Bunch of fives

I am lucky enough to be able to afford the finance on a new car up to £85k, but looking down the Knowledge, the fivestar choices are depressingly sparse. My options are: Peugeot 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport, VW Golf R, Ariel Atom or Nomad, several Caterham Sevens, Lotus Exige or Elise, Nissan GT-R, or a Porsche 911 Carrera or (at a push) Carrera S.

Not a single saloon, estate or SUV qualifies. Where are the V8 M5 or V8 RS4 now? It seems that today it is almost impossible to be an evo- style enthusiast without having to drive a trackorientated car or at the very least compromise on space. Richard Ingleby

Only a car which we believe is as close to perfect as you could reasonably expect within its class will be awarded the full five stars. However, there are many, many cars that are still incredibly rewarding to drive but which fall just short of being true greats – look no further than those awarded four or four-and-a-half stars. Even cars rated lower than this will still have their merits.

But if it must be a five-star car, you now have two more options: the new Civic Type R, which earned its final half-star in last month’s Supertest, and a saloon in the form of Alfa Romeo’s Giulia Quadrifoglio [above], which following longer exposure on our Fast Fleet (not to mention tireless campaigning by its keeper, editor Gallagher) has now also been elevated to full fivestar status. – Inbox Ed