It is that time again for Car and Driver’s 10Best car awards. I know, I know why are we reporting on the competition. Well, as happens with great awards, they stick in the industry and become coveted by the participators in the industry. The 10Best is definitely one of those awards for the auto industry and we have the list of small cars that made the cut for 2011.

Before we reveal the winners, we feel it is important to set the stage for the intentions of the 10Best awards. According to Car and Driver, the 10Best awards aren’t about the perfect car—as we know perfection in a car is hard or perhaps impossible to obtain. The award is really about the “best” car your money can by, for less than $80,000, and fulfills their mission. A mission that C&D says is to, “they all make you feel smart; and they all practically grab you by the lapels and pull you in for a drive.” To take it a step further, these are cars that continually evolve over time and try to achieve the impossible—perfection.

The small car winners for 2011: BMW 3-series/M3, Cadillac CTS-V (coupe included), Chevrolet Volt, Ford Mustang GT, Honda Fit, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Porsche Boxter and Cayman, Volkswagen Golf/GTI.

Some notable achievements: The BMW 3-series/M3 has been named a 10Best for 20 consecutive years, the Ford Mustang GT is was called by C&D “perhaps the most gratifying Ford ever made,” the Honda Fit is a five time 10Best winner and CTS-V wins the award while the regular CTS doesn’t to say “yes to psychedelic power, yes to organ-shifting g-forces, yes to the great, mind-expanding duality of Cadillacs that make the 0-to-60 sprint about as fast as a Ferrari 599.”

Interestingly enough, the 10Best list contains a lot of cars in common to the Kelly Blue Book Best Resale Value awards.

 

[Source: Car and Driver