The $5.8 million Bugatti Divo is the superior performance automobile, while a 1937 Alfa Romeo is the best show car on Earth.

It grips us early, expressed in a schoolyard footrace, an arm-wrestling match or a game of tag—the innate need to compete over speed, power and agility. Eventually we seek the same characteristics in the vehicles we acquire and, naturally, feel compelled to compare them.

“Auto racing began five minutes after the second car was built,” quipped Henry Ford on the topic of competition. Let’s hope not, as that contest would have been more a test of spectator patience than motoring performance. But now that automobiles are learning to drive themselves and production-model speeds are challenging the 300 mph mark, the field of top contenders is increasingly dynamic. And while our Car of the Year, voted on by more than 200 readers who drive the nominees every fall, is the Lamborghini Urus, the last 12 months merit a deeper dive by category, with selections determined by our editors.

From a 1,500 hp missile that corners like a cat to a palatial SUV worthy of a king (and his entourage), the following machines impressed us the most on the automotive playground. Enjoy the ride.