Our most-watched videos of 2022

We look back at some of the coolest metal to appear on our YouTube channel in 2022

There was no shortage of shiny metal on the Autocar YouTube channel over the past 12 months, as we drove everything from modified hot hatches to ultra-luxurious SUVs. Here are some of the highlights.

*Lotus Emira vs Porsche 718 Cayman GTS*

We had been wondering how the Lotus Emira would stack up ever since we first caught wind of it a couple of years ago, so naturally as soon as it arrived, we pitted it against one of our favourite sports cars on sale: the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS. Both will be replaced by electric equivalents in the not-too-distant future, so which one of these petrol-powered swansongs is the best?

*Range Rover* *review*

We had high expectations for the new Range Rover. Previous generations have been some of the best SUVs on sale, but the newest version had its work cut out by an ever-increasing barrage of high-riding luxury cars. So, did it fill the big footsteps of its predecessors? We headed to California to find out.

*Maserati MC20* *review*

Maserati’s first mid-engined supercar in more than a decade needed to be good, and - spoiler alert - it is. The 621bhp that the all-new 3.0-litre V6 produces is more than enough, with the two turbochargers creating a boosty power delivery that’s downright intoxicating. You don’t have to drive like your hair’s on fire, either; we found it to be incredibly pleasant on the roads around Sussex.

*Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS vs Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series vs BMW M3 GTS*

We all love a good hardcore sports car here at Autocar. So when Porsche finally launched the high-performance Cayman that we had all been waiting for for so long, we decided to pitch it against two of our favourite lightweight German specials: the BMW M3 GTS and the Mercedes AMG SLS Black Series. This trio wouldn’t make a very practical three car garage, but it would absolutely be a fun one…

*Ferrari 296 GTB* *review*

The 296 GTB is a big turning point for Ferrari. It’s the firm's first all-new entry-level supercar since the 2011, and as well as being the brand’s first V6 since the Dino of the 1960s, it has a powerful hybrid powertrain that was previously only used in ultra-fast hypercars. With a combined output of 819bhp and a chassis that Ferrari said is optimised for fun above all else, we headed to Spain to find out if this was an evolution or a revolution of the supercar formula.

*MST MK1* *review*

What new car looks like a Ford Escort, drives like a Ford Escort and handles like a Ford Escort? The slightly confusing answer is 'not a Ford Escort'. MST’s stunning recreation of the 1960s legend is about as close as you can get to buying a brand-new example of Ford’s rally hero, so naturally we headed to Wales to channel our inner Roger Clark.

*BMW i4 vs Porsche Taycan*

This BMW-versus-Porsche test would certainly have looked - if not sounded - very different 10 years ago. However, the motoring world has changed dramatically since then, and a performance EV is now much less of a wild concept than it would have previously been. Here we pitted the Munich firm’s i4 against Stuttgart’s Taycan.

*Range Rover Sport* *review*

After driving the fantastic Range Rover earlier in the year, we were immediately left wondering how its sportier sibling would feel. We didn’t have to wait long, and once we were behind the wheel, we realised that it was just as good as its full-size counterpart. This luxurious, well-handling and surprisingly fast SUV immediately became one of our favourites on sale. A five-star car.

*Century of speed*

What do a Vauxhall, a Bentley, a Jaguar, a Mercedes, a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, a McLaren and a pair of Bugattis all have in common? They were all the fastest cars you could buy in Britain in their respective decades. This journey through top speed history had us getting behind the wheel of true automotive legends, with the Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari F40 and McLaren F1 being just a small part of the group. We dread to think what the combined value of this lot was…

*BMW M240i Coupé vs Porsche 718 Cayman vs Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S*

When the new BMW M240i Coupé was launched earlier this year, we started wondering; what’s the best usable performance car you can buy for £50,000? A triple test with two other great German cars quickly ensued: the Porsche 718 Cayman and the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S. All of these cars can be driven day to day, but which one’s the most fun out on the open road?