Luxury and Exotic Car Reviews

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Gabriel Vega – December 02, 2022

2023 BMW M4 CSL First Drive Review: Focused, Raw, and Exc...

The standard BMW M4 is already a wildly capable car. Despite its sizable footprint and hefty curb weight, it has enough power, suspension, and brakes to eat up a canyon road. However, BMW felt it left performance on the table and decided to push on. The result is the 2023 BMW M4 CSL, a hardened, lightened, track-focused special edition variant that ditches all notions of daily driving comfort in favor of outright speed and performance. With a starting price of $140,895, the CSL is a whopping $61,300 more than an M4 Competition. Therefore it has to offer an incredible driving experience to live up to that price tag. It may already hold the title for the quickest production BMW ever to lap the Nürburgring, but what matters here is how much of that raw speed translates to fun in the hands of someone without a racing license. And after hustling it up a canyon road, it's clear that the CSL has more than enough theatrics to back up its hefty price tag. The CSL, in its name, used to stand for Coupe, Sport, and Lightweight, a moniker used only twice before it made it onto the back of this M4. It first appeared in the 3.0 CSL of the mid-1970s, then on the e46 M3 CSL of the early 2000s. Today, however, the German carmaker wants to replace the meaning of that first letter with "Competition," mainly as a nod to this latest car's incessant pursuit of lightness and performance. The CSL starts with a pair of manually adjustable M Carbon bucket seats which eliminate 53 lb while also removing its rear seats and accompanying hardware to save an additional 46 lb. This special M4's unique wheels, springs, struts, and carbon-ceramic brakes save another 46 lb, while a significant reduction in sound deadening cuts a further 33 lb. 2023 BMW i7 First Drive Review: Better With Batteries The M4's diet doesn't stop there, however. It may look far more aggressive than the car upon which it's based, but its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic roof, hood, and trunk lid are mainly there to remove weight. With its molded rear lip spoiler, the trunk saves 15 lb by itself. Combine these weight-saving efforts, and the CSL's curb weight shrinks to 3,640 lb. Although still hefty by sportscar standards, it's 240 lb lighter than an M4 Competition. The other side of the CSL's equation is its beefed-up output. Thanks to revisions to its engine management system and boost pressure up from 24.7 psi in the Competition to 30.5 in the CSL, its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six now develops 543 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. These figures come in at the same 6,250 rpm and 2,750 rpm, respectively, as they do in the Competition, but thanks to this car's updated throttle calibration, they come in much more aggressively. Like the e46 M3 CSL that preceded it, this latest interpretation is only available with a ZF eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. Power also only goes to the rear wheels, making the CSL's run to 60 mph 0.2 seconds slower than an xDrive-equipped M4 Competition, at 3.6 seconds. As it's free from an electronic limiter, this sporty coupe tops out at 191 mph, whereas the standard car stops pushing at 155 mph. From the instant you press its red start button and its straight six's blaring cold start roars through the cabin, the CSL doesn't let you forget that it's special. With little sound deadening to protect your ears, its raspy exhaust note is always present, with no need to pipe it in digitally. This car is not concerned with quietness or comfort, it's built for fast driving, and that's all it wants to do. 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580 4MATIC Review: Punching Way Above Its Class Thanks to its solid engine and transmission mounts, the CSL vibrates far more than any M4 before it. It retains the same drive modes, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes, as the standard car, except that the first only slightly eases up the CSL's firmed-up suspension. It's harsh around town, but that's what we'd expect from a track-ready sports car. The CSL's tight suspension delivered a composed and neutral drive up a twisty canyon road. There's no body roll to speak of, and this beefed-up M4 confidently puts all of its power down. Since its lightweight wheels and brakes significantly reduce its unsprung weight, it's not surprising that it is also quick on its feet to turn into a corner. Plus, with its Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires brought to proper operating temperature, it delivers a substantial amount of grip, pushing its limits far beyond what I can explore on a public road. Like in the M4 Competition, the CSL's steering is far from talkative but is impressively fast. Even subtle wheel movements result in substantial direction changes. It's the type of steering that rewards thoughtful inputs while punishing ham-fisted maneuvers. Driving this car at speed requires your total concentration. It may be incredibly capable, but drive it aggressively, and it can easily bite back. Its powertrain is in part to blame for its on-edge nature. It may have peak power and torque figures as an M4 Competition, but its throttle calibration is more of an on/off switch, which is great for a hot lap on a track, but tricky for on-road use. This is also evident around town, where the CSL can be jerky out of full auto mode, lurching forward like an early 2000s supercar. Combine the quick steering with near-instant power delivery, and you get a sports car that is both exciting and a bit terrifying. Thankfully, the M4 CSL's carbon-ceramic brakes offer plenty of stopping power and are surprisingly easy to modulate around town. They are perhaps the most docile part of the car. A new titanium silencer saves a further 9 lb and adds more noise and tone to the M4's already raspy note. Like the rest of the car, it sounds much more aggressive than standard, as it fully uncorks the CSL's straight-six. It's over the top and fits the car's character perfectly. Although its matte gray paint hides most of its exterior carbon bits, its interior leaves them exposed for you to enjoy. The most prominent is its exposed carbon center console, which plays off the carbon inserts in the steering wheel, paddles, and dashboard. There are lightweight materials regardless of where you look. Instead of sitting in the CSL, you plop into its fixed-back manually-adjustable M Carbon seats. Like in a proper track car, there's no quick height adjustability, and along with the leg-splitting carbon insert found in most M products, these particular seats add tons of bolstering with minimal padding. Although these make the CSL miserable to drive around town, they add to its sense of occasion. The rest of the M4 CSL's interior is like any of its standard production siblings. Screens, tech, and safety systems and all. BMW plans to build just 1,000 units of its latest special edition coupe, each with a starting price of $139,900 plus $995 for destination. This planned production run makes it the rarest CSL ever, as the German carmaker produced 1,383 M3 CSLs and 1,265 3.0 CLSs. While the 2023 BMW M4 CSL may cost $61,300 more than a standard Competition model, it offers its driver substantially more as well. It feels raw, engaging, and thrilling to a heightened degree. While the standard M4 is a wildly capable car, it is often muted and a bit disconnected from its driver. It's far from as tactile as older M models. The CSL, however, is a step in the right direction, piping in real noise, vibrations, and terrifying performance that makes for an exhilarating drive. If anything, the CSL highlights what the current-gen M4 is missing. It's too subdued, quiet, and compliant. The CSL demonstrates what BMW's M division can accomplish when tasked with building a car that chases a particular goal instead of a wide gamut of behaviors. The CSL is focused, raw, and exciting, but due to its limited run, it's one of the best M cars few people will ever experience. View All BMW M4s For Sale

By Gabriel Vega – August 11, 2022

2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible Review: Lone S...

How do you judge a car that has no competitors? This seldom happens in the auto industry as fierce rivals create carbon copies of each other's work to get their slice of that segment's pie. However, in the case of the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible and its tongue-twisting name, it seemingly stands alone. As of writing, you can't order a Mercedes-AMG C63 Cabriolet, and Audi never produced a drop-top variant of the current-gen RS 5. Despite a running start, the convertible M4 doesn't take its early lead for granted. With an as-tested price of $107,095, including a $995 destination fee, this sporty Bavarian falls in a performance sweet spot. More than an Audi S5 Convertible or AMG C 43 Cabriolet, but less than an SL Roadster or R8, the M4 Convertible's top competitor is its coupe sibling. With the same 503 horsepower straight-six under the hood, engaging driving experience, but with the added benefit of glorious exhaust noises, this drop-top proves the coupe shouldn't immediately be your top pick. Styling/Design For the most part, the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible is a big handsome-looking thing. While its controversial nose is still a point of contention for some, strong sales figures suggest that the folks actually lining up to buy an M3/M4 become quick fans of the design. As our week with the M4 Competition closed, its unusual front-end styling still hadn't worked its magic on us. Luckily, its appeal does seem to be quite dependent on color. For example, the Brooklyn Grey Metallic finish on our tester highlights the front's large intakes, while stealthier finishes such as Tanzanite Blue II Metallic, Isle of Man Green Metallic, and Black Sapphire Metallic allow them to hide in plain sight. View All BMW M4s For Sale Front-end aside, the M4 Competition xDrive Convertible has a menacing presence. Its generous dimensions may convince you it's a GT at first sight, but its widened bodywork, strong shoulder line, and low stance scream sports car. Its staggered set of 19/20-inch M Double-Spoke wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber is a particular highlight as their two-tone finish helps them appeal larger, visually filling out the large wheel wells. The main focal point of this car's rear end is its enormous carbon-fiber diffuser housing four large exhaust tips. Supplemented by aggressive lines in the rear bumper, these elements combine to widen the car visually. There's no mistaking an M4 for a standard 4-Series. While its predecessor counted on a folding metal roof, this newest version returns to the soft tops of old. According to BMW, this has profound weight benefits as the new fabric top is 40 percent lighter than the outgoing hard-top. From a visual standpoint, the black roof provides a nice contrast against the lighter paintwork, matching darker carbon fiber elements and the two-tone wheels. It takes 18 seconds to retract and can do so at up to 31 mph. Fans of the nose will find no other gripes with the rest of this car's styling. It's sleek and imposing while drawing on styling elements of previous generations while looking squarely at the brand's future. However, it'll take only one drive to have even the harshest critics forgiving its looks. Handling/Performance Over the last ten years, performance cars have become astronomically fast. Supercar-quick is an understatement, and the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible is no exception. It is a proper powerhouse, powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine delivering 503 hp and 479 lb.-ft of torque. Despite a curb weight of 4,306 lb, 327 lb more than its coupe equivalent, it still reaches 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The 0-60 penalty is only 0.2 seconds compared to an equivalent coupe. In the real world, however, these slight differences are imperceptible. No one climbing out of the drop-top can tell its straight-line performance apart from its lighter sibling. Its xDrive all-wheel drive system is to thank for this. While it remains a rear-biased system, it helps the M4 put all its power down. In contrast, a rear-drive M3 Competition we tested last year proved eager to light up its rear tires during a launch. Hit the canyons, and the M4 Competition Convertible's all-wheel drive nature comes to the forefront. There's significantly more grip through the corners, and its limits proved higher than its rear-drive counterparts. While you sacrifice outright front-end agility, you get a higher level of composure as you try and test its limits. Dialing back stability control is an excellent example of this. Where a rear-drive M4 may become squirrely, its xDrive sibling seemingly claws its way out of corners. The onboard eight-speed ZF automatic transmission proves that a dual-clutch box isn't necessary to make an engaging sports car. While we have yet to drive a three-pedal M3/M4, this ZF unit proved incredibly quick in its most aggressive settings while neatly fading into the background around town. Its only downside is that you won't get those crisp downshifts you got in the previous model. It's quick, just not razor sharp. Also Read Our Lamborghini Huracan STO Review: A Proper Race Car for the Road Although chassis flex is a common topic when dealing with 2023 convertibles, there's none to report here. Within that 327 lb gain between an xDrive coupe and the convertible, you get all the additional strengthening BMW implemented to retain rigidity. Even after multiple runs in the canyons, we couldn't detect any unusual movement. Sure, at 4,306 lb, the drop-top is a chunky thing, but wobbly it is not. With the top down, its active exhaust delivered a wonderful throaty note. As its predecessor was far from the best-sounding M car, this was a welcomed addition. This will be the most significant deciding factor between this and its coupe counterpart, as this drop-top sports car matches its sibling in every other performance aspect. Its steering is hefty. In traditional BMW fashion, it goes from weighty to downright heavy as you move up to the most aggressive drive modes. While the wheel is willing to communicate, it only seems to do so when you're really pushing this car. If you're cruising along, it's more weight than actual feedback. As a result, you're only properly connecting with this car when tackling corners faster than you probably should. Our tester did not feature the optional carbon-ceramic brakes for $8,500. However, the standard compound brakes proved strong, even after multiple spirited drives. Given this car's heft and tremendous pace, we were glad that they were not only effective but very consistent throughout a full day of testing. So then, the BMW M4 Competition Convertible is a proper M car, even without a roof. However, if this car has any flaw, it's that it doesn't ever dial itself back. Sure, a stiff, planted two-door is ideal for a Sunday drive, but during the week around town, its adaptive suspension never entirely leaves stiff mode. Around Los Angeles' poorly maintained roads, it proved bouncy while translating even the smaller road imperfection into in-cabin discomfort. However, one key interior option may make all the difference. Tech/Interior Inside, the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible feels like a premium product, even with a six-figure price tag. Our tester featured carbon fiber seemingly everywhere and an ultra-bright shade of Kyalami Orange leather with a contrasting shade of black. This interior is not for everyone. It is a true love-it or hate-it scenario. In our case, it was a major win, especially on an otherwise executive-friendly car. While their leather finish is a winner, the seat's ergonomics are not. Our tester featured the optional $3,800 M carbon bucket seats. While they are stunning to look at with a full carbon back and pass-through sections around your torso, sitting comfortably in them proved challenging. The main culprit is the side bolstering, which holds you in quite tightly if you're of any size and makes ingress and egress a struggle. In the canyons, their track-focused nature means you won't shift around through high-speed corners. However, around town, you may find yourself searching for personal space. Add a sizeable carbon-fiber centerpiece between your thighs, and you'll need to be properly slim to sit comfortably. Combined with the M4 Competition's stiff suspension, you'll have a sports car that can't double as a cruiser. However, the move here is to leave the M4's standard seats. They offer excellent bolstering, plenty of padding, and work to offset some of the suspension's harshness. The rest of the interior proved well-built and nicely laid out. In front of the driver, a configurable 12.3-inch instrument cluster relays all the relevant information with stunning graphics. At the same time, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen in the center houses iDrive 7.0 and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It's worth mentioning that during our week, the M4 never made a strange rattle or had even the slightest trim misalignment. With the top up, interior noise remained minimal, even on the highway. While it may not be exactly as quiet as its coupe sibling, it delivers the sound-deadening you'd expect from a premium product. Pricing Our tester comes in at $107,095, including a $995 destination fee. It starts at $86,300, but costly options such as the M carbon bucket seats for $3,800, M carbon exterior package for $4,700, and M driver's package for $2,500 quickly get us to that elevated as-tested figure. Looking through the configurator, our tester was only a few available options, such as the $8,500 carbon-ceramic brakes. Closing Thoughts As the 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible proves that it can go toe-to-toe with a comparable coupe in handling, speed, and enjoyment, the main deciding factor will be the drop-top experience. With this latest iteration, BMW has eliminated most of the common drawbacks associated with convertibles, leaving customers to decide solely on the type of experience they'd like. However, while this specific M4 proves to be an excellent sports car, its price tag makes it not the one to get. At $107,095 as-tested, this M4 has nearly every available optional extra. We'd have no problem recommending them if they genuinely altered the driving experience. However, this M4 Competition Convertible xDrive comes with everything you need right out of the box. So if open skies on a Sunday drive are a must, avoid costly options, and you'll have a properly priced sports car that won't disappoint. View All BMW M4s For Sale

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