There are few feelings as euphoric as getting a rear-drive car sideways, holding it there and then blissfully balancing throttle and steering to hold a lovely, long arc. Then gathering it all up – without the use of a ditch – and glancing in the rear vision mirror to see a thick plume of smoke in your wake, like you’re in a ground version of an RAAF Roulette. (All on a closed circuit, of course.)
For the longest time, to enjoy this feeling you needed some highly modified rear-drive hand grenade that was just as likely to terminate a big-end bearing as it was rear rubber, but pleasingly there are many factory fresh cars you can buy today that would be suspiciously well suited to a drift day.
Having driven all of them in anger, here are Torquecafe’s top five best brand new drift cars you can buy right now.
BMW M2
If it’s a factory drift car you’re after, you can’t go much past the new, $121,700 BMW M2. Its twin-turbo S58 3.0-litre straight-six belts out a tyre-torturing 338kW and 550Nm, and straight into M’s brilliant actively-locking rear differential. A solid-mounted rear-end connects your hips straight to the back axle, offering superb communication and confidence; while there’s plenty of torque and minimal lag from low in the revs.
Nothing cements the M2’s drift pedigree quite like its built-in M Drift Analyser – software that looks at yaw, steering input, wheel speed and throttle to score your drift out of five stars. If it’s a stock drift car you’re after, this is as good as it currently gets.
Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ
Where the M2’s huge globules of power and torque are a bit of a cheat code, the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ provide more of an opportunity to learn the dori-dori basics. This second-gen version does have more herbs to help unstick the rear (up from 152kW to 174kW, still pretty good from an atmo 2.4-litre four-cylinder) but this is still a car that requires you think a great deal about weight transfer in order to get it sideways, and hold it there.
And while you might have to do a few laps of a big circle in the dry to get some tyre smoke, you’ll be having the time of your life in the process. The cheapest ticket to skid town here is the $43,240 GR86 GT, although try to avert your gaze as you walk past the GR Supra in the showroom as it’s just as good a tyre-fryer.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
An electric car on this list might have you wondering if we’ve been licking 9-volt batteries again but the new Ioniq 5 N has a penchant for vaporising rear tyres like the best twin-turbo V8s. That’s thanks in part to a rear 282kW/390Nm electric motor (in all-wheel-drive mode it has 478kW) but also software called N Drift Optimiser purpose-programmed for going sideways, and spookily easily. That’s even if its dense 2230kg has a habit of showing up just as you’re attempting to transition for the next corner.
There’s even the Torque Kick Drift function which, when pulling both steering wheel paddles at once, simulates a clutch kick by momentarily stunning the rear tyres with a bolt of torque. Rear 275-section rubber stands no chance, and creates plenty of smoke. If the future is electric – and anything like the $111,000 Ioniq 5 N – we might not be so worried about it after all.
Jaguar F-Type
Time is running out to get yourself a brand new version of Jaguar’s sexy two-door, and if you can get yourself to a dealer tomorrow, opt for the rear-drive P450 with the 331kW/580Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 – an engine that was obviously hurt or bullied by some tyres when it was but a wee little four-cylinder.
In the F-Type, it exacts its revenge, burning rubber with a mercilessness – and making dry weather feel like wet. It also has an exhaust note like a grizzly bear singing the chorus of a death metal anthem. As for rainy days themselves, best leave the ESC on, unless you’re feeling exceptionally brave as this kitty can bite, and it’s your $181,670 on the line.
Mercedes-AMG E63 S
BMW’s new M5 could have just as easily gone in this spot, with both it and its four-door sedan nemesis the Mercedes-AMG E63 S sharing the gleeful ability to switch from their permanent all-wheel-drive to rear-drive only. In these modes, and in the AMG’s case, all 450kW/850Nm exist to make two rear tyres wish they were still trees growing in a plantation somewhere.
The E63’s $272,000 is enough to make you wince, but its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 – and dedicated Drift Mode – will soon make you forget the financial hit. Plenty of torque makes initiating the slide an easy prod of the right foot, while the long wheelbase gives you plenty of time to catch it before getting stuck back into that glorious throttle. Get in quick before AMG turns this one into a four-cylinder as well.
What would be your pick for a brand new drift-ready car in 2024? Let us know in the comments below, or leave a thought on our Facebook or Instagram.
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