7 Cars I've Reviewed This Year That I'd Buy Right Now If I Could

These are the special ones

I’ve met quite a few people in the automotive media industry by now, and all of us feel the same way to some extent: it’s hard to find something unique about most of today’s cars. They all have nearly identical lists of safety features, they all come with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, they all come with pretty impressive safety ratings, and most are engineered to get decent mileage–even with all-wheel drive. Most also come with decent sound systems (unless you pick a base model, which, even then, they’re not that bad), too. Most importantly, they tend to cost around the same, too. Excellent value for the dollar is hard to come by.

Aesthetically, it’s becoming harder and harder to separate brands from each other, as most new cars have the same, squinty-looking headlights, and come in the same boring colors, too. All this is to say that when there are cars that break away from these norms to bring a dynamic ride, a fantastic interior, stand-out styling, and cost a fair price stands out to people like us, especially if you’re like me and get to drive and review a new car every week. So, here are the cars that truly stood out to me.

First and foremost: The zippy Nissan Z NISMO

I reviewed the 2025 Nissan Z NISMO last spring, and since then, it’s been the only one I’ve seen in the wild. I lived in Bend, Oregon, at the time, and for a city that’s quickly being gentrified by all the tech-y bros in their Cybertrucks, in the three years I lived there, the one I reviewed was the only one I’ve seen in Bend. I haven’t seen one in the San Francisco Bay Area, either. That’s a dirty rotten shame, because it’s an excellent car. I was never grumpy driving the Nissan Z around. 

First, it has a brilliant twin-turbo V6 that makes 420 horsepower, a gorgeous and surprisingly functional black and red Alcantara-lined interior, a great infotainment system, a punchy sound system, and, since it’s a two-seater, a throaty exhaust that you’d never get sick of hearing. The Sport+ mode is the best antidepressant in the world, and it’s so much quicker than you can fathom. For the price, in my opinion, it isn’t too shabby, either. Mine was a smidge over $65,000, which some say is expensive for a Nissan, but compared to what you get, it’s not bad. Especially considering that a time attack-ready car also comes with a long list of safety features, too. 

Therefore, it’s also sort of rare. You can’t get a 2025 with a six-speed as you can get with the Performance Edition, but fear not–Nissan said the 2026 model will come with an optional six-speed manual. But, even as a manual diehard, I can promise you, the automatic is pretty good. Speaking of, it’s also not that inefficient. I averaged about 19 mpg around town and around 24 mpg on the highway.

2. The Honda Civic Type R checks literally every box for me

I mean, come on. You get the cargo space of the standard Civic, complete with comfortable and functional rear seats (which are perfectly accommodating for car seats), the interior comforts and features of the standard Civic (in a fun, bright red, naturally), a wider body kit, and a spoiler. Oh, and 315 horsepower from the company’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It stays true to Honda’s FWD legacy, which is a shame to some, but it makes it more fun for the right driver. 

For a little over $45,000, you can haul the family in it, use it to get the groceries, take it to the track, and commute to and from work, all in the same day. A car that’s fun, roomy, comfortable, attractive, and not that expensive is a great buy, in my opinion. The only other car that can do that is the Subaru WRX, but the Honda has more horsepower. However, if you can’t drive a stick, you’re out of luck because the Type R is manual only.

3: The Hyundai IONIQ 5 XRT is a blast

Yes, yes, I know that the XRT is largely an appearance package. It does come with all-terrain tires, it has fun, pixelated body cladding on the wheel wells and front and rear bumper, bright red tow hooks, and rally-inspired wheels, but it’s not going to be the next EV off-roader. The “lift” it comes with is purely from the slightly larger tire, but that’s fine. No one’s buying it to replace the Subaru Forester Wilderness anyway. It looks and drives like a rally car, and that’s what made it so much fun. The dusty, loose roads of Central Oregon were the IONIQ 5 XRT’s playground, and I loved every second. 

When I wasn’t breaking the back end loose and giggling with the instant torque paired with 320 horsepower, it was also a great family car for my two toddlers. Yes, the all-wheel drive system means the range is lower (270 miles during my week with it), but it’s about the same range I’m used to from my gas cars. The trunk was more than generous, the back seats had tons of leg and headroom, the dual-screen setup was intuitive and responsive, and I loved the sliding center console. Plus, the pixelated theme in the interior was a huge plus for style points. It is a bit pricey, though, at $55,400 MSRP. It’d be worth every penny I have, though.

4: The Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro had me taking a serious look at my finances

Everyone always made fun of my husband and me for having four cars. Two of our cars are our daily drivers, and the other two are our off-roaders. We love the great outdoors and disconnecting from the driver’s seat of an off-roader, and the 4Runner TRD Pro sang such a sweet, sweet song to us. It’s expensive, with an MSRP of over $65,000, but we loved the fact that you wouldn’t have to change a single thing about it to take it where the going gets tough. It has metal underbody protection for the engine, transmission, and fuel tank, updated TRD/FOX suspension specifically for rock crawling, a robust 4WD system, a factory lift, and all-terrain tires with trim-exclusive wheels that bring the ground clearance to over 10 inches. 

I could go on and on about the TRD Pro’s off-road-centric features. Trust me. But our favorite feature was the onboard compressor. It comes with a hose that can stretch to all four tires, and you can easily inflate or deflate the tires with the press of a few buttons. Similar to the XRT, it was also excellent as a family car. The i-FORCEMAX hybrid system didn’t increase the mileage by a lot (and it won’t, since it’s a performance hybrid system), but there was plenty of room for my two kids and everything else. It even fit four wheels and tires when we swapped our winter tires for our all-season tires. If I had the money, I’d buy one right now.

5: The Genesis GV80 3.5T Sport Prestige is the ultimate luxury SUV for families

Ironically, one of my favorite family-focused features in every car I’ve driven–even all four minivan models–was in a Genesis GV80. The rear sunshades in the GV80 are electronically controlled, and I could roll them up or down with the driver’s window controls. Two taps towards the front of the car roll the shade up, two taps towards the rear of the car roll it down. The sunshades were also very effective and didn’t leave much of a gap, which was greatly appreciated by my toddlers. As they should with a price tag of over $81,000. 

I’m also very partial to the interior quality of the Genesis GV80 3.5T Sport Prestige. My tester came with a white leather interior, which I don’t recommend for toddlers, but it looked quite handsome with the optional Navy blue color. The Sport and Sport+ modes were life-changing, especially as the side bolsters in the front seats brought me closer to the center of the seat. When it was in Normal or Eco mode, though, it was tame, cozy, and a great pleasure to drive. The Bang & Olufsen sound system was one of the best in the business, and every time I thought I had the car figured out, I’d find out something fun and new about it. Plus, the AWD system is excellent in the snow.

6: The Hyundai IONIQ 9 Calligraphy Design was practical, gorgeous, and remarkably quick

This one was shocking for me. From the outside, the IONIQ 9 is a land yacht, and it really is. The dimensions are shocking. It’s also incredibly heavy, since, you know, it’s a three-row SUV. But you wouldn’t know it when you’re driving it. The ride is smooth, obviously quiet, and since the Calligraphy Design has 422 horsepower and instant torque with all-wheel drive, it’s also light on its feet. The large barge really does have some get up and go to it, without sacrificing too much range–when I had it, I had a range of about 310 miles at a full charge.

The matte paint made a family car feel premium, paired with wood paneling throughout the interior, beautiful and customizable ambient lighting, and a great sound system. With a price of just over $77,000, it should feel premium. The third row was actually usable for adults, and the second row captain’s chairs had their own ottomans to keep people comfortable during long drives. If no one was in the third row, they could slide the seat all the way back and recline, too. 

Visibility was excellent from the back, which would be great for kids who are prone to car sickness, even in the third row. Cargo space was excellent, even with the third row in use. Not a single passenger will be left wanting more. It can also be charged at any Tesla Supercharger, which makes it a great buy for a wider range of buyers.

7: The Honda Passport TrailSport Elite doesn’t have any drawbacks

The Honda Passport TrailSport Elite isn’t the fastest car, it’s not the most efficient, and it’s certainly not the most economical buy. But like most of the other cars I listed, it checks all the right boxes. It’s spacious, comfortable, great for families, has a quiet and smooth ride despite all-terrain tires, and has a beautiful interior, too. My favorite, though, is the exterior redesign. The previous Passport was handsome, but the new design is rugged and very premium-looking. It was a tad wide on the trails of Central Oregon, which was only annoying on narrow trails with other cars needing space to pass, but otherwise, it looked amazing in my driveway. 

Being the off-road trim of the Passport (which trim isn’t, though), it’s packed to the gills with off-road technology, which I appreciated. But, even if you never took it off-road, it’s still a great SUV to drive every day. It’s a bit pricey for a Honda, as my tester had a price tag of over $54,000, especially since some Pilot trims are less expensive for more car, but I enjoyed every drive–even if it was to the grocery store and back.