Our favourite drives of 2020

This year was one like no other, but even amid the COVID-19 pandemic the carsales road test team still published more than 300 reviews, not counting comparos in 2020.

We drive new models to help you make the best choices, but naturally it’s also the most enjoyable part of our job. Indeed if there’s one thing every member of the team would do for nothing – it’s drive cars. The passion for four (and in many cases two) wheels runs deep across the carsales editorial team.

Of the hundreds of new vehicles we drive each year, there are always favourites, and 2020 was no different. Here’s our list of the ones our road testers found the most memorable.

Marton Pettendy – Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but pre-pandemic in February I drove the upgraded Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 Coupe at the Estoril circuit during its international launch in Lisbon, and then again at the Australian launch at Queensland’s Morgan Park Raceway last month.

The Cayman has always been my favourite Porsche and now that it returns to naturally-aspirated big-bore flat-six power, the GTS is once again the prized pick of the bunch.

It’s not cheap, but the 4.0-litre Cayman GTS is still way more affordable than any 911 and the upcoming PDK auto version will give the sweet handling, mid-engined coupe even more pace and poise. A pure driver’s car par excellence.

Read Marty's drive of the Porsche 718 Cayman

Feann Torr – BMW M8 Competition

My favourite drive of 2020 goes to the BMW M8 Competition. Not because it has sex-machine looks, luxuriously sporty M seats or an ability to switch from all-wheel-drive to tail-wagging rear-wheel-drive at the push of a button.

No, this was my fave of 2020 because it evolves the GT or grand tourer concept. Delivering long-distance cruising comfort in ‘chillax’ mode and heart-pounding performance in ‘hoon’ mode, the BMW M8 Competition balances both ends of driving spectrum beautifully.

Simply put, I didn’t want to stop driving this beast. The monstrous 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 460kW of Bavarian brawn provides cheek-rippling acceleration in a car whose high-tech underpinnings will hopefully influence more affordable Beemers in future. Love it.

Read a review on the BMW M8 Competition

Ken Gratton – Audi RS Q3 Sportback

My first time driving a car on a frozen lake came in February this year, at Arvidsjaur in Sweden behind the wheel of the new Audi RS Q3 Sportback.

It was easy to induce oversteer in fishtailing arcs in the low-roofed turbocharged five-cylinder small SUV. Flick the car and it will oversteer. Dab the brake pedal on the entry to a corner and it will oversteer. Turn in on a trailing throttle and it will oversteer. Give it a bootful of throttle and it will oversteer.

The chief instructor advised what to do if the car should understeer, but his advice was unnecessary. I kept the car in the centre of  the track, inducing oversteer on the entry to the corner and maintaining the slide with some throttle, before easing off enough to straighten up on the exit and apply more throttle past the corner for the short straight.

The chief instructor told me that dawdling around, holding the Audi manually in third gear and not trying for big hero slides, I was knocking about 100 metres off the length of a 3km circuit. Slow and steady wins the race, as boring as that may be.

Read Ken's review of the Audi RS Q3 Sportback

Sam Charlwood – Land Rover Defender

This year has presented a new way of thinking for many, encouraging them to enjoy the little things and make the most of their home lives. Me included.

So while I was blown away at the versatility of the new Kia Sorento and the superlative abilities of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, my favourite drive was the new Land Rover Defender – a machine that happily conforms to daily life yet opens the door to endless adventures in our own backyard.

The born-again Defender successfully keeps apace with the latest safety, efficiency and technological standards, yet it does so without diluting the inherent character of the original. It’s simply good fun and a bit different from the standard SUV set.

Read Sam's review of the Land Rover Defender review

Alexandra Lawrence – Mercedes-AMG A 45 S

I chose the Toyota Supra as my favourite drive in 2019 for more than a few reasons. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s obnoxious and it’s loose. This year, my favourite drive ticks just about the same boxes. Go figure.

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ is the fastest car I’ve driven to date. But that’s not the only reason it’s my fave pick for 2020. Motivated by the world’s most powerful four-cylinder production engine, it can hit 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds; you really need to get behind the wheel of the A 45 S to appreciate its athleticism.

Germany’s new hyper hatch champion is the whole package. It might come with a $95K price tag, but it doubles down as a track day weapon and also makes a decent (small) family car. Would I own one? In a heartbeat. Can I afford one? Not this month…

Watch the A45 S in action.

Bruce Newton – Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 v Ford Mustang R-Spec

Yes, I know we’re in this new age of electric vehicles with their instant torque and zero emissions. And yes, I am a fan. Big time.

But sorry, my fave drive of 2020 was the supercharged V8-powered Mustang R-Spec… and the supercharged V8-powered Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Two brilliant examples of fuel-sucking American muscle given a local sheen. Can’t split them.

Not only were they my favourite drives but I was also able to steer them back-to-back on a glorious bit of road while failing to keep pro driver Luke Youlden in sight… to fail like this? So much fun!

Read the Camaro ZL1 v Mustang R-Spec comparison

Nadine Armstrong – Porsche 718 Spyder

Driving to unwind is one thing. Driving for pure hedonistic escapism is another.

The 2020 Porsche 718 Spyder was an easy pick for my best drive of 2020. Drawing a line under the year where the health and wellbeing of our nearest and dearest was under threat and mitigating risk was paramount, I recall how I found solace in a mid-mounted 4.0-litre flat six engine pedalling 309kW of power and 420Nm of torque.

With the help of a six-speed manual gearbox, I could compartmentalise and escape thinking only of my next gear change and the aural delights of auto-blip. It’s fuel for the soul.

Read Nadine's drive of the Porsche 718 Spyder

Back in March I was booked and packed for the global preview drive of the 21st century Land Rover Defender in Britain and a VIP seat at the preview of the new Bond film, No Time To Die.

The trip didn’t happen, but I have had some Defender time and it was my highlight of 2020. I like the bluff styling, I like the design and finishing in the cabin, I know it can go far deeper into the unknown than I would bother doing, and I really like the rubber flooring that means it still has a hose-out interior.

Most of all, I like that it trumps the Range Rover and will be the tractor of choice in Toorak and Double Bay. Some British farmers are apparently bleating than the new Defender is too wide for farm gates that were installed in the days of the 1940s original. Diddums.

Bad luck PG, so Read John Mahoney's drive of the Bond Defender stunt car

John Mahoney – Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

If we had any sense, we would have abandoned the Nissan Skyline GT-R drive before our dog-eared R34 had even turned a wheel in anger.

Our first hired GT-R, a museum queen R32, had died less than 30 seconds after I'd climbed behind the wheel, and my cameraman was close to croaking with the flu while a potentially lethal typhoon was about to strike the top-secret road we'd arranged to drive.

Instead of hitting the bar, we went anyway and things, of course, got worse. The typhoon struck, I got stopped by the feds (twice) and questioned as a suspect in a murder case (once) and Damo's flu transitioned into borderline hyperthermia after a prolonged spell hiding in the woods without a coat from the cops.

So you would think a car would have to be pretty special to overcome that level of adversity. Luckily, the R34 Skyline GT-R is. What it lacks in performance compared to the R35 GT-R, it more than makes up for involvement.

And even beside hot-lapping a McLaren 765LT around Silverstone or thrashing a $700K Volvo P1800 Cyan around an abandoned airfield, our darkest hours spent on the side of that Japanese mountain in torrential rain and 100km/h winds remain my brightest motoring highlight of a miserable 2020.

More on John's drive of the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34