TOP 5 COUPES AND CABR|OS
BMW M2
THE GOOD:
The longitudinalengined two-door BMW coupe lives
THE BAD: Bigger and heavier than we’d like but outrageous fun
THE UGLY: You need £66k to get involved; steering a shade rubbery
THE ONE TO BUY: Manual or auto transmission options – get the knob. We’d go M carbon seats, too
MASERAT| MC20
THE GOOD: A noexcuses excellent Maserati. Handling and ride to match the looks; a GT as well as a sports car
THE BAD: Throttle could be sharper in normal mode
THE UGLY: Convincing your mates you did mean to buy the Maser and not the 296
THE ONE TO BUY: The droptop Cielo. All the coupe’s go with added style
MERCEDES AMG SL
THE GOOD: Latest SL is developed by AMG but it’s still a cruiser, and all the better for it
THE BAD: Engines are still better than the ride and handling
THE UGLY: Cabin designed by touchpad scattergun
THE ONE TO BUY: The £148k, 469bhp SL55; also look at the coupe cousin, the AMG GT
MAZDA MX 5
THE GOOD: Closest thing to a modern-day Lotus Elan; genius foldsflat-in-seconds roof
THE BAD: Lashings of bodyroll; the 1.5 can’t climb hills
THE UGLY: |f you’re over 6ft tall you simply won’t fit
THE ONE TO BUY: Motorised-metalroof RF doesn’t quite make sense; 1.5 starts at £28k, punchier 2.0 from £32k with an LSD
MG CYBERSTAR
THE GOOD: A very pleasant surprise from China, with some input from Longbridge
THE BAD: A cruiser, not the sports car you might hope for based on the looks
THE UGLY: Starting price of £55k puts in among some serious alternatives
THE ONE TO BUY: Range-topping all-wheel-drive GT model is only £5k more, and worth it