Most people think of sports cars as small and impractical 2-seaters. In reality, there are plenty of practical sporty cars around.

Very early sports cars were simple two-seaters, little in the way of creature comforts, and nearly always lacking luggage space, times have definitely changed

Where once we were accustomed to crazy levels of performance from exclusive brands, now it seems every carmaker produces a sports car of some description whether it’s a coupe, two-seater, SUV, or even truck. More powerful engines have allowed designers to produce heavier cars without the loss of sportiness, offering more space, greater refinement, and much-improved practicality.

10 Aston Martin Rapide – More Luggage Space Than An Average Sedan.

Perfect for any gearhead who wants sports car performance and enough space for occasional rear passengers. Inside is pretty much like any other Aston Martin, low seating sumptuous leather-trimmed cabin near identical to the more sporty two-seater offerings.

The Rapide’s practicality coming down to personal needs, but capable of holding more luggage than average sedans plus optional folding rears seats increasing space to 886-liters. Added seats and luggage pace doesn’t detract from the Rapide’s performance, still very quick to 62mph in 5.2 seconds, and good for a maximum 188mph top speed.

9 Subaru Impreza 22B – So Usable It Makes Rally Driving Look Easy.

No stranger in high-performance circles, Subaru’s Impreza one of the greatest road-going rally cars ever produced, 22B spec models remain firmly near the top of the list of best models ever produced. Updated from the standard car, the 22Bs feature 2.2-liter turbocharged engines, with official power output rated at 280hp, in reality exceeding 300hp.

Developed from one of the most demanding racing formats, Imprezas have always been strong and sturdy capable of taking pretty much any abuse gearheads care to throw at them, reliability shouldn’t be an issue. Sporting that rear wing adds drag-reducing top speed to around 144mph, although even with four-up seating 22B’s can still hit 60mph in under 5 seconds and manage to have a truck full of gear at the same time.

8 Porsche Panamera – Not Quite In The Same League As The 911.

When Porsche unveiled the original Panamera it raised a few eyebrows, often criticized as being a stretched 911, fortunately, more recent revisions helping to give the car its separate identity. All models across the range have the same cabin layout providing four full-sized seats although rear-legroom is as to be expected a little restricted.

Despite appearances, Panamera is never going to drive like a 911, even so, base models equipped with 3.6-liter V6 motors turn out 296hp good for near entry-level 911 speeds of 162mph.

7 Mercedes CL73 AMG – Big Engine Big On Performance

No other Mercedes road car has featured a bigger engine, AMGs revision bumping capacity up to 7.3-liter, the same unit Pagani would later use in their Zonda range. Older performance Mercedes are often devoid of the annoying limiter, the CL73 able to fully exploit all 525hp reaches 62mph in 4.8 seconds, flat out hitting 186mph.

One of the best carmakers when it comes to high-performance models, AMG proves with the CL73 that performance doesn’t come at the expense of reliability and comfort, Mercedes CL models have always been range-topping grand tourers.

6 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso – A True Four Seater Performance Car.

Previous 4-seater Ferrari’s have not exactly been a roaring success, Mondial and Dino 308GT4 proving to be disasters. Unveiled in 2016 GTC4 Lusso is probably more Grand Tourer combined with mini-shooting brake, in true Ferrari form performance taking center stage.

All performance cars catering for speed and practicality need to compromise somewhere, here Ferrari engineers seem to have got the balance just right, a genuine four-seater, and still able to exceed 200mph.

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5 BMW M5 Touring – Touring Car Racer And Family Car All In One.

Anything wearing the M badge is sure to be fast, living up to the BMW motto “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, added to the touring body makes the M5 one of the most practical sports cars of all time. First up, the all-important mechanicals, making use of a 5-liter V10 engine pumping out 507hp is more than Ferrari gave customers in 2004, capable of 200mph with the limiter removed.

German-built super sedans have always been very quick, but adding 5 seats and the ability to carry 1600 liters of gear in the back makes the M5 touring hard to ignore, fully loaded, and still able to beat pretty much anything else on the road.

4 Audi TT-S (2016) – Still A Practical Reliable Everday Sports Car.

It is hard to believe the Audi TT has been with us so long, the first model hit the forecourts in 1998 proving to be an instant success. Retaining Audi’s original design with a more modern corporate front end gives a more aggressive sporty look, something the original lacked.

Like most small 2+2 sports cars, rear seats are more for display than use, after all, TT’s main attraction is everyday performance, with S spec models packing 292hp.

3 GMC Syclone – Faster And More Versatile Than A Ferrari

The GMC Syclone makes for a convincing argument for being a sports car, two seats, a high-performance engine, and the bonus of more usability. At the time of launch in 1991 few production cars could match the Syclone in the 0-60mph sprint, taking 4.3 seconds making it much quicker than Ferrari’s famous Testarossa.

Capable of incredible performance would normally signify the need for large exotic race-tuned engines, Syclone managed to best a Ferrari with 280hp from a turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 unit, and just to prove it wasn’t a one-trick car Syclone could also reach 166mph flat out.

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2 Porsche 968 – Much Forgotten Every Day Porsche Sports Car.

Through the success of their rear-engined models, Porsche will always be remembered for the 911, all other models not quite cutting it from a purist point of view. Developed from the successful 944, the new model shares little with the old car with engineers claiming 80% of the 968 is all-new, although the naturally aspirated engine is carried over.

Equipped with a 3-liter in-line four-cylinder the 968 was never going to worry 911 owners, with just 237hp available resulting in a maximum speed of just shy of 160mph. Instead, Porsche engineers produced a genuine sports car that could be used every day without the high running costs of more powerful models.

1 Mazda MX-5 – Perfectly Balances, Reliable And Cheap – The World’s Best Sports Car Combination.

The best things come in small packages so the saying goes, and MX-5 lives up to that claim balancing performance, reliability and, practicality. Owners are not going to get 200mph performance, and even if they did, where could they exploit that speed? For everyday fun any speed over 120mph is pretty much pointless, public roads are so heavily congested these days.

Having just two-seats is fine for that weekend away, and also sufficient for a couple of large weekend bags is more than adequate. One of the cheaper to buy sports cars, MX-5 makes a lot of sense, fun, usable, and cheap to maintain.

source:https://www.hotcars.com/most-practical-sports-cars/