The appeal of British cars stands out in these chaotic times [My personal favorite cars of 2025]

A Land Rover that transcends conventional standards

I think the automotive scene in 2025 will be more chaotic than ever. The slowdown in the growth rate of BEVs in Europe and the US has had an impact on the entire automotive industry. As a result, when I listened to the news, I often saw reports like, “They’re going to put an internal combustion engine on a platform that was developed specifically for BEVs!”

However, if the theme is “personal,” electrification is not an important factor. Is it fun? Is it fun? Is it in line with the brand’s tradition? These are the things that will determine the outcome. So, I’ve listed three models that I personally found interesting for 2025.

The first car was the Defender Octa. Its wide appearance was nice, but what particularly impressed me was the way the car handled the road, improving ride comfort the more uneven the road surface became. This was thanks to the 6D Dynamic Suspension, which links four electronically controlled dampers via a hydraulic circuit. Ultimately, however, this didn’t feel like the result of the latest German technology, but rather a sublimation of the brand, which really brought home the strength of British cars.

The Defender used to be idyllic, but it has been tuned and replaced, making it a completely different vehicle. However, it is easy to accept that it is being used as the base vehicle for the Dakar Rally. I am confident that the momentum of the Land Rover brand will continue this year.

Electric is the true form (?)

Because of my close relationship with the classic Mini, I had a hard time digesting the BMW Mini from the time of its debut. The classic Mini was given the affectionate nickname “classic” towards the end of its life, but when it was released in 1959 it was a cutting-edge model with an innovative structure. That’s why it was able to enjoy a model life of over 40 years. But what about the BMW Mini that debuted in 2001? To me, it seemed like a marketing-driven car that was created by extracting the cute aspects rather than an innovative structure.

However, the Mini Cooper SE, the BEV version of the Mini that debuted in Japan in 2024 and which I finally got to get behind the wheel of last year, impressed me with the good consistency between its design and the driving feel derived from its electric powertrain.

Regardless of whether it would sell in Japan, I thought that if the Mini was to properly reflect the brand’s spirit, it should have evolved into a BEV a generation ago. I felt that it would not be surprising if this car, with appropriate updates, were to be called a “classic” and beloved in about 30 years’ time.

The strength of having style

The third car that impressed me this year was Morgan. Often referred to as a fossil in the automotive world, this British veteran has delighted its devoted fans by deliberately turning its back on evolution. In the past, Morgan satisfied environmental standards by acquiring the latest engines from major manufacturers, and was protected by laws governing limited production of cars in the UK. However, these days, it’s no longer possible to survive on that alone, and since the turn of the 21st century, the brand has been steadily evolving.

The latest version is the latest model, the “Super Sports,” which will soon be hitting the roads of Japan, but the one that impressed me the most was the current “Plus Four” model, equipped with a four-cylinder engine. For example, it has a Bluetooth system that completely hides the controls, allowing smartphone sounds to resonate beautifully, and it has suspension that boasts stable road holding, but the look and feel of the materials are still the same as the familiar Morgan. The reason it has gained such strong support without evolving too much is probably because of the template of tradition.

And this fact could be said of the other two cars in this list too. Brand appeal trumps all the cutting-edge features. I think that’s why British cars shine brightly in these troubled times.

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Motor journalists, due to the nature of their work, have had the opportunity to come into contact with a wide variety of new models. In this column, they select hidden gems from the cars they test drove in 2025. What did Genroku Web Editor-in-Chief Yoshioka choose?