News Source: topspeed.com

With the 2015 calendar year coming to an end, it’s time to evaluate what has happened in the industry over the last 12 months and honor the best vehicles that arrived in showrooms in our annual TopSpeed Awards. This year, we are set to crown three winners – the car, truck,  and performance vehicle of the year – and to do that we’ve put together a set of criteria. You can learn more about it here. 

Granted, 2015 has been an eventful year with several new or updated releases for each segment, including the three we are set to judge. With so many new vehicles to choose from, picking five nominees and judging them against the criteria has been rather difficult. But after much thorough analysis and deliberation, I’ve come up with what I consider to be the top five greatest contenders for this year’s TopSpeed awards.

Check them all about below and make sure you stick around to find out what my fellow editors picked for each category, as well as for the big announcement on January 4th, 2016, when we will reveal the winners. Also, feel free to agree or disagree with my nominations in the comments section. Redesigned for 2016, the Chevrolet Camaro  made the top of my Car of the Year list for many reasons. First, its exterior and interior design is a perfect blend of old and new, combining everything that was great about the fifth-gen model with new and fresh features that bring it into the 21st century. At the same time, it sports many styling cues that harken back to the first-gen model. Then there’s the Corvette-  based V-8 engine that makes the SS both fast and fuel-efficient (due to cylinder deactivation), the newly developed V-6 with more oomph than anything the competition can offer, and the brand-new 2.0-liter four-banger that already made a name for itself in the Cadillac ATS  in terms of performance and fuel economy. It’s significantly lighter and stiffer than its predecessor and its new suspension system (combined with the Magnetic Ride Control and Brembo brakes available with the SS) granted the Camaro  promotion from the muscle car to the sports coupe segment. The new Camaro is once again one step ahead of its traditional competition – the Mustang  and the Challenger  – and good enough to give the German sports coupes a run for their money. Pretty much what Chevy,  Ford,  and Dodge  have been gunning for in recent years. If you ask me, the ND-generation MX-5 Miata  needs no introduction. It’s lighter, sportier, and more efficient than its predecessor, it has an appealing design, and, more importantly, it’s the modern embodiment of the first-generation car. No other sports car  available on U.S. soil will give you better value for the buck and very few (significantly more expensive vehicles) will give you more fun and put that big grin on your face. It’s suitable as both a daily driver and weekend track toy and has just enough technology on board to keep it modern without altering its intended purpose.

Have you noticed how more and more Nissans  get that cool factor we usually find in the GT-R?  The Maxima  sedan is one of them and needless to say, it gained loads of it. I was impressed with the new Maxima as soon as I laid eyes on it at the New York Auto Show.  Unlike other Nissans out there, the Maxima remained true to the concept it was based on, showcasing the same muscular body panels, sleek profile, wide stance, and an incredibly sporty appearance for a vehicle of this size.

The interior is equally impressive, featuring a center stack inspired by the GT-R supercar, Zero Gravity front seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and enough premium features to make the Toyota  Avalon seem spartan. It’s also quite spacious given its sleek appearance and thanks to the revised drivetrain, it now also delivers up to 30 mpg on the highway, making it one of the most fuel-efficient sedans in its niche. Priced from the low $30Ks, the Maxima checks all the right boxes and the fact that bridges the gap between Nissan and Infiniti  as far as premium features go makes it that much more appealing. While I’m not big fan of small crossovers and I’d take a compact wagon over any high-riding vehicle any day of the week, the CX-3  arrived just in time to prove me that not all mini SUVs  have to be ugly as the Nissan Juke  or dull as the Honda HR-V.  Far more appealing than just about any crossover currently on the market, the CX-3 not only sports a unique design based on Mazda’  s sexy Kodo styling language, but it’s also uncommonly aggressive for a vehicle wearing cladding and sitting high above the ground. The interior is pretty fancy for a car that fetches less than $20,000 in base trim, while the 2.0-liter SkyActiv engine returns best-in-class economy. In many ways, the CX-3 is the Miata of the mini SUV market and that statement explains its presence on this list.

Nominating a Kia  for the Car of the Year awards would have seemed a crazy idea five years ago, but the Korean automaker made tremendous progress over the past years and the Optima  is one of its many impressive results. Although its new design is rather evolutionary and still has plenty of previous-generation cues in it, it boasts the kind of understated elegance and sportiness I expect from a mid-size sedan.

The one-piece headlamp/grille arrangement and the coupe-like profile give it a bold appearance (even when compared to the gorgeous Mazda 6)  , while the cabin is unlike anything Kia had to offer thus far in this niche. Based on themes used in larger Kia  sedans, the Optima’s interior has finally received the attention to detail it deserves, softer materials, and an overall cleaner design. The Optima feels more expensive than it really is and can be had with one of three four-cylinder engines, something all mid-size sedans should offer nowadays. A car for the average Joe, the new Optima is proof that Kia is rapidly growing into a strong competitor in almost any significant segment.