Yahoo Autos Most surprising cars of 2021
Sometimes, the car industry can get predictable. Mazda Miatas are always a blast. Stellantis keeps stuffing big V8s in things. The Ford F-150 sells several squintillion units. So we're always excited when a car turns out to beat our expectations and genuinely surprise us. We've gathered together the cars we drove this year that caught us off guard in a good way.
2021 Karma GS-6
News Editor Joel Stocksdale: Until this year, I had never driven any form of the Karma GS-6, whether it was one of the originals when it was still called the Fisker Karma or just an earlier Karma model. And I was a bit worried, since reviews of the Fisker version weren't great. So I was ecstatic when I took the latest GS-6 for a spin, and found not only to be good, but actually great. It's really quick thanks to its dual electric motors making 536 horsepower. The BMW turbo three-cylinder is well-isolated so it's unobtrusive for most of the time you're driving. The suspension tuning is remarkable, delivering fun, flat cornering while also being shockingly comfortable. And of course, it's so incredibly cool looking.
That's not just me talking, either, as I got multiple compliments from friends and strangers on the car. Plus, it's relatively affordable. I was tempted to put this down as my favorite car of the year, but my actual favorite is even more fun to drive, plus it's cheaper. Now if I was actually spending my own money one of the two, I'd ... have to keep thinking a bit more.
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe
Associate Editor Byron Hurd: When the Wrangler 4xe was first announced, I probably rolled my eyes. After years of lukewarm-at-best rhetoric about electrification, then-FCA hadn't exactly fostered the impression that it was anywhere close to putting a competent PHEV system into production. 4xe had "compliance car" written all over it, and I bet plenty of other Jeep fans thought the exact same thing. Well, despite the practice afforded me by a year of trying to resist the lusty advances of DoorDash, I've yet to come up with a satisfactory recipe for crow. Yep, I was wrong, much to my surprise and relief. The 4xe isn't just good; it's the best all-around Wrangler.
It's near-as-makes-no-difference just as capable as its gasoline-only equivalents in the lineup, while offering more power and torque in day-to-day driving. At worst, it's a turbo model with half again as much power and the same fuel economy. At best, it's 9/10ths of a 392 that you can drive for pennies if you're smart about it. My archaic 2011 Wrangler Sport is just begging to be replaced by a 4xe, but can we please get it in Gladiator? Make mine blue.
2021 Ford Bronco Sport
Managing Editor Greg Rasa: I expected the Bronco Sport to be like its somewhat-bland fraternal twin, the Ford Escape. Wrong. It oozes with personality. It's small on the outside but felt roomy on the inside. It's great-looking. It drives nicely around town and is easy to park, and by all accounts it's surprisingly capable off-road as well. And it's filled with clever design touches inside and out. It's not some cheap knockoff of a big-boy Bronco. It's its own good thing, and I wouldn't mind pairing an orange one in the garage next to my orange Mustang.
