Best new performance cars 2025 – upcoming stars and potential evo favourites
New performance cars keep coming thick and fast, in spite of all the doom mongering. From the BMW M2 CS to the next Ferrari Roma, here’s what evo’s most excited to see in 2025
Every year the death knell is rung for the performance car, and every year, new models burst onto the scene to prove the doubters wrong. There are plenty of interesting performance cars hiding behind their disguises and waiting to be uncovered in 2025.
The cars that we’ll be driving in 2025 and beyond, from the Aston Martin Valhalla and Lamborghini Temerario, to the Renault 5 Turbo 3E and Porsche 911 992.2 GT3, to the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80 – made for an exciting year of reveals in 2024. What cars can we expect to see uncovered in 2025? These things are always a tad speculative but it’s safe to assume that once the camouflage has started peeling off prototypes, their debut is never far away. These are the cars we’re most looking forward to seeing revealed and learning more about in 2025.
Audi RS5
Audi’s model range shakeup properly began in 2024 with an all-electric A6 and, most curiously, a brand new range of A5s and S5s that take over from the A4s and S4s. That’s because Audi has hedged its bets on both electric and ICE cars, moving to make its even-numbered cars electric and its odd-numbered cars internally combusted (albeit with varying degrees of hybridity). So yes, the Audi S5s that we drove on the Col de Vence earlier this year were a saloon and an Avant, rather than a coupe and cabriolet. They were compelling in many ways but had a lot of unfulfilled potential. That’s where the 2025 Audi RS5 comes in, which has been seen testing in both saloon and Avant forms. Expected to combine a turbocharged V6 engine with a plug-in hybrid element, it should pack over 500bhp and most likely, quite a few extra kilograms to shift around. We’ll be sad to wave off the inimitably stylish outgoing Audi RS5 coupe, though.
BMW M2 CS
What isn’t expected to go hybrid, is the 2025 BMW M2 CS. Spied with even more aggressive bodywork that denotes a CS model, the M2 CS will bring more power, a more hardcore focus and more attitude. Whether it’ll be a CS to the eCoty-winning standards of the last M2 CS and the M5 CS, is another question. With how the M3 CS and M4 CS have performed over the last couple of years, it’s anyone’s guess. But never underestimate BMW’s ability to pull an absolute blinder when you least expect it. The 2025 BMW M2 CS could be one of the best cars of 2025.
Ferrari Roma replacement
Having first appeared in 2019, the Ferrari Roma is due for a refresh. The junior GT has proved an enduring winner over the years, which is a strange thing to say of a car that counts the old California as a direct predecessor. In the eyes of buyers and critics alike, it perfectly straddles the sports car/GT car fault line. So expectations are high for its successor, which has been spied testing with extensive camouflage. We can at least infer that the 2025 Ferrari Roma replacement will take the outgoing car as its basis, with a near-identical silhouette and dimensions. Powertrain wise, bets are being taken, though a hybridised version of Ferrari’s V8 sending power to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch gearbox is looking most likely.
Honda Prelude
No upcoming model illustrates Honda’s refreshing resistance to prevailing market trends and legislation, than the upcoming Prelude. Here is an affordable petrol-powered two-door coupe from a mainstream manufacturer, that’s likely arriving in Europe in the next 18 months. Are we expecting the last word in driving thrills? No. The original Honda Prelude never aspired to such things and the new one is unlikely to either. Its job will be to look great and drive pleasantly – to be as aspirational as it is affordable. It’s expected to run on the latest Civic’s underpinnings and use that car’s hybrid powertrain – a naturally-aspirated 2-litre with two electric motors.
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
In terms of making a compelling case for genuinely desirable electric driver’s cars, Hyundai’s N division may well be in a class of one. The Ioniq 5 N is an excellent, entertaining car but can the Korean marque make lightning strike twice? We’ll find out when the high-performance 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N arrives next year. Expected to carry over everything from the Ioniq 5 N – motors, ‘gears’, ‘noise’, sublime chassis tuning and all – it’s almost certain to be a hit. Being a saloon and a more upwardly-mobile model, it’s likely to be more expensive than the Ioniq 5 N and hopefully, sport a bit more driving range.
Lexus LFR/Toyota GR GT3
The Lexus LFR/Toyota GR GT3 is probably the hottest car out there at the moment in terms of rife speculation. No one even knows what it is, whether it’s a Toyota or a Lexus, whether it’s a race car only or a road car. What we do know is the race version that’s been spotted testing packs a thumping V8. We also know (by looking at it) that it’s a long-nosed super GT that could pick up where the LC left off, and is inspired by the Toyota GR GT3 concept from a couple of years ago. Of everything on this list, it’s least likely to be seen in full production spec in 2025, so consider its inclusion an act of manifestation from us. The expeditious return of a Lexus supercar/super GT is high on evo’s Christmas list.
Mercedes-AMG CLE 63
Quite a different flavour of performance car to the semi-silent Hyundai Ns, will be the 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 63. Off the back of the disappointment that was the C63 E Performance, the CLE 63 could well be a reluctant backtrack from Mercedes-AMG. Why? Well, it’s been spied a few times, making noises quite unlike the technically impressive but emotionally inanimate four-cylinder of the C63; noises much more appropriate for that 63 badge… A V8 could be returning to Mercedes’ high-performance executive coupe, which makes us very excited indeed.
Polestar 5
More exciting than you might imagine is the imminent arrival of the Polestar 5. Why? Well, the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 are oddly appealing, for electric crossovers. The idea of the brand’s design and dynamics-lead approach being applied to a Porsche Taycan rival is tantalising. Expected to have up to 871bhp and ride on an 800-volt electrical system, the 2025 Polestar 5 will be the marque’s first totally bespoke car, with its own platform and its own hardware. It’ll be a statement, then, allowing what was once dismissed as a Volvo offshoot, to fully flex its muscles. It’ll be a stunner too, given it’ll be inspired visually by the Precept concept.
Porsche 911 Turbo (992.2)
The Porsche 992.2 family of 911s has grown unconventionally, with models that normally come late arriving within the first six months. The 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid debuted from the word dot and the 992.2 GT3 and Carrera T followed very shortly after. Next to arrive will be the 2025 911 Turbo, which unlike the GT3, is expected to incorporate some of that clever new hybrid tech. Whether that means getting two turbochargers augmented by electric motors, rather than just the one on the GTS T-Hybrid, or some other way, the Turbo will be electrified in 2025 and we’ll find out how towards the end of the year. Rumor has it the top-flight 911 Turbo S will breach the 700bhp barrier, and potentially inform an 800bhp+ GT2 RS before this generation is done…
