Every year, the Driving team picks the rides that promise to be the stand-out, must-drive performance cars coming of the next year. This time we do something slightly different — we focus the on drives up for grabs in 2025, but also look at a few of those set to surface in 2026. So, here, in alphabetic order, are the performance cars the team is fighting over trying to call dibs on the first drive.
Recommended Videos
2025 BMW M5 Touring
2025 Bentley Continental GT
2026 Chevrolet Corvette Zora
2025 Porsche 911 GT3 and 718 EV
2026 BMW M2 CS
2026 Lexus LFR
2026 Mercedes-AMG CLE 63
2025 BMW M5 Touring
The 2025 BMW M5 Touring marks the first time Canada gets Bimmer’s performance wagon; it’s also only the third time BMW has produced an M5 wagon at all. It represents the ultimate anti-crossover. It has the space and flexibility demanded of a utility vehicle, along with the wherewithal to run rings around its higher-riding rivals.
As with the M5 sedan, the Touring gets a 4.4L turbo-V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain. The numbers say it all: 717 horsepower; 737 lb-ft of torque; and a run to 100 km/h (62 mph) from zero in 3.6 seconds. It smashes through 200 km/h (125 mph) from a standing start in 11.1 seconds, and it has an all-electric range of 40 km (25 miles).
So why go PHEV given the inherent mass it adds? The answer is simple. A regular hybrid would be sucking wind after one hot lap — the plug-in’s 14.8-kWh battery ensures the level of performance remains at its peak for multiple hot laps. The First Drive of the M5 sedan saw it run flat-out for lap after lap, and without a breather.
However, any M5 has to be more than the sum of its horsepower and acceleration. In the Touring’s case, it has an uber-stiff body, an adaptive M suspension, four-wheel-steering, and on it goes. Based on my thrash around the Salzburgring race track in the M5 sedan, the Touring has the power, performance, and dialled-in handling needed to bolster the legend and reputation that is M5.
2025 Bentley Continental GT
This is more me pushing for the First Drive than anything. The quintessential grand tourer is now even more powerful and greener than ever before. The fourth-generation Continental GT has a sharper design, and it also features the so-called Ultra Performance Hybrid V8 plug-in powertrain. It combines a 4.0L turbo V8 with an electric motor incorporated into the eight-speed automatic transmission that drives all four wheels. It twists out 771 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, which is 121 hp and 72 lb-ft of torque more than the previous boss engine, the 6.0 L W12 retired last year.
The new motivator means the heavy 2,459-kg Continental GT runs from rest to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds; and can reach a mind-numbing top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). Of course, being a hybrid, it also delivers 50 km of electric-only driving from its 25.9-kW battery.
2026 Chevrolet Corvette Zora
Rumours of an uber-powerful Corvette named “Zora” persist. While the name is yet to be officially confirmed, it’s expected to arrive in 2025 as a 2026 model. Harley Earl is credited with birthing the Corvette; however, it was Zora Arkus-Duntov that took the six-cylinder original and turned it into a legendary sports car. His influence still looms large today. Arkus-Duntov was the Corvette’s first chief engineer, and he was instrumental in breathing life into the Z06 performance package. Honouring his legacy by naming the next super-Corvette after its spiritual father seems, well, so right.
Anyway, the persistent rumour is the Corvette Zora will blend the ZR1’s 1,064-hp flat-plane-crank twin-turbo 5.5L mid-mounted V8 with the E-Ray’s hybrid system; that car uses a 160-hp electric motor to power the front wheels. This combination would give the Zora all-wheel-drive and a legitimate shot of twisting out up to 1,224 holy-heck horsepower. That’s more than the Bugatti Veyron, and not far behind the 1,479-hp Chiron, and for a fraction of the price!
The camouflaged shots of the next super-‘Vette show it wearing a monster rear spoiler. It’s understandable why the added down-force is needed to stop it lifting off, but it has a look only a mother could love!
2025 Porsche 911 GT3 and 718 EV
Due mid-2025 is the next Porsche 911 GT3. It, for the first time, will be offered with the track-focused Weissach package. As before, it runs a naturally-aspirated 4.0L boxer flat-six that twists out 502 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. It works with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to drive the rear wheels. The combination runs the GT3 to 100 km/h from zero in 3.4 seconds; it flashes through 200 km/h in 10.8 seconds, and on towards a reported top speed of 310 km/h (192 mph).
The 911 GT3 is offered with a no-cost six-speed manual transmission, but it’s slower taking 3.9 seconds to hit 100 km/h. The facelift gives the next 911 GT3 a sharper look, with new matrix LED headlights and better aerodynamics, along with a redesigned front diffuser and optimized underbody air guides that are said to boost the down-force while managing airflow. It has a starting price of $245,300.
The electrification of the Porsche portfolio continues with the 2025 718 EV. Porsche is on record as saying “the mid-engine 718 Cayman coupe and 718 Boxster convertible will completely ditch their internal-combustion engines and go fully electric” when the fifth-generation models arrive in 2025 — a camouflaged Boxster EV has been seen undergoing testing.
The duo joins the all-electric Taycan and Macan, along with hybrid versions of the 911 and Panamera. Not much information has been released about the 718 EV other than the fact it will ride on a new sports-car platform designed to keep the weight down — the gas-powered 718’s lightweight design was key to its terrific driving dynamics.
There will be a rear-drive model with a single electric motor; and a go-faster model (likely the GTS) with an electric motor driving each axle, which brings an all-wheel-drive extension and more power. The battery size is not known at this point; however, it is expected the 718 EV will adopt Porsche’s 800-volt architecture and have a peak DC fast-charging rate of at least 270 kW.
Looking beyond 2025
2026 BMW M2 CS
One eagerly anticipated addition to Bimmer’s line-up is the 2026 BMW M2 CS. It’s will usher in more power with an automatic transmission driving BMW’s xDrive. For 2025, the M2 gets a 20-hp hike for a total of 473 hp, which is the same as the larger M4 coupe. When the CS arrives, the weight reduction is always accompanied by more power. At this point, the M4 CS makes 543 hp, so logic dictates the M2 CS will get more than the base car. It’s unlikely to get the full beans, but around 520 hp would be perfect. As it stands, the M2 is a light, tight drive with knock-out handling. The M2 CS will be that and so much more!
2026 Lexus LFR
It’s tough to ignore the spy shots of the next Lexus super-car — the Lexus LFR is expected in 2026. At this point, there’s little hard information available. The first time around, Lexus shattered its conservative reputation when it shocked the motoring world with the LFA. It was a looker with the mechanical makeup to more than back up its stylistic swagger — at its heart was a screamer of a V10 engine.
The Lexus LFR promises to be no different. It has been spied testing at the Nürburgring and it is adopting, based on the sound and quad tailpipes, a V8 engine, likely with a hybrid component. It promises to sing a siren as sweet as the LFA’s glorious wail! No word on the output at this point, but it’s safe to say it will be something special!
2026 Mercedes-AMG CLE 63
Mercedes-Benz launched the CLE in 2024 to replace the previous C-Class and E-Class coupes and convertibles. The AMG side of the showroom introduced the CLE 53 with a beefed-up 3.0L inline-six that works with a hybrid system and an electric turbocharger to minimize the off-the-line lag. The follow-up is the CLE 63, expected in 2025 as a 2026 model.
When it arrives, the quad tailpipes seen in the camouflaged test cars suggest it will do so with a V8-based powertrain — the twin-turbo 4.0L found in the SL 63 would seem like a good candidate, with a mild-hybrid setup increasing output while lowering emissions. This notion is supported by slow sales of the C 63 and E 63 models. The 2.0L turbo four up front and the electric motor powering the rear wheels had the right performance, but it just could not match the sensory overload a thunderous V8 has added to AMG’s appeal over the years!
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.