These Are the Cars the Jalopnik Staff Is Most Looking Forward to Driving in 2023

I’ll admit it: I’m a real sucker for just about everything Genesis has become these last few years, so it makes sense that I’m looking forward to the first electrified offering from the luxury automaker, the Electrified G80. My biggest qualms with previous Genesis models was the fact that acceleration sometimes felt a little tedious, but the instant torque from this new G80's pair of electric motors will offer a quick fix to an issue that, if I’m honest, was more of a nitpick than anything else.

Genesis, if you’re reading this: Let your girl take a spin.

Now, if we’re talking dream cars to drive this year, then obviously my choice is the new Aston Martin DBS 770. It’s a ridiculously powerful swan song for the current generation DBS, which will die off once production of this beast ends. It looks awesome, so Aston, let me know when there’s a press car in New York.

But, if we’re talking cars I might actually be able to get behind the wheel of this year, then I’m saying the Polestar 3. Due in mid-2023, it’s the Swedish EV maker’s first crack at a proper luxury SUV and is priced to go up against the best from Volvo, Rivian, BMW and Tesla. But unlike most blobs on wheels that we call SUVs, the Polestar 3 actually looks pretty sleek. It’s kept the brand’s minimalist styling, which does a good job at masking its boxy proportions. What’s more, the interior looks like it’ll do that classic Polestar thing of being quite lovely, and it’ll also be packed with heaps of next-gen tech.

Yes, I know it sounds sort of wild to be excited for a Toyota Prius, but hear me out. The Prius Prime is almost certainly going to be one bitchin’ automobile. When I drove the non-Prime, all-new 2023 Prius a few months ago, I was blown away by 1) how good it looked and 2) how well it drove.

I’ll have the opportunity to drive the Prime at the end of March, and oh man, I cannot wait. Combing the sleek looks of the new Prius with the power of a hot hatchback (Toyota says the car will have 220 horsepower) should make for quite the ride. Then, you add in the plug-in hybrid component, and goddamn you are cooking with some serious gas.

We live in a strange world now, folks. The Toyota Prius is the hottest car on the market, and I bet you cannot even tell me what McLaren’s latest supercar is called. Be on the lookout for my review of the all-new Prius Prime sometime in April!

It’s no secret that I am a fan of small cars, and that translates to all segments. I’ll take a mid-size truck over a full-sizer all day. And now that Chevy updated the Colorado, I’m eager to get behind the wheel of a gnarly but nimble off-roader that boasts technology usually reserved for full-size, flagship pickups.

I’m almost just as excited to drive the new Colorado Trail Boss since that truck seems like it could be the everyman’s off-roader with just enough capability for most. But the Colorado ZR2 calls to me like a siren song, drawing me in with the promise of performance that exceeds my abilities as a driver. There’s no brute force here — relatively speaking. Just what I hope will be an agile trail machine.

Look, I know we have driven the prototype already. But I haven’t driven it. And one of my goals this year is to get my hands on this thing. I know the Civic Type R exists. And I know underneath that this and the Type R are essentially the same vehicle. But it’s more than that. It’s saying something about Acura trying to get its performance mojo back. The Integra could have easily been just another crossover with a legendary name. But for them to even do the Integra at all in the face of better-selling crossovers and the industry changing to electric vehicles, and then give us a hot version that harkens back to the Integra Type Rs and RSX Type S’ of yore is beautiful.

So if anyone from Acura sees this, please know that Lawrence Hodge needs to get his hands on an Integra Type S in 2023.

You may know me as the Jalopnik staff’s resident baby ADV owner. What you might not know is that my G310GS purchase was all in service of bigger and better things: Learning to handle slightly larger adventure bikes. Didn’t see that coming, did you?

I don’t expect any kind of press event for a bike that hit the market years ago, but come hell or high water I will ride a Tenere this year. I’ve seen too many reviews, spent too much time sitting on them in showrooms, to not see if the Dakar-inspired bike is truly all it’s cracked up to be. Will an off-road novice notice the difference in power delivery and swingarm angle, compared to a lifelong rider? Absolutely not. Will I notice that it’s a hundred pounds lighter than a full-fat GS? Signs point to yes.

I love Lotuses. The Evora GT is one of my favorite sports cars ever and the Emira looks to be that, but without all the classic Lotus jank. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in a static Emira and its not only comfy, but beautifully appointed and super modern feeling with its actual infotainment (rather than a rando-looking Alpine head unit from Best Buy) and digital dash.

It also has both my beloved Toyota-sourced supercharged V6 with a manual but also a forthcoming AMG-sourced turbo four-cylinder with a DCT. I expect it’s going to be a riot to drive in any configuration and I can’t wait for time behind the wheel.

I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed to find out that the 2024 Mustang is basically a heavily-reworked version of the car you can buy today. Same engines, same transmissions, familiar looking sheetmetal.

But man, check out that Dark Horse. A naturally aspirated Coyote 5.0-liter V8 making 500 hp and 418 lb-ft of torque. Track-ready suspension. Optional carbon-fiber wheels. And a god-damn manual transmission. It’s not a supercharged GT500, it’s not a hybrid or an EV. It’s basically everything we’ve loved about Mustang, out for one last hurrah.

Suddenly, familiar doesn’t seem so bad.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 isn’t going to be for everybody. I get that. Some people are going to love the way it looks, and others are going to hate it. And to me, that’s the best part about this car’s design (and most of Hyundai’s current lineup’s design). It takes risks and doesn’t care about alienating people with the way it looks.

But mostly, I like that it’s a car I actually have questions about. There are things to figure out. Maybe I’ll love it. Maybe I won’t. But I won’t know how I feel about it until I drive it, and the mystery is where the real attraction lies. I need to know this car’s secrets.

While Mr. Sorokanich noted this machine was a “heavily-reworked version of the car you can buy today,” what I find most exciting is in the details. From new creases and lines in the body work, and a more finessed, aero-friendly shape, to everything in-between on the console, front-end and rear, what’s not to like about the 2024 Ford Mustang?

I had the privilege of seeing, touching — experiencing this car on the ground (in a building, unfortunately) before it was revealed to the world, and honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’ve never been 100% a Mustang fan, but I think I’ve finally been been converted. But, I still need to just drive this one. If I like it enough, I could be a Mustang girl—specifically for this car.

What they don’t usually tell you at the track is that the superior experience is not doing lonesome hot laps, but instead riding along as someone who actually knows what they’re doing does hot laps. This takes some of the danger out of the equation, because the driver is skilled at doing hot laps, and you are not.

It is also the more pleasurable experience, because instead of being stressed out because you’re driving an expensive car that you may or may not crash you are very cool and relaxed in the passenger seat getting nearly all the same thrills. A guy took me around in a Ferrari 812 GTS once, for example, and I can tell you that it was sick as hell.

For 2023, this is my way, and not only on the track either. You want to drive? Please do. I’ll take shotgun.