One of These Nine Cars Will Be Our 2022 Performance Car of the Year

Now that summer has officially come to an end, it is that time of year again. It's time for us to once again determine which vehicle deserves the title of Performance Car of the Year. In order to do so, we've gathered nine of the most exciting cars new cars for 2022 for a massive test on the road and track. More specifically, R&T is heading to Monticello Motor Club in New York and some of the best driving roads in the Northeast to see which will take the crown.

At Monticello, we'll collect lap times and perform on-track evaluations. From there, we'll tackle the beautiful backroads of upstate New York, finalize our thoughts, and vote on what will be the 2022 PCOTY.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram all week as we'll post constantly about our days on both the road and the track. The entire field of contenders is detailed below, though this list is by no means a proper ranking. Yet.

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"The new motor’s appetite for revs is huge. True, the redline is only 7200 rpm and not the 8k-plus of the GT350, or the McLarens and Ferraris that also employ flat-plane crank V-8s, but the energy you feel on the way to that 7k redline and the machine-gun braaarppp that goes with it makes this feel like so much more than an AMG GT R with the wick turned up." - R&T October 2020

• Price: $326,050 (base)
• Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8
• Output: 720 hp/590 lb-ft
• Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
• Curb Weight: 3616 lb

"Here’s the headline: the 992 GT3 is bigger in every dimension than the old car, makes no more power than the old car, and has either the seven-speed PDK or the six-speed manual from the old car. And yet, it’s substantially faster, to the tune of 17 seconds a lap around the Nordschleife. Somebody, as the kids say, has been Doing Science." - R&T April 2021

• Price: $162,450 (base)
• Engine: 4.0-liter flat-six
• Output: 502 hp/346 lb-ft
• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 3126 lb

"No, the 228-hp 2.4-liter boxer-four isn’t the STI-derived turbo motor all of the hardcore enthusiasts were praying for. But it’s a massive step up over the lackluster 2.0 in the last-gen cars; where the old engine would gasp for air and bog down out of slow corners, this new unit springs to life, delivering its peak 184 lb-ft of torque at just 3700 rpm. The infamous 4000-rpm dead spot has been eliminated, replaced by a smooth rise in power as the engine approaches redline." - R&T August 2021

• Price: $29,000 (base)
• Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
• Output: 228 hp/184 lb-ft
• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 2811 lb

"The CT5-V Blackwing will also make you wonder why modern performance sedans have embraced all-wheel drive. Despite managing 668 horsepower with just two wheels, traction is rarely an issue. Bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires no doubt help, but this ultimately speaks to how approachable this car is. It's a razor-sharp car that will never cut you. It wants to be your friend." - R&T August 2021

• Price: $84,990 (Base)
• Engine: 6.2-liter supercharged V-8
• Output: 668 hp/659 lb-ft
• Transmission: Six-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 4123 lb
  

"According to Subaru, the center of gravity is now lower than that of the C8 Corvette and Porsche 718 Cayman. The electronically assisted steering system has been reworked as well, managing to feel more direct than before. Subaru could’ve left all of these things alone, electing to simply improve the engine and nothing else. But it didn’t, and that’s significantly to the dynamic good." - R&T August 2021

• Price: $28,955
• Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
• Output: 228 hp/184 lb-ft
• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 2815 lb

"The car feels alive, willing to get silly. One of the paradoxes of the GTI is that it comes across as so junior-Audi refined, yet it’s at heart a rowdy brat ready to lay down rubber (and some axle hop) on the one-two shift." -R&T

• Price: $30,540
• Engine: 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4
• Output: 241 hp/273 lb-ft
• Transmission: Six-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 3154 lb

"The Speed squeezes 24 more horsepower out of the same twin-turbo 6.0-liter 12-banger. It makes that new power by keeping the turbos at full boost higher in the rev range, meaning you'll find the extra oomph on the good end of the tachometer. Still, the GT's eight-speed dual-clutch automatic shifts twice as fast as in a standard W-12 car, improving the 0-60 time by a tenth of a second to 3.5 seconds." - R&T March 2021

• Price: $277,625
• Engine: 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W-12
• Output: 650 hp/664 lb-ft
• Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
• Curb Weight: 5011 lb

"The STO’s uncompromising nature means it won’t be for everyone, but it’s the perfect weapon of choice for track-day regulars as it’s blisteringly fast on a circuit, or the right mountain road. It could also be a future collectible as there’s every possibility that upcoming Euro 7 emission regulations will force the Huracan’s successor to ditch the V-10 in favor of a downsized twin-turbo V-8. If that’s the case, the STO will forever remain the ultimate iteration of this charismatic and sonorous recipe." - R&T November 2020

• Price: $331,133
• Engine: 5.2-liter V-10
• Output: 631 hp/417 lb-ft
• Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
• Curb Weight: 2,951 lb (dry)

"But none of those things mattered, because at the M4’s essential core is a 473-horsepower twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine, a poised and aggressive rear-drive chassis, and the superstar 275/35ZR19 front and 285/30ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires it wears. It’s the mechanical substance, not the electronics and not the decorations, that makes this car so good." - R&T March 2021

• Price: $79,795
• Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I-6
• Output: 503 hp/479 lb-ft
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic
• Curb Weight: 3880 lb