Reigning king of hyperbolic auto enthusiasm Jeremy Clarkson has released his now-traditional year-end DVD, featuring his pick for best car of the year. This time around, though, the decision involves a bit of bifurcation and elaboration.
The BMW 535d Touring takes the proper laurels, and justifiably so: it is the Complete Solution, embodying a combination of speed, handling, comfort, utility and efficiency that pushes towards the limits of reasonable automotive credibility. In spite of its manifold talents, however, the overachiever BMW wagon didn't really bring a big smile to that famously crabby visage.
To be fair, a truckload of high-dollar exotics failed to do so as well. Instead, Clarkson's pick for most fun car of the year was actually the 535d's hardcore-punk little sibling, the supremely tossable 1M. Like the man says, and like more manufacturers would do well to remember: Going around a corner quickly is one thing, but having fun whilst doing it is quite another.