Lotus Evora

Lotus Evora

What does Lotus know about handling that eludes the rest of the world? It's a question we asked ourselves after an exhilarating mountain-road romp in the new Evora. While this Lotus makes several concessions to practicality, such as a small rear seat and even cruise control, essentially it's a driver's car. And for 2011, there's nothing better on the road. Those with the means will enjoy a connection between the car and the road that borders on telepathic. The steering effort linearly increases as the cornering forces build, and the suspension impeccably keeps the tires squarely planted on the road. The result is a car with high but accessible cornering limits, a sports car that makes even novice drivers feel like heroes. Even better, the Evora smashes the notion that good handling and a supple ride are mutually exclusive—it's cushy enough to drive to work, yet incredibly entertaining on curvy roads and racetracks.

Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta

Just about anybody can make a car fuel efficient with the aid of an electric motor, a generator or two and a few hundred lithium batteries. But it takes some real skill to achieve up to 40 mpg—and a 400-mile range—from a good ol'-fashioned internal combustion engine. Not that the Ford Fiesta is exactly old-fashioned. After all, it comes with a dual-clutch transmission and electric power-assisted steering, and its 1.6-liter 16-valve four-cylinder Duratec generates 120 hp with the help of variable-cam timing. In the interest of full disclosure, however, the really remarkable mileage figure is achieved when customers elect to ditch the five-speed manual transmission and spend another $1070 to pair the engine to the optional PowerShift, a six-speed dual-clutch automatic that boosts the car's EPA mileage ratings to 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway.