• The Cadillac CT5 shouldn’t be on J.D Power’s list
• The BMW 2 Series is a proper luxury car that covers a variety of body styles
• Chevy’s Corvette is the best sports car for under $60,000

This one is gonna be a little controversial, so we thought we’d give it a look. J.D Power has announced its top sedans and sports cars for 2021. On the list are, well, three cars you really wouldn’t think to name as the best sedans and sports cars. Nonetheless, we’re going to take a look at cars like the BMW 2 Series and the 2021 Cadillac CT5.

How much is a Cadillac CT5 sedan?

We’ll start with the Cadillac CT5. The CT5 serves as a sort of middling sedan in the brand’s lineup, slotted in just above the CT4 and CT4V. Funnily enough, it sits in roughly the same place on J.D Power’s rankings, coming in just behind the top-ranked BMW 2 Series. However, the brand rated it as the “highest-quality midsize premium car.” Let’s investigate.

Unfortunately, Consumer Reports wasn’t very happy with the 2021 CT5. Out of 100 possible points, they rated the CT5 at a 57. The largest letdown, per CR, was the predicted reliability. The CT5 was given only a 2/5, far below other midsize luxury sedans. It scored the same in CR’s predicted owner satisfaction category. Offering either a turbo four or a twin-turbo V6, the CT5 starts at $36,995. We’d recommend testing one before buying given the discrepancy in ratings.

Is the BMW 2 Series a good sports car?

Next up is the BMW 2 Series. The 2 spans a huge range of use cases, from a dedicated sports car like the BMW M240i to the people-hauling Gran Coupe. J.D Power rated this as their best car of 2021. The Gran Coupe offers another turbo four, this time with either front or all-wheel drive. The coupe comes with either the same 2.0L four cylinder or, in the M240i, a turbocharged inline-six, as well as rear or all-wheel drive. Stay tuned for how this spiritual successor holds up to the legendary E46 BMW M3.

Consumer Reports enjoyed the BMW 2 Series a good bit more, but a road test is pending. The Beamer is rated higher than the CT5 by both publications. Overall, CR says the BMW will be more reliable than the Caddy, with a 3/5 reliability score. Guess there’s no such thing as a cheap luxury car. Expect to pay anywhere from $35,700-$49,545.

The Chevrolet Corvette is more expensive than it should be

Finally, this leaves us with J.D Power’s best sports car of 2021: the Chevrolet Corvette. Put simply, the new C8 Corvette kicks ass. It’s more Italian exotic at a bargain price than it is Corvette, and that’s a good thing. However, you’re going to pay for it. The word is out, and you’ll have a tough time trying to pay the 495 hp Corvette’s MSRP of $60,995. On this one, we’ll have to agree with J.D Power. The Corvette is simply phenomenal, but we’d recommend waiting for more info on the other two cars before rushing to the dealer.