![\"yr_wrangler_rubicon-fr3-4\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9ddb467e530c282d9c101d355e6531a65fc7e7f3\/c=504-0-3528-2268&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/12\/27\/DetroitNews\/B99612156Z.1_20171227165713_000_G6O1PRS9O.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>This year was dominated by headlines about the driverless future. Chevy rolled out its autonomous Bolt fleet in San Francisco, I drove a Caddy hands-free across Texas, then hailed a headless Uber in downtown Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Yet, the number of driver-focused cars multiplied like rabbits. Make that jackrabbits.<\/p>\n
Looking over the 40-plus entries for 2017 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year, there wasn\u2019t a dog in the lot. Even five-door, family-friendly SUVs often advertised their athleticism first, utility second. Credit in part the same electronics that are pushing autonomy with making cars more engaging to drive.<\/p>\n
Vehicles today are routinely equipped with electronic-controlled steering, shocks, all-wheel drive and transmissions that can be altered for performance on-road or off with the push of a button. Quick-shifting 10-speed Honda Accords, twin electric-motor torque-vectoring Acura MDX hybrids and\u00a0spool-valve damped Chevy Colorado pickups<\/a>feature hi-tech goodies you\u2019d expect to find on supercars.<\/p>\n SUVs continued their march to world domination with everything from the quick Alfa Stelvio to quirkbox Kia Soul turbo to rolling condo Lincoln Navigator. But the endangered sedan species isn\u2019t going quietly. Kia debuted a saucy Stinger sedan hatchback that conjures Audi A7 performance numbers for half the price. Another $10,000 below the Stinger is another, all-wheel drive five-door stunner \u2014 the Buick Regal Sportback.<\/p>\n From the get-go this year the headliners were performance models. Self-drive? No, no \u2014 let\u00a0me<\/em>\u00a0drive. Dodge\u2019s Demon eclipsed \u201cHamilton\u201d as the most talked-about show in New York City when it bowed in the Big Apple with a mike-dropping, 9.65-second quarter mile run. There was the Lexus LC 500 and Porsche 911 GTS and Ford Mustang GT and Tesla Model S P100D. Pardon me while I pick my jaw off the ground.<\/p>\n Our three finalists were old nameplates with new twists. The envelope, please …<\/p>\n First runner-up: Ford GT<\/strong><\/p>\n No, you can\u2019t have one.\u00a0Priced north of $450,000 with all 750 copies spoken for<\/a>, the GT is a rare beast. But it is a street-legal manifestation of the industry\u2019s state of the art.<\/p>\n It is the most beautiful car made today. From its heritage GT40 beak to its scissor doors to its inspired twin-flying buttresses, it is Ford\u2019s Mona Lisa. Lap any auto show floor in the world and it will be the image that is burned into your brain.<\/p>\n Its performance is even more breathtaking. Flogging its 647 horses around Salt Lake City\u2019s Utah Motorsports race track just three inches off the ground, I was at one with a piece of automotive history. The GT\u2019s carbon-fiber chassis was purpose-built to do one thing: win LeMans again 50 years after its grandfather GT40 drubbed rival Ferrari.<\/p>\n The keel-wing design is right out of modern racing, with its long, stiff spine optimized to force air through huge channels under the skin and suck the car to the ground. The twin-turbo V-6 behind your ear lacks the raw ferocity of the GT40\u2019s V-8 but eclipses its power and fuel efficiency. Sitting in the sparse interior, everything I needed was on the Formula One-style steering wheel, even the windshield-wiper widget. This is a sci-fi Jedi machine from the future \u2014 a future where driving is still prized.<\/p>\n Runner-up: Honda Civics<\/strong><\/p>\n I was sure Honda\u2019s finalist would be the 2018 Accord. The brand\u2019s pole-star mid-size sedan is an astonishing vehicle for a mainstream sedan. With its sweeping design cues, 10-speed transmission, Audi-like interior and laundry list of features, it\u2019s a premium machine hiding behind a Honda mask.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m smitten with\u00a0the Civic triplets<\/a>.<\/p>\n This entertaining bag of bobcats is proof you don\u2019t have to have a bag of loot to have fun in a car. Base on Civic\u2019s new-generation, low, stiff chassis, the hatch Sport gets you in the performance door at just $22,175. With a manual transmission, revvy turbo-4 and hatchback utility, it beats any computer game \u2014 and you get to play outside.<\/p>\n Step up to the Si coupe or sedan (what, no hatch?) for just another couple grand and you get 25 more ponies, limited-slip differential and a lime-green paint option that will burn your eyeballs. It\u2019s the first Si I\u2019ve coveted since the free-revving 2006 Si that still sits in my garage.<\/p>\n But the icing on the triple-layer cake is the 306-horsepower, $34,000 Type-R which came to our shores for the first time thanks to Honda\u2019s globally-produced platform. Built in England (its siblings are birthed in Indiana), sprayed white with black mascara, and festooned with wings, it looks like\u00a0Daryl Hannah\u2019s replicant somersaulting towards you in \u201cBlade Runner.\u201d\u00a0<\/a>Stunning and lethal.<\/p>\n These bargain toys aren\u2019t for everyone with their polarizing wardrobes. But with stick shifts available, they are some of the most affordable fun on four wheels.<\/p>\n Winner: Jeep Wrangler<\/strong><\/p>\n The Wrangler perfectly encapsulates 2017 in one vehicle.<\/p>\n Once the rough, Army-brat descendent of the World War II Willys workhorse, the Wrangler has matured into the icon of the hottest SUV brand on the planet. When Marchionne & Co. took over Chrysler in 2009 they saw the world coming to Jeep\u2019s doorstep. With the Wrangler as its beacon, the\u00a0off-road niche brand has exploded into a global juggernaut<\/a>\u00a0with more than 1.5 million in annual sales.<\/p>\n![\"yr_gt_silver-doors\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/2e2f0aa98265a4dda08742b4e3165f2cacab46b8\/c=504-0-3528-2268&r=x408&c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/12\/27\/DetroitNews\/B99612156Z.1_20171227165713_000_G6O1PRS98.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>![\"yr_si_fr3-4-river\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/2e2f0aa98265a4dda08742b4e3165f2cacab46b8\/c=504-0-3528-2268&r=x408&c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/12\/27\/DetroitNews\/B99612156Z.1_20171227165713_000_G6O1PRS9C.1-0.jpg\")
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