Let's have an argument about the prettiest cars on sale

Handling balance, engine noise, performance, interior luxury... blah blah blah. Admit it - for some, the appearance of how a car looks is more important than how it drives. And thus, with his fireproof suit firmly strapped on and instructions to brace for impact, Top Gear magazine's design chief Andy Franklin aimed his trained eye and chose his best looking cars on sale today.

Some of you may agree. We suspect some of you may also disagree...

It's a four-door Alfa Romeo. Points are already on the board. The company of course, has history in buildling good looking cars... often combined with not being so great to drive. L

uckily the Guilia ticks both boxes; an aggressively stanced three-box saloon that makes rivals look a bit staid. There's something about the sculpting of the side skirts that's achingly right without looking overwraught. If Ferrari was ever going to build a junior exec, this would probably be it.

Ok, so this one is a bit of cheat in the originality stakes but the old saying of 'if it aint broke don’t fix it' applies here. That beautifully curved glass (almost E-Type like) rear end makes it so much more good looking than the Porsche Cayman. While the front is a bit frog eyed, it just seems to work. Drives pretty damn good too.

Wait, come back, this is actually a really good looking BMW! Yes, modern Beemers are getting considerably worse to look at. Sadly, gone are the Bangle days (there's a sentence we'd never thought we'd utter). The rise of BMW's simply enormous grille (new 7er, new X7, new 8er etc) and fussy design leaves most of us cold. But though this current crop is as memorable as an algebra exam, the i8 is quite frankly a modern icon. Why this design language hasn’t followed through I’m not sure. Was it ahead of the game?

Honourable mention to the little i3 too.

Even in base model this car is beautiful, but then so it should be. Its aerodynamic tricks feel like they flow seamlessly and just add to the design. Even a massive swoop in the bonnet works. Adding downforce and beauty? Holy Grail stuff.

Anyone who can make an SUV look this handsome and sophisticated deserves a medal. The F-Type's aged pretty well too. But while all of us sketch two-seater sports cars in our notebooks while we're bored in meetings [see me in my office - ed] it's a lot trickier to turn an SUV into an object of raw desire. Porsche struggled. BMW's given up. But Jaguar has done the impossible. 

Who’d have thought a Suzuki would have made this list even a year ago. But on this list it is, a definitive micro machine G-Class. The Jimny's just adorable. the perfect modern retro icon, and underneath, it's a tough, honest, talented off-roader. The most socially acceptable 4x4 in the world? Surely, and that's all down to its looks. 

Yeah, not taking any dissent on this one. The Vantage is gorgeous. Thank you, next.

LFA's stunning design form gets updated to great effect in the new LC. Don’t like being stared at? Buy a van.

The VW Golf's been practically a default buy for most motoring questions. But the Leon, which is basically a Golf, does it with a little more flair. Here it is next to the visual dog's breakfast that is the Honda Civic Type R. Are you taking notes, Honda?

Right now, Volvo is absolutely at the top of its game when it comes to designing cars. Sleek, modern and futuristic all rolled in to one. All of them look superb. Hell, even the XC40 small SUV is a looker. A crossover I actually lust after? I need to lie down.