As 2020 comes to an end we look back at the cars that surprised us the most each in their own way.

So cars have become amazingly good these days, there were heavy discussions inside the office of what should be the best car we drove this year. So instead we chose 3 cars that surprised us and kept us thinking over and over again about them.

The one that proves electric can be fun

The MINI Cooper SE is MINI’s first attempt at an electric car. It comes with a 184 hp and 270 Nm electric engine that powers the front wheels only. This brings the car to 100 km/h in a modest 7,3 seconds which doesn’t seem all that exciting. And with a 32,6 kWh battery, it isn't the biggest long distance traveler either, as we only managed to get around 180 km out of a single charge, if we drove calmly that is.

That last part of that sentence is key, we weren’t really expecting a lot from this first electric car as its performance numbers that are easily overshadowed by its petrol sibling. However, the moment there were some twisty roads up ahead, that’s where Ward and my impression of the car turned around 180°.
Because the battery pack is mounted inside the tunnel in the center of the car, the center of gravity is extremely low. Combine that with the regenerative braking, that acts like trail braking when cornering and thus pushes all of the momentum onto the front wheels, this is one hell of a car to drive. It goes around corners in a way that just makes you smile. The whole weekend, Ward and I couldn’t stop giggling like fangirls when throwing it around corners.
The MINI Cooper SE convinced us that EV’s can be engaging and hilariously fun to drive just like their ICE counterparts. We tried to explain to our friends and colleagues how fun it was, yet our words seemed alien to them. You have to drive it to understand it.

The one that pushes ICE technology further than ever

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S is AMG’s smallest full-blown AMG. Producing 421 hp out of a tiny 2.0 L 4 cylinder. So how does AMG produce a 2-litre engine with a specific output of up to 208 bhp per litre? The most powerful N/A engine on sale today (Ferrari’s F140GA) produces 121 bhp/l. Refined machinery from the Porsche 911 Turbo S puts that number up to 174 bhp/l. How does the M139 add another 34 bhp to that? Our ‘tech genius’ Nick explains just how AMG achieved this balance:

“There’s a fine line between durability and performance. The general rule of thumb is that, within the boundaries of a given engine, durability and performance act in an inversely proportional relation to each other. More performance usually results in decreased durability. In fact, any car tuner can develop an engine that produces 208 bhp/l or more. Plentiful fuel and air in the correct ratio is the only requirement for power. The hard part is maintaining reliability.

Let’s focus on the easy part first. AMG has mounted a huge twin scroll turbocharger to the M139. The twin scroll turbocharger is a subject on its own, but it boils down to a turbocharger with two inlet ports for exhaust gasses from different cylinders whose pressure pulses are timed favourably. This prevents exhaust gasses getting sucked back into the combustion chamber. In short, it results in high boost levels and great efficiency. Since there’s now so much air forced into the engine, AMG ran into the problem of fuel starvation. To maintain the proper air to fuel ratio under peak boost pressure, an additional port injector is added, resulting in two injectors per cylinder. Not only does it provide the engine with the fuel that is needs, it also helps cooling down the inlet valves.

For the hard part of maintaining durability, AMG chose to neglect popular wet liners and opted for a much more expensive block with dry liners. This increases the rigidity of the block by a lot, which it needs under peak boost pressure. What’s more, Daimler developed its own cylinder coating, called Nanoslide®. This coating is extremely hard, reducing wear in the cylinders. It also reduces friction, and thus the production of heat, enabling higher piston speeds. ”

— Nick B

We were expecting pure thrills, which it met easily. Hell, it went beyond that. All kinds of superlatives come to mind when reminiscing about the days with that proverbial pocket rocket. Even at the end of the test the way it pulled from second gear and up felt fresh. Every corner it took, it surprised us with its neutral character. Precise is another word that comes to mind, clinical almost. But when the precision got boring, AMG's engineer added the option to turn the 4Matic+ into unfiltered entertainment. Driftmode may seem ridiculous, but it shows just how AMG has mastered the understanding of desires this car can summon. All the A45 S is, is there for a reason. It is good because they wanted it to be the best in everything it does. Normal driving comes with tremendous rewards in the A45 S, constantly showing you refinement in everything it does. AMG mastered an impressive duality in the A45. One tip though: don't get those bucket seats if you regularly drive longer than 30 minutes. They're way too hard. Way, way too hard.

The one that proves modern cars shouldn't be easy to drive

Yup, there’s a second MINI here and it’s the John Cooper Works GP that really sticked with us. And no, we’re not referring to the semi slicks it runs on.
The Mini GP is a formidable car as you would’ve seen from our video review (link here). However, it’s a challenging car to master. Which probably has something to do with the 306 hp rushing through to the front wheels. It has the tendency to go wherever it likes if you’re not paying attention. You could say that’s dangerous but I believe that’s part of the appeal of the car.
You see, cars these days have become safer for sure, the Mini is an equally safe car in terms of occupant safety. But a lot of cars have become so easy to drive and the car takes care of most of the troubles that would throw you off.

It’s not the most precise car, and far from the most comfortable. Good thing the seats are so great and comfortable. It’s very fast yet don’t lose focus.
The GP scared me a few times whilst I drove it, something that only happened in the Alfa Romeo 4C or older cars. In a way, it combines an oldschool sense of driving excitement with a modern touch. And that’s why it kept us talking about it long after we tested it. It’s a blast to drive.