SPORTS/PERFORMANCE CAR UNDER $50,000: VOLKSWAGEN GTI BASE PRICE: $30,075 AS-TESTED PRICE $35,640

This is always a fun category, but as one of the largest groups this year – and closest-finishing – it was also perhaps the most competitive.

The VW GTI's winning 673 points were only eight more than the third-place Hyundai Genesis Coupe, with the Mazdaspeed3 falling exactly halfway between the top two.

This group may very well have made AJAC TestFest history. Although I haven't gone back through all the years to check, it's very likely the first time that the top two finishing vehicles in this performance-oriented class tied for slowest in the benchmark zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour run.

Their very respectable 6.9-second runs are still pleasingly fleet, and yet the GTI's 2.0-litre, 200-horsepower, turbocharged four manages to extract every ounce of straight-line speed it can, with a simple launch control system and an advanced DSG six-speed paddle-shifted transmission that shifts much quicker than a regular automatic or manual.

The VW also managed to outshine the hottest-looking and most powerful car in the bunch, the Chevrolet Camaro SS, the homegrown, Oshawa, Ont.-built favourite that's already starred in two blockbuster movies.

The GTI and brawny Camaro may be similar in price, but they were polar opposites in personalities: The big Camaro's traditional rear drive and retro interior contrasted sharply with the lithe GTI's quick-reacting front drive and ultramodern cockpit.

Whereas the Camaro's 426-hp, 6.2-litre V-8 delivered the most power from the largest engine, the GTI offered the least from the smallest mill, with less than half the power of the SS from an engine not even a third of the Chevy's displacement. But the GTI was far and away the most fuel efficient in the group, the Camaro the least, unsurprisingly. Judging from the final tally, it was clear which personality most voters preferred.

The other contenders

MAZDASPEED3
BASE PRICE: $32,995
AS-TESTED PRICE: $32,995

The Mazdaspeed3 finished oh so close behind the Volkswagen, thanks to its great engine and practical body, but fell behind in looks inside and out. The Mazda's turbocharged, 263-hp, 2.3-litre four with a stout 280 lb-ft of torque put out enough power to feel much quicker than the GTI on the road, but on the track, the lack of a launch control system and a slower manual transmission simply couldn't match the more sophisticated technology of the VW.

HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE V-6
BASE PRICE: $24,495
AS-TESTED PRICE: $36,495

The sole South Korean entry in this category impressed many with its styling and purist-friendly, rear-wheel drive, which led to high marks in the key steering and handling departments. Its 306 hp from a 3.8-litre V-6 gave it a lively feel on the road, and mid marks on the acceleration scale, with a zero-to-100 km/h time of 6.6 seconds. The Hyundai compared well in all but acceleration to the Camaro, the only other rear driver here, but there were simply more practical, comfortable and refined entrants in this group.

MITSUBISHI LANCER RALLIART SPORTBACK
BASE PRICE: $33,498
AS-TESTED PRICE: $33,498

This was the prototypical boy-racer car, and it was not for you if you did not like revs. It sounded like it was always chomping at the bit to go faster, including on the highway where its short gearing and thrashy engine produced lots of noise compared with the others, even in cruise mode. The 2.0-litre, 237-hp, turbocharged four is helped by a very responsive six-speed twin-clutch transmission, and nice long shift paddles. Despite grippy Recaro seats and a sporty steering wheel, the rest of the interior seemed cheap for this price.

CHEVROLET CAMARO SS
BASE PRICE: $41,430
AS-TESTED PRICE: $41,530

Sad, but true: No doubt the best Camaro that GM has produced, it scored the highest style points here, and yet it couldn't break the top three in this class. It's huge fun to drive in a straight line, as its 5.2-second, zero-to-100 km/h time suggests. And yet one can't shake the feeling after driving the SS that the whole “retro” appeal of the big car, big power, “handling who?” formula will slow dramatically as its design/celebrity power subsides.

FORD TAURUS SHO
BASE PRICE: $48,199
AS-TESTED PRICE: $49,799

The Ford Taurus SHO makes lots of power, but it's not a performance machine, unless you're comparing it with its corporate Lincoln sibling, the MKS. The 365 hp from the twin-turbo, EcoBoost, 3.5-litre V-6 is mighty impressive, but the fact is this full-size, 1,981-kilogram, all-wheel-drive sedan just wasn't designed to change directions quickl. It was, however, the most comfortable of the group.

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SPORTS/PERFORMANCE OVER $50,000: AUDI S4 BASE PRICE $54,100 AS-TESTED PRICE $55,600

Handling and price set the S4 apart

There's not a whole lot of mystery about why the Audi S4 sedan wiped the floor with its pricier rivals in this group: Its lower weight and Quattro all-wheel-drive system allowed it to slice and dice its way to the category crown.

Throw in the fact that it was about 18 grand less expensive as well as more practical than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe that finished in second, and the reasons behind the rout become even clearer.

The S4's handling and price may have set the Audi apart, but it was also the true triathlete of the group, scoring well in comfort, roominess and safety features as well. Its 3.0-litre, supercharged V-6 engine is officially rated at 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, but there was much speculation around the TestFest camp that these numbers must be underrated.

How else to explain the Audi's quicker-than-average 0-100 km/h run (5.2 versus 5.6 seconds) compared with the significantly more powerful E 550's 382-hp, 5.5-litre V-8? Yes, the Audi weighs a notable 30 kg less, and Quattro surely helps launch it quickly; but the acceleration numbers suggest that the Merc's big V-8's horsepower edge and even meatier low-end grunt advantage is not as much as it seems on paper.

Regardless, this engine averages by far the best fuel economy of the trio as well, at 12.1 L/100 km city/7.9 highway, with all of them requiring premium fuel.

The other contenders

MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS COUPE (E 550)
BASE PRICE: $68,200
AS TESTED: $71,900

The B-pillar-less E-Class Coupe was the comfort champ of the group, with the quietest and most refined driving experience. Its optional AMG sport package made it look like a serious performer, and its burly 5.5-litre V-8 backed up that assertion with a strong and willing engine. But even a quick track drive of the E 550 made it clear that the softer suspension setup had the car siding unmistakably on the luxury side of the dynamic pendulum.

JAGUAR XFR
BASE PRICE: $85,300
AS-TESTED PRICE: $85,600

What a difference a letter can make. The simply named Jaguar XFR may look very similar to the XF on which it's based, but that R denotes the addition of a road-ripping, 510-hp, 5.0-litre, supercharged V-8 engine that puts Jaguar in the elite class of super sedans. Despite being the largest and heaviest here, its 4.9-second 0-100 km/h run was also the quickest. It earned the highest styling plaudits on my own and the group's scorecard, but its brakes and suspension were not quite upgraded enough to deal entertainingly with all that power.