Autoweek's Best of the Best/Car finalists for 2014

Every year, hundreds of new cars and trucks pass through our fleet for evaluation, and we're always on the lookout for those dazzling few deserving more careful scrutiny for our top honors: The Autoweek Best of the Best. We strive to do our judging under the radar with as little manufacturer knowledge as possible. We test for the Best of the Best by checking drivetrain, ride quality, handling, exterior styling and the like. We also consider more hard-to-define aspects such as value -- and, of course, fun! Ambitious? Perhaps. But definitely worth the effort.

It's down to three cars and three trucks. The victors -- those with the most points once testing is done -- will be announced in the Dec. 23 issue of Autoweek magazine. For now, here are the finalists in the car category -- we'll get to know our truck finalists tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan: Smooth, savvy and full of technical wonders.

With the sixth-generation S-class launch, Mercedes-Benz moves its biggest sedan even more upscale, in part to fill the void left by the demise of the ultra-luxury Maybach brand. It's not the positioning that compelled our voters, though. Rather, the lengths to which Mercedes went to equip the car with cutting-edge features simply wowed us. And we're not talking just infotainment. Systems like Magic Body Control, rendering speed bumps virtually invisible, demonstrate how far technology that “reads” a car's environment has evolved. Combined with spectacular powertrain options (not only today's 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8, but forthcoming diesel and hybrid variants, too), all this tech results in the best S-class yet.

BASE PRICE: $93,825

DRIVETRAIN: 4.6-liter, 449-hp, 516-lb-ft twin-turbocharged V8; RWD, seven-speed automatic

FUEL ECONOMY (EPA CITY/HWY/COMBINED): 17/25/20 mpg

Chevrolet
The C7, with its 6.2-liter, 455-hp LT1 V8, sub-4.0-second 0-60-mph time, geometrically sculptured body and true sport seats.

It's not every day Chevrolet births a new Corvette. Heck, it's barely every decade. So the seventh-generation Vette's launch is a big deal. Still, if it wants to keep our attention, the goods must hold up to the hype. The C7, with its 6.2-liter, 455-hp LT1 V8, sub-4.0-second 0-60-mph time, geometrically sculptured body and true sport seats (finally!) -- plus the resurrection of the Stingray moniker -- had us rapt from the get-go. And its track chops do not disappoint: The Stingray exhibits exceptional balance and power delivery at what remains the best performance-car value in all sportscardom, making its place as a finalist a no-brainer.

BASE PRICE: $51,995

DRIVETRAIN: 6.2-liter,455-hp, 460-lb-ft V8; RWD seven-speed manual

FUEL ECONOMY (EPA CITY/HWY/COMBINED): 17/29/21 mpg

Jaguar
The F-Type’s best part has to be simply listening to the top-line engine: the 5.0-liter, 495-hp.

If this were a beauty contest, the Jaguar F-type would be the runaway winner. Throw in the car's delicious engine lineup, its luxuriously quiet interior and the marque's triumphant return to two-seat sports-car land, and we couldn't be happier to find the newest Cat on our list of finalists. It doesn't hurt that it's just about perfect as a backroad bomber. When's the last time you could say that about a Jag? The body exhibits only the barest amount of roll through corners, but the F-type's best part has to be simply listening to the top-line engine: the 5.0-liter, 495-hp supercharged V8. It doesn't so much growl as roar, from startup to full-bore, snap, crackle and popping its way up and down the revs, leaving you giggling

in sheer glee.

BASE PRICE: $69,895

DRIVETRAIN: 3.0-liter, 340-hp, 332-lb-ft supercharged V6; RWD, eight-speed automatic

FUEL ECONOMY (EPA CITY/HWY/COMBINED): 20/28/23 mpg

By Autoweek Editors