Mazda 3

The Mazda 3 is as humble a pigeon as you could imagine, part of the cityscape, nothing apparently fascinating or flamboyant about it. But did you know that the pigeon is one of just six species that can recognize its reflection in a mirror?

The 3 likewise harbors hidden talents, including its ability to illustrate the difference between style and design. Style is how something looks. Design speaks to how something works. Unlike most small cars, the 3’s interior is not simply in thrall to the former.

Mazda 6

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about car design without sounding pretentious. This is probably the main reason professional car designers tend to wear turtleneck sweaters and space-age eyewear and jackets with too many buttons (or, occasionally, none at all); a uniform of mild ridiculousness to match this vocation of affected divination. So when Mazda tells us that the 6’s “Kodo” design language represents the muscular beauty of an animal pouncing, or that it takes its inspiration from the living athletic forms of nature, our first instinct—if we can manage not to snicker—is to smile and nod politely. Yes. Sure. It’s a fine-looking car—can we leave it at that?

Tesla Model S 60

It starts with the battery. Tesla’s is the best in the business, with 50 percent higher energy density by weight than the next closest EV competitor’s (Nissan Leaf). Though really, the Model S doesn’t have competitors, at least not directly. Because the battery offers so much capacity, the Model S needn’t compromise its mission with a bulky gas-powered range extender. You’ve heard the rationale behind Tesla’s purity movement: Having a single propulsion element, the motor, allows for more battery cells, which extends electric range, obviating the need for a Plan B, the internal-combustion engine.