Ok, so I have come up with some Top 11 lists that I’ll be posting over the next couple weeks as we careen towards 2015 and a fresh slate of fun in the new year. One of the things I got to do a lot of in 2014 was to drive new cars. Some of these were weird, some were cool, some were fast, and some were total junk. Some of these lists will highlight those aspects of the cars and to get things rolling on a happy note, I am going to give you the first list with the theme being the Top 11 “fun” cars I was able to spend time with in 2014. I am not going to put them in a specific order and the ones which we chose to review here on BangShift in long form will be linked. Many of the others did not end up on our electronic pages for one reason or another but you can consider these tiny “pocket” reviews of the cars on the list.

My automotive tastes span pretty wide and driving a great variety of cars in 2014 really helped to both expand my appreciation for different cars and lock in some existing hatred I had for others. I am reasonably sure that if I was able to formulate a worst rental car list it would be an epic collection of stained seated junk piles that sapped my soul every time I landed on the gas. One thing I will make sure I do in 2015 is to document every rental car I get through the traveling season, which is basically January to December. That may provide some entertainment, especially if there is “testing” involved. That may also preclude me from ever having another rental car, but who’s counting.

On this list of the 11 most fun cars I was able to spend time with in 2014 there are big dollar rides, a couple of cheapies, some domestic, some Japanese, some German, and some companies that are tough to classify exactly where they are from. The list is in no particular order. I am not ranking these against one another just against the sea of cars I cruised in 2014. With that in mind, head on down the page to see what I thought of this stuff. Lastly, if you dig the new car review stuff let us know in the comments. There are times we make the call on doing a review by whether we think you’ll care about the car. Should we have reviewed all of these?

Here’s the Top 11 most fun cars I got to screw around with in 2014….IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

11.) 2014 Jaguar XF – AWD, blown V6 engine – 

This was the first Jaguar I had ever driven and I really enjoyed my time with the car. The AWD system worked like a boss during a snow storm we had and on dry pavement, the 340hp provided by the supercharged V6 was great, especially when coupled to the eight speed automatic that kept the engine in the meaty part of the power all the time. The interior of the thing was nice enough that we felt bad touching the various knobs and buttons that rose out of the center console after starting it. The styling was sweet, it drove like a dream, and this one easily made the list.

10.) 2015 Subaru WRX STi – 305hp, AWD, six speed manual transmission

This is one hell of a car and I said as much in the FULL REVIEW WE DID earlier this year. Nutting and I took the car to its natural environment, which was a dirt road and had some fun playing with all of the various suspension, differential, and driver settings that this car gives the operator control out of. The sound of the boxer engine never got old, the raucous power and snappy torque of the mill was fun to find, and while it did ride like a dump truck in some situations, it was a car that gave me a ton of confidence in all situations…especially in the dirt. My kids were gaga over this thing and while a six and eight year old love a big wing on stuff, we would probably delete that sucker upon delivery. This is as close to a hardcore muscle car that is actually built today. It is not a million bucks, it can outrun more expensive stuff, and it literally begs you to be driven hard.

9.) 2014 Audi A3 quattro – 1.8L turbo four – six speed automatic 

I had this compact Audi for my drive two and from the NHRA event at Englishtown, New Jersey. The car was super fun to drive because it was very much optioned and equipped to be a “driver’s” car. The engine was a very sprightly 1.8L turbo four banger that produced nice power and the six speed auto laid it down smoothly and the suspension is an awesome balance of long drive comfort and precise off-ramp slaying fun. Everyone who rode in this car was shocked at the guts it had as far as acceleration and the stability/confidence it had in the corners. The only downside was a tire blowout I suffered on the way home after hitting a pothole on the highway. Interior room is on the tight side for four adults but this small sport sedan is a fun machine to spend some hours in.

8.) 2014 Mazda Miata – four banger, automatic 

This was the tale of a couple of cities here. The first was a tinge of disappointment that the car came to me with an automatic transmission. Who does that? The transmission was fine but this car needs to have a stick in it unless you have some malady that does not allow you to physically operate it. C’amon, the most popular modern sports car known to Earth shouldn’t even be offered with an automatic, right? Anyway, moving along, I had this car during the time I announced an NHRA divisional at New England Dragway and I was pretty shocked at the positive response this little car got from the drag racing crowd. Nicely appointed with a leather interior and whatever “luxury” options the Miata is available with this car was comfy, if not tiny car. The magic is in the suspension of course which allows just enough lean and roll to keep the traditional sports car feel while still allowing you to shock yourself with how quickly you are hustling it around. The automatic could be “manually” shifted but it was not nearly as cool as it would have been with a stick. I still loved this little car and even enjoyed the looks by the time I handed it back in. They aren’t the manliest things but they sure are entertaining.

7.) Scion FR-S – 2.0L four cylinder, two seater, RWD, 200hp 

If the Miata is supposed to bridge the gap between an old timey sports car and a modern machine than the Scion FR-S is the way ahead into the future. This thing is the most engaging scalpel of a car I have ever driven. It makes 200hp and sadly this one was also equipped with an automatic but the story here has nothing to do with straight lines. The car responds to steering inputs like nothing I have ever driven. There’s almost a level of telepathy to it because as soon as you are thinking about doing something the car is doing it. Weighing less than 3,000lbs, it is not embarrassingly sluggish in a straight line but again, no one buys these for stoplight supremacy. I had NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart muttering obscenities as we were entering and exiting the highway while driving this car around during the NHRA national event at New England Dragway. How good is this car to drive? For a whole week I never turned on the radio just so I could be completely immersed in the driving experience. Do want.

6.) 2015 Ford Fiesta SFE – three cylinder 1.0L Ecoboost, five speed manual, shockingly fun

Make no mistake, this car is not intended to be a “fun” car, a sports car, or something designed to appeal to the hot roddy crowd out there. That being said, the five speed manual transmission hooked to an engine that measures out to about 60ci and makes more than 120hp is hilarious. It will actually get a touch of rubber in second gear (on dry pavement) which I learned during scientific testing. The sound of the engine is strange with only three holes making the noise but the performance (in the context of what the car is) will open your eyes. It rolls on very narrow and hard rubber so hard cornering is a combo of push and then some oversteer if you lift at the right time. This car was a very basic model with few amenities and the whole time I was thinking how great it would be to race one of these in SCCA IT competition or some sort of three cylinder challenge class. I’m weird but this was super fun.

5.) 2014 Jaguar F-type S – 380hp, 8-speed automatic, styling for the ages

Sweet mother of mercy this car was spectacular. The exhaust note (with the electronic cutouts open) is a screaming noise that can be heard for miles seemingly and it never gets old. The 380hp supercharged V6 that lived a totally different life in the XF and other models is a beastly thing in this car. The eight speed transmission is the best DSG transmission we have ever driven and you have full and complete manual control over it. Operating it through the paddles is like having a stick box minus the clutch and handle. It BRAPS and pops when upshifting and downshifting like nothing we have ever heard before. The car hauls buckets of ass. It seriously moves and this is the 380hp model, not the 500hp available with the V8. Handling is spectacular and the comfort level of the car is very high as well. I drove this one to PA for the NHRA Maple Grove event and back, loving every turn of the tires. The truck is comically small, the price was literally a shade below $100,000 and the styling was enough to stop people in their tracks to stare at it. This one made me cry when Jag took it back. An overwhelmingly cool machine.

4.) BMW 428I Gran Coupe – 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder, M-sport suspenson

I have no idea why they use the word coupe in the description of a four door car, so don’t ask me about that. This was a fun sedan because it was on the larger side but powered by a small engine and on paper it looked like this thing may be kind of a slug. I was really wrong about that and while the performance was not something that took my breath away, there was more than enough power to hustle this car down the road. As is always the case with BMW, the suspension (especially with all of the driver settings in the right “sport” modes) was taught and fun. Never once did I feel like I was in over my head with this car, even when really pushing it. There’s something to be said for good old RWD in many situations and when you are stepping the tail of a car out, there’s familiar feeling when the rear tires are the only ones trying to hook. 240hp through the eight speed felt like more and acted like more as well. The 3,600 curb weight takes this one out of the flyweight class but it is still lighter than some modern “pony cars” with tons more room in the back.

3.) 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible – LT1, 400+ hp, 8-speed automatic transmission

If I could pick one car to keep out of the dozens I was able to drive in 2014 it would be this one. I literally cannot imagine how awesome the new Z06 is after doing lots of “spirited driving” in this 2014 Stingray. While this car was certainly better equipped to be a luxury cruiser rather than a track car, it was still the most impressive vehicle that I spent time in through the year. From next snapping straight ahead power to grip that lasted long after my intestinal fortitude did in corners, there’s no denying that this is an absolutely world class car that delivers an experience people will be talking about for a long time. Lots of people like to go for rides when I get this stuff but my phone exploded when word leaked that I was rolling in a C7. It is an American icon and rightfully so. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

2.) 2015 Mercedes GLA45 AMG – 2.0L turbo four 355hp, full AMG treatment

Here’s a car I was embarrassed to admit that I did not know existed before climbing behind the wheel. Think of this as the AMG version of a Subaru WRX because it is a lot like it. The AWD hatch, tuned up by AMG is super hilarious. 355hp doesn’t seem like a ton but when you understand that this thing will get to 60 mph from a dead stop your attitude may change. The launch control provided some of the longest and loudest laughs I have shared with my sons ever. It is violent and angry and it pins you back in the seat like a fighter jet. AWD and traction on dry pavement cannot be beat for fun times. This car had a great exhaust note and a transmission that rivaled only the Jaguar’s for my favorite of the year. It sounded like a little racer when I was making full throttle acceleration runs or down shifting into the corners with the paddles. Having never heard of this thing before driving it, we were amazed at how many people stopped to check it out on the street or asked questions about it. An absolutely riotous car.

1.) 2014 Bentley Continental GT V8 S — 500+ hp, AWD, 5,000lb curb weight, an incomparable experience

Intentionally or not, the Bentley lands in the number one spot. I know I said “no particular order” above but let’s be honest here. This is a car that Craig Fitzgerald and I drove to Maine last week for a story you will read tomorrow. It weighs, 5,000lbs, it has 521hp out of an absolutely roaring 4.0L twin turbo V8, it has doors that weigh as much as a bank vault’s, glass thick enough to seal out virtually all noise, style that I am kind of in love with, and a spirit around it that just begs you to suck up the miles. This car costs more than a quarter million dollars. I can’t afford the oil change bill. It is easily the most memorable car of 2014 for me and not because of the price or because of the attention it gathers but because it provides such an experience. When you are in that car you are in a different era where materials were not “simulated”, where craftsmen built everything, and where traveling in style was an art in and of itself. I did my best to soak up everything I could in that Bentley because I don’t know if I will ever have the chance to drive another one. The grace, style, and power that the car has all blend together to give you this stately package that is unlike anything else I have ever been in or around before. Calling the car a gentleman’s hot rod is selling it somewhat short and too contrite so I am not sure what to label it other than something completely unique and awesome in the intended sense of the word. I first sat in it and just said, “wow” about 10 times to myself.