(Photos: Doug Berger and Bailey O’Bar)
Run To The Sun
The NW Automotive Press Association puts on an event each year to crown a new performance car winner. The Run to the Sun event is a two plus day outing that takes journalists through the best driving roads the Columbia River Gorge has to offer. This year there were 24 cars, each of which I got the chance to drive for about 20 miles.
The Fleet
Honda Civic Type R
Volkswagen Arteon
Volkswagon Jetta GLI 35th Anniv Edition
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S
Subaru Legacy XT
Kia Stinger GTS
Genesis G70
Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Wide Body
Toyota GR Supra Launch Edition
Hyundai Veloster N
Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge
Lexus RCF Track Edition
Nissan 370Z 50th Anniv Edition
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Mercedes-AMG G63
Ford Explorer ST
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Mini Countryman JCW
Acura RDX R Spec
Volvo XC90 T8
Polaris Slingshot
Mazda MX5 Miata RF
Fiat 124 Abarth Spyder
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
The overall winners, as voted upon by the 24 journalists involved, are:
- Northwest Most Fun in the Sun (Convertible) – 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club RF
- Northwest Most Fun Coupe – 2020 Toyota GR Supra
- Northwest Most Fun Sports Sedan – 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door
- Northwest Most Fun SUV – 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio AWD
- Northwest Most Fun to Drive Vehicle – 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S Four-Door
My votes were for the:
- Northwest Most Fun in the Sun (Convertible) – 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club RF
- Northwest Most Fun Coupe – 2020 Lexus RCF Tack Edition
- Northwest Most Fun Sports Sedan – 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door
- Northwest Most Fun SUV – 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio AWD
- Northwest Most Fun to Drive Vehicle – 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio AWD
My Most Fun to Drive Choice
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio suv was my pic for “Most Fun to Drive,” very much to my surprise. The vehicle was just excellent in nearly all regards, and just made me grin from ear to ear. My two favorite things about the Stelvio are the truly world class sporty interior and the amazing exhaust note from the Italian twin-turbo V6.
I do have to say though that the back seat is utterly worthless, and the looks of the rear half of the car are less than desirable. Luckily, I like to be in the driver’s seat and could easily distract myself from the Stelvio’s hind quarters by starring at its magnificent wheels when outside the vehicle.
What I Want In My Garage
With all that said, I kept asking myself if I could have any of these vehicles in my garage at home which would it be? Again, a tough choice, but I’m very interested in a street legal car that I can take to the track on the weekends. The best car of this group for that is the Miata.
It is so much fun to drive a “slow car” fast, versus a fast car well below its capabilities. Essentially a fast car slow. After much discussion over the past few months with a wide range of automotive journalists and car enthusiasts the general consensus when talking about sports cars is that the answer is almost always Miata. It is just an amazing handling little car that has a great gear box, is well built and easily modified for performance. There is no better value in new sports cars.
More Performance Car Dreams
I also wrote a piece about my experience at Run to the Sun over at GearJunkie.com that outlines my feelings about some of the truly memorable vehicles I got to drive. Read that story here: https://gearjunkie.com/most-fun-car-sportscar-drive-test.
Which of these 24 vehicles would you vote the “most fun to drive”? Which would you want in your garage?
