Green Icing on the Cake

ONCE, after I had enthusiastically recommended some cars capable of flaunting speed limits, The San Diego Police Gazette took me to task for “encouraging lawless driving behavior.” So when compiling my automotive hit parade this year, I tried to exercise a sense of civic responsibility. That’s why a Civic tops my list.

For at least half of my remaining picks, I confess to regressing again toward hooliganism. But how can an enthusiast not rhapsodize over brilliant new models like the best BMW 3 Series to date, the first truly driver-friendly Lamborghini or fresh proof that the sun is not quite ready to set on sports cars from what’s left of the British empire?

Horsepower alone does not guarantee inclusion on my list of the standout new vehicles of 2006. My favorite car this year was a Honda with a scant 110 horses. And one of the most unpleasant cars I drove was the 617-horse Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

First, the good news:

1. HONDA CIVIC HYBRID ($22,400 as tested) The new Civic line is so strong that Toyota delayed the next Corolla to make it a more worthy competitor. Best of all is the hybrid version — a worthy Prius alternative for green-car bragging rights. Caution: the hybrid paint colors are limited to various shades of dull.

2. VOLKSWAGEN EOS ($36,985) While I haven’t quite forgiven VW for my 1972 Campmobile, the new Eos managed to win my grudging admiration. This clever, handsomely executed car with a retracting hardtop is priced thousands of dollars less than competitors’ droptops. If the Eos can shake VW’s reliability bugaboo, it will be a landmark model in the company’s latest comeback.

3. BMW 335i ($45,720) Even though the price is creeping to uncharted heights, the new BMW coupe is the best so far. And since the 3 Series seems to hold a permanent spot on auto writers’ top 10 lists, BMW had a tough act to follow — its own.

4. LAMBORGHINI MURCIéLAGO LP640 ($386,700) Kudos to Lambo for finally building a car that sane people can drive sanely. (It is not, however, lunatic-proof, as proven by all the photos of Lambo wreckage on the Net.) Though its price is equivalent to a second home and it gets barely 10 m.p.g. on the highway, the LP640 still wins the industry’s smiles-per-gallon crown.

5. ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE ($119,340) What would James Bond drive? Short-term promotional deals aside, the answer will always be Aston Martin. Shaken or stirred? As the steely-eyed Bond portrayer Daniel Craig says with a snarl, “Do I look like I care?”

6. JAGUAR XK ($85,200) Beauty is great, but sex appeal sells. So what if the new XK is not as beautiful as the model it replaces? It remains the sexiest beast under $100,000. It certainly makes a statement, even if the statement it makes is, “I couldn’t afford the Aston Martin.”

7. FORD FUSION ($23,430) The Fusion was a rare hit for Ford in a year when it needed one. What worked? Smart styling, straightforward mechanicals and competitive pricing — now that wasn’t so hard, was it?

8. NISSAN VERSA ($19,305) The best of an econobox bumper crop that includes the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. In addition to its style, surprisingly roomy interior and enviable fuel economy, the Versa was the only small car that scored “good” in insurance industry crash tests.

9. VOLVO C70 ($44,275) Some colleagues hated the new C70, but I like the lines, especially with the retractable hardtop down. And my red test car with white leather seats was so seductive that I momentarily repressed my shock at the sticker, which can top $48,000.

10. TOYOTA FJ CRUISER ($26,465) Agreed, this all-terrain vehicle is happiest when the terrain is paved, but it’s a rare whimsical offering from a styling studio that doesn’t crack a smile very often.

11. AUDI RS 4 ($69,570) I nominate this car for its engine alone. Actually, I would like to unbolt the engine and stick it in something less expensive.

12. DODGE MAGNUM SRT8 ($40,285) A lot of auto writers prefer the Charger sedan, but in my view the Magnum is the planet’s coolest station wagon since the ’57 Chevy Nomad.

And Now, the Misses

Regrettably, space constrains me from listing all the vehicles that deserve a lump of coal in the cup holder. Let’s just say that over all, General Motors had more candidates for the list than any other manufacturer. But I consider vehicles like the Subaru B9 Tribeca, Jeep Compass, Saab 9-7X, Buick Rendezvous and all G.M. minivans to be low-hanging fruit. I dig deeper.

To wit, the vehicles I liked the least this year:

1. ISUZU i290 AND i370 (base prices $17,654 to $28,043) The ugly Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon pickups, on which these trucks are based, may themselves deserve spots on 10-worst lists. These repulsively restyled versions could be the last straw for struggling Isuzu in the American retail market.

2. LINCOLN MARK LT ($47,085) In any other (non-Isuzu) year this pretentious, overpriced remake of the Ford F-150 would have been a chart-topper. Did Lincoln learn nothing from the debacle of its last pickup, the late, unlamented Blackwood?

3. MERCEDES-BENZ SLR McLAREN ($459,000) As automotive ego trips go, this is one for Frommer’s — and perhaps for Paris Hilton, whose SLR was towed away after she failed a Breathalyzer test. So scary to drive — the immense power comes on so abruptly you can easily lose control — that you feel like running away from it. The price is roughly equal to 38 stripped-down Nissan Versas.

4. CHEVROLET KODIAK 4500 BY MONROE (about $85,000) This cowboy Cadillac is a special Bigfoot-style pickup, proudly unveiled at the Detroit auto show. The very model of chug-a-lug excess.

5. CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE SRT6 ($51,480) How could a car based on a Mercedes SLK roadster go so wrong? Pity the 6-footer who tries to squeeze into one. So many 2005 models remained unsold that the entire 2006 model year was skipped.

6. HONDA ACCORD HYBRID ($32,840) How could any Honda make my least-favorite list? Actually, this nonsensical high-buck hot-rod hybrid had close competition from Honda’s forever weird Element box car and its slow-selling Ridgeline pickup.