We all dream of owning some sort of fun driving machine at least once in our life. For some, their nanna's old beat-up Civic hatch is enough, but others want an affordable car that makes everyone's heads turn or a set of thrilling sports cars. That said, sometimes it's difficult to make a decision, especially considering the high saturation of different vehicles the market offers us nowadays.So, to highlight some of our favorite 2022 sports cars, and keep you up to date with the best the automotive world has to offer, we created this list. So, let's start talking about some uber-cool sports cars, shall we?
10 Nissan Z
The new Nissan Z is a legend revived. After the Nissan 370Z's discontinuation, Nissan left us with a dry spot in their lineup. Thankfully, they didn't hesitate with the new Z car's reveal, and it almost lives up to the hype.
The new Z features a 400-hp 3.0-liter V6 that sends all of its power to the rear wheels. Not only is it one of the best V6 engines ever, but since the Z's powertrain mates to a 6-speed manual gearbox, it's one of the very few manual sports cars left in the world. If the Nissan Z still doesn't live up to your standards, we'd highly recommend picking up a used Nissan GT-R R35 in 2023.
9 Lexus LC 500
The Lexus LC 500 is nowhere near as visceral as some of the other cars we have on our list, but it still stands out above the rest in its own way. See, the LC 500 is an excellent high-speed cruiser.
Underneath its hood lays a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 that churns out nearly 500 hp. That's enough to send this Japanese-built land yacht from 0 to 60 mph in around 4.5 seconds. Not the quickest car by any means, but it's one of the most gorgeous vehicles we've ever witnessed.
8 Toyota GR Supra
Supra this, Supra that. People grew tired of hearing about the barely innovative Toyota GR Supra. It still appoints a 382-hp BMW-sourced 3.0-liter inline-six as its weapon of choice, but this year Toyota spiced things up...
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With the release of the new Z, Toyota came to the epiphany that their golden child's sales will go down since they have no manual transmission available. So what did they do? They quickly conjured up a six-speed manual stick shift and threw it in with the Supra. A true recipe for success.
7 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06
The new ultimate version of the C8 Corvette, the Z06, is the hottest talk of the town nowadays. Although the C8 broke traditions by throwing the V8 engine behind the driver's head, the Z06 version went ahead and completely reengineered the engine.
The Z06 Corvette sports a stellar-sounding, naturally-aspirated flat-plane crank 5.5-liter V8 with 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. In turn, this is enough to zoom the Z06 from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds... To think, it still costs less than $110,000.
6 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS
There is an endless debate surrounding the family feud between the 911 GT3 and the Cayman GT4 RS. Which is better? See, we'd say this is an unfair comparison. It's almost like comparing Darth Vader to Micheal Myers. Both characters are evil in their own right.
For us, what made the Cayman GT4 RS stand out from the rest of the crowd is its GT3-sourced engine. Unlike the 911 GT3, the Cayman's engine sits in the center of its body, therefore allowing for more intense sounds. Apart from its symphonic intake noise, the 4.0-liter flat-six generates an adequate 493 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque.
5 Maserati MC20
In the last few years, Maserati's reputation as an exotic carmaker descended into one that crafts unreliable vehicles. That said, the MC20 is the breath of fresh air Maserati, and the enthusiast crowd needed so desperately.
Even though it ditched its naturally-aspirated V8 for a 621-hp twin-turbocharged V6, it remains as vigilant and scary as everything that came before it. 0-60 mph in the Maserati MC20 happens in just 3.2 seconds, and its supercar-like stiff suspension setup proves it's here to mean business.
4 Lotus Emira
Lotus never disappoints, but with the Emira being their largest "small" sports car, skepticism grew rather quickly. However, we had some time behind the wheel of it, and hands-on experience with both its 360-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and 400-hp supercharged 3.5-liter V6.
We can confirm, the Lotus Emira doesn't disappoint in any way. Think of the Lotus Emira as a sophisticated hooligan, not a grown-up child.
3 BMW M4 CSL
BMW threw such an absurd amount of limited-edition sports cars our way this year, it's hard to keep up. But if we had to pick our vile of Bavarian poison, it would be this, the BMW M4 CSL.
The M4 CSL appoints a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six under its hood with 543 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. As a result, the M4 CSL is not only the most powerful production inline-six-powered BMW to exist, but also one of the fastest with a top speed of 191 mph.
2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Just a few months ago Porsche unveiled the brand new 992-generation 911 GT3 RS, and it's a piece of automotive brilliance. The combination of its 518-hp naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six and intricate aerodynamic components allow it to be the most track-ready Porsche yet.
We know the GT3 RS remains to reach customers' hands, but we can't help, but put it on our list. Second on our list, that is.
1 Toyota GR86
We know, we might not all unanimously agree whether the Toyota GR86 is the best sports car of the year. But the amount of fun you're receiving for your money is uncanny. After all, you can buy a brand-new Toyota GR86 for less than $30,000.
Powering the little rear-wheel-drive Japanese coupe is a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. While its 6.1-second 0-60 time might not seem lightning-quick, it's certainly a step up over the previous generation Toyota 86. And how can we forget the icing on the cake? The new Toyota GR86 still comes offered with a 6-speed manual transmission.Sources: caranddriver.com