Photos: Zerin Dube

We’re living in the golden age of the automobile right now. You can buy purpose-built enthusiast versions of just about every kind of vehicle these days, from sedans to pickup trucks to wagons, and they all do a pretty good job of putting a smile on the driver’s face when pushed hard.

There is another tier that sits above those vehicles, though. A tier where just the thought of driving these vehicles gets the serotonin flowing, and a great sense of happiness overwhelms you. These are vehicles like the Mazda Miata, Porsche 911 GT3, anything with a Hellcat engine, the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Raptor, and a handful of other no-compromise performance enthusiast vehicles. These vehicles are all over the spectrum as to what they are good at, but they all exist to do one thing – bring the driver maximum joy when being used as designed.

Here recently, I had the opportunity to spend a week with the 2021 MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) GP, and the same feeling of immediate joy overcomes me a month later whenever I think about driving it. There are many reasons I shouldn’t like the car on paper but put rubber to the road and all that goes out the window.

The Mercedes-Benz AMG GLB35 4MATIC is new for the 2021 model year in the GLB lineup and takes one of the best compact SUVs on the market and turns it into a performance hot box on wheels.

While every auto manufacturer these days seems to be touting their fuel-efficient future by way of ubiquitous fuel-sipping blobs and future-looking EVs, the engineers at FCA’s SRT division are still finding ways to expand their line of grin-inducing Hellcat-powered models.

As inevitable as it is, SRT has decided to give the Dodge Durango the full Hellcat treatment for 2021. Behold, the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango Hellcat.

Photos: Kia USA

The 2021 Kia K5 is an all-new midsize sedan in the Kia lineup and replaces the Kia Optima that occupied the Kia midsize lineup for the past two generations. While Kia K5 is leaps and bounds better than the previous Optima in every way, Kia wasn’t satisfied to stop there. With its hot new look inside and out and hot rod turbocharged engine, the K5 sits at the top of the entire midsize sedan segment.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is proof that small and affordable doesn’t have to mean low-rent and boring. The Corolla Hatchback is surprisingly stylish, well built, practical, and fun to drive around town. Overall, the Corolla Hatchback is a solid pick for those looking for a compact car that stands out in a sea of sameness.