Repair-It

We made some tough decisions, and although I think we cut correctly, we left some cars behind. In the days after the McLaren 570S’ win of our 2016 Best Driver’s Car, we discussed how to get the leftovers together for a separate shootout.

Fast-forward a few months, and we found ourselves doing what we love most: pushing great cars as hard as we can on the best roads we can find. We also called upon the services of our race car–driving buddy, Randy Pobst, to set lap times at the Streets of Willow circuit.

Meet what we have dubbed the Leftovers: the BMW M2, the Chevrolet Camaro 1LE, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, the Ford Focus RS, the Porsche 718 Boxster S, and the Toyota 86. Let’s be clear. These aren’t minor leaguers. They have serious performance chops. And unlike the six-figure price tags affixed to most of the BDC field, most of them have a family-friendly entry fee.

The competitive set’s excellence became clear after our testing when the first round of initial voting resulted in a four-way tie for first place—and no consistent voting pattern for the silver and bronze, either. Three days of nonstop arguing resulted in our photo finish for first through fourth place. The fifth place car was but a hair behind. It was so close that each vehicle deserved a rebuttal from a dissenting judge.

With all this grip and an engine that just won’t quit, why didn’t the Focus RS finish higher? As much as I’d like to blame a West Coast conspiracy, the truth is the Focus RS rides worse than a dump truck. Its steering lacks the purity and play of the rest of our group.

It’s not a real driver’s car, but the Focus RS is a tremendous performance car and an easy choice for those where weather is a real concern

The last time I endured a suspension this harsh in so many environments was a Porsche 996 GT3 RS, but that was forgivable because #racecar. In the softer settings, the RS’ constant vertical upheavals dominate the driving experience so much that it’s hard to focus on what’s good in the RS.

The all-conquering Focus RS is only 0.11 second quicker around the track than the fourth-gen Subaru WRX STI. There’s a single way to get a car like this right, and there are so many ways to get it wrong. I can’t blame Ford for trying. I’m glad it did. It’s been such a long wait for this forbidden Euro fruit, but after tasting it, I think I’ll pass on my next slice, thank you.

Cars in this test that could easily keep up with the BMW M2 on a winding canyon road include the Toyota 86, the Fiat Spider, and the V-6 Camaro. The car that can leave it for dead: the 718 Boxster. Ask me how I know.

I was a little shocked because around town the M2 feels fantastic. But when you push it hard or compare it to other cars, you realize it isn’t as great as you’d hoped.

The biggest culprit is the steering. It’s just … dead. There’s no feel whatsoever.

The first thing you need to know about the Camaro 1LE V-6 is that the front end never gives up. Go ahead. Try to force this car to understeer. I’ll wait. The steering itself is also exemplary, especially in Comfort mode, where the adjustable weighting seems to be just about right. What’s nice is that you can decouple the steering from the chassis mode. Sport or Track modes are a must for fancy driving, as the stability control is too intrusive if you just leave it in Comfort. The car is such a great handler that you can turn the nannies off with a high degree of confidence.

13.6 sec @ 99.3 mph

Not once in 30 miles of tight, twisty road could he, in the 365-hp M2, pull away from me in the 164-hp Fiat. This isn’t because Evans isn’t a fast driver (he is), because the BMW isn’t quicker (it is), or because it doesn’t handle better (it does.) The Fiat kept up with a much more capable car because it earns its driver’s trust. That meant I could turn off its overly intrusive stability control and throw it into every corner without fear.