AutoExpress has a list with their selection of The Top 20 Drives of 2006.
There are photos of the cars, videos and even downloadable ringtones of their engines!

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/n....html

Here are the laptimes they acheived from best to worse:


1. Caterham CSR 260 1:33.34 secs

2. Gallardo 1:37.25 secs

3. 997 Turbo 1:37.7 secs

4. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX FQ-360 1:39 secs

5. Lotus Exige S 1:39.1 secs

6. BMW Z4 M coupe 1:40.7 secs

7. Caymen S 1:41.4 secs

8. RS4 1:41.8 secs

9. 335Ci 1:42.9 secs

10. Mazda 6 MPS 1:44.85 secs

11. Jaguar XKR 1:45.0 secs

12. Mercedes CLK63 AMG 1:45.3secs

13. Mini Cooper S Works GP 1:45.7 secs

14. Renaultsport Clio 197 1:46.7 secs

15. Ford Focus ST-2 1:47.3 secs

16. Volkswagen Golf GTI 1:47.55 secs

17. Mazda MX-5 2.0 1:47.7 secs

18. Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 Q4 1:48.1 secs

Note: the TT and Brooke 260 Double R didnt have lap times for some reason......

The final rankings

1. Porsche Cayman S
2. Renaultsport Clio 197
3. Lamborghini Gallardo
4. Mazda MX-5 2.0
5. Audi RS4 Saloon
6. BMW 335Ci
7. Porsche 911 Turbo
8. Ford Focus ST-2
9. Volkswagen Golf GTI
10. Caterham CSR 260 Superlight
12. Mini Cooper S Works GP
17. Brooke 260 Double R
18. BMW M Coupe
19. Mercedes CLK63 AMG
20. Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 Q4

Awesome! Love that RenaultSport Clio 197, and to see it better cars ranging from the Exige S to the 911 Turbo just says so much about how good that car is. Can't wait to see it in Australia.

Dissapointed at how slow the CLK63 lap time is, especially compared to RS4 and 335. And I thought the AMG improved the handling with the 63 cars - guess not!

They did.

But then again, how many CLK AMG owners take their car to the track to seriously compete against other cars? Not many.

In fact, most CLK AMG owners who take their car to the track do so for enjoyment purposes - for the fun of it. One of the salesman at the local MB dealership who used to work for Ferrari told me this, as he was involved with these cars on the track and got to meet plenty of AMG owners.

Another fact: most of the cars who finished above the CLK in this test are smaller and lighter. They make the CLK look overweight. And the CLK by itself isn't exactly a light car.

It remains an excellent cruiser though that's quite capable of being driven in a sporty manor.

I bet there will be more people taking a CLK63 to a track than a 335i.

AMG's philosophy is as follows:

To offer a sportier Mercedes with traditional Mercedes qualities.

This means that the car is still biased towards comfort and cruising. Newer AMG's have gotten sportier and better in driving dynamics, but they're still biased towards comfort despite what many people might think.

If AMG were truly interested in offering a true sports sedan, the first thing they'd do is offer a manual. But since they don't, and combining this with their philosophy shows you what they aim at producing. Sporty Mercedes that are practical for everyday driving and can still be used on the track for pleasure.

sorry Caw but not every buyer of AMG buy a AMG's becuase of philosophy

Could be but the 335i beststed the CLK 63 on SportAuto's Hockenheim tests too.
335i bested in one test or another the C55, CLK63, S4, M3.
335i

But why is the Z4 M so low on the list, if its time was that good ?!