COMMENT: We want!

By Mark Atkinson and Michael Banovsky
Photos courtesy their respective manufacturers.

Mark Atkinson:



1) Alfa Romeo Brera GTA – Since the concept Brera broke cover at Geneva a couple years ago, it became a car to lust after on cold, dark Canadian nights. This year’s Geneva show saw the production version introduced, but with a high-power V6 and all-wheel drive replacing the blaring Maserati-sourced V8 and rear-wheel drive. Oh well. Still sexy.



2) Renault Sport Clio 182 – Canadians have a dearth of hot hatches here, and this diminutive French backroad bomber mixes an uber-responsive four-cylinder engine with a tossable, throttle-steerable chassis, despite it being front-drive. Easily the best trackday bang for your buck.



3) Seat Leon Cupra R – Nimbus grey with anthracite alloy wheels is the best colour combo out there for Volkswagen’s spicy sister company. The best use of VAG’s MK4 chassis around and 220-plus turbocharged engine with six-speed manual make for speedy transport for four.



4) smart Roadster – The modern interpretation of the Bugeye Sprite. (Michael: And Porsche 914.) Nimble, light, and dead slow.



5) Vauxhall VXR220 – Left-field version of the current Elise chassis. Turbocharged 2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder provides something the Lotus doesn’t: torque.



6) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR – Well, any Evo, actually, but this one is the most reasonable of the new-gen Lancers. Could be suitably substituted for an Evo VIII FQ340.



7) Subaru Forester STi – The Forester XT sold here is probably the best sleeper on the market thanks to very underrated power from turbocharged 2.5-liter, but North American-spec suspension and tires leave something to be desired. Does not have to come in World Rally Blue, but gold wheels a must.



8) Land Rover Defender 90 – What an SUV should be. Blocky, smelly, loud and hard to drive on road. A mountain goat off the beaten path, though. A living anachronism.



9) Toyota Aygo – The current Toyota Echo hatchback ranks as one of the best small-car values out there, but the new one, while better looking, is getting bigger. Toyota’s Aygo, a joint venture with Peugeot and Citroen, will be the perfect size. Where’s that TRD catalogue?



10) Ford Focus ST (Photo courtesy 4car.co.uk) – The latest (and for now most powerful) version of the car Ford should have sold here. Infinitely better looking than our awkward revised gen-1 Focus, and Volvo’s potent turbo-five is enough to keep me happy. At least until the all-wheel-drive, 300-horsepower WRC-replica RS arrives in a year or so.


Michael Banovsky: Cars I want on sale in Canada are a fair mix of the exotic, the mundane, and the innovative. They are ranked in the order I thought of them…which is saying enough, I suppose.



1) Alfa Romeo GT – Absolutely without a doubt the most beautiful car on sale anywhere in the world. Best part about it is the good range of engines, and the reasonable starting price. My money would go toward a top-spec 3.2L V6 in Alfa Red…and then over to the maniacs at Autodelta to massage the engine to a healthy 320 horsepower with the addition of a supercharger. 0-100km/h? 5.7 seconds.



2) BMW 535d Sport Touring – Absolutely without a doubt the most practical car on sale anywhere in the world. It looks cool, it’s got tons of storage space, and makes more torque than the upcoming M5. “What??” I hear you say, “But the M5 has 500 horsepower!” Yes, it does…but the small-displacement V10 also makes a paltry 383.5 lbs/ft @ 6100 RPM. The engine in the 535d makes only 272 horsepower (and has four fewer cylinders than the M5), but an astonishing 413 lbs/ft. at 2000 RPM. Did I mention it’s a twin-turbo diesel? M parts round out the package.



3) Ariel Atom 2 – Absolutely without a doubt the fastest car on sale anywhere in the world. It might be trumped in numbers by other cars, but for accessible performance, it’s at the top. Not bad for a car hand-assembled in a garage. Only 300 horsepower via a supercharged Honda Integra Type-R lump…but also only 500kgs.



4) Peugeot 1007 – Absolutely without a doubt the coolest small car. Two sliding doors? This and the Subaru R1 prove that small cars don’t have to be testosterone-challenged.



5) Morgan Aero8 – Too cool for old school. Pre-war body with a modern BMW V8? Hell yeah. Oh, did I mention it’s as fast as a Ferrari?



6) Noble M400 – Super awesome track day special that is useable daily. Even neater is that the engine (a V6) is based on the one in the Ford Mondeo…



7) Renault Megane Trophy – The French are brilliant at making small cars. Take this Ford Focus RS (and if it was sold here, Dodge SRT-4) eater. They’ve spent money on what is called “the suspension” for what is called “handling”. Sweet smoked out rims round out this croissant-lover’s wet dream.



8) Citroen C4 – The car I’d own if it was sold here. The hub of the steering wheel doesn’t move. The dash accepts scented oils to keep the interior fresh. There’s a 180 horsepower 2.0L engine on offer, too…



9) Renault Avantime – Okay, I suppose I’m cheating because it isn’t on sale anymore, but I believe this car is the perfect long-distance cruiser. It’s as big as a small minivan, but with two (huge) doors. Genius! Oh, and the engine is the same as used in the Nissan 350Z, only the Avantime had it first. French innovation at its best. Too bad it was a few years ahead of its time.



10) Subaru R1 – Okay, so I was lying a bit when I said this car wasn’t testosterone-challenged. The exterior styling was inspired by a ladybug. A little over 67 mpg can be had by the tiny 660cc 4 cylinder engine with CVT. The interior is gorgeous (I think Mitsubishi stole the design for the new Eclipse) and supports wireless audio.