Best 2009 sports/performance (over $50,000)

PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Chevrolet Corvette

Jim Kenzie

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

BEST: Chevrolet Corvette

This remains the bang-for-the-buck champion among sports cars.

Long gone are the days when the "Plastic Pig'' was a straight-line-only hot-rod. The $66,145 C6 Corvette handles and stops even better than it goes, and if you opt for the MagnaRide suspension, it delivers highway cruising comfort that equals many luxury sedans.

Ultra-tall gearing means you'll get surprising fuel economy, too, provided you don't constantly take advantage of the car's massive power.

Interior quality seems to improve yearly, although it's still far from world-beating. I also wish it had a firmer feel to the steering.

There are still massive numbers of sports car snobs who lower their noses only to look down them at the Corvette. When they do look, they usually see the Corvette leaving their own cars in the dust.

NEXT BEST: BMW Z4

My opinion of this $54,200 car may be coloured by the fact that I tested it on one of the best driving routes I have ever encountered, in the Alicante-Benidorm region of Spain.

But the balance of looks, performance, handling, luxury and comfort makes the Z4 a contender in any country.

The folding hardtop roof is a distinct mixed blessing. It does make it more of a year-round car, but luggage space is severely restricted when the top is down. (Does anyone but Mazda with its MX-5 make a sports car which offers you a choice of folding hard or soft tops?)

ALSO CONSIDER:

Porsche Boxster/Cayman ($59,600)

Still among the purest of driving experiences.

Nissan GT-R

Brutal, raucous and unlovely, but stunning performance for the price.

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners