Top 10: Most Beautiful 2010s

[svgallery name="Top_10_Beauties_2"] Story by John LeBlanc If you want to start a good argument, forget about religion, sex or politics. Just go ahead and diss the looks of your neighbour's precious set of wheels. Taking that risk, let me present you – what I think, anyway – are the ten most beautiful 2010 model-year cars you can buy today. Some you'll agree with; some you won't. But hey, that's what the Comments section is there for. And remember, just as with other people's spouses or children, automotive beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. 10) Land Rover LR3 Beauty can be functional, too. That's why in an ocean of sinking SUVs, the Land Rover LR3 really floats my boat. There's no gratuitous frippery, just honest lines and shapes in the LR3's function-over-form looks, making it a design icon. With its raised roof and skylights, asymmetrical rear glass and unpainted fender flares, it echoes Landies from the past, while promising treks to the Serengeti or Icelandic fjords in the future. It's a tad thirsty (the V8 is rated an optimistic 17.2 L/100 km (16 m.p.g.) city, 11.5 L (25 m.p.g.) hwy), when it comes to the dino juice, but even just sitting in my laneway with an empty tank, the LR3 is the only SUV I have ever lusted for. 9) Nissan Cube The Cube is an exercise in truth in advertising. It's not a sport compact or a crossover. Almost as tall as it is wide, it's a box on wheels, the best way to maximize the Nissan's room-per-footprint ratio. Like an Apple iPod, the Cube's a well-thought-out piece of industrial design made affordable for the masses. Yet some details – wrap-around window at the rear on the passenger side, and refrigerator-style opening – make the Cube look like nothing else on the road today. And that's no small trick given its compact car price. 8 ) Pontiac Solstice Coupe When the two-seat Solstice Roadster was introduced in concept form in 2004, few remember it was joined on stage by a hardtop coupe. It's taken five years, but the targa-roof Solstice Coupe finally arrived in Pontiac showrooms this spring. And its sexier skin will make you blush. The convertible Solstice has sensual lines, short body overhangs and those Batmobile teardrop head restraints. But the coupe finishes the job with a profile reminiscent of BMW's last M Coupé or a mini-Corvette: sweet. The irony is, GM recently canned the Pontiac brand, meaning this will be the first and last year for the Solstice hardtop. Hello? Future collectible, anyone? 7) Nissan 370Z Coupe Although the 2003 to 2009 350Z (which reintroduced the legendary Zed car after an eight-year hiatus) was considered a sales success, it looked a little heavy in the hips, with bloated fenders and other rather unsophisticated and jarring details, such as the crude, fake-aluminum door handles. But this year's mid-life makeover of Nissan's two-seat sports car (now known as the 370Z as per its bigger V6) graduates the car from beast to beauty. Shorter, tighter, tauter and more communicative of its high-performance intent, the latest Zed is no lollygagging GT. Its sheet metal is pulled tighter around the mechanicals and wheels, and its aggressive front grille work looks like sabre-tooth tiger's roaring mouth. It's a pure sports car, closely mimicking the 1969 original's spirit. 6) Mercedes-Benz CLS Class With a quartet of apertures, and a solid B-pillar, let's throw the CLS Class's "four-door coupé" marketing fluff out the window. What the CLS is is one of the most beautiful sedans around. The old E-class sedan-based CLS 's arcing chopped roof and tall beltline compresses its side glass into bunker-like slots. It may not be a true two-door, but in a lineup of angularly styled cars, the CLS boldly stands out as an object of desire. Note: Can someone fill me in as to why Benz's styling department didn't pick up on the gorgeous CLS's look for the new conservative-looking 2010 E-class Coupé? 5) Lamborghini Murcielago Raw. Guttural. In-your-face. These can all describe Lamborghini's top-dog V12 Murcielago. For those who can find beauty in bullfighting, the big Lambo's punch-to-the-solar-plexus-styling is a hunk of rambunctiousness on wheels. Introduced in 2001, the Murcielago comes from a long line of styling – Countach and Diablo – that synthesizes brutality and beautification. And like its forefathers, the Murcielago is poster-pinup material. With its roller-skate profile and enough strakes, vents and spoilers to qualify for U.S. military funding, the luscious Lambo screams its aggressive intent standing still. 4) Porsche Cayman Initially created to bridge the pricing gap between the entry-level Boxster and 911 Carrera, the Cayman coupe has gone on to not only become Porsche's most rewarding sports car to drive, but also its best looking. Harking back to the days of the nimble-handling Porsche 356 (made between 1948 and 1956), the nimble-handling mid-engine Cayman's rear haunches and streamlined roofline avoid the hunchback look of bigger brother 911. In profile, its skin is tightly drawn over a pair of close-knit front bucket seats and mid-engine mechanicals without any need for superfluous styling flourishes. The Cayman is pure Porsche – 2009. 3) Audi A5 In concept, it was the Nuvolari Grand Touring coupe. In production form it ended up what Audi's Italian designer Walter de'Silva says is his most beautiful work to date. Countering the austere Bauhaus look that drove Audi design since the 1990s, the 2+2 A5 broke the automaker's former cold design mold like a warm Tuscan sunrise.The new Audi coupe's singular, flowing fender line that starts at the headlights and ends at the taillights, is in sharp contrast to the flat-sided look of the automaker's previous design language. To me, the Audi A5 is an Olympic German athlete dressed in Italian sports wear. Enough said. 2) Aston Martin V12 Vantage Bond? Who's Bond? Unlike some of the glitzier Aston GT models (DB9, DBS – come on down!) that require an aging movie franchise to boost their images, the less expensive Aston Martin is the purist expression of the brand and the most beautiful car in the storied British marque's current lineup (much like the Cayman is to Porsche). Modern and clean, with strong muscular surfaces, the V12 Vantage's low hood line, simple grille motif and two-seat coupe roofline (notice no convertible's on this list) give the hand-built sports car an utterly modern look, yet it's still instantly recognizable as an Aston Martin. 1) Maserati Gran Turismo If any car lives up to its billing, it's the Gran Turismo. Achingly gorgeous. Superbly swift. Capable of covering the Munich to Milan run in only one day (while cosseting those lucky enough to be seen inside and their luggage), the Maser is the ultimate expression of the modern grand touring genre. Go ahead. I dare you – try and find a bad line on this car. From the integrated rear spoiler, to its flowing rear fenders, to that inimitable Maserati road-sucking grille with the famous trident logo, the Gran Turismo's exterior details offer real drama and history all in one stylish 2+2 package. In other words, it's the most beautiful new car you can buy. Period.

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