It’s the day before we flip the calendar, and we’ve got another top-10 list we’ve got to get out before 2025 arrives: our contributors’ favourite drives of 2024. The writers, editors, and freelancers whose bylines you see here at Driving.ca drive dozens of different new (and old) cars each year, from a wide variety of segments and price-points.
Asking them for their highlights of the last 12 months, it’s typically easy to name some of the costlier nameplates they got to wheel—that’s why you’ll see several contributors below also list a runner-up pick that’s a little more mainstream.
The variety of cars tested is reflected, too, in the variety of our writers’ faves—there’s almost no overlap, as Driving‘s contributors also have some rather distinct tastes. From the requisite cutting-edge EVs and family-hauling SUVs to the more niche enthusiast cars and off-road machines, here’s where Driving.ca‘s roster of reviewers settled on their favourite vehicles from 2024.
Stephanie Wallcraft: 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
My first experience behind the wheel of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz will endure as one of the best first drives of my career. No, it’s not perfect: the ride’s a bit rough, second-row storage could be better, and it’s quite pricey in its first model year. But once you’re driving a Cabana Blue Buzz down a winding hillside with beaches extending out toward the horizon, this new VW Minibus’s ability to transport you back to a time of carefree motoring is completely unmatched.
And given the number of people who stopped to express adoration, ask questions, and take photos with the Buzz during our time with it, it’s clear that feeling is widespread. The world needs more joy these days, and that’s one thing the VW ID.Buzz delivers in spades.
Andrew McCredie: 2025 Polestar 3, 2024 Lexus RZ 450e, and 2025 BMW M5 Touring
Well, as we prepare to discard the old wall calendar and replace it with a fresh one, looking back on this past year certainly provided me with some great motoring memories. Chief among them were the two occasions I drove the all-new 2024 Polestar 3. The first was above the Arctic Circle in Sweden on a frozen lake in the middle of winter; the second in and around the rolling countryside of Spain in late springtime. Literally opposite driving conditions, but both environments demonstrated the prowess and performance-oriented engineering of the all-electric mid-size luxury crossover.
Staying in the EV segment, my long-term test of the 2024 Lexus RZ 450e surprised me, as I wasn’t expecting to be so impressed with this luxury EV. My three-part series extolled the virtues of the RZ 450e, and while an exterior colour doesn’t really factor into a thorough review of a vehicle, that Copper Crest colour is killer.
And finally, a nod to plug-in hybrid technology via my experience in Germany behind the meaty, sport steering wheel of the 2025 BMW M5 Touring. This is a 782-horsepower station wagon, with all the performance and handling attributes associated with the “M5” nameplate, yet also with the utility of a large rear cargo area. For the first time ever, BMW Canada will bring the M5 Touring to our country, no doubt much to the joy of performance wagon aficionados.
Matthew Guy: 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Infusing artificial noise into a car to, erm, enhance the EV driving experience used to be like consuming large amounts of NutraSweet — not only is it fake, but enough of the stuff will make you sick. Hyundai cracked the code with the Ioniq 5 N by introducing appropriate vibration and harshness to the equation, complete with “gear changes” you can feel and an “exhaust” that pops and crackles like a rally car. Add in modes which permit even the most ham-fisted of us to drift like Travis Pastrana, and you’ve easily found the favourite car I drove this year.
Clayton Seams: 1974 Porsche 914
In 2024, I got to drive a variety of cars from all across the spectrum. On the high end, I tested the hybrid McLaren Artura; the Porsche 718 GT4 RS; and the highest-trim of the Porsche Panamera. I loved all of these twin-turbo rocket ships, but my heart is with the classics. I spent a wonderful day driving the iconic Mazda Cosmo, puttered around in a cheerful 1975 Honda Civic, and made many happy miles in a 1974 Ford Maverick that I co-own with my cousin.
But truly, of all of these, my favourite was a classic 1974 Porsche 914, which I drove on a grey day in Germany. The 914 remains a controversial car, and it felt great to drive it for myself and see what this little sports car was all about. It’s the best-handling classic car I have ever driven, and it veritably hummed along at 100 mph (160 km/h) on the autobahn. On that drizzly day in Germany, the 914 became my new “affordable dream car.”
Brian Harper: 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish and 2025 Honda Civic Sport Hybrid
Easy: the Aston Martin Vanquish. Having been an Aston fan-boy for more than 20 years, how could I not lust over the new V12-powered supercar? The epitome of classic front-engine, rear-drive design, it is drop-dead stunning. It had been six years since Aston last had a Vanquish in its lineup, and the flagship’s return, replete with the most powerful engine the bespoke automaker has ever built — a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 with 824 horsepower with a soundtrack to die for — was easily the ride of the year. Its ferocity is matched by a price tag exceeding a half-mil. Worth it!
Coming back down to Earth, I was waffling between the new Nissan Kicks (significantly improved and well-deserving of consideration) and Honda’s Civic Sport Hybrid, before picking the latter, available as a sedan or hatchback. Mightily impressive, the manufactured-in-Ontario Sport Hybrid builds on the refreshed 2025 Civic model lineup.
No road-wimp, its powertrain pushes out a robust 200 hp and a very usable 232 lb-ft of torque. Honda says it’s “the most powerful non-Type R Civics ever,” with a zero-to-100-km/h sprint time of 6.3 seconds, even quicker than the Civic Si, despite its additional weight. As for fuel economy, an NRCan combined mileage rating of 4.9 L/100 km adds efficiency to fun — the car is an entertaining drive.
Renita Naraine: 2024 Kia EV9
I was super-surprised by how much I loved the 2024 Kia EV9. It won a bunch of awards, including the 2024 World Car of the Year, so I shouldn’t have been too surprised, but I haven’t fully jumped on the EV bandwagon yet, so I had my doubts.
Fortunately, I think the EV9 may have been a turning point for me. What I like most about the 2024 Kia EV9 is that being electric isn’t its identity, despite being literally called “EV9.” For those looking for a bigger EV, this one is an awesome, spacious family-hauler.
Elle Alder: 2003 TVR Tuscan and 2025 Ineos Grenadier
My entire road-test roster is up against some stiff competition this year, because 2024 was the year I finally met the TVR Tuscan and Mazda Cosmo. Plush Astons, clever Porsches, whatever — this 2003 Tuscan is a modern(-ish) car that answers all that I so long for in enthusiast driving. A unique and characterful mid-mounted engine, no safety assists, and a reputational thirst for cocky drivers’ blood — the Tuscan is fast, exhilarating, and mechanically engaging in a way few contemporaries could match.
Honourable mention goes to the 2025 Ineos Grenadier, which brought me the most new-car delight since the Toyota GRolla and perhaps Lexus LC 500. Built with modern-era refinement and to today’s safety standards, the Grenadier otherwise retains the discontinued Land Rover Defender’s spirit, style, and architecture. It’s the best 1997 4×4 you can buy new, and that is a tremendous gift to the enthusiast scene.
Sami Haj-Assaad: 2025 Ford Explorer ST
2024 marked my first full year of parenthood, which means I had less sleep and more stress than any year I can remember. It also meant I needed cars with tonnes of space for hauling my kid and all their stuff around. That said, my favourite ride this year wasn’t a child-focused minivan, but rather the 2025 Ford Explorer ST.
Take a mild-mannered and seemingly anonymous-looking crossover and load it with a punchy turbocharged engine with 400 horsepower, and you’ve got my attention. It keeps my eyebrows raised with the massage seats, spacious interior for my family and their gear, and the hands-free Ford Blue Cruise system for added convenience.
I used to never really give the Explorer a second thought, but this year the ST has changed my mind about the American crossover.
Jil McIntosh: 2025 Audi S6 e-tron and 2024 Chevrolet Trax
Top o’ my list this year has to be the 2025 Audi S6 e-tron, which will be making its way to Canada sometime in the new year. This all-electric does just about everything right: it’s powerful, but not so over-the-top that it’s too much for daily driving; it’s great fun around curves; and it’s gorgeous inside and out.
But not everyone can go premium and/or electric, and so my mainstream fave is the 2024 Chevrolet Trax. Sharing nothing with the last Chevy to wear the name, this new Trax is a wonderfully well-rounded package of everyday usefulness, smooth driving, a comfortable interior, and a decent price.
Brendan McAleer: 2025 Hyundai Elantra N and Ioniq 5 N
Hyundai’s N division continues to be a bright light for regular performance enthusiasts—those of us who aren’t about to run out and snap up a Ferrari 12Cilindri. At $42K, I wouldn’t exactly call the Elantra N “cheap speed,” but it is a lot of car for the money, a genuine track-focused machine that feels like it was engineered by a bunch of people who were time-warped in from BMW’s golden age.
The Ioniq 5 N, on the other hand, is the breath of fresh air that indicates a new golden age is just around the corner. It’s a straight-line rocket, of course, like many performance-oriented EVs are, but there’s also a sense of fun about it. It’s a bit bigger than you expect, more Lancia Delta Grande than Delta Integrale, but it’s enormously enjoyable to drive.
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