The quality of cars has risen to a level where the differences between them are becoming harder to judge. As a result, a lot of nice cars never seem to make the best seller lists despite having world class styling, good cabin features, and excellent driving dynamics.
Here are five cars that often underappreciated and an alternative to buyers bored with the usual car shopping lists.
Mazda 3
Highly ranked by automotive journalists, critics, and people who appreciate Mazda’s quest to extract the best driving experience from every car they produce. The Mazda 3 — available as a sedan or 5-door hatchback — has provocative styling, upscale cabin design, sporty handling, and better fuel economy than most cars in its class. Even though it is often ranked as good or better than the Honda Civic, Ford Fiesta or Toyota Corolla, the Mazda 3 just doesn’t get the love it deserves.
Buick Regal GS
According to the editors at Carscoops, the Buick Regal GS is one of the best cars you’re not buying. German engineering, American style and a remarkable 2.0-liter turbocharged four under the hood that will surprise you. The Regal GS is in a class with stiff competition that includes the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Acura TLX, Infiniti Q40, and Cadillac ATS to name a few. What would life be like if you decided to be different and drove a Buick?
VW Jetta GLI
Volkswagen is known to offer a number of different variants within a model line – just look at the many different forms you can get the Golf. An affordable four-door Euro sedan that has a performance-oriented slant is the VW Jetta GLI. The souped-up hardware includes a 210 horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, sport suspension, and VW’s XDS cross-differential system that makes it absolutely invigorating to drive.
Hyundai Genesis
Right car, wrong brand. The Hyundai Genesis sedan is a beautiful machine worthy of the “luxury car” label, but it often loses to the image-conscious buyers who gravitate towards Lexus, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The 2015 Genesis sedan is newly refreshed with more standard features, modern technology, improved driving dynamics and a step up in power from the 420 horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine. We think the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is worth every dollar to those seeking a true premium luxury sedan without having to take a second mortgage on the house.
Nissan 370Z
The current generation 370Z has been around since 2009. In car years, that would make the sixth-generation Z eligible for the senior discount at Applebees. The in-car tech and cabin design may be far behind its competition, but the Z still delivers a rip-roaring good time on the road or at the track. What more could you ask from a true front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports coupe that still looks fearsome today?
