The Best Driven Car of 2022 is the Ford Maverick | Daily News Byte

In these cash-strapped, high-inflation times, the value of a dollar is more important than ever. And while other publications might be happy to simply shower Porsche with numerous accolades every year for its admittedly stellar but financially crippled machinery, winning accolades from The Drive—something we tentatively christened a “Golden Slash” per Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha—takes a more insidious turn.

To recap, the list of Best Car candidates below is made up of winners in the other five categories: Best Performance Car, Best EV, Best SUV, Best Car Under $40,000, and Best Truck. Winners are selected from a staff-wide vote, as is the vehicle that ultimately wins Best Car.

Here’s how it all shook out.

Despite it putting up a decent fight in terms of staff votes, no, the fan favorite Chevy Corvette Z06 didn’t take the title The DriveBest Car of 2022. However, it won Best Performance Car, and deservedly so. Rocking a mid-mounted, flat-plane-crank V8, and, according to Staff Writer Peter Holderith, capable of “incredible performance at an incredible price,” the track-focused C8 Corvette is approaching fast car nirvana.

“This is the defining moment of the Corvette,” Holderith wrote. “It hasn’t been compared head-to-head with anything on a track, but after driving it, it’s quite safe to repeat my earlier statement: This is the real deal. After years as the butt of jokes, The Burger Car, it has completed its arc. It’s not a ‘supercar killer,’ it’s a full-fledged supercar. It cannot be touched by its competition simply because of its price, and in terms of quality, there is no more asterisk.

“All this is happening while the high performance world is changing with the way of hybridization and turbocharging. The Z06 rejects this fact. We don’t make those types of vehicles in Kentucky. Those cars may be more technologically advanced and certainly better, but we all know they are not better. Not only is it an amazing Corvette, but it’s a rallying cry for the kinds of car enthusiasts who know, love, and soon, will miss so much.

I want it to last forever.”

In a market made up mostly of six-figure, super-fast toys, building an attractive and practical EV with a usable range and a price tag that won’t make many eyes water remains an achievement. And that’s why the $42K-to-start Kia EV6 earned the title of Best EV. Even with the discounted price, it’s a very solid car, with Staff Writer James Gilboy praising its “distinctive styling, superb driving dynamics, and well-competitive max range of 310 miles.

“[The Kia EV6] is easy to recommend based on being everything you want from a technologically advanced new car,” Gilboy wrote. “It looks fantastic, handles well, has a competitive range, reliable ADAS, and if you’re be concerned about being early. adopter, an extraordinary warranty. It’s hard to ask for more from a new car—lord knows many EV buyers are barely getting their money’s worth.”

Coincidentally, the Kia EV6 also happened to be the star of the The DriveThe DC Down Under series saw Gilboy and Night Editor Lewin Day cross the Australian Outback on nothing but electricity. And snacks.

Despite all this, the EV6 still didn’t garner enough votes to take our Best Car crown.

And so is the Ford Bronco Raptor, the Blue Oval’s new off-road beast and The DriveBest SUV of 2022. Rocking a 418-hp twin-turbo V6, more than 13 inches of ground clearance, the ready-for-anything Braptor, according to Truck Editor Caleb Jacobs, “is as crazy as it looks .

“This Bronco manages to feel more exotic than its F-150 Raptor stablemate,” Jacobs wrote. “Being a Raptor, at least some of this truck’s hardware is dedicated to jumping stuff, and it’s a sight to see the Bronco Raptor fully hunched over when launching a jump.

“The truck is amazing at low speeds when climbing obstacles and descending back over them. Because of its 13.1 inches of ground clearance, I rarely felt the bottom of the truck while traversing large rocks; even on the dedicated rock crawl course. , no excruciating banging and clanging. That’s saying something, too, considering there’s no visible road for 4x4s to travel in some places. Thank God for spotters.

“As long as I keep my eyes on them, I have no issue navigating whatever lies ahead.”

Crawling on trackless rock and jumping over things. What else is the SUV for?

Branding ourselves as a car site run by car people for car people, the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ twins have been voted the Best Cars Under $40,000. Currently starting at $30,495 for the Toyota and $29,615 for the Subaru, the Toyobaru twins have spent the last decade as the go-to choice for those looking for a lightweight, low-slung, manual, rear-drive sports car that won’t break the bank. the bank. Yes, we know there’s also a Mazda MX-5 but that car isn’t all that practical—and it’s been a minute since it’s been significantly updated. In contrast, a new, more powerful generation of the BRZ and 86 (now known as the GR86, no space) went on sale late last year and spent most of 2022 wagging their tails on this country’s back roads and getting into in our hearts. .

“The new BRZ is a wonderfully fun car to drive and a marked improvement on the original in almost every way that matters,” I wrote when I drove the Subaru. “However, as a driving machine, Subaru’s rear-drive sports car is extremely well balanced. Its approachability means it’s still a good starting point for anyone looking for their first serious sports car. The increased power means real fun and rewards for even seasoned drivers. As far as sequels go, the 2022 Subaru BRZ is one of the greats.”

Despite all that, it also didn’t end up winning Best Car because…

This is America and as cool as affordable sports cars, off-road SUVs, exotic Korean EVs, and the greatest ‘Vette ever are, what we really want are trucks. Even better if they are affordable. Enter the Ford Maverick, The Drive‘s Best Car of 2022. Starting at $21,490 (!), Staff Writer James Gilboy declared it “the return of the great American economy car.” Truck Editor Caleb Jacobs called the hybrid model “a great utility truck that delivers on the promise of practicality and fuel economy.”

The Maverick isn’t really intended to compete with the Rams, Silverados, or Tundras of the world, but it’s more of a pickup-bed-equipped alternative to things like Civics and Corollas—all while undercutting the former, believe it. or not, when it comes to the base price. The frugal Ford handles well, eats up the highway miles, is decently roomy up front (comfortably accommodates the six-foot-five Jacobs), can tow up to 4,000 pounds, and has a 54-inch bed that’s longer than to the heavier and slightly larger overall Hyundai Santa Cruz. Plus, its interior is full of 3D-printed accessory possibilities, as we found out in our Great Ford Maverick 3D Print-Off competition.

(For me, the Maverick also gets bonus points for having a freakin’ great name. Ford Maverick. It’s hard to say that and not think immediately Top gun.)

At MSRP, the Ford Maverick is one of those things that gets rarer and rarer by the day: a real deal. What Ford has done with so little money is remarkable and, for that, the Mav makes good money The Drivethe first ever Best Car Award.

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