The best new cars for 2020
Though consumer preference is shifting to SUVs, a new wave of autos could lure some shoppers back to cars
Conventional passenger cars are growing scarce these days in some automakers’ lineups as sport-utility vehicles are increasingly becoming the rides of choice among American motorists. Still, the industry isn’t giving up on passenger cars just yet, with a fresh crop of brand new and fully redesigned models headed to dealers’ showrooms for the 2020 model year. Here’s a quick look at some of the best of the bunch:
• Cadillac CT4. The CT4 is a new compact luxury sedan with handsome and uncluttered styling. It comes powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission, with rear-drive standard and all-wheel-drive optional. A sporty CT4-V model will feature a 2.7-liter turbocharged engine with an estimated 320 horsepower and precise handling abilities. Available features include Cadillac’s Super Cruise system that allows hands-free highway driving.
• Cadillac CT5. The Cadillac CT5 replaces the midsize CTS for 2020, and is dynamically styled. It comes powered by either a turbocharged 2.0-liter 237-horsepower four-cylinder engine or a livelier 335-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. Both drive the rear wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission, with all-wheel drive available. There’s also a high-performance CT5-V variant with 355 horsepower and performance-minded upgrades.
• Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The long-awaited midengine 2020 Chevy Corvette is the most aggressively styled ‘Vette yet. A 6.2-liter V8 engine sits behind the driver, resides beneath a clear panel and sends 490 horsepower to the rear wheels via an eightspeed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The cockpit is driver-focused, and there’s no fewer than a dozen selectable driving modes. Amazingly, it starts at under $60,000.
• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 takes the original “pony car” to new levels of performance. It packs a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine that channels 760 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Ford says it can make the sprint to 60 mph in less than three seconds. The back seat, however, is deleted to save weight.
• Polestar 1. A new line of upscale electrified models from Volvo debuts for 2020 under the Polestar sub-brand. The first of them is a sleekly cast sporty plug-in hybrid coupe with two electric motors and a 2.0-liter turbo- and supercharged gasoline engine driving the front wheels. They generate a combined 591 horsepower, with an estimated electric-only range of around 93 miles. It will reportedly start at $155,000.
• Polestar 2. The second Polestar model will be a stylish full-electric four-door hatchback. Coming standard with all-wheel-drive, it’s expected to put 408 horsepower to the pavement, with a targeted operating range of 330-miles on a charge. The Polestar 2 will be launched initially in California and Washington State, and the company says it will carry a base price of $63,000.
• Porsche Taycan. Porsche’s first-ever electric auto is an
ultra-sleek four-door sports car. Dual motors will generate in excess of 600 hp, and enable the Tacan to reach 60 mph in around 3.5 seconds. Porsche is targeting a range of over 300 miles with a full battery, and its 800-volt system will enable the car to recover 60 miles of range in four minutes via public fast-charging stations.
• Toyota GR Supra. Toyota brings back the Supra for 2020, and it remains an eminently stylish and capable sports car. It packs a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that channels 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. Coming with an eightspeed automatic transmission, the GR Supra is good for a 4.1-second 0-60 mph run. It starts at just shy of $51,000.