The best 10 cars of 2018 so far: from McLaren to Cadillac and Volvo

As the calendar hits the halfway mark of the year, we pick the cream of our drives over the past six months

10. BMW Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo. We pitched the B5, perhaps slightly unfairly, against the M550i xDrive to see which M5 alternative would punch its way to the top. With a 0-to-100kph time of 3.5 seconds, the B5 is quite the luxurious bullet. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

9. Cadillac CT6. On the wide highways of Nevada, the big Caddy wasn't the headline draw on its own. That billing fell to its hugely impressive semi-autonomous Super Cruise technology, which was so good that you almost felt annoyed at points when you had to take the wheel. Adam Workman / The National

8. Dodge Durango SRT. A three-row SUV with 475hp? Sure, seems like a grand idea. Speeding tickets on the school run are the most likely result, but rarely do you champ at the bit to get back behind the wheel of a vehicle of this dimensions. Chris Whiteoak / The National

7. Audi R8 V10 RWS. As German contemporaries continue to fall over themselves to make all-wheel drive an almost standard feature, Audi went the other way and turned its exceptional sports car into a rear-wheel-drive bucket of unadulterated fun. Adam Workman / The National

6 Bentley Continental GT. Where laws and space allow, you can hit a mind-boggling 333kph from the luxurious cabin of the new-generation Continental. Yes, you might have to drop Dh1 million to buy one, but if you have the means, you won't regret a dirham of it. Bentley

5. McLaren 570S Spider. It's two decades since the original hypercar, the McLaren F1, set the benchmark for the fastest production car in the world, and Mac is keeping its lineage vital, even towards the notional lower end of its range. The retina-scorching 570S Spider is tremendous with top on or off. Victor Besa / The National

4. Aston Martin Vantage. Following up the DB11, Aston seem to be able to do little wrong right now. We took the British brand's 'angriest-looking' model yet on track and road in Portugal, and were suitably impressed. Aston Martin

3. Volvo XC40. There are multiple reasons why this is the European Car of the Year, one of the most prestigious awards in the game. Our writer called it 'a genuinely brilliant all-rounder that also happens to be individually styled and exceptionally safe'. Volvo

2. Ferrari Portofino. The fanfare that greets a new Ferrari model assures that it would have to be a real stinker to get anything other than universal praise, but the drop-top Portofino lived up to the hype when we took it around the Puglia region of Italy. Adam Workman / The National

1. Jaguar I-Pace. Ahead of test driving this all-electric SUV, a landmark vehicle for Jag, the atmosphere was more intrigue than rabid anticipation. What actually transpired was that the I-Pace proved to be arguably the most competent electric vehicle on the market today. Massively impressive stuff. Jaguar

From an electric SUV and a semi-autonomous Cadillac to some Italian glamour, a couple of British sports cars and the European Car of the Year, The National has been lucky enough to get behind the wheel of some mighty fine motors since the clock struck 2018.

As we enter the second half of the year, this is our selection of the best cars we have driven in the past six months. Click through the gallery above to see the full run-down.

SPOILER ALERT: You can scroll down beneath the jump to see links to our features or road tests on all of our top 10.

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Full road tests for our top 10 motors

10. Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo

9. Cadillac CT6 (with Super Cruise)

8. Dodge Durango SRT

7. Audi R8 V10 RWS

6. Bentley Continental GT

5. McLaren 570S Spider

4. Aston Martin Vantage

3. Volvo XC40

2. Ferrari Portofino

1. Jaguar I-Pace