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Car and Driver 10Best list cracked by Tesla Model S, BMW 3 Series left off

Car and Driver is keeping new blood pumping into its annual 10Best cars list with three new entries making it on for 2015 and a perennial favorite falling off. Among the biggest shocks this year is that the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series are no longer named, despite years of some portion of that lineup earning a mention. In another surprise, the Tesla Model S (specifically in S 60 trim to fit under the $80,000 cost cap) makes it to the 2015 roster and is the only electrically motivated member of the group. Despite the loss of the 3 Series, BMW isn't entirely shut out this year, because the M235i gets its name on the list. Car and Driver argues that the little coupe feels like a welcome throwback to the E46 chassis M3 of the early 2000s. In addition to the Model S, the final newbie to the annual group is the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. The inclusion of these new members knocks the Audi A6/A7 family and Ford Fiesta ST out from the 2014 rundown. The other seven models carry over from last year, including the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Honda Accord, Mazda3, Mazda6, Porsche Boxster/Cayman and Volkswagen Golf/GTI. The 2015 10Best cars list certainly seems to have something for everyone from the hot hatch fan to the family man and even the green car driver, thanks to the addition of the Tesla. Head over to Car and Driver to read its detailed explanations for each vehicle's inclusion, but if you've got a difference of opinion or just really like the list, let us know in Comments. Featured Gallery Car and Driver 2015 10Best Cars List View 10 Photos News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Car and Driver, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, Tesla, Volkswagen Auto News BMW Cadillac Chevrolet Ford Honda Mazda Porsche Tesla Volkswagen Convertible Coupe Hatchback Performance Sedan 10Best

We drive Honda's turbo/manual Civic prototype (briefly)

You could almost hear it. There was a furor. And it all had to do with a transmission. On September 16, Honda showed the all-new, tenth-generation Civic. Fitted with a turbocharged engine for the first time, enthusiasts were excited. Until they realized the new 1.5-liter Earth Dreams four-cylinder turbo would only be offered with a continuously variable transmission, something that elicits a passionate, all-consuming, and utterly unquenchable hatred among (most) enthusiasts. Honda was listening. On the recent Civic Coupe launch, the company confirmed to us that a manual transmission will soon be offered on turbocharged Civics, regardless of body style. And then we drove a prototype. Now, let's be very clear, the car we drove was an early test vehicle. It was camouflaged, cobbled together – it was born with a turbo and an automatic before Honda's engineers got their hands on it – and to cap it all off, we got approximately five minutes of seat time. We couldn't even shoot the darn thing, which is why you're looking at one really bad iPhone picture up top. But five minutes is better than nothing at all, right? View 40 Photos The 1.5T and six-speed manual are a natural fit, simply because they're both already so good on their own. Our immediate impression is that even though this is an early development vehicle, fitting the 1.5-liter turbo with a manual transmission is a natural pairing. This is largely because the engine and transmission are so good on their own. We've raved about the turbocharged four-cylinder and its ultra-broad torque peak before – all 162 pound-feet of torque are on tap between 1,700 and 5,500 rpm – but the six-speed stick is no slouch either. Normally paired with the 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder, the clutch's action is light and springy, and finding the catch point is easy. And the shift lever, in typical Honda fashion, has a smooth, enjoyable action and easy-to-access gates. Putting the turbo and manual together doesn't transform a normal Civic into an Si or Type R, but it automatically (sorry) makes for a more engaging and entertaining compact sedan. Because of the broad torque curve, more speed is just a single-gear downshift away. And that downshift is downright easy to kick out, too. Simply put, the turbocharged engine feels more urgent and eager, especially off the line, with the manual.

Bisimoto's 911 and Honda Odyssey each pack 1,000 hp

There aren't a lot of vehicles on the road that pack a thousand horsepower. The Bugatti Veyron and McLaren P1 are in rare company, but there have been a handful of aftermarket tuners that have managed to extract that much power out of lesser vehicles. Bisimoto is responsible for more than its fair share, so Matt Farah and the team at Drive stopped by the workshop in Southern California to check out the craftsmanship for the latest episode of Tuned. What they found is two vehicles with that astronomical four-figure output that otherwise couldn't be more different from each other. First up is the vintage, stripped-out 911 that company founder Bisi Ezerioha built for himself. It's based on a 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera with a widebody kit and a pair of turbochargers hanging off the back. The result is that thousand-horsepower output and, as Farah found out, one of the scariest, hairiest, and squirliest automobiles ever devised. As if that weren't enough, there's a thousand-horsepower minivan on the docket, too. This one is based on a Honda Odyssey, rebuilt on an air suspension and a six-speed manual gearbox conversion out of an Acura TL. And of course the engine's been tuned to deliver that headline output figure. Honda and Bisimoto showcased the vehicle at the SEMA show a couple of years ago, where Farah says he didn't think it could possibly hold together. But as he discovered in the video above, it actually does, and accelerates with tenacity... and plenty of room for the kids.