos
- Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Mazda MPV V-6 3.0i
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Mercury Tracer LTS
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Toyota Previa
1992 10Best Cars
This year marked the tenth anniversary of the 10Best selections with these winners:
- BMW 325i
- Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan
- Eagle Talon TSi AWD / Plymouth Laser KS Turbo AWD / Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
- Ford Taurus SHO
- Honda Prelude Si
- Lexus SC400
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Toyota Camry V-6
1993 10Best Cars
As the second decade of 10Best cars began, car buyers were enjoying a wide range of high-quality vehicles.
- BMW 325i
- Dodge Intrepid / Eagle Vision / Chrysler Concorde
- Ford Probe GT
- Honda Prelude Si VTEC
- Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8
- Lexus SC300
- Mazda RX-7
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Toyota Camry
1994 10Best Cars
Choosing the 10Best for Car and Driver remained a challenging task, this year’s winners include:
- Acura Integra GS-R
- BMW 325i/325is
- Chrysler Concorde / Dodge Intrepid / Eagle Vision
- Ford Probe GT
- Honda Accord EX
- Honda Prelude VTEC
- Lexus SC300
- Mazda RX-7
- Nissan Sentra SE-R
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
1995 10Best Cars
The 13th year of the program resulted in these cars being named to the 10Best list:
- Acura Integra GS-R
- BMW 325i/M3
- Chrysler Cirrus LXi
- Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique
- Honda Accord
- Honda Prelude
- Lexus SC300
- Mazda RX-7
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Maxima SE
1996 10Best Cars
In 1996, the selections for 10Best were:
- Acura Integra
- Audi A4
- BMW 328i/M3
- Chrysler Cirrus / Dodge Stratus
- Chrysler Town & Country / Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager
- Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique
- Honda Civic
- Honda Prelude VTEC
- Nissan 300ZX Turbo
- Nissan Maxima SE
1997 10Best Cars
This year, pickups were added to the competition and the winners were:
- Acura Integra
- Audi A4
- BMW 328i/M3
- BMW 5-series
- Chrysler Cirrus / Dodge Stratus / Plymouth Breeze
- Chrysler Town & Country / Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager
- Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique
- Honda Prelude SH
- Mercedes-Benz SLK
- Toyota Camry V-6
1998 10Best Cars
An unusual year, with six new vehicles making the list:
- Audi A4
- BMW 328i/M3
- BMW 5-series
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Dodge Intrepid
- Honda Accord
- Honda Prelude
- Lexus GS300/400
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Porsche Boxster
1999 10Best Cars
Two new faces made the list this year:
- BMW 328i/M3
- BMW 5-series
- BMW M Coupe/M Roadster
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Chrysler 300M
- Dodge Intrepid
- Honda Accord
- Lexus GS300/400
- Mazda Miata
- Porsche Boxster
2000 10Best Cars
With high sales in the auto industry, the 10Best competition was as impressive as ever:
- Audi A6 2.7T/A6 4.2
- Audi TT
- BMW 3-series
- BMW 5-series
- Chrysler 300M
- Ford Focus
- Honda Accord
- Honda S2000
- Lexus GS300/400
- Porsche Boxster
2001 10Best Cars
This followed several strong sales years:
- Audi A6 2.7T/A6 4.2
- Audi TT
- BMW 3-series
- BMW 5-series
- Chrysler PT Cruiser
- Ford Focus
- Honda Accord
- Honda S2000
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Porsche Boxster
2002 10Best Cars
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the 10Best cars list with these winners:
- Acura RSX
- Audi A4
- BMW 3-series/M3
- BMW 5-series
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Ford Focus
- Honda Accord
- Honda S2000
- Porsche Boxster
- Subaru Impreza WRX
Car and Driver’s 10Best Cars list continues to evolve, reflecting the changing landscape of the automotive industry. The magazine consistently celebrates the vehicles that set the standard of automotive excellence. The list remains a benchmark for car enthusiasts and potential buyers alike.
