Test Drive: Top 5 cars of the year

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Test Drive: Top 5 Cars of the Year

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today, Test Drive columnist Mark Kennedy picks his favorite cars from test drives covering the past 12 months. Later this month, read about his top five picks among new trucks and SUVs. The following article contains edited and condensed portions of previous Test Drive columns.

By any measure, 2015 has been a banner year for automotive sales. Americans are expected to have purchased more than 17 million new cars and trucks by the time 2016 arrives on Jan. 1.

The National Automobile Dealers Association predicts sales will top 17 million again in 2016 and 2017, which means the United States is in the middle of an historic auto-buying binge. Low unemployment, pent-up demand and low interest rates are all contributing to the sales surge, experts say.

But perhaps there's another factor at play: quality. Today's cars and trucks are the safest, most technology-laden, fuel efficient vehicles ever constructed.

Throughout the year, this column seeks to feature the newest and most significant new vehicles to hit the Chattanooga area market. Today, we look back at our five favorite new car models of the year.

BEST SPORTS CAR - Chevrolet Camaro

Motor Trend magazine just named the redesigned Chevy Camaro its 2016 Car of the Year, and we eagerly tested the first one we could get our hands on - an SS equipped with a 455-horsepower, V-8 engine ($45,180 as tested).

Chevy offers Camaro buyers two engine options besides the big daddy V-8, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (270 horsepower) and a 3.6-liter V-6 (335 horsepower). Camaros with a V-8 launch from zero-to-60-mph in four seconds flat. Prices for the value-packed new Camaro line range from about $25,700 for a base 1LT four-cylinder turbo model to more than $40,000 for a well-equipped SS version.

Chevrolet played it conservatively with the exterior styling of the new Camaro, opting for a few subtle - but effective - design tweaks. Inside, the Camaro's cockpit has been modernized and decluttered. To our eye, the Camaro went from a nine to a 10 on the beauty scale and is now the most visually stunning design in the segment.

Whether you're a baby boomer trying to recapture your youth or a young driving enthusiast hoping to own your first muscle car, the Camaro is hard to beat.

BEST FAMILY CAR - Honda Accord

The story of the Honda Accord is one of evolutionary excellence. For 40 years, Honda has been trying to produce the perfect family car, and with the arrival of the 2016 Accord the company is getting pretty darn close to reaching its goal.

Honda sells more than 300,000 Accords each year because of a potent combination of durability and efficiency. For 2016, the mid-size Accord features some exterior design tweaks and a host of high-tech safety and infotainment upgrades.

The Accord sedan comes in five trim levels, LX, Sport, EX, EX-L and Touring. Prices range from about $23,000 to about $36,000. Accord buyers have two engine choices, a 2.4-liter four cylinder engine and a 3.5-liter V-6.

For 2016, Honda adds a thick chrome accent strip to the nose of the Accord, narrows the vertical dimensions of the headlights and adds some classy LED fog lamps. The effect is to make the Accord look more modern. Inside, the big news is an array of new infotainment interfaces, including Apple's Carplay and Andriod Auto for smartphones.

New Accords can be equipped with Honda Sensing, a suite of safety features which includes an emergency braking system, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

BEST SMALL CAR - Ford Focus

While not a clean-sheet re-design, the new Focus looks much more sophisticated. The Focus now shares the bigger Ford Fusion's handsome hexagonal nose, which, in turn, contains echoes of the regal British brand, Aston Martin. The Focus also has the Fusion's low roof and bold character lines.

With its new schnoz framed by a sculpted hood and swept headlamps, the 2015 Focus might be the best looking little car on American roads today. Still, driving dynamics is where the Focus really shines. Its precise handling and high-revving engine seem positively European.

Most Focuses are powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine that makes nearly 160 horsepower. New for 2015 is a tiny, 1.0-liter turbocharged, EcoBoost engine that makes just 125 horsepower, but also returns 35 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving.

In the years we have left before automobiles become self-driving appliances, we should all celebrate the car companies with enough courage to keep turning out fun-to-drive rides. The Ford Focus (priced at from $17,170 to $23,960 before options) is for those of us on a budget who haven't resigned ourselves to a numb driving experience. It threads the needle between practicality and adventure in a completely satisfying way.

BEST LUXURY CAR - Jaguar XF

Jaguar's mid-size luxury sedan, the XF, has been called the first 21st century Jaguar, shedding the stodgy, mid-century styling cues formerly associated with the British car company. The first XF was introduced as a 2009 model in 2008, and it has taken Jaguar only six years to re-imagine the five-passenger sedan with an all-new chassis, interior upgrades and a host of new high-tech features.

For 2016, a new sculpted hood and swept headlights give the Jaguar more visual pop. Flared wheel arches hint at the car's sporting personality; emotionally preparing you for the fun to come when you begin goosing the accelerator to hear your Jaguar growl. The 340-horsepower supercharged V-6 under the hood is a performance beast capable of propelling the sedan from zero-to-60 mph in a few ticks over five seconds - not sports-car fast, but uncommonly quick for a touring sedan.

Jaguar has taken a competent mid-size luxury sedan and bumped it up several notches. With better styling and more contemporary telematics, the XF is ready to battle the likes of the Audi A6, Cadillac CTS-V, and BMW 5-series. Our test car stickered for $59,520.

BEST GREEN CAR - Nissan Leaf

For those with Tesla tastes but a modest budget, the Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle is a good compromise. Although prices for Leafs (or is it Leaves?) can easily top $30,000, generous federal tax credits ($7,500) and the promise of never having to buy a drop of gas mitigate the cost considerably.

It's a smart-looking little car with wide-eyed head-lamps and sharp, machine-cut alloy wheels.

Driving the Leaf can never be compared to the other-worldly acceleration of the Tesla Model S, but as a commute-mobile it's actually kind of fun to drive. Off the mark acceleration is spirited, and Edmunds.com reports a 0-60 mph time of 9.9 seconds, fast enough to keep you from white-knuckling when merging onto an expressway.

The government estimates that the Leaf's energy efficiency is the equivalent of 114 miles per gallon of gas; which is a triumph of technology. For those who need a commuter car without a ton of range, the Leaf is a stellar, zero-emissions investment.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/ mkennedycolumnist.2016.