For over 40 years Car and driver has have rounded up all of the year’s new and substantially updated vehicles for our annual 10Best list. Invitations will also be sent to the previous year’s winners (if they are still on offer) so they can defend their titles. While this year’s competition started with over 100 entrants, we’ve narrowed the field down to our 10 favorite cars and our 10 favorite trucks and SUVs. Just for fun, we decided to use those 20 vehicles as the basis for a “How We’d Spec It: 10Best Edition.” You can read the full 10Best article here, but in the meantime, we can detail some of this year’s winners here.
Caleb Miller’s $127,035 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
The Top 10 Best list is full of great cars, but there’s one that captured my heart years ago when I first drove it – and it’s held it ever since. The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a glorious combination of a 668-hp supercharged V-8 and a six-speed manual transmission. Of course, you can replace the do-it-yourself gearbox with a 10-speed automatic, but here CDwe are concerned with preserving the manuals. I painted my stick-shift Blackwing in Typhoon Metallic ($625), pairing the opulent hue with the flashy bronze wheels ($1500) and bronze brake calipers ($595).
The Blackwing also doesn’t seem right to me without the carbon fiber aerodynamic goodies, so I picked up both carbon fiber packages for the hefty total of $14,380. Since I spent a lot of money on that, and since I probably wouldn’t be taking this sport sedan to the track very often, I decided to skip the revised suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes of the new Precision package, saving me $18,000.
Inside I opted for the natural brown and black leather look. It’s an expensive choice at $8090, but the all-black upholstery is too boring and I’ve seen how quickly the Sky Cool Gray seats stain. A microsuede-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob added $300, while floor mats and a cargo mat added $350. All told, my CT5-V Blackwing came to $127,035. That’s a lot of money, but the beastly drivetrain and addictive gearbox are worth it. –Caleb Miller
Carter Fry’s Lucid Gravity Grand Touring worth $123,250
After having the chance to drive around town in a Lucid Gravity not too long ago, I believe it is the best family SUV on the market. If money is no object, of course. If you have a family and you’re in the financial position to afford a Gravity, I don’t think it’s wise to assume you also have a home. Garage or not, that should mean it’s easy to charge this EV overnight, greatly reducing the pain of owning an EV. If that’s true, then you have a car with beautiful styling, great functionality and more stock torque than a Corvette Z06.
I had to give this sleek SUV an all-black exterior treatment; Good thing Abyss Black is the standard color. All black, everything means I’m also going for the Stealth Appearance package, which is also standard. Although it’s not nearly dark enough for my personal taste. As for wheels, I’ll go with the largest diameter Aether Stealths wrapped in Pirellis ($3500). The sidewall is shorter than the stock wheel setup, which ruins the ride a bit, but I’m going for style points here. I opted for the Tahoe leather interior ($4200) to warm up the cabin a bit. An all black interior would be great, but a little peanut butter never hurts. Well, except me. I’m allergic.
The seven-passenger seating option seemed a bit high at $2900. Plus, I much preferred the extra cargo capacity, including the hollow space in the floor where the third row would be stored, so I opted for the two-row version. Instead, I funneled that $2900 toward the upgraded sound system. Speaking of options, I checked them all because they’re all great: DreamDrive 2 Pro ($6750), Dynamic Handling Package ($2900), Technology Package ($3200), Comfort and Convenience Package ($2500), and Towing Package ($750). The biggest highlight on that list is the Handling Package, which allows the Gravity to sit as much as nine inches above the ground or as low as six inches via the air suspension. I think the Gravity looks damn good sitting this low, and the total price is $123,250. –Carter Fry
Eric Stafford’s Ford Ranger Raptor worth $61,455
Ford’s understated Ranger Raptor is perhaps the best value-for-money pickup truck on the market. Sure, the 2025 model starts at $57,965, but these days that’s not much more than the average price of a new car – and how many of those can you launch from a sand dune? Precisely. The widebody Ranger also shares a powertrain with the Bronco Raptor, albeit at a discount of about $24,000. And if you have $850 in your wallet, you can increase the power of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 from 405 to 455 horses with a engine calibration tool from Ford Performance. For these reasons, the Ranger Raptor is the top 10 winner I would probably buy.
My ideal spec would be the $395 Velocity Blue paint as it’s the only color available that stands out when covered in dust and mud. I’d also spend an extra $1495 for the 17-inch beadlock-compatible wheels, because I’d rather not worry about the 33-inch BFGoodrich KO3 all-terrain tires separating from a rim while crawling over a pile of rocks. Along with the keycode pad ($225) for the driver’s door and the spray-in bedliner ($495), I’d choose the $750 graphics for the hood, nightstands and tailgate. The new plaid motif isn’t as cool as the worn look of the older F-150 Raptors, but that’s just my opinion, man. Finally, the $130 mud flaps will hopefully help extend the life of my $61,455 truck’s nice paint. –Eric Stafford
Jack Fitzgerald’s $92,845 Mercedes-Benz E450 Wagon
Most days of the week, I choose the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing over almost any other car on sale. I’m also young enough and stupid enough to think that driving sports cars like the BMW M2 And Chevy Corvette is a good idea. But I’m also spoiled enough to be allowed to splurge on a luxury car every now and then, and believe me when I tell you that the new Mercedes-Benz E450 is a real showstopper.
The all-terrain Merc may not have the same performance as some of the other 10Best winners, but it will get you to 62mph in a brisk 4.4 seconds with more comfort than the rest. Because Mercedes does not offer the E450 in dark green, I opted for the free Nautical Blue metallic paint. I would have preferred to stick with the 19-inch wheels for comfort, but the $850 20-inch AMG cross-spoke setup looks the best, so that’s what my car would wear.
When I moved to the interior section of the configurator, things got a little more expensive. $2990 went for the Tonka Brown Nappa and black leather upholstery, $1515 for the Natural Grain Brown Maple trim on the dash, and another $200 to extend the wood to the center console. Another $800 for the MB-Tex upper dash trim and ventilated front seats, and $2950 for the massage seat package. I live in Michigan, so $450 for a heated steering wheel is not a problem. Finally, $2550 went to the head-up display package and $990 to the digital LED headlights, because if I’m going to spend that much on a luxury liner, it might as well be loaded to the gills. All told, my Merc wagon came to $92,845. –Jack Fitzgerald
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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his still unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealer group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford, and decided to pursue a career in automotive writing. By chasing down his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel across Wisconsin in search of stories about the automotive world before landing his dream job at Car and driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
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