The 10 best new cars of 2020
Car manufacturers work to very long lead times and none would have had a year like 2020 in mind when they were planning launches for their new models. But even a global pandemic wasn’t going to stop the new cars from coming and, thankfully, whatever else the year has brought we at least have had some fantastic and fascinating new cars to enjoy.
While your eyes may have rolled at the announcement of yet another identikit hybrid SUV or crossover there have, among the them, been some truly significant new cars launched this year, some modernising iconic classics, some sending their manufacturers in new directions and others reinventing favourite genres we’d long since thought were dead and gone. Here are our picks.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
COVID-19 hit Italy particularly hard and the two-month closure of the Ferrari factory was the longest suspension of production in the firm’s history. But even that couldn’t stop the flow of new models. Hot on the heels of the F8 Tributo, we had a new front-engined GT in the Roma, while towering over them all was the SF90 Stradale, a 1,000PS hybrid and the first Ferrari capable of running on electric power alone, if only for a few miles. And with the electric motors and (very much) petrol powered V8 working together the performance of the SF90 sets a new benchmark, not just for Ferrari but for supercars in general. A Spider version has just been confirmed, too.
Aston Martin DBX
‘When to go SUV’ is a dilemma faced by all sports car manufacturers in recent times. Porsche made an early call with the Cayenne and has profited handsomely from the decision, Maserati and Lamborghini among those joining the fray while Ferrari and McLaren still hold out. Aston Martin knew it was inevitable but had to build a new factory for its DBX, which has taken a while. Arguably it has used that time to really define what an Aston Martin SUV should be, the DBX matching confrontational styling with an unapologetically aggressive driving style that is anything but generic. If you too were holding out against the fast SUV thing this may be the one to turn you.
Land Rover Defender
The automotive definition of the difficult second album, Land Rover’s long-awaited successor to the original Defender carried huge expectation. That’s despite the fact the Defender that went out of production in 2016 had little in common with the 1948 original beyond tradition. Still, condensing that into a modern SUV was no small task. The result? A qualified success, the new Defender tactfully reinterpreting the original’s unique character but making it relevant to a modern sensibilities and compliant with the regulations the old one had no hopes of meeting. While some of the accessorising may have a whiff of gimmickry, stripped back to the basics and with rubber floor mats in place there’s enough ‘Defenderness’ to carry the torch into a new age.
Porsche Taycan
Tesla may have left the rest of the industry standing but it was only a matter of time before the big players responded in kind, the Taycan finally delivering on the expectation. While most German brands seem content to offer tediously unadventurous variations on the electrified SUV theme Porsche has achieved that most difficult of jobs by successfully reinventing its rich sporting heritage for the electrified age. The Taycan feels like a Porsche. And yet also like something genuinely new. The performance is suitably outrageous but it’s the way EV stuff like instant torque and a low centre of gravity have been combined with traditional chassis expertise that sets the Taycan apart, the sleek looks and smartly minimalist interior the icing on the cake. Masterful.
Toyota GR Yaris
From Minis, Escorts and Sunbeam Lotuses to the Japanese rally reps of the ‘90s and noughties, road cars built to homologate their rally brothers have always worked well here. That’s because short gearing, compliant suspension, throttle adjustability and overtaking punch have always worked better on our roads than nailed down track spring rates and Autobahn gearing. The fact it’s Toyota – the archetypal white goods manufacturer of dull hybrids no less – reinventing the formula for a new age with a turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Yaris makes this car all the more amusing. Twenty-five years after Colin McRae turned a generation onto Subarus the fact Elfyn Evans was so close to taking his first WRC title in a Yaris, the championship instead going to Sébastien Ogier in the sister Yaris, means Toyota could have timed this revival of road going rally cars to perfection.
BMW M2 CS
It’s like there is an inner battle for BMW’s soul, the controversy over its iX electric SUV escalating into ‘OK, boomer’ trolling of the brand’s traditional fans by its own marketing department. For the die-hards who celebrate BMW’s traditions the last vestiges of hope are maintained by the M division. And, in particular, by the M2 CS. A last hurrah for the M2 Competition – and the rampant turbocharged six from the outgoing M3 and M4 it adopted – the M2 CS has track pedigree in its links to the customer race car of the same name and deploys its uprated 450PS to the rear wheels via a locking M Differential and choice of dual-clutch auto or (yes!) manual gearbox. Pumped up bodywork, a snarling exhaust and the kind of rear-biased handling BMW’s true fans covet are all amped up in spectacular fashion.
Honda e
Perhaps it pains a forward-looking, technology driven company like Honda to find success with a cute supermini trading on retro-futuristic styling as much as it does its electric powertrain. But that curious mix of kitsch and high-tech has always been a part of the brand, as embodied by its Asimo robot. Given the wave of positive response to the concept Honda had little option but to go with it, reviews for the production Honda e just as breathless. The limited range has been identified as a shortcoming but Honda is unapologetic in its targeting of urban types who want something chic and environmentally conscious, the widescreen dash and quirky features like the digitally recreated aquarium it can display all adding to the charm. Resistance is futile.
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen has launched a twin-prong attack on the middle ground with near simultaneous launches for both the new Golf and electric ID.3 hatchback. Where the latter is bold the Golf is very much more of the same, now more digital, and with fewer physical switches. No bad thing, given the Golf has long perfected that classless ‘all the car you really actually need’ role. The fact the foundations for the new Golf will also underpin the next generation of mid-sized cars from Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda and Audi alike opens up economies of scale and the possibility to raise the bar in terms of tech, driver assistance and connectivity. Das auto? Perhaps not an exaggeration.
Rolls-Royce Ghost
In most cases a manufacturer boasting of moving into a ‘post opulence’ era would be dismissed as mere marketing spiel but, when it’s Rolls-Royce and opulence is very much the brand’s reason for being, the car it refers to merits closer scrutiny. Fear not, this is not Rolls-Royce ditching luxury cars and launching a pared back city car. It is, instead, an attempt to present a more tactful expression of wealth, and by accident as much as design very much appropriate to the age we find ourselves in. Where the previous Ghost leaned heavily on its BMW underpinnings this new one is a proper in-house effort, the 6.75-litre V12 and ‘magic carpet’ suspension combined with an interior as elegant as it is cosseting.
McLaren 765LT
The rush of supercars has provided welcome distraction from the realities of 2020, the McLaren 765LT a particular highlight. Having driven it the latest instalment in McLaren’s ‘Long Tail’ story doesn’t disappoint, either. While it may not look as wild as the Senna it’s not far behind in terms of rawness, the extra power over the 720S on which it is based (like it was needed), the reduced weight and extra sharpness in its controls (ditto) and the aero-sculpted carbon of its looks all setting it apart. We saw nearly 180mph down the Lavant Straight on the Goodwood Motor Circuit – by the time we reached the end of it we were glad of the optional brake upgrade lifted straight from the Senna.
Ferrari
SF90 Stradale
Aston Martin
DBX
Land Rover
Defender
Porsche
Taycan
Toyota
GR Yaris
BMW
M2
Honda
Honda e
Volkswagen
Golf
Rolls-Royce
Ghost
McLaren
765LT
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