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The Best and Worst of 2007

Another year wraps up, and it's time for a little introspection and soul

Everyone around here's got a favorite, so read on to find out who picked what. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

searching to make a few judgments about the cars that we drove this year. A few stood out as exceptional in everyones' eyes, and they are generally cars you will see coming up on a lot of Car of the Year lists for a wide variety of reasons. From Audi's stunning new R8 supercar or Luxus' technologically dominant LS 600h L, a true hybrid flagship, right down to the new smart fortwo, which is set to go on sale in the United States for the first time. Big cars and small cars were both making big statements. However, this year also marked the arrival of some very important midsize sedans, from the proletarian Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accord to the upper crust Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Cadillac CTS. But sometimes, you just have to throw practicality out the window and have some fun. These choices, by many of our regular writers, are simply the cars that stuck in our minds for one reason or another, mostly good but we had to warn you about a few big disappointments that crossed our paths.

Without any further ado, our top picks of 2007:

Jonathan Yarkony
Favorite Car: Okay, this may not have been the freshest daisy in the automotive world this year, but for some demonic reason, the Jeep

Jon fell in love with the baddest Jeep, the 6.1-liter, HEMI-powered Grand Cherokee SRT8. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

Grand Cherokee SRT8 is still stuck in my craw, tickling the back of my mind. I may have driven 'better' cars this year, and I didn't go on any SRT track events or drag race it at the local strip, but I did get it out to an autocross event and drove the wheels off it, and even went head to head with an S6 (give the nod to the Jeep by about a bumper on an unofficial 0-100 run) that a fellow journalist had in his possession. Speaking of possession, that about sums up my week with the SRT8, in which I was consumed by devilish impulses that I simply could not control. Never before have I felt so dirty and so good in a car. But take away my license-endangering behavior and you have a very practical AWD vehicle that can seat five, carry a family's worth of crap and double your fuel bill before you can say 6.1L Hemi V8 (and no, it doesn't feature cylinder deactivation). It outperforms vehicles twice its price and then some. It just rocks.

Honorable Mentions: Jaguar XKR (it doesn't get any better than feeling like a movie star rolling around in the most beautiful Jaguar in decades); Acura MDX (best normal SUV on the market - as opposed

Significantly less love was given to Saturn's midsize hybrid, the Aura Green Line. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

to the supernormal Jeep); Mazda RX-8 with Mazdaspeed performance accessories (one of the best sports cars on the market, and practical to boot, plus the Mazdaspeed exhaust adds aural punch); Cadillac CTS (one of the best looking cars on the market at a reasonably attainable price; also happens to be a great car).

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