Our year 2013 in 33 road tests. 

From the CHF 21’450 and 100 hp of the Opel Adam to the CHF 326’500 and 740 hp of the Ferrari F12, a rearward look at 2013, the cars that amazed us and the cars which left us wanting.

Supercars: Italy 1 : England 0

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is without doubt the automobile that wowed us the most in 2013. Neither because it is a Ferrari, nor for its astounding figures, but simply because it excels at what it is supposed to do. The F12 fulfills its objectives brilliantly, mixing competence and emotion. In contrast, the McLaren MP4-12C was a slight disappointment. Performance is fierce, but the MP4-12C does not achieve the standards of excellence expected of McLaren, whether in the sheer thrills behind the wheel or in the sum of small details. I confess a soft spot for the Bentley Continental GT, but this new opus does not leap far enough from its predecessor to fully convince. In the GT segment, we had high expectations for a new product of another great british brand, the Jaguar F-Type. A beautiful car that we wanted to love, but whose exhaust note borders on vulgarity and transmission drastically limits in its ambitions. The comparison with Porsche felt cruel.

Sports cars of yesterday and tomorrow

In a changing automative landscape, challenged by a challenging regulatory context (CO2 standards), the mind bending pace of development of ubiquitous connectivity and a shifting macroeconomic climate, certain cars felt like the remnants of a glorious past, in sepia tones, and others like the early and rough drafts of what is to come. The Audi RS4 Avant B8 belongs to the first category, with a definition that feels baked in the years 2000 mold. At the other extreme, the Tesla Model S is breaking off from automotive legacy in many ways (electric power, man machine interface, distribution), but is too far ahead from the infrastructure it depends upon.

Among sports cars, the Porsche Cayman and Boxster left their testers enthusiastic and illustrate another major development in 2013 for swiss motorists: a new and radical legal statute (Via Sicura) which fundamentally challenges the notion of sports car enjoyment on open roads. The demagoguery and lack of political courage of swiss lawmakers mean that car enthusiasts need to completely rethink the balance between quantity and quality, or between performance and experience. The attractiveness of the small Suzuki Swift Sport partially resided in the ability to enjoy a sporty driving style without the fear of imprisonment. Less has definitely become more.

2013 marks the return (or entry, one might say) of Mercedes in the hot hatch segment with an A-Class which felt young and convincing, in particular in its A45 AMG version. A new competitor that the BMW 1-series, Audi A3/S3 and VW Golf will have to contend with.

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