Not the Best New Cars of 2008

This car is a great leap ahead for Audi. Still, it looks a bit too much like a BMW 3-series, it doesn't quite offer the excitement of some of Audi's other cars and it's very, very expensive. A great car, but not quite Best Of material.

This was one of the toughest decisions in putting together the list. The convertible TT Roadster absolutely blew me away, but the hardtop TT Coupe was sort of underwhelming. In the end, I decided not to include it on the Best New Cars of 2008 list -- a decision I'm still not 100% sure was right.

The STS saw lots of changes for 2008, the most notable of which is a stellar new direct-injection V6 engine that delivers eight-cylinder power with six-cylinder economy. Alas, most of the parts that make up the rest of the STS don't do their jobs as well as the engine. And while the STS' pricing starts well below its German and Japanese rivals, stack on a few options and you'll soon find yourself paying significantly more for a car that delivers significantly less.

The HHR SS is a really neat car that promises a bright future for the SS badge. Still, it doesn't feel as fast as a car with a 260-horse turbo engine should, and buyers who opt for the automatic transmission get penalized with less power.

Lousy driving dynamics and a space-robbing soft-top design eliminated all the charms of the old Sebring convertible, along with all of my affection for this car.

With 280 turbocharged horsepower on tap, I had high hopes for the SRT-4. But horrific torque steer and horrific ride quality meant the Caliber SRT-4 didn't get anywhere near the Best of 2008 list. I still have nightmares about driving it on the About.com Cars Top Secret Curvy Test Road.

Cheap, plasticky, and thoroughly average, the Avenger screams "rental car".

This one came very close. It's great to drive, and the new Sync system (which reads out text messages sent to your phone and lets you control your iPod via voice commands) is amazing. Still, the Focus just isn't as good as its rivals -- the Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra are still better cars.

One could argue whether or not the Taurus is a new car -- it is, after all, a new name on a much-improved version of last year's Ford Five Hundred. Regardless, that's not why it didn't make the list -- I thought the Taurus was good, but just not good enough.

Lovely to drive and very roomy, but the button-happy controls and dial-operated nav system (in place of last year's superior touch screen) mean the new Accord has taken a step backwards.