Last year’s announcement of the Test Drive Car of the Year was a big hit (?).

In this article, my husband, who regularly gets to drive a variety of cars thanks to readers and acquaintances, will share his top three most impressive cars he test drove in 2023.

That said, all the cars were fantastic, so ranking them was quite difficult.

Also, please understand that these picks reflect my husband’s personal view, who prioritizes driving enjoyment over interior and comfort features.

By the way, here are the 18 cars he test drove in 2023:

Porsche Cayman (987)
Toyota GRMN Yaris
Porsche 911 Carrera S (992)
BMW M8 Gran Coupe
Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
Porsche 911 Turbo S (992)
Porsche Macan Turbo (early model)
Range Rover Autobiography
Porsche 718 Cayman
Porsche 718 Cayman T
Porsche 911 Carrera T (992)
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (992)
Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS (992)
Mercedes-Benz E250 (W213)
Porsche 911 Cup (964)
Toyota GR 86 RZ
Mercedes-AMG SL43
Mercedes-AMG GLA35

Note that our own Carrera T and Cayman T were excluded from the selection.

2023 Car of the Year!

3rd Place: Toyota GR Supra RZ “Matte White Edition”

Striking the perfect balance between a sports car and a grand touring car. The suspension is impressively comfortable and supple. Despite its softness, it responds fully to sporty driving and, on top of that, makes the driver feel genuinely good behind the wheel—truly wonderful.

There are faster cars out there, but this setup delivers a refined quality that earned it the award.

新型スープラ（6MT）に試乗｜ポルシェ乗りが乗るとどう感じた？

2nd Place: Porsche 911 Turbo (997)

This car embodies the dual nature of the “Turbo” grade. Comfortable and smooth at low speeds, but once you push it and the turbo kicks in, you get an overwhelming surge of acceleration and superb cornering performance.

Its compact body now makes you forget it’s an all-wheel-drive turbo, which was another high point in its favor.

ポルシェ・911ターボ（997）に試乗｜ターボの二面性の原点ここにあり

1st Place: Porsche 911 Dakar (992)

The prestigious top spot goes to the Porsche 911 Dakar (992).

This is not just a taller, leisure-style 911. You can immediately tell it’s a genuine rally car once you get behind the wheel. The dedicated Pirelli tires are outstanding—all-terrain yet offering more than enough grip, comfort, and high-speed stability. Plus, the sound design and PDK blip control are superb. Among the 992 models, only the Carrera T and this Dakar make low-speed driving truly fun.

The main reason it won is that it offers not only high performance and speed but also pure driving enjoyment.

ポルシェ911 ダカール徹底レビュー【前編】：900kmのグランドツーリングで体験したその実力

Thank You for This Year, Too.

Thank you so much for letting us drive so many wonderful cars this year. Also, thank you for supporting the blog “Welcome Home, PORSCHE.”

This year, updates were especially at our own pace (our YouTube live streams were held almost every Saturday at 9 PM. The streams for this year have ended, but we plan to resume early next year),

Thanks to all of you, we’ve been able to enjoy running this blog as a couple, and we are truly full of gratitude.

Actually, over the past few weeks, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my own car life and have made a decision. I hope to share more about this in an article early next year.

With that, we look forward to your continued support of “Welcome Home, PORSCHE” in the coming year.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year.