The Best Cars Of 2020

As the performance arm of Mercedes, AMG has plenty to crow about but this new GT Black Series is the chosen one. If the conventional GT-R was powered up enough at 577hp, this Black Series - basically AMG's codename for getting the street-legal race-car treatment - has a face-melting 720hp. The engine has been tuned within an inch of its life and every opportunity to add speed and aggression has been taken; bigger turbos, new camshafts, modified gearbox to name just a few. Weight comes down thanks to plenty of carbon, lighter wheels and even thinner glass. That it looks like something Bruce Wayne might drive after dinner only adds to its appeal.

With nearly 1000hp and 0-62mph speed of 2.5 seconds, you might have thought the hard-top SF90 was bonkers enough. Now comes the chance to literally take the roof off it too. Apart from some aerodynamic tweaks and the latest version of Ferrari's retractable hardtop technology, it's the same car underneath; a plug-in hybrid combining a 4 litre V8 engine with three electric motors. As extraordinarily adept on the track as it is for a low-speed cruise along the waterfront, this is a next-level machine that somehow looks a snip at £400,000.

This is the third of McLaren's 'Long Tail' models in the last five years; a special limited-run and performance-enhanced series that takes a fresh no-limits look at an existing model to really push the envelope. This 765 LT is largely based around the 720S but with aerodynamic changes and weight-saving measures the chief improvements, many of these benefits coming from the McLaren Senna. And yes, to answer your question, it has a slightly longer tail too. Powered by the McLaren's 4litre V8, it can hit 62mph in 2.7 seconds and only 765 of these beauties will leave McLaren's Woking HQ.

As a design studio, Pininfarina is a name associated with some of the most beautiful cars of the last 80 years. Now launched as a manufacturer in its own right - Automobili Pininfarina - its first ever car is a 1900hp all-electric hypercar which will officially become the most powerful Italian road car ever made. That's quite a way to introduce yourself. Having assembled a crack team of technical talent, the Battista will achieve a 0-62mph time of under 2 seconds, hit 0-186mph in less than 12sec and achieve a top speed of 217mph. Launching at the same time as two other electric hypercars with similarly eye-watering price tags (£2m if you need to ask), the Battista promises to marry its extreme performance with the feel and finish of a luxury grand tourer. The plan is to follow this statement launch with a series of luxury SUVs over the next five years.

This all-new version of the so-called 'baby roller' was unveiled this September with a more minimalist design and almost nothing carried over from its predecessor. It makes it the most technically ambitious car in the Roller family, with a 'Planar' suspension system that promises to help achieve an even more serene driving - or should that be sitting - experience. Open the now electrically-operated doors and the interior is hell-bent on setting another new benchmark for detail and refinement. Much work has been done on improving acoustics in the cabin and reducing cabin noise, while the dashboard alone apparently took 10,000 hours to develop. Which is approximately how much you'll need to invoice for to afford one.

The king of the 911 family returns as the fastest, widest and generally most aggro version in its long and illustrious history. The numbers speak for themselves. It takes just 2.7 seconds to reach 62mph, 8.8 seconds to hit 120mph; and if you keep on going in a straight line, you’ll eventually top out at 205mph. Deep breath. It knocks out 640hp from a new 3.8 litre flat-six engine, while also offering four seats and some half-decent everyday luggage space too. And if that wasn’t enough to suggest value from your (ahem) £155,000 outlay, the interior is a place you’d want to hang out in even if it was parked outside your house, with more leather than Ron Burgundy’s library. It raises the simple question: ‘How do we make this happen?’

Mulliner is the bespoke coach-building arm of the Bentley operation and this new Bacalar is principally a showcase for what they can do. And we have to say, we’re impressed. It’s based on the Continental GT platform but its design is inspired by the stunning EXP100 concept car launched for Bentley’s centenary last year. It manages to balance classic Bentley features with something altogether progressive. Inside, it’s that familiar beast of a twin-turbo W12 engine. Only 12 of the two-seater GT cars will be made, starting at £1.5m a pop. I’m sorry to tell you they’ve all been taken.

Aston Martin arguably makes the best looking cars on the road. But making a big and bulky SUV look good was surely a challenge too far even for its industry-leading design team. Somehow, they look to have pulled it off, thanks partly to creating their own bespoke platform. It’s hard to see this as anything other than a runaway sales success, which can’t come soon enough for Aston, which is in the midst of financial struggles following its IPO in 2018.

It looks set to be another busy year at Maranello and the Roma could be its stand-out attraction. It's a front-engined V8 coupe built on the same platform as the Portofino, with a slightly powered-up version of the same 3.9 litre twin turbo engine producing 611bhp. The simple, curvy design gives it a classic appeal, accentuated by the long bonnet. Details are fairly thin on the ground so far but it’s going to be fast – a top of speed of 199mph and a 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds. The silver colour on this release image is even making us rethink our favourite Ferrari paint job.

The Alpine A110 revival was one of our cars of the year back in 2018 – fast, fun and affordable with loads of personality, it managed to invoke the ‘esprit’ of the Sixties original with aplomb. This year sees its track-oriented variation, with 40hp more power, all-aluminium body, wider tyres and various other differentials to make it quicker round a circuit. And possibly round your local one-way system.

Lexus’s best-looking car, the silky LC500 coupé, belatedly gets the convertible treatment, and it looks the absolute business. In fact it could be a rare case of a drop-top version pipping an already good-looking coupé on style. The four-layer soft hood - available in black or beige - comes down in a tidy 15 seconds. And up again in 16 seconds when the rainclouds are hovering. Much engineering work has been done to convert the coupé into heavier convertible form and maintain both its looks and its feel on the road. Initially only available as a 5-litre V8, there will be much worse places to be than an aimless cruise behind this particular steering wheel.

Having launched in 2013, it's a big compliment to the outgoing F-Type that it doesn't seem or look six years old. But Jaguar clearly felt it was time for a freshen up and it looks a good decision. Reworked slim LED headlights, enhanced rear haunches and a new clamshell bonnet, which accentuates the car's width, are among the biggest tweaks, while a new front bumper and slightly bigger grille are aimed at delivering a more aggressive stance. The overall result already looks simple, natural and obvious, as the best design always does.

Another comeback is in the offing at Lotus thanks to recent backing from Chinese car giant Geely, and the brand is taking the first steps in an ambitious roll out of new models with the first-ever British electric hypercar, the Evija, a £2m marvel with astonishing performance and looks to match. Well, you may as well start with a bang. Production begins this year – Norfolk won’t know what’s hit it.

2020 is the 110th anniversary of Alfa Romeo, one of the industry’s unsung heroes, and the marque’s most significant launch will be its small but perfectly formed baby SUV, the Tonale, which will add some much needed style to this segment and should become Alfa’s biggest selling model. As a plug-in hybrd, it will also be the brand’s first foray into electrification.

Land Rover’s replacement for the legendary 4x4 was always going to be the most scrutinised launch of the year, given its amazing history and how many people still hold it in such high esteem. To design a modern replacement that carries the spirit of the original into the modern era was a hell of a task to pull off, but the result, revealed last year, is growing on us every time we see it. We can’t wait to see what it does on, and obviously off, the road.

Volvo’s electric sub-brand Polestar is a self-styled disruptor taking a fresh look at all the things the car industry could do better – from how and where we buy them to in-car app development. Perhaps the best thing about its cars, though, is just how good they look – kicked off by the sci-fi muscle car Polestar One. This year sees the launch of its second car, cunningly named Polestar Two, a hard-to-categorise all-electric sportback-cum-hatchback-cum-SUV that will be more affordable and practical but will keep the distinctive styling and cool detailing.

Cupra has ambitious plans to take on the established premium players with the accent on punchy performance and, judging by it pretty stunning Tavascan concept, original design. Launched by the Seat Group as a premium standalone brand in its own right, the flagship Formentor will be only the second model badged as a Cupra –a plug-in hybrid coupé/SUV crossover and and the first which was designed purely as a Cupra model.

It’s a big year for small and quirky electric cars. The Mini Electric and Honda e will join this first electric version of the classic Fiat 500, built from the ground up to take the model – which originated in 1957 – and possibly humanity, into a new dawn. The design is largely unchanged from the petrol version but that’s a good thing. With a range of 200 miles, it has three drive modes – Normal, Range and the oddly named Sherpa, which will limit energy use to an absolute minimum. With a top speed of 93mph and taking nine seconds to hit 62mph, it will certainly do a job in town. Plus, it has a pretty special USP against its competitors: it will launch as a cabriolet only.