Every decade has its fair share of good cars. Some were just good, some were not so good, and some were downright legendary. They can be found in just about any era, but by far one of the best decades for cars in history was the 2000s.
Anything from the last of the naturally aspirated breed of engines, to the last cars of their kind, the 2000s featured all sorts of awesome motors from most areas of the world, but Europe has an especially illustrious catalog of great cars from this era. Here are the 10 best cars of the 2000s.
10 BMW M5 E60
Widely regarded as the best generation of BMW's legendary high-performance sedan, the E60 M5 came along in 2005, and it made headlines everywhere due to its engine; a 5.0 liter, naturally-aspirated V10.
The V10 in the M5 was specifically designed for it, and it didn't share a single component with any other BMW engine... for good and bad. Despite a terrible reliability record, the 500 hp super sedan could shame some serious sports cars of the time, and it sounds great too.
9 Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport
One day, Renault's performance department, Renault Sport went totally insane and decided to take the tiny Clio subcompact, stick a V6 engine in the trunk, and make it RWD.
Though this wasn't Nissan's VQ engine like later V6-equipped Renault models had, the 2.9-liter in this made 252 hp and could accelerate to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds, and it would go on to 153 mph, and it had great handling to boot. Thanks to its rarity, they are now very expensive, but they're certainly an interesting piece of Renault history.
8 Volkswagen Golf GTI
First launched in 2005, a year after the MkV Golf, the GTI was the fifth generation of the original hot hatchback. The Golf GTI has often been considered by most people to be the best hot hatchback out there, not necessarily due to its performance, but rather how well-rounded it is.
Even though it has 200 hp and could do 146 mph, it is still a Golf. It was simply a Golf with more thrust, and that's why everyone loved it so much.
7 Volvo V70 R
The Volvo V70 R was similar to the Golf GTI, in the sense that it was a practical station wagon with tons of space and safety. It's just that it also happened to have 300 hp.
It was powered by Volvo's legendary 5-cylinder engine, which sounded good and pulled really well, even though the V70 is a huge car. Though they are very uncommon nowadays, they are almost certain to rise in value in the coming years, due to their sleeper status and the 5-cylinder engine being an endangered species.
6 Audi R8
The original R8 was a gamble for Audi, as they had never made a mid-engined sports car before. However, it was all worth it, because the R8 gave some serious sports cars of the era a run for their money.
Though the later V10-powered model was the preferred choice, the earlier V8 had its own unique charisma and personality. Not to mention, 420 hp and 4.2 seconds to 60. It was also available with a glorious, 6-speed manual transmission with a gated shifter, and it certainly looked the part too.
5 Lamborghini Murcielago
The fourth model in Lamborghini's long-running V12 lineage, the Murcielago was around throughout the 2000s, beginning with the original in 2001, and going all the way to the bonkers LP670-4 SV in 2009, before the Aventador launched in 2011.
The Murcielago is well-known for having one of the best sounding V12 engines in history, and it was also available with a 6-speed manual transmission, though the E-Gear semi-automatic models were a lot more common. Combine all of that with the gorgeous Bertone-styled body and excellent dynamics, and the Murcielago was definitely a winner for Lambo.
4 BMW M3 E92
To this day, the E92 M3 is the only M3 in history to be powered by a V8 engine. It was a 4.0-liter with 414 hp which allowed acceleration from 0-60 in around 4.5 seconds. It was also available with a 6-speed manual transmission, and it was one of the best handling cars of its day.
It's extremely unlikely that we'll ever see another M3 with V8 power, much less N/A V8 power but there for a while, with the E92, the M3 lineup went against its own straight-6 formula, and it dominated the sports sedan market the world over.
3 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The SLR was a collaboration between Benz and McLaren, and the fruit that spawned from that fusion was definitely a good one.
This was one of the best supercars of its day, and even though it was very steeply priced, it looked fantastic and it had mind-blowing performance, especially for the time. Not to mention, one of the most daring but timeless designs of all time; fender exhausts, dihedral doors, but still unmistakably a Mercedes.
2 Lotus Exige
Because the Elise wasn't hardcore enough... right? Based on the second-generation Elise, the Corolla-sourced four-banger in the back developed 190 hp, which was bumped up to 218 with the supercharged Exige S.
Despite not making all that much power on paper, the Exige was extremely lightweight, and combined with Lotus' handling know-how, it could shame some much more expensive and powerful cars. And as Top Gear showed us, even some helicopters.
1 Porsche Carrera GT
It's an obvious one. The Carrera GT is not only regarded as one of the best supercars of the 2000s, but also one of the best cars, in general. Ever.
Powered by a 5.7-liter V10 engine with 612 hp, the Carrera GT sounded absolutely incredible and it was a beautiful car on the outside too. The main reason why it's regarded as one of the best is due to how much the driver has to work to get the best out of it. It was the last ever analog supercar, and that's why the Carrera GT is now in the supercar history books.
Every decade had its automotive highlights, but the 2000s definitely saw some of the very best. Though there were tons and tons of great cars that came out in the era, these are just a few of the very best. These also feature various different things that are slowly dying out in the automotive industry, and some that have died out altogether. One thing's for sure, we'll miss all of those things.