Here are the five best Grand Tourers you can buy today, writes Damien O’Carroll.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

The most impressive thing about the DBS Superleggera isn’t its staggering performance or colossal power – it is how refined and docile it can be despite it.

Packing a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 that produces 533kW of power and 900Nm of torque, the DBS Superleggera smashes past our legal speed limit in a mere 3.4 seconds, but is also perfectly happy pottering around town at idle, surfing that huge torque.

Add to this the fact that the DBS Superleggera is never anything less than perfectly comfortable, despite being able to tackle corners with minimal body roll and with frankly startling amounts of grip.

Bentley Continental GT

In its third incarnation, Bentley’s Continental GT has finally transcended the premiere league footballer’s car image it quickly attracted when it launched back in 2003 and has evolved into something far more elegant and regal.

Oh, yeah; and fast. Seriously fast. One of the last havens for the VW Group’s spectacular W12 engine, the Continental GT packs a 467kW/900Nm 6.0-litre twin turbo version that is staggeringly effortless in its power delivery and will punch the big Bentley to 100kmh in 3.7 seconds. There is also a lesser version powered by a 405kW/770Nm twin turbo V8 if you want . . . well, less.

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe

The only four-door car on this list also packs the smallest engine, but don’t let that fool you – the GT 4-door Coupe is a very serious trans-continental blaster indeed.

Ignoring the ‘‘lowly’’ 43 and 53 six-cylinder versions, the 63 packs AMG’s impressive 4.0-litre twin turbo V8, pumping out 430kW and 800Nm that will see it destroy our measly speed limit in 3.4 seconds.

But if that isn’t good enough, then the 63 S ups that to 470kW and 900Nm, while the forthcoming 73 EQ adds an electric motor which AMG says will wind the power way up (‘‘up to 600kW’’) and shave the 0 to 100 time down to under 3 seconds ...

Rolls-Royce Wraith

For the ultimate in luxury and comfort you can’t go past a Rolls, but the Wraith is the legendary manufacturer’s ‘‘most driver focused car’’ and still packs some serious performance.

With a 470kW/800Nm twin turbo V12 (the Black Badge Edition bumps the torque up to 870Nm), the Wraith is the slowest car here, clocking in a 0 to 100kmh sprint in 4.6 seconds, but effortlessly wins the race for sheer presence and attitude by being simply massive.

At 5.2 metres long, the Wraith is undeniably huge and the amount of luxury and personalisation buyers can have sets the big Rolls imperiously above any competition. Even the faster stuff.

Ferrari 812 Superfast

The absolute king of speed in the GT world is undoubtedly the spectacular Ferrari 812 Superfast. A big hint is in its name . . .

A pure, old-school style frontengined, rear drive V12 Ferrari, the 812 Superfast packs a massive 588kW of power, along with ‘‘just’’ 718Nm of torque (surprisingly the least here) and will destroy everything else here with a 0 to 100 run of 2.9 seconds.

It is, of course, the least luxurious car here, with a far firmer ride than any of the others and a slightly terrifying sharp edge to its handling that will happily bite if not treated with respect.

Respect that it demands and deserves.