Sports Cars: Reviews

Updated September 2009
 

Best bargain sports car

2009 Nissan 370Z *Est. $29,930 to $39,130 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Edmunds.com: Both of these affordable V-8 cars offer similar speed, but the Nissan 370Z handles better and the Ford Mustang GT is roomier, ...

Road & Track: The Nissan 370Z costs half as much as the Porsche Cayman S and performs a faster quarter-mile lap, but the Cayman is more ...

Edmunds Inside Line: This time it's the regular Nissan 370Z Touring vs. the more powerful 370Z Nismo. Surprisingly, the Nismo doesn't accelerate, ...

Edmunds Inside Line: Edmunds.com's Inside Line bloggers find a few flaws during their year-long test of the 2009 Nissan 370Z, including its noisy ...

TheTruthAboutCars.com: Jonny Lieberman agrees with others that the Nissan 370Z is "a mean, corner-eating bastard," but he says it's not very fast from ...

Autoblog.com: Autoblog's Michael Harley likes the "hands-on" feel of the inexpensive Nissan 370Z, as opposed to the more mechanical feel of ...

LeftLaneNews.com: Reviewer Mark Elias says the Nissan 370Z's SynchroRev Match system -- which automatically revs the engine for perfect downshifts ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Nissan 370Z is one of the most fuel-efficient sports cars you can buy, this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chart shows. ...

 

Most refined sports car

2009 Porsche Cayman *Est. $50,300 to $60,200 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Edmunds.com: The Porsche Cayman is Edmunds.com's Top Recommended Coupe under $60,000. The editors' only real complaint is its price, but they ...

Car and Driver: The Porsche Cayman has made Car and Driver's 10Best list every year since the car debuted in 2006. This article explains why, and ...

Road & Track: The Nissan 370Z costs half as much as a Porsche Cayman and performs a faster quarter-mile run, but the Cayman is more balanced ...

The Truth About Cars: The Porsche Cayman loses one of five possible stars in this review because of the PDK automatic transmission. It's a fantastic ...

Kelley Blue Book: If you'd like the thrill of a Porsche 911 for about $10,000 less, the Porsche Cayman is for you, Kelley Blue Book says. This ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Porsche Cayman is one of the most fuel-efficient sports cars you can buy, according to this U.S. Environmental Protection ...

 

Best supercar

2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 *Est. $108,880 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Edmunds.com: This full review boils down knowledge gleaned from Edmunds.com's extensive tests of the Chevy Corvette, touching on every trim ...

ConsumerGuide.com: ConsumerGuide.com's auto editors rate the entire Corvette range -- base convertible, Z51 coupe, Z06 and ZR1 -- in 11 major areas ...

Motor Trend: The Chevy Corvette ZR1 wins this test against superstars from Porsche, Ferrari and Nissan. Motor Trend notes the usual flaws, ...

Edmunds Inside Line: The Chevy Corvette ZR1 breaks several Edmunds.com Inside Line speed records, earning a spot on the 2009 Editors' Most Wanted ...

The Wall Street Journal: Yes, the Chevy Corvette ZR1 -- like lesser Corvettes -- can hang with cars that cost two or three times as much, The Wall Street ...

Car and Driver: Car and Driver's Aaron Robinson reports from the Corvette ZR1's official media launch, which includes plenty of track time at a ...

Autoblog.com: The Chevy Corvette ZR1 is "truly a daily driver supercar" and a bargain considering its performance, this review concludes. Even ...

CorvetteBlogger.com: CorvetteBlogger.com details GM's official press release on the 2010 Corvette ZR1's pricing and equipment changes, along with a ...

FuelEconomy.gov: You'll find official fuel-economy estimates for all 2009 Corvettes here, ranked in a sortable chart alongside dozens of other ...

J.D. Power & Associates: The ZR1 isn't broken out here, but J.D. Power and Associates rates the Chevy Corvette about average for dependability. This chart ...

 

Tech-lover's sports car

2010 Nissan GT-R *Est. $80,790 to $83,040 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Motor Trend: The Nissan GT-R sprints to 60 faster than a Lamborghini at a fraction of the price, earning it Motor Trend's 2009 Car of the Year ...

Road & Track: Road & Track pits the Nissan GT-R against two of its biggest rivals on winding mountain roads and a racetrack, and finds that the ...

Road & Track: The Nissan GT-R finishes third overall -- just tenths of a point behind the Lamborghini Gallardo and Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR -- ...

Edmunds.com: The Nissan GT-R can't quite keep up with the pricier Chevy Corvette ZR-1, but the Nissan is "far less intimidating and infinitely ...

Edmunds Inside Line: Inside Line has added a 2009 Nissan GT-R to its long-term test fleet. Editors blog about their day-to-day experiences with the ...

Autoblog.com: This unique review takes the Nissan GT-R on "family errands and carpool duty." It includes tons of useful details such as how the ...

G4tv.com: Reviewer Jonny Lieberman calls out his colleagues who find the GT-R soulless, saying they "simply aren't pushing it hard enough." ...

The Truth About Cars: TheTruthAboutCars.com tests the Nissan GT-R on desert highways and a closed track. It's certainly fast, and it handles well ...

The Truth About Cars: This review tackles the 2010 Nissan GT-R, which isn't very different from the 2009 version. Still, this reviewer finds some ...

The Wall Street Journal: Jeff Sabatini says the Nissan GT-R enters "legitimate supercar territory" with its speed and confident handling, and he says it's ...

Edmunds Inside Line: Inside Line's Kelly Toepke confirms that the 2010 Nissan GT-R will lose the launch control system that helped give the car ...

Motor Trend: Motor Trend's Edward Loh provides a detailed explanation of the Nissan GT-R launch control controversy and related updates for ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Nissan GT-R ranks about midpack among sports cars when it comes to fuel economy, this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ...

 

Sports Cars Runners Up:

2010 Chevrolet Corvette *Est. $48,930 to $74,285

6 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…

2010 Porsche 911 *Est. $77,800 to $143,800

6 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…

2010 Ford Shelby GT500 *Est. $43,125 to $47,950

4 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2010 Audi TT/TTS *Est. $37,800 to $48,900

4 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2010 Audi R8 *Est. $114,200 to $123,300

2 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 BMW M3 coupe and convertible *Est. $57,850 to $66,500

2 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

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