Playboy has revealed its list of the hottest models of 2011. But before you reach for your belt buckle, the winners are of the four-wheel variety – named the magazine’s nine favourite cars of the year.

Playboy – famous for its informative and investigative articles – unveiled the list in the magazine’s January edition.

True to form, there were some curvier models, some with pretty faces, plenty of Europeans, and of course, a racy topless German (the analogy gets a little messy when trying to explain the two hybrids…)

Playboy’s 2011 Cars of the Year:

Best Hybrid – Honda CR-Z: “A serious two-seat hatchback sports coupe that has ample room for you, the girlfriend and a weekend’s worth of gear … It’s also great looking and stops women in their tracks.”

Best Convertible – Porsche Boxster Spyder

Best Sports Coupe – Cadillac CTS-V: “When Cadillac can build a car this good, we needn’t worry about General Motors’ survival.”

Best Bang for the Buck – Mazda2

Best Sports Sedan – Aston Martin Rapide: “Rapide is the most seductive four-door ever designed.”

Best SUV – Jeep Grand Cherokee

Most likely to succeed – Hyundai Equus: “Hyundai’s Equus was designed to compete against the best Lexus and the Germans have to offer – for about $US20,000 less. And damned if it doesn’t.”

Best Plug-in – Chevrolet Volt

Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: “This is a vehicle that wants to be luxuriated in, with a throttle that begs to be pounded.”

Quite a good looking edition. I think we’re still talking about cars…