![]() ![]() A Focus might cost slightly more than other cars in its compact class, but for a few bucks extra, it's profoundly better. And value perfectly describes the Ford Focus and Focus ST. But value is doubly rewarding it means paying the least amount possible for something of superior grade. A cheap car endlessly reminds you of its inferiority. The F30 is just getting started, too-a hotly anticipated M3 version slides into view next year. Many would-be challengers have benchmarked this winning formula, and some even match or beat it in one way or another, but they all fall short of the gestalt. With five equipment lines to choose from (base, Modern, Luxury, Sport, and M Sport), the 3's appeal has expanded to reach a larger audience without breaking its grip on the sports-sedan segment. There's virtually no performance gap between the six-speed manual and the eight-speed automatic. ![]() Front seats are comfortable and supportive, and the back seat is adult friendly. The body and interior may have grown slightly, but that imposes little or no weight penalty. Two turbocharged engines offer improved fuel economy while the inline-six in the 335i maintains nearly undetectable NVH levels. Recent comparison and road tests suggest that we haven't gone ga-ga for the F30 as we did its predecessors, but it nevertheless delivers one of the best overall packages on the market. This being a transition year for the model, the F30 sedan stands alone as the winner, without support from the rest of the lineup. Regular readers of this publication may have felt inklings or heard the notion that we have a certain fondness for the 3-series, as we've lofted it to this list now for 22 years in a row. Combine that with an unflappable chassis, accurate steering, ample power, and a general sense of quality and you have an unbeatable luxury/sports-car range. Understated bodies cover stout structures into which Audi crafts beautiful and sensible interiors, without unnecessary complication. Audi's modus operandi for the non-S varieties is basically the same, minus 110 horsepower. On the road, the S6 is an inexhaustible cannon, more cohesive and less fiddly than cars costing an additional $20,000. In a recent comparison test, the S6 put the hurt on the vastly more powerful BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. For the S6 and S7, Audi takes the "A" models' rich mix of virtues and turns it lethal, thanks in no small part to a 420-hp, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. ![]() To the "As" and "6s" and "7s" from the A6 3.0T and A7 models that made the list last year, we're happy to see a couple of hot "Ss" float to the top in 2013. For the second consecutive year, we're bellying up for a helping of Audi's alphanumeric soup. ![]()
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