Yup, that’s me. Circa 1989. Next to me is my Pop Pop. He’s gone a long time. Always wanted a Cadillac. Had the means. Never pulled the trigger. Couldn’t take the money with him to the Pearly Gates. What does Pop Pop have to do with the 2024 Soul Cars of the Year? We’ll get back to him.
For now, let’s drop some facts.
The 2024 Soul Cars of the year by the numbers
- 50 cars reviewed in 2024
- A combined 20,782 horsepower
- Combined worth of $4,070,688
The Soul Car of the Year is my award for the cars I believe make a true connection with its driver. Far beyond just plain performance numbers on some data sheet, my Soul Scores seek to give you an idea of what the car is actually like to live with and experience.
We have categories for Trucks and SUVs, Sports Cars and Coupes, and Sedans and Wagons, and I’ll provide two runner ups in each category. To keep things fair, I will only nominate “new” cars, as in cars that are on sale today. A 2022 M3 is essentially available. A 1997 Supra Turbo (cries into coffee), is not.
Here we go.
Soul SUV & Truck of the Year
Third Place: 2025 Land Rover Defender
Going off-road is really fun. But to do so, you often need to sacrifice everything else. Big suspensions that ride like rocks. Plastic-fantastic interiors that are “easy-to-clean”, but look like crap. And the aerodynamics of a really tall building.
But this Defender…it’s nice. The powertrain is refined and provides plenty of ability for every terrain. It’s comfy inside, and the industrial-looking materials make it feel like it was built out of Terminator corpses. On-road, it behaves itself (mostly), but I can’t imagine anyone confining it to such a life – what a waste.
Perhaps you want the V-8, a fair wish, but you don’t need it to have fun in a Land Rover Defender.
Second Place: 2025 BMW X3 M50
There are so many small SUVs in the market, and that makes it hard to cut through the noise. The BMW X3 does, and though the last one was very good, it wasn’t exactly something you’d long to drive home on the back roads. But this new X3 M50, the G45, might change your mind.
Taking the sporty flair of a real M car and combining it with the everyday usability of M Performance models make this perhaps one of BMW’s best cars yet. Oh sure, it’s cheaper inside, so avoid the Mercedes showroom. And the tech, while fun, is a bit overbearing at times.
If you can get past those two elements, you’ll find an amazing grand touring machine with room for the family, shocking speed, and perfectly balanced handling. You don’t want an X3 M, you want this.
First Place: 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor
Read the Ford Bronco Raptor review
An SUV that handles like a sports car? Sure, we just had one of those listed above.
An SUV that handles like a sports car, on mud tires, with 418 horsepower? That’s the Ford Bronco Raptor, and it’s one helluva machine.
Offering all the fun and ability of Jeep’s 392 Wrangler, the Bronco kicks it up a notch with its refinement and more modern technology. The Jeep felt old because it is. Yea yea, V-8 missing – but Ford’s turbo V-6 is so responsive and resonant, I hardly miss the thunder claps from the back.
Also missing is the refinement of the Defender, but I think that’s a worthy trade-off. Cars are costumes, and the Bronco Raptor is Ah-nuld in a clown suit. Ya, we are having fun now, yes?!
Or else.
Soul Sedan and Wagon of the year
Third Place: 2024 Lexus IS 500
On the surface, this Lexus might not make much sense.
It’s tight inside for a sedan, so what’s the point of four doors? Dated too – CD player, plug your phone in vibes. And at nearly $70,000, it ain’t cheap.
But then you ignite that V-8, do a pull at every red light, and think to yourself “I can chop off the kid’s legs, they’ll fit”. It’s all worth it in this IS 500.
It’s not one-dimensional – there’s handling and braking power here to spare, but it’s also not nearly as refined or capable as our next two cars. An IS-F would do wonders, but since that will never happen again, I say head down and order one in Ultra Sonic Blue. What a ride.
Second Place: 2024 Cadillac CT4 V Blackwing
What will it take for Cadillac to be taken seriously? Maybe an F1 entry? Can’t hurt – but they already make wonderful driver’s cars, like this guy.
The CT4 V Blackwing isn’t as fun as its big brother, with that Dyson V-6 in place of the Wolverine-inspired V-8. And GM still hasn’t nailed down the interior quality in the same way the Germans have. But the engine and interior are both fine enough to allow you to enjoy the CT4 as a whole.
It’s fast and very capable around turns, yet never beats you up on the ride to grandma’s house. I love cars that allow you to get into a rhythm, and the baby Blackwing has that trait in spades. At a price that undercuts the M3 by a significant amount, the CT4-V is one to really consider.
First Place: 2022 BMW M3 Competition
Read the M3 Competition review
I hope this isn’t self-serving. After all I’m on my second, and all my friends drive them.
But maybe that’s because it’s just so good. The S58 is probably the best engine on sale today – it’s smooth, fast and efficient. You can mod it to produce nuclear levels of energy, or just keep it mild to enhance its abilities a bit. The ride is always planted and firm, with minimal body roll. And the tail is so eager to give you what you want – drifts galore.
I wish I could feel more in this car – more feedback through the wheel, less fake noise through the speakers – but it’s there if you dig deep enough (or mod enough). The G80 M3 remains a comfortable, capable, and fun sedan that perhaps isn’t so much the best M3 anymore, it’s simply the best 3 Series.
What’s wrong with being that?
Soul Coupe and Sports Car of the year
Third Place: 2024 Lexus RC-F Track Edition
It would be unfair to call this recency bias – I’d pine for this car whether I drove it on January 1, or December 31.
It’s the V-8 really – it’s so special. The sounds it makes are beyond reproach, and it pulls harder than any stock S65 could muster. But the RC-F is so much more than the engine, and the Track Edition is even-even more.
The beautiful carbon everywhere, the thought given to those comfortable seats, the excellent steering. Even the CD player – nostalgia is all the rage these days. When you combine it, you get a car that’s fun to drive slow or fast. BMW only wishes.
It’s not perfect – that transmission, yeesh. But sometimes flaws give a car more personality, allowing a deeper connection. Don’t you want to fight with your wife on occasion?
Oh Mrs. Machines…
Second Place: 2024 Toyota GR Supra
Some people see a parts bin car in the Mark V Supra. How sad it would be to dismiss it because the bins the parts are in say Bavaria instead of Toyota City.
A turbocharged inline-six? Toyota is fresh out of those, and BMW makes the best ones anyway. But Toyota touches are enough to turn what is a ho-hum Z4 into something truly special. The stick shakes a bit at idle, the engine louder and more eager to play. The chassis of a puppy wagging its tail. So fun. I’d go so far to say that it feels more special than even some Porsches.
By now you’ve peaked I’m sure, at what takes the crown. The Supra is a much better car than the Z, rest assured. If you only had one car to live with, this is it.
But if you just wanted soul, well…
First Place: Nissan Z NISMO
This was not on my 2024 car-Bingo card. A Z is a fine thing – I’m glad it exists. But with Nissan in serious trouble, the cost-cutting is evident.
The Z NISMO is different.
This is a rough, loud, and raw car. It’s steering is very heavy no matter what. The seats are hot – hell the entire cabin tries to bake you. And the V-6, though better than the base model, still isn’t anywhere near the Supra’s in terms of performance or refinement. No stick, either.
I don’t care. At all. This car offers what a GT4 does, which is a drive that’s simply unfiltered. Scotch, neat. The Porsche might be more refined, but the Z is half the price. It’s a unique car in every regard, but one you might dismiss as a simple badge job. Please don’t. I never had more fun behind the wheel this year.
I’m rooting for Nissan – I know they have it in them, and the Z NISMO is evidence. Grab one while you can.
Drive what makes you happy
Falling in love is not a complicated process. It just takes a look. A smile. Like the Oracle in The Matrix says, no one can tell you when you’re in love, you just know. Happens with humans, happens with cars.
And we get such a finite time to fall in love, don’t we? Are you going to lie on your death bed, thinking about how you saved $200 bucks a month and got 2.99% APR? Or will it be “Damn, I had fun with my friends in that car.”? Be pure about it – don’t do it for likes or shares. Do it because it’s what makes you happy.
Did my Pop Pop have such regrets? I suppose we’ll never know. But I do know his life would have been just a bit more full had he gotten his Cadillac. I’d like to think my vocation validates that.
Thanks for the reminder Pop Pop. And thank you for reading. See you in 2025.
Roll the credits
Machines With Souls is produced entirely by me, Mike D’Ambrosio.
Except it isn’t.
So I must say thank you to André Mattis and Rahul Patel for helping me maintain what is becoming an ever-larger website.
Thank you to the owners of private vehicles that I review. You’ve met me early, late, in locations far and wide. I hope I did your car justice.
Thank you to Pierre, Eric, and everyone at NAVS for going above and beyond for press cars. And to Rafael and the team at Drive Shop for welcoming me this year.
My wife Corryn (aka Mrs. Machines), and daughter are always there to encourage me, share in the rides, and are in general responsible for my mental well-being. I love you both.
Finally, thank you readers. The kind feedback I get, the questions about random BMWs for sale, I love it all and always try to answer everything. Thank you for your continued support.
