After driving more than 40 new vehicles in 2011, motoring editor NICK DALTON picks his favourite 10.

Shortlisting 20 vehicles, it was a difficult task to whittle them down to the final 10. There are Volkswagens again – this time two, two Audis, a super car, an electric sports car, two SUVs and a station wagon.

No Asians piqued my fancy and only one Australian made the cut. My favourite was the cheapest too, the Volkswagen Polo small hatchback.

AUDI A1 SPORT from $42,500

Audi has added spice and sizzle to its baby A1 which has fired up the premium compact segment.

After putting the 1.4 twin-charged Sport through its paces on the Top Gear track at Moorabbin Airport, I can testify the car is a rip-snorter, a lot of fun and will be in huge demand.

Yes, you can buy a similar package with a Volkswagen or Skoda badge, but at the end of the day, it’s Audi’s four rings which provide the lure and cachet.

I liked the A1 Sport for its spirit. It gets up and goes with real purpose, has a classy interior and the three-door hatch looks pretty good from most angles.

The A1 Sport is for the buyer who wants a sporty, spicy and compact package with a badge of suitable snob appeal.

The Sport is the icing on the A1 cake and will be sought by young urban professionals in the 26-30 age bracket, mainly men.

AUDI RS5 COUPE from $175,300

The RS5 is one which hides its potential performance beneath an unremarkable body. This performance monster doesn’t scream hoon or boy racer.

The clues are there, such as bigger wheels and lower-profile tyres, the bulging wheel arches, the aerodynamic aids and the large dual exhausts.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the RS5 when switched into dynamic mode emits a delicious, deep-throated burble from its V8 engine which soars to great heights out on the open road, storming through a valley or on a range road.

It’s an expensive beast with the options on the test car amounting to a hefty $26,000 for a total of $217,059 drive away.

It is a wonderful driving machine which has stacks of ability reserved only for the racetrack and those that make their living there, but for a mere mortal the experience is considerable.

The noise is incredibly addictive, there are tonnes of grip and go, and the car is built to Audi’s impeccable standards. It’s definitely a Q-car, a subtle performance machine that is ideal for early morning blasts.

BMW 5 SERIES TOURING from $89,990

BMW’s 5 Series Touring proves station wagons are back in vogue.

They are easier to drive and park than the bulkier SUVs, look sexier, are quicker and more fuel efficient and still have the wide and high opening rear door favoured by mums for loading groceries and children’s sports gear, strollers and the like.

The Touring combines luxury, practicality, performance and sportiness in the one package.

It can be transport for both mum and dad, serving as the family vehicle as well as providing the performance and luxury cachet that men enjoy.

Here’s a car which dad can take to golf and mum can go grocery shopping in.

The 520d Touring is a remarkably competent and complete luxurious wagon package that is a better overall driver’s car as well as family hauler than an equivalently priced SUV, such as BMW’s own X5.

It is thoroughly equipped for BMW without having to tick numerous option boxes.

It’s hard to believe that one of BMW’s best is a four-cylinder diesel wagon.

I revelled in the 520d’s enigmatic performance and sublime chassis capabilities and cannot remember the last time I enjoyed driving a substantial wagon more.

The 520d Touring is worth a test drive if you are in the market at this high end of the segment.

CITROEN DS3 SPORT from $35,990

Citroen’s DS3 Sport is everything it’s cracked up to be and more. We dubbed the DS3 “the bumble bee” because of its yellow and black paint and its infectious buzzy nature.

The DS3 is Citroen’s first entry in the growing premium small car category, one which has taken off in Europe as people downsize but don’t want to lose all the goodies of a bigger car.

The upmarket small car sector was started by BMW’s new age Mini, which is in its second generation. Others have followed suit, such as the Alfa Romeo Mito, the Audi A1 and the Volvo C30.

The DS3 is a lot of fun.

Its styling is a stand-out and it easily passes the schoolboy-on-the-corner-gaze benchmark.

It has character in bucket loads, inside and out.

It’s great to drive, has zesty performance and handles like a train on rails without a harsh ride mucking up the balance.

The DS3 is not without its faults. Wind and road noise on the highway is excessive, the pedals are too close together and too high and the four wands behind the steering wheel, including for the cruise control and sound switches, are messy and complex.

But this car deserves consideration. It’s the best Citroen I’ve driven by far, a cracking drive.

If people can ditch their perceptions of Citroens and if it can stay together over the years, it will be a faithful and delightful companion for many thousands of kilometres.

FORD TERRITORY DIESEL FROM $48,240

The most impressive aspect of Ford’s new diesel Territory is its refinement.

The V6 Territory powerplant might not be the latest in hi-tech but it is quiet, smooth and civilised.

It is an impressive effort from Ford and a long time coming as rivals have swamped the market with diesel alternatives while the Territory soldiered on with a thirsty 4.0-litre straight six.

The previous SY Territory was very good, the SZ is great, especially with the diesel.

There are better, more hi-tech turbodiesel engines around, but the unit in the Territory is an adequate compromise with Ford’s relatively limited budget.

I think the front-end styling lifts the quality of the big SUV, a preview of the look of the next Falcon.

I really enjoyed driving the Territory and felt extremely comfortable behind the wheel.

It’s not cheap but proves that Australia still makes the best value large rear-wheel drive vehicles in the world with the all-wheel drive versions great for our wet season and for venturing off road to a limited extent.

The Territory is a comfortable, liveable soft-roader wagon which is now more appealing to many buyers.

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE from $45,000

What an amazing transformation the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is. Gone is the truck-like behaviour to be replaced by a refined SUV which is still capable of wandering well off the beaten track.

The 2011 Grand Cherokee is a quantum leap and is giving rivals an enormous headache.

It’s been a sales success for the brand with the diesel virtually impossible to get.

In showroom appeal alone the Americans have pulled one out of the hat.

Once on the road, buyers will be even more impressed and will love its off-road abilities as well. With a drive-away price of under $50,000, it’s a bargain too.

The latest Grand Cherokee’s good looks are backed up by sound engineering and a hugely improved cabin environment.

Disappointments are few and expectations are now higher than before.

The Grand Cherokee cannot be ignored if you want a medium-sized SUV.

The Laredo is versatile and interesting, is well put together, looks great inside and out and offers refined travelling both on and off the road.

If you want to move upmarket there are Grand Cherokee versions that can challenge the best from Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GULLWING from $468,820

Ninety minutes. That’s all the time I was given to see what all the fuss of the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Gullwing was about.

It was an hour-and-a-half well spent, even if the minder accompanying me was nervous about the wellbeing of his $550,000 car.

I was nervous too. I didn’t want to make a goose of myself. I erred on the side of caution. Imagine trying to explain how and why Mercedes-Benz’s supercar ended up in Trinity Inlet?

This is what a supercar is all about: stunning looks, stunning performance and stunning price.

And the AMG SLS delivers that in shovel loads from its 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, a top speed of 317km/h, those incredible but impractical gullwing doors and the $548,396 driveaway price tag.

Some hate the look of the SLS. But there’s no denying its presence. There’s something phallic about the car with its long snout and short tail.

This is a Lotto winner’s dream machine or a multi-millionaire’s toy for an early morning blast.

It’s impossible to justify the expense of a supercar. The people who buy cars like the SLS typically have many millions in the bank and at least three other cars in the garage. So a gullwing is really a toy.

There is no doubting the demand with 50 paid-up customers last year and a similar number in 2011.

There is a lot to like about the SLS because it is a usable everyday supercar.

It’s a thumping, cracking drive that can also be almost as relaxing as the cruise-mobiles that are part and parcel of the Benz family.

It’s not instantly recognisable as a Merc. Take away the three-pointed star and it could be anything.

It’s not as suave or swoopy as the Italians or an Aston but isn’t as utilitarian as a Porsche. It’s unique in the supercar world.

You can moan about the tight passenger space, the small boot, the unusual rear-end design and a dash that looks like every other Benz.

However, the SLS, with its well-calibrated retro appeal, liveability and exclusion of hi-tech, is a persuasive supercar.

TESLA ROADSTER from $206,188

The future of motoring is here, in the form of a $206,000 electric sports car.

The Tesla Roadster Sports is an amazing car that is blindingly quick going forward and slowing down.

It can accelerate to 100km/h in less than 4 seconds (about 3.7s). That is supercar territory.

There’s just as big a shock when you lift off the accelerator. A monster stack of lithium-ion batteries coupled to a one-speed gearbox acts as a massive and powerful regenerating decelerator.

This is all from a car that uses no petrol at all, just thousands of laptop batteries which are recharged from a normal household power socket.

I’ve never driven anything like the Tesla before.

The incredible acceleration and lack of engine noise is bizarre.

So is the way it dramatically decelerates.

The thing the Roadster lacks is sound, an engine note which is the magic of a sports car.

Of course, the Tesla doesn’t lack handling and it certainly doesn’t lack acceleration.

The Sport goes like a cut snake. The instantaneous torque is breathtaking as is the incredible engine braking.

The Roadster is an extremely unusual sports car and the company believes they will sell 40 a year.

It has many of the drawbacks of the donor Lotus but, for the moment at least, offers something unique in the way it delivers supercar performance with a very green tinge.

If you can wait, a cheaper, more practical four-door luxury saloon is on its way for about half the cost ($100,000).

The base $206,188 Tesla Roadster is not for the Kuranda hippy dreadlocks brigade.

Nor, given the challenges of getting into and out of the Lotus body, will it suit oldies or fatties.

But cashed-up 30-somethings might find this the ultimate guilt-free performance car.

VOLKSWAGEN POLO from $19,850

After spending a week behind the wheel of the little Volkswagen, I can reveal it lives up to the original image as “the people’s car”.

It’s a little ripper and will also snare sales away from the big-selling small cars such as Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

It feels and drives more like a premium small car than a light car and goes to the top of the tree in a class of littlies which includes the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 and Hyundai i20.

The Polo is a class act, with top build quality and good materials. There’s a feeling of solidity that only the Germans do the best.

The Polo is the number one light car, an impressive baby version of the Golf. There’s a premium feel, from the build and materials used, to the way it drives, sounds and looks.

It’s a bit bland and I would opt for the optional $1500 Sport package to give it some character, which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, darker tinted windows, a lowered sports suspension, front fog lights and a low tyre pressure indicator.

Outweighing the high price is the quality, a car that feels a step above the others and a maturity that no light car rival can get close to. It’s $3000 more than the three-door Polo but is worth every extra dollar.

The Polo 77TSI Comfortline is king of the kids.

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R from $49,990

After two weeks behind the wheel of Volkswagen’s fastest Golf, I didn’t want to give it back.

I’ve made no secret that the Golf GTI is one of my favourite cars because of its all-round abilities and practicality.

The Golf R is the marque’s flagship hot hatch, a step up from the GTI. The R is the one for enthusiasts who want something more special than the GTI, which accounts for 25 per cent of Golf sales or 4000 a year.

Yet, only about 1000 Rs will find owners each year in Australia, making it that bit more exclusive.

The Golf R is an impressive car which offers keener drivers more performance and handling, more gear and more exclusivity than the GTI.

It’s lighter, less nose-heavy and a faster all-wheel drive version of the GTI, with a price that is not outrageous and starts at less than $50K.

It is yet another icon in the Golf family and is a bit more discreet looking, a little understated but with premium clues. If you want a raw and raucous experience then head to Subaru or Mitsubishi for a STI or an Evo.

If, however, you want a hatchback that has a near-perfect marriage of refinement and rapid performance, slip the gear lever into R.

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