2020 Toyota Supra: Meet the competition

Genesis has built a car that stands on its own four wheels, with stunning sheetmetal that grabs attention and a stonking 365-hp twin-turbo V6 that provides effortless gobs of power. With all- or rear-wheel drive and a standard 8-speed auto, it’s dynamically capable. The soft, buttery quilted leather and high-quality materials help set the mood. It’s not just a great value at this price point, it’s a great driver’s car in its own right.

The purist choice. You’re paying the most for the least, and Caterham fans like it exactly that way. The Caterham Seven has evolved continually since the company took over from Lotus. It’s tough to think of a more visceral, raw experience for the money. It’ll make anything else on this list seem distant, disconnected, and massively overweight. The 480 has 237 hp and will crest 62 mph in 3.4 seconds.

There’s a new CLA 45 on the way, but the existing CLA 45 still has enough attitude and performance to make a splash. It’s kind of Mercedes’ bad boy, a front-drive-based screamer with a 355-horsepower turbo inline-four that scoots to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. It’s loud, manic, and extremely turbocharged.

The C7 is getting on in years, but even all the C8 midengined ‘Vette buzz shouldn’t take the shine off its brilliance. This is a world-class sports car, offering an unbeatable combination of raw power and cornering prowess for this price point. Remember, the LT1 makes 460 hp, and there’s an honest-to-goodness manual transmission. The sky’s the limit from the base car, but you can’t really go wrong with any C7.

Compact and shapely, it’s an Audi fan’s dream: 400 hp from a funky five-cylinder engine stuffed into the company’s smallest sedan. With all-wheel grip, it’s properly quick. Sixty mph comes in just 3.9 seconds.

The flat-sixes are gone, replaced with a pair of turbocharged flat-fours that are competent but perhaps not as rewarding. But the car’s still a jewel, a lithe, approachable, and relatively affordable entrée into the Porsche world. Perhaps more important than the cylinder count are other improvements that make it more rewarding to drive –- the manual’s new dual-mass flywheel, the looser stability control reins in Sport mode, the quicker steering rack. It’s a great driver’s car.

This is a tough point of comparison with the Supra and Z4, since it’s a BMW stablemate that makes more power and is one of company’s most compelling products right now at any price. Its turbocharged inline-six makes 405 horsepower thanks to updates for the 2019 model year, it’ll do 60 mph in about the same time as the Supra, and features a lot of the same hard- and software. Plus it has a pair of small rear seats for small humans or compact dogs.

Despite being a few hundred over our self-imposed $60k limit thanks to a massive destination charge, we’re squeezing the Challenger Hellcat in. Its 707 hp supercharged Hemi is simply unapproachable at this price point. There’s nothing more overwhelming you can buy for this much money – and nothing that produces more laughs.

The ultimate driver’s Mustang is one of the most distinctive muscle cars ever sold. There’s the howling Voodoo engine, a V8 with a flat-plane crank that revs to 8,250 rpm and belts out 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. The GT500 is a bigger monster, but the GT350 is almost assuredly the better car on track. It’s a screamer.

It’s not a natural fit in historically torque-mad Jaguar, but the 2.0T in the base F-Type has its charms. What’s more, it has major street presence, because after all these years the F-Type is still a breathtakingly pretty car. The automatic is happiest shifting by itself, and keep your speed up for maximum enjoyment.