Best New Cars of 2012: The cars that almost made it

The A7 is harvesting awards left and right, and I count myself among the A7's admirers. I love the slick fastback styling -- it recalls classic European cars of the 1960s while providing a usefully large cargo bay. It's more practical than the Mercedes CLS and less obnoxious than the BMW 5-series Grand Touring. Still, I was hoping for a little more aggressive driving experience to back up the A7's sporty looks. The A7 drives almost exactly like the A6 on which it is based, and I think that was a mistake -- a slightly stiffer suspension would have made a world of difference. And while the A6 is a bargain, the A7 isn't -- it costs several thousand dollars more than the A6. Hence the reason the A6 got the Best New Cars nod while the A7 is here.

No question, as far as enthusiasts are concerned, the Regal GS is the best Buick ever. It's got a great engine, a slick 6-speed manual transmission, beautifully balanced suspension, and it's great fun to drive -- as close to a driver's car as we've seen from Buick in years. And the package in which it's wrapped -- basically a rebadged Opel Inisignia -- is nicely sized and well finished, if not quite in line with other Buick models. So why no Best New Cars award? Because the Regal GS still needs a bit more refinement. It still feels a bit raw and untamed, and it exhibits many of the bad behaviors of front-wheel-drive performance cars, behaviors that can be engineered out with a little money and time invested. If I truly believed this was the best General Motors could do, I might be a bit more forgiving, but having driven cars like the Cadillac CTS-V and the Corvette Grand Sport, I know GM can do even better.

I think the Fiat 500 is a great addition to the American car market. It's bright and colorful, it's fuel-efficient, and it's affordable. To be honest, it's the bright-and-colorful part I like the most -- somber black interiors are a pet peeve of mine, so I love cars like the Fiat 500 that offer a multitude of multi-color options. Still, I think the Fiat 500 faces an uphill battle. Interesting as it is, it's not as exciting as the MINI Cooper to drive, and I don't know that the lifestyle buyers to whom the Fiat 500 is marketed will be willing to take a chance on a new brand. That said, I still think the Fiat 500 is a pretty nifty little car. If I'm wrong about not including any car on the list, it may well be this one.

This is one I've been asked about a few times. Here's the deal: Though the Mazda3 has technically been facelifted for 2012, it really hasn't changed all that much. So what about the new SkyActiv powertrain? Well, it really is brilliant, and it's great to see a Mazda that gets within 1 mile per gallon of the magic 40 MPG highway figure. Still, this is no longer new territory -- the Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Honda Civic HF, and Ford Focus SFE all meet or beat 40 MPG. And the SkyActiv engine is only one of three offered on the 2012 Mazda3; both entry-level and top-of-the-line versions get last year's thirstier engines. And let's not forget that Mazda cheapened the 3's interior, eliminating one of the most compelling reasons to buy the car. Don't get me wrong -- the Mazda3 is still one of my favorite compacts, because it's more fun on a curvy road than any of its competitors. But that's not enough to make it Best New Cars material.

This was a difficult difficult decision -- after all, I put the Jetta GLI on the list, and the Golf R is better in every way: Faster, grippier, and more fun to drive (and considering how good the Jetta GLI is, that' saying a lot). But the all-wheel-drive Golf R's price tag of $35k -- $10,000 more than the front-drive GLI and GTI -- means this car will mostly appearl to hard-core Volkswagen enthusiasts. As much as I enjoyed hammering the Golf R through the curves, I can't imagine paying an extra $200 per month over a GTI or a GLI for the extra thrills.

Of all the cars on this list, this is the one I struggled with the most. The Passat is exactly the sort of car Volkswagen should be selling in America: It has notable advantages over the competition, primarily it's huge back seat and trunk and available diesel engine; it offers the class-above luxury we've come to expect from Volkswagen; and it's competitively priced against the established competition. All in all, it's a really nice car. On the other hand, the Passat doesn't have the cutting-edge appeal of recent introductions like the Kia Optima, Hyundai Sonata, or even (believe it or not) the new Toyota Camry. Build quality remains an unknown, and Volkswagen insists on soldiering on with the oddball 2.5 liter 5-cylinder engine rather than developing a large fuel-efficient 4-cylinder. Good as it is, the Passat is facing some exceptionally stiff competition.