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

An image of a 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – April 25, 2024

First Drive: The 2024 Lucid Air

2024 is set to become a pivotal year for Lucid Motors. The California-based carmaker is deep into the development of its Gravity SUV, which it aims to start selling before the end of the year. Its 2023 sales results saw a 37 percent increase over the previous twelve months, signaling that the marque has begun to bounce back from recent sales woes. Still, the carmaker produced 2,427 more cars than it sold in 2023, which triggered some outrageously enticing lease offers at the start of 2024 to move this oversupply of inventory. Now, the 2024 Lucid Air aims to keep the positive momentum going by simplifying its model range while significantly reducing the cost of entry. We flew to the brand’s headquarters in Newark, CA, to drive every variant of the Air back to back, from the $69,900 Pure to the $249,000 Sapphire. We poked around the upcoming Gravity SUV and even peaked at the mid-size offerings that’ll follow it in the coming years. The $249,000 Flagship Our day began atop the forested hills of Woodside, CA, with a lineup of charged-up Airs sitting along Route 84’s twistiest edges as it winds down to the Pacific Coast Highway. By chance, we began the day behind the wheel of the $249,000, 1,234-horsepower, tri-motor 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire, a potentially disastrous move. From our brief first drive last year, we know the Sapphire is a genuinely starling machine. With acceleration comparable to the 1,900-hp Pininfarina Battista we drove the year prior, it isn’t the kind of car you can simply jump in and mash its accelerator. Maxing out a Sapphire requires a fair bit of mental preparation and plenty of straight road ahead. Would the lower tiers feel comparatively outgunned if our day began in this? This western portion of Route 84 is tailor-made for a lightweight two-seater. With tight switchbacks and only short straights before heaving braking zones, it’s the ideal place to fling around something small in which you can carry plenty of momentum. However, as we connected the first few bends, the Sapphire quickly clarified that it wasn’t just a straight-line monster. It’ll sprint to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds and top out at 205 mph, but the intuitiveness and response from its steering and brakes, along with a perfectly balanced chassis, are equally as impressive as its headline figures. We have the Sapphire’s firmer springs, retuned dampers, and stiffer bushings to thank. Lucid also developed a ground-up traction control system and unique tuning for its ABS, stability control, and electric power steering. These work in tandem with the Sapphire’s true torque vectoring system, deployed by its two rear electric motors, while a third unit sends power to the front axle. Carbon-ceramic brakes, a staggered set of 20 and 21-inch wheels wrapped in model-specific Michelin PS4S rubber measuring 265/35 upfront and 295/30 in the back come standard. Even with its sticky rubber, the Sapphire still boasts an estimated range of 427 miles. While the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire’s $249,000 price tag is undoubtedly shocking at first, especially given that the Air Grand Touring costs half as much, it’s only in the bends where its supercar cost of entry makes sense. No luxury car accelerates, stops, or steers like Lucid’s flagship. Despite weighing over 5,336 pounds, its near-perfect balance obfuscates its heft. Yet even with its tremendous capabilities, it’s approachable to drives of practically any skill level. The Sapphire’s updated hardware and advanced software distill previously unimaginable performance levels and elegantly place them within reach of us, mere mortals. “So, only 819 horsepower?” Sliding out of the Sapphire’s finely bolstered driver’s seat, with a stirred stomach and tingling fingertips, we made our way to the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring, the trim of this electric sedan quartet that receives the most significant updates. Only four Airs made it to the new model year, leaving the 1,050-hp Grand Touring Performance in 2023. “So, only 819 hp?” we asked a Lucid representative. “Yup, only 819 hp.” Despite the GT developing more power than a McLaren 750S or a Ferrari 296 GTB, the step down from the Sapphire is striking. The latter is over a full second quicker to 60 mph, with the former taking three seconds to complete the run. More impactfully, however, the GT doesn’t blur your vision or squish your organs like the flagship can. Still, the Grand Touring will still feel supercar quick for everyone who hasn’t just stepped out of the quickest accelerating sedan ever made. While they share a name, the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring’s persona is distinctly one of a proper luxury sedan. It retains the agile handling and balanced chassis found in all Airs but pairs it with softer springs and bushings, which deliver a plush ride that’s far more compliant. For 2024, the GT gains a new heat pump that boosts its cold weather efficiency, enhances thermals for its two electric motors, and provides up to 30 percent faster DC charging thanks to an improved curve. It’ll cover up to 516 miles on a single charge. Its cost of entry has also dramatically decreased from the previous 2023 model. While a GT started at $125,600, with the Performance variant pushing that base figure to $149,600, the 2024 model starts at $109,900, a $15,700 reduction. This moves its starting price well below direct competitors like the $148,700 Mercedes-AMG EQS Sedan or the $168,500 BMW i7 M70. Only the $89,990 Tesla Model S Plaid undercuts it while delivering greater performance stats. The Middle Child While the delta between the Sapphire and the Grand Touring was immediately apparent, the difference in performance from the latter to the 2024 Lucid Air Touring is virtually nonexistent. It may produce 620 hp, or 199 hp less than the GT, and takes 3.4 seconds to sprint to 60 mph (0.4 seconds slower); the pair’s real-world acceleration and handling performance are practically identical. The Touring’s smaller 92-kilowatt-hour battery pack sets it apart from the pricier GT and its 112 kWh unit. While its range shrinks to an estimated 411 miles, the smaller pack allows for greater cabin space, especially for the second row. Still, the Touring retains its two-motor setup and all-wheel drive, which accounts for its barely noticeable step down in performance. For 2024, its base price will shrink further. While the previous model year started at $95,000, the latest iteration costs $77,900, a $17,100 reduction. Alongside its recent price cuts, Lucid has expanded its customization flexibility, opening extras such as the highly adjustable massaging seats previously unique to the Grand Touring as an option for the Touring alongside a growing number of customization options such as the Stealth Appearance Package, making this lineup’s middle child the ideal value proposition. The One To Have From the carmaker’s perspective, the most crucial trim level present is the 2024 Lucid Air Pure, which the marque hopes will become its best seller. Like the Grand Touring and Touring trims, the Pure also benefits from price cuts. However, its dip from $82,400 to $69,900 is significant because it provides an entryway into the brand for people for whom a near six-figure EV was previously out of reach. The Pure’s biggest differentiator is its single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration. While its battery pack shrinks slightly to 90 kWh, it still boasts an estimated range of 419 miles, thanks in part to its smaller standard 19-inch wheels. Still, it’ll develop 430 hp, allowing it to 60 mph while boasting an estimated range figure of 419 miles. On the road, the Pure may technically be the slowest Air on sale, but its unique configuration has significant advantages. It’s, for example, tipping the scales at 4,564 pounds, 445 lb lighter than the two-motor Touring and a whole 640 lb less than the Grand Touring and its larger battery pack, resulting in substantial improvements to its overall agility. The massive weight savings amount to a luxury sedan that’s sizable and spacious but handles like you’d expect a much smaller car. While it retains adaptive dampers, the Pure’s suspension is softer overall as it doesn’t need to manage the extra heft. Despite its positioning as the lineup’s entry-level model, the Pure is still a proper Air, meaning you get the ride quality, interior space, and overall efficiency at a reduced cost. From an external perspective, aside from a few badgers and a smaller set of standard wheels, Lucid’s $69,900 entry point looks indistinguishable from pricier variants. The Pure’s biggest drawback is its lack of customization options. For example, the Glass Canopy available for higher trims isn’t an option. Only the $3,000 Santa Cruz interior is available as an extra, while the largest wheels are an optional set of 20s for $1,200. Given that it looks like the rest of the lineup and manages to deliver the same balanced chassis and excellent handling as its higher trimmed variants, for those who can get by without having the quickest 0-60 time, the Pure is for most people, the one to have. The Future Alongside allowing us to drive every new 2024 Lucid Air, the carmaker gave us a tour of a prototype of its upcoming Gravity, a three-row SUV with an expected starting price of under $80,000. Like the Air’s mentioned above, the Gravity takes the marque’s well-known design language and translates it onto a larger body. According to Lucid, its first SUV has the footprint of an Audi Q7 but offers the interior space of a Cadillac Escalade. No performance statistics have yet to be announced, so expect similar dual motor configurations to what we see in the brand’s sedan offerings. Inside, the SUV features a 6K resolution display with a new squared-off steering wheel and updated interior colors. Additionally, the Gravity introduces new color themes inspired by various locations across California, such as Yosemite and Ojai. Its second and third rows fold perfectly flat, allowing for a van-like cargo capacity, although the carmaker has yet to unveil official figures. While the marque’s development team continues working on its prototypes, the California-based brand aims for its first SUV offering to go on sale later this year. We toured the brand’s HQ and saw its two upcoming mid-size crossover offerings. Slated to debut sometime in 2026, the carmaker did not allow us to snap any photographs of the models, but we could see a smaller crossover and what looked like a more rugged off-road-focused take to its right. While details were understandably scarce, the carmaker did mention these new mid-size offerings would be more cost-conscious and ride on an entirely new platform. Additionally, they’d focus on enhancing the user experience through a new focus on UX design, allowing people to spend more time in the car while still being connected to others. According to Lucid, it expects a three-year development cycle, which has already begun.

An image of a Jaguar F-Type R parked outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – April 19, 2024

Review: The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 AWD

No other car lives rent-free in the minds of automakers like the Porsche 911. Logic tells us that, by and large, six-figure sports cars will never be volume sellers, yet the 911 consistently is. In 2023, Porsche sold 11,728 911s despite the cheapest variant starting at $106,100. In its best year, the AMG GT sold just over 4,000 units, while the Jaguar F-Type peaked at 4,659 in 2015. Last year, Porsche shifted ten 911s for every F-Type sold. On paper, the Jag should have the advantage. For 2024, its range-topping P575 R75 AWD variant starts at $113,000. That's $1,400 less than the cheapest 911 Carrera. It's more powerful, too, with its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 producing 575 horsepower, far more than the Porsche's 379-hp entry-level 3.0-liter flat-six. There's even a solid foundation for an argument that the F-Type is the prettier machine of the pair. With long-hooded 60s E-Type proportions and a wide and imposing stance, it's stunning. However, look beyond the surface level and the problems that have historically held the Jaguar F-Type back appear. Its monster engine may be characterful and engaging, thanks to a throaty engine note, but it lives in a chassis that can't fully keep up. Like its exterior styling, its cabin is elegantly designed, but everything you interact with feels cheaply made. The secret behind the Porsche 911's success is its versatility and well-roundedness. Unlike the car Jaguar explicitly set out to dethrone, the F-Type's reliance on good looks and a stellar powerplant isn't enough to make up for a lackluster driving experience. The Jaguar F-Type turns ten this year, but thanks to a major facelift in 2019, it looks better than ever. Gone are its vertically oriented LED headlights and small grille, instead replaced by wider horizontally oriented lamps flanking a broadened front opening. Its front bumper extends prominent lines that originate from its updated hood, while its F-Type SVR-inspired restyled rear bumper sits below new slimmer tail lights. The updated F-Type's styling works primarily because of the excellent foundations laid by its predecessor. With its elegantly sloping roof, passenger compartment positioned just ahead of the rear axle, and lengthy hood that dips significantly, this Jag's 60s inspirations are evident in practically every body panel. It's one of few instances in which a new car effectively references the past without stepping into the often banal world of retro styling. Press its start button, and you're met with roaring muscle-car-like noises from its quad exhaust tips. Alongside the F-Pace SVR and the Land Rover Defender V8, the 2024 Jaguar F-Type is one of the final cars JLR's venerable 5.0-liter supercharged V8 will ever power. With roots tracing back to the mid-90s, it now develops 575 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque, enough to propel the R75 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to a standard all-wheel-drive system. With plenty of torque coming on strong at lower revs and a linear powerband, the F-Type's power delivery is immediate and powerful. Previous rear-drive iterations of the R75 were a handful to control, eager to swing their tails with even the slightest throttle input. It was wild enough for Jag to introduce an all-wheel-drive model in 2015. Unfortunately, in making the F-Type more accessible to a broader audience, the carmaker also dialed back the lunacy, which was and remains a significant point of appeal. The pro is that the R75 puts all of its power down with little effort. The con is that it requires minimal skill from its driver to reign in, thus making it less engaging. Push its limits, and you'll quickly run into understeer and a front end that isn't particularly agile or communicative. Despite counting on adaptive dampers, helped by updated springs and anti-roll bars, the F-Type rolls considerably in the corners without its chassis transmitting much feedback from the road below. Although Jag re-calibrated its electric-power steering system, it's still relatively numb and slow. Its Pirelli P Zero rubber, measuring 265/35/ZR20 and 305/30/ZR20 front and rear, respectively, make a valiant effort to cling on. Still, this nearly 4,000-pound two-door's heft is constantly apparent when tackling a curvy canyon road. Thanks to its massive power output, this car is blisteringly fast in a straight line but stumbles as the road gets twisty and doesn't feel particularly quick in the bends, despite what its stats may suggest. On the flip side, its softened dampers pay dividends when cruising on the highway, with the F-Type nicely soaking up bumps and delivering a stable and nicely balanced ride. Coupled with the seismic power available at your right foot's request, this Jag should've positioned it as a long-legged GT, not a direct 911 competitor. Inside, the Jag's cabin is nicely designed, feeling driver-focused as a passenger grab handle isolates the center console. A benefit of this car's early 2010s origins is its reliance on physical buttons. An updated infotainment system, digital instrument cluster, and improved sound deadening bring the F-Type up to speed with its contemporary competitors. However, as you begin to poke at its many plastic and rubberized switches, there's an unshakable feeling that the bits you interact with most feel more at home in a car, costing far less, not well over six figures. The Jaguar F-Type's standard seats are excellently supportive yet quite comfortable for longer rides. They allow for an excellent seating position, and despite a relatively small cabin, there's excellent head and shoulder room. The massive rear hatch, allowing for 14.4 cubic feet of cargo space, greatly adds to this car's practicality, further bolstering its capabilities as a powerful GT. The 2024 Jaguar F-Type starts at $113,000 plus a $1,275 destination fee. Our tester was pretty lightly equipped, only sporting a $2,550 full extended leather upgrade, $2,100 20-inch five-spoke wheels, and a $1,550 Carpathian Grey Premium paint finish. This adds up to an as-tested price of $120,575, making it still quite a bargain compared to the aforementioned 911 or even the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe, which starts at $136,050. For those looking for an elegantly styled two-door with a characterful and engaging engine, the Jaguar F-Type makes a compelling case for itself. Factor in the price delta between it and its closest rivals, and the F-Type looks like an outright bargain. There are trade-offs, though. Its limits on a back road are comparatively low for something producing 575 horsepower, with its tendency to understeer and imprecise handling. It's a car that's difficult to connect with, which is not a problem for a high-powered GT but a major shortcoming from what's positioned as a genuine sports car. Jaguar has announced that 2024 will be the F-Type's final year, with no clear replacement. As the brand repositions itself, committing to an all-electric future, the V8 that defines its sportiest offering will shortly go with it. The F-Type's days are numbered, but after our week on the road and paying close attention to its closest competitors, we're left wondering: Will anyone miss it?

By Brett Berk – April 18, 2024

First Drive: 2025 Aston Martin DB12 Volante

At lunch last year, billionaire Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll told us that he was taking the brand upmarket. The goal, Stroll said, was to increase profitability, and to transform Aston from a boutique automotive relic, to a functional 21st century business. Our recent time behind the wheel of a nearly $300,000 DB12 Volante in Malibu demonstrated the impact of his mission. Aston exterior design has always been top tier, but recent interiors have felt borderline anachronistic. The leathers were always lovely, but there was too heavy a reliance, especially in high-touch areas, on Piano Black and Carbon Fiber, two fancy synonyms for Plastic. And, unable to afford bespoke technological architecture, the brand’s cars sported inelegantly grafted flip-up TomTom screens or near-obsolete iterations of Mercedes’ COMAND system. All of that is Vanquished. The DB12 Volante’s interior was resplendent. On the door panels, a rich expanse of matte-varnished wood surrounded quilted tan leather and brogued metal Bowers & Wilkens speaker grilles. More veneer backed the headrest, providing yacht-like references. Another sculpted wooden piece splayed Y-like from the center console, and in its frame sat a bespoke infotainment touchscreen, just like a real ultra-luxury car! Moreover, Aston thoughtfully equipped its interface with hard buttons and knurled metal scrollers for commonly used features like climate control, seat heating and cooling, and drive mode configuration. These last buttons got a workout in the mountains and canyons. Winter rains and mudslides had just ceased. The California sun was warm and perfect, and the Santa Monica mountains were verdant, contrasting with our metallic ultramarine DB12. We put down the top—it retracts in just 14 seconds—and never considered raising it again. The DB’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 pumps out 671bhp and 590 lb-ft, causing it to feel quick at wide-open throttle: 0-60 mph takes just 3.6 seconds; top speed is 202 mph. But the coordination between the gas pedal and the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission is less than balletic. Shifting manually helped some. The engine’s power band, and the Michelin Pilot S5 tires, were broad enough—and the curves tight enough—that second gear sufficed during the drive’s more technical portions. But the DB12 Volante never cracked off transitions, or attacked corners, with the precision of the Ferrari 296 GTS or Maserati MC20 Cielo convertibles we’d recently driven through local canyons. Blame the DB’s weight. This is a two-ton, 2+2 seat grand tourer, not a track day special. When we opened it up in the mountain sweepers and on the coastal highway, it rewarded us with gobs of effortless power, mellifluous exhaust tones, and the envious stares of onlookers, who took in its mesomorphic flares—especially that ass!—with reverential respect, something that’s often lacking in our on-road audience members when we’re testing flashy Italian convertibles. This reminded us why it is important to have many cars. Each one is a costume, to be put on or taken off, for specific occasions. This DB12 Volante is a sybaritic delight meant for corralling voyages through exemplary California afternoons. We wore it well.

An image of a Lexus RC F parked outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – April 11, 2024

Review: The Lexus RC F

When the Lexus RC F debuted in 2014, it did so with one major goal: to compete with the best premium sporty two-doors Europe could offer. Armed with a free-revving naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8, the RC F set its sights on the BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63, two cars that had recently embraced a then-growing industry trend of downsized engines strapped with turbochargers. From the start, the RC F banked on an increasingly atypical engine configuration to drive its appeal. Skip ahead ten years, and the Lexus RC F truly stands in a class of one, reminding us that not all progress is good. While the BMW M4 and its turbo-inline-six have leapfrogged its class to offer performance closer to that of yesterday's supercars, the aforementioned C63 is now stuck with a hybridized turbo-four that’s been far from well received. Some progress is necessary, however. The latest Lexus RC F isn't all that different from the car that debuted a decade ago. It may have updated styling, but it's still powered by the same V8, the same eight-speed automatic transmission, and despite some tech updates, offers up a cabin that's largely untouched. Given how much its competitors, and really the car industry overall, have changed over the last decade, does the Lexus RC F make us yearn for what we've lost or remind us of the pitfalls of getting stuck in the past? To start, we have to look back to 2019, when the RC F received its mid-cycle refresh and its last major update. A common early criticism of this car was its hefty 3,958-pound curb weight, but more importantly, how it made its handling feel sluggish. To combat this, Lexus went on a weight-saving crusade for the 2020 model year, shaving off precious grams of aluminum (700 g) from its intake manifold, replacing its solid half shafts with hollow ones, and even fitting a smaller compressor to its air conditioning system. The 2023 model we tested claims a curb weight of 3,946 lb, a tiny 12-lb reduction. A more impactful improvement is the updated RC F's use of stiffened bushings front and rear, implemented to reduce this two-door's tendency to understeer; more on this later. Its steering rack bushings are stiffer by 150 percent, promising improved steering response and feel. A redesigned air box and a less restrictive intake system improve airflow and throttle response. The right pedal's software also received significant tweaks to make power deployment more linear and predictable. The most notable change from 2019's refresh is the RC F's updated styling, which draws inspiration from the RC F GT3 and GT500 race cars with its sharpened front and rear bumpers and more comprehensive aero package. These make way for larger air intakes up front, which direct more air into its oil coolers, while vents open its front fenders and allow air to flow out of its wheel wells. Alongside a new front splitter, extended side splitters improve high-speed stability while updated LED head and tail lights round out the list of changes. Our wonderfully colorful Flare Yellow tester wears the single most expensive option currently available for the Lexus RC F, the $17,775 Carbon Package. It adds a carbon roof, front splitter, rocker panel splitters, diffuser, active rear wing, and 19-inch BBS forged matte black wheels to the exterior. Inside, the pricey pack adorns the cabin with heated and cooled perforated leather seats, a heated steering wheel, and an intuitive parking assist. For the 2023 model year, the RC F gets a massively improved 10.3-inch infotainment screen, which, thanks to its touch capabilities, circumvents the need to use Lexus' frustratingly cumbersome and imprecise touchpad controller. For 2019, the Lexus RC F's 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 received a minuscule power bump of five hp and six pound-feet of torque up to the 472-hp and 395-lb-ft output figures that remain in the newest model. That power goes to the rear exclusively via Toyota's slow but smooth in-house AA80E eight-speed automatic transmission. Flat out, it'll sprint to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and max out at 162 mph. These figures are made possible partly because of the RC F's custom Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, which measures 255/35/19 at the front and 275/35/19 in the rear. Now that you're fully caught up, are these updates impactful enough to ensure the Lexus RC F's relevancy when its direct competitors have advanced a whole generation over the last decade? Sort of. In isolation, it's a very charming and engaging sports car primarily due to its free-revving naturally-aspirated V8. With peak power coming in at 7,100 rpm, it requires plenty of throttle to reach its maximum potential, an exercise made all the more enjoyable by its wonderfully sonorous intake noise, which permeates the cabin, and roaring muscle car tones emanating from its stacked quad exhaust tips. Despite its stiffened bushings, the Lexus RC F's front end is still far from agile. Turn the wheel, and you'll feel every bit of its 3,946-pound curb weight. The speed of its direction changes, aided by a modestly communicative steering system, remains slow and imprecise compared to its heavily updated contemporaries. It's worth noting, however, that the current iteration of Lexus' sports car is a significant improvement over the pre-facelift model, with a reduced tendency to understeer. Although Lexus updated its standard adaptive suspension, it never firms up enough to keep the RC F's body motions in check on a twisty road, even in the stiffest Sport+ setting. Despite featuring updated six-piston Brembo brake calipers up front and four-piston units in the back with 15-inch and 13-in rotors, our tester's braking performance began to fade surprisingly quickly on our favorite canyon road despite offering excellent initial stopping power. Compared to the updated BMW M4 Competition (the updated Mercedes-AMG C63 S isn't yet available at the time of writing), the Lexus feels as old as it is. The RC F isn't as agile in the bends due in part to its hefty weight and soft suspension, nor as quick in a straight line because its power requires noticeable build-up, or as engaging owing in part to a well-isolated cabin that unintentionally dulls the sensations and vibrations you'd want out of your sports car. Yet these very limitations add to its charm as it enters its tenth model year. The Lexus is more softly sprung than the BMW, and thanks to its limited-slip differential and slow steering rack, it is easy to slide and control once you exceed its traction limits. Our 2023 model year Lexus RC F tester starts at $67,845, including a $1,150 delivery fee, while the succeeding 2024 model increases slightly to $68,295, factoring in the same fee. However, our tester, with options such as the aforementioned $17,175 Carbon package alongside the $2,725 Navigation/Mark Levinson Audio Package and $1,160 Premium Triple Beam LED headlights, carries an as-tested price of $91,210. It's unclear how much longer the Lexus RC F will be around, but what is clear is that despite its many incremental updates, it is not nearly as quick, precise, or engaging as some of Europe's latest. However, the aging Lexus offers a naturally aspirated V8 that oozes personality and is far more engaging and responsive than anything with induction forced by turbos, and it sounds better, too. While its suspension isn't as firmed up to tackle the bends, it remains comfortable for daily use. Then there's the styling, which, thanks to its race-car-inspired updates and our tester's bright paint job, is aging phenomenally. Although a $91,210 price tag is considerable for a vehicle nearing the end of its lifecycle, for those looking for an old-school sports car, the Lexus RC F's lack of overall relevancy won't matter. They won't look past its old-school nature; they'll be drawn to it because they can't get it anywhere else.

Maserati Grecale Folgore Rame Folgore (24)

By Gabriel Vega – April 03, 2024

First Drive: The 2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore

The MC20's unveiling in 2020 marked the beginning of a hot streak for Maserati. It was the first Maserati supercar since 2004’s Enzo-adjacent MC12, and it was followed quickly by the spectacular GranTurismo Trofeo and the impressive Grecale Trofeo. Just like that, the Stellantis-owned Italian carmaker replaced an aging lineup of products with a fresh fleet that was exciting. The next phase of Maserati's grand plan is to electrify these new models, ditching internal combustion entirely by 2028. The GranTurismo Folgore was Maserati’s first BEV. Now we have the Grecale Folgore, a more mass-market model that is crucial to the company’s electric transition. For a company buoyed by the racing legacy of Fangio and one of the best rock lyrics of all time (thanks to Joe Walsh, who didn’t own a Maserati until after he claimed one went 185), Maserati has, in recent decades, fought relevance to a draw. Now, after a great run, the stakes are high. On paper, a 550-horsepower dual-motor crossover with a 105-kilowatt-hour battery pack and pleasing lines reads like yet another consecutive win. Then we drove it. The Grecale Folgore is built on slow-charging 400-volt electric architecture, has handling dynamics hampered by 998 pounds of added weight, and delivers below-market range figures (up to 245 miles est.). After a few turns along the Italian countryside, the Grecale Folgore felt more like a misstep than a leap forward. The Maserati Grecale Folgore will be the only trim level available as an EV. With an estimated starting price in the low $100,000 range—about the same as the Nettuno-V6-powered Grecale Trofeo—the Folgore is aimed solely at luxury EV buyers, says Maserati. However, while the 550-hp Folgore may be the most powerful Grecale to date, 27-hp over the Trofeo, it was never intended to be the most athletic on a back road. That title stays with the V6 Trofeo; the Foglore is aimed at the eco-conscious, tech-savvy crowd that might also consider a Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV, Audi’s SQ8 e-tron or BMW’s iX, with Porsche’s upcoming electric Macan joining the list later this year. The electrified Grecale splits its 550-hp output evenly between two 275-hp electric motors, one on each axle, feeding power to all four wheels. Combined, they deliver a maximum torque output of 605 foot-pounds, enough to propel the Folgore to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds and 124 mph in 16.1. For context, the Trofeo may be down 27 hp, but it's 0.3 seconds quicker to 62 mph at 3.8 seconds, while the Folgore's direct competitor, the upcoming 630-hp Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, is quicker still, completing the sprint in a swift 3.3 seconds. The Folgore feels quick off the line, as anything developing 550 hp should, but not uniquely so. It’s brisk thanks to a solid initial burst courtesy of its instant torque delivery. However, the Folgore’s acceleration tapers quickly as its speedo climbs, feeling less rapid than the outgunned Trofeo. The main culprit is the Folgore's 105 kilowatt-hour battery pack. In electrified form, the Grecale weighs 998 lb more than the 4,469-lb Trofeo, bringing its curb weight to 5,467 lb. That’s more than a V12-powered Rolls-Royce Ghost. Aside from hampering its acceleration, the extra heft diminishes the excellent handling dynamics we've experienced in other Grecale models. Dive into a corner, and its front end isn't particularly agile. It tends to understeer as its body leans considerably. While its rear-biased power distribution allows you to scoot its back end with a stab of the accelerator, helping it turn into a corner, its body remains surprisingly unsettled with near-constant bobbing. On the plus side, a well-calibrated accelerator allows for smooth power delivery and easy modulation. The Trofeo’s column-mounted shift paddles remain, now tasked with adjusting the intensity of the Folgore’s regenerative braking system, allowing for one pedal driving. Like the Trofeo, the Maserati Grecale Folgore utilizes adjustable air springs and active shock absorbers. GT, Sport, Offroad, and Max Range modes alter their stiffness, ride height, and accelerator responsiveness. However, even in Sport, the firmest setting, the Folgore's suspension struggled to balance out this crossover’s body, resulting in a bouncy ride uncharacteristic of the rest of the Grecale lineup. Offroad is surprisingly the best of the bunch while puttering around town and on high-speed highway blasts. It raises the Folgore’s ride height enough to isolate it better from road imperfections with improved plushness over the default GT setting. Max Range mode is a new addition to the Grecale Folgore. As its name suggests, it attempts to make this crossover as efficient as possible by capping its top speed at 81 mph, while limiting accelerator responsiveness and its climate control system’s power draw. The Trident suggests only clicking over to this mode once the pack’s state of charge drops below 16 percent. Although Maserati has not published an official EPA range figure, its latest crossover achieved 311 miles in its most efficient configuration and 264 miles in its least on the European WLTP cycle. Given that WLTP figures are often around 20 percent higher than EPA estimates, expect the Folgore’s maximum range to hover closer to 245 miles once it reaches the U.S. market. Unlike the aforementioned Macan Turbo Electric and Maserati’s own GranTurismo Folgore, which count on an 800-volt electric architecture, the Grecale Folgore utilizes a 400-volt system. As such, its peak DC charge rate is 150 kilowatts, meaning it takes 29 minutes to charge from 20 to 80 percent. For context, the aforementioned Porsche and Maserati GT can accept up to 270 kW, resulting in quicker charge times. Maserati offers an optional wall box for at-home charging, which delivers between 3 and 22 kW, the Folgore’s AC limit. While the buzz surrounding the Maserati Grecale Folgore centers around its powertrain, this crossover’s strengths remain in the areas where the Trident has always excelled: style and design. Sharing more than just a near $100,000 pricepoint with its Trofeo sibling, the Folgore borrows many of its sporty styling cues. Its front fascia, for example, carries over the V6 model’s overall bumper design but differentiates itself with a new inverted grille. It’s a similar story with its rocker panels and back bumper, whose diffuser gains trim pieces in place of the Trofeo’s quad exhaust tips. Available with 20 or 21-inch aero wheels, the Folgore banks on the Grecale’s stellar looks while implementing only subtle tweaks. The result is an electric crossover that isn’t defined by an overly aero-focused shape, instead sticking to more traditional proportions. The Folgore’s interior is, like the rest of the Grecale range, excellently appointed, spacious, and a well-isolated place to be. Its dashboard hosts three screens: a digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch central infotainment display, and an 8.8-inch screen nestled beneath it. Like most luxury EVs, the Folgore’s interior is practically devoid of physical buttons, except for its gear selectors sandwiched between its central displays. However, most of the adjustments to its climate and comfort settings remain always within easy reach in its bottom display, limiting the need to sort through various menus while driving. Although Maserati offers plenty of leather variations for its 14-way adjustable front seats, the Folgore introduces the use of Econyl, a fabric made up of recycled nylon. The material feels like the most luxurious wetsuit imaginable and retains heating and cooling capabilities. More importantly, however, it adds an interesting texture to the interior aside from adorning the Folgore’s cabin with a distinct aesthetic. The Maserati Grecale Folgore is expected to go on sale in the U.S. later this year, entering the popular but highly competitive electric luxury crossover segment. While the Trident’s latest has stellar styling and an elegant cabin primed to appeal to tech-savvy premium EV buyers, its aging electric architecture and unsettled ride will undoubtedly pose challenges for the brand’s core audience of enthusiasts. Conversely, the tech-savvy, often stat-focused buyers the brand wants to court will compare the Folgore to current and upcoming rivals and find an electric crossover that isn’t segment-leading on paper, especially at a six-figure price point. For a brand that’s done almost everything right in recent years as it aims to gain market share and reposition itself at the top of the luxury world, its first foray into the electric crossover space feels more like a misstep than a leap forward.

An image of a blue Ferrari SF90 Spider parked outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – March 15, 2024

Review: The Ferrari SF90 Spider

The Ferrari SF90 Spider is a car built to accomplish a near-impossible task. On the one hand, it's a plug-in hybrid saddled with the arduous job of integrating a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with no less than three electric motors (two in its front axle and one wedged between its engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission). On the other, it's a convertible with a folding hard top and an intricate mechanism that stows it in 14 seconds. And we have yet to mention its electric driving capabilities, the complexity of its software, which balances performance and battery regeneration, or how its bodywork is littered with clever aero elements hiding in plain sight. Yet what's most impressive about the SF90 isn't its complexity. It's how each system combines to distill a 986-horsepower supercar into something practically anyone can confidently hustle up a twisty mountain road. In all complex modern sports cars, there's a point in which the computer magic creates a barrier that prevents the driver from connecting emotionally with even the quickest machine. A $659,101 exotic should deliver a perfect balance of speed and excitement. That is the sweet spot that the Ferrari SF90 Spider seeks to find. On paper, the Ferrari SF90 Spider's looks like a supersized F8 Tributo—and not as immediately alluring as a Ferrari of this caliber perhaps should. See it in person, however, and its curvy bodywork, sweeping lines, and intricacy of its many intakes and vents bring its design to life. Although its 78-inch width matches that of the aforementioned F8, it's three inches longer at 185 inches and an inch lower at 48 inches, giving what is already quite a large two-door a low, wide, and imposing stance. Unlike the towering rear wing on the SF90 XX, the Spider's aero elements are far more understated. Take a closer look at its 20-inch wheels and twisting spokes, and you'll find winglets between them that help channel air as it leaves the wheel well. Ferrari redesigned the Stradale's brake cooling system with new intakes and an updated brake caliper design. Vortex generators sit nestled beneath its front bumper, while an active flap in its rear decklid closes the open space between its quad tail lights, improving downforce and balance at higher speeds. Opt for the track-focused Assetto Fiorano package, and the SF90 Spider can generate up to 860 pounds of downforce at 155 mph. Our tester wore Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires measuring 255/35 up front and 315/30 in the rear. With its retractable hard top in place, it's nearly impossible to distinguish the Spider from the Stradale. Although its larger rear window, distinct buttresses, and revised decklid hint at a folding mechanism hidden beneath its bodywork, the Spider retains the coupe's glass engine cover, just with added louvers for additional cooling. As impressive as the engineering behind the SF90's design is, a supercar that pushes this many technological boundaries shouldn't require a closer look. If anything, the XX highlights just how much Ferrari left on the table from an aesthetic perspective. This is, after all, a 986-horsepower hybrid supercar, a car subtlety should be anything but synonymous with. The Ferrari SF90 Spider's powertrain kicks engineering complexity into the stratosphere. A 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 serves as its foundation, generating 769 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. That's 59 hp more than any other V8 Ferrari, an increase made possible by a redesigned intake and exhaust system. Up front, two electric motors make up its RAC-e (Cornering Angle Regulator, Electric) system, which produces up to 217 hp and allows the SF90 to cruise on electrons for up to 15 miles. A third electric motor, MGUK (Motor Generator Unit, Kinetic), sits between its engine and transmission, bringing this Spider's total system output up to 986 horsepower. An eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which debuted in the SF90 Stradale but has now made its way into the Roma and 296GTB, sends power to the back wheels as the RAC-e puts power down upfront while allowing for true torque vectoring. The transmission itself is 20 percent smaller and 22 pounds lighter than the seven-speed unit it replaces despite being able to transmit more torque, thanks in part to more robust clutches. The software that allows these systems to function harmoniously is almost more complicated than the hardware it commands. Like all modern Ferraris, the SF90 sports a Manettino on its steering wheel, allowing its driver to cycle between Wet, Sport, and Race modes. However, it's the first Prancing Horse to feature an eManettino, a separate row of touch capacitive buttons that determine how and when it'll switch from electric to hybrid mode. In the latter, it's pre-programmed to draw power from the internal combustion engine and regenerative braking system to recharge the onboard 7.9-kilowatt-hour battery. E-Drive is the SF90's fully electric mode, which allows it to cruise at up to 84 mph, however, push the accelerator, and the V8 will kick in. Despite allowing for silent driving, this Spider won't start in electric-only mode if the engine is cold. Additionally, it'll automatically switch back to the aforementioned hybrid setting once the battery is fully used up. Click up to Performance mode, and its turbo-eight stays engaged, continuously charging its battery and delivering more power. This powertrain's most aggressive setting is the top Qualifying mode, the only one in which the SF90 delivers its maximum output by drawing power from its engine and electric motors without charging its battery. Once the pack is fully drained, it'll route engine power to charge it back up. In Qualifying mode with a topped-up battery and 98 octane fuel, it'll sprint to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds, to 124 mph in seven, and reach a top speed of 211 mph. However, while these figures are undoubtedly impressive, they fail to convey the tremendous pace the SF90 Spider is capable of in practically any scenario. Thanks to its responsive V8 aided by a rapid transmission and instant torque from its electric motors, its acceleration is so aggressive and instantaneous that one has to recalibrate one's perception of how fast a supercar can be. The Ferrari SF90 Spider feels as quick on the road as any hypercar we've reviewed thus far, including those costing deep into the seven-figure range. Yet this is simultaneously one of its most significant limitations. Although it seems counterintuitive to critique the best student in the class for getting the most correct answers, the unfortunate reality is that few, if any, roads allow for the full deployment of this car's outrageous capabilities, a shame considering Ferrari's turbo-eight howls as it reaches its over 8,000 rpm redline thanks to a brand new dual-exit exhaust system. It's a similar story when we look at how the SF90 tackles a twisty road. It is eerily balanced, even in the tightest bends, with tremendous levels of grip. In part, we have its front axle's torque vectoring system to thank, as well as its adaptive dampers and well-calibrated traction control system. Turn the wheel, and you're met with ultra-quick, precise, and nicely weighted steering. However, as the nose bites into the entry of a corner, there's an unshakable sense that computer systems are doing the grunt of the work. It's as if the car has taken care of everything, and you, the driver, are just along for the ride. The smartest kid in the class strikes again. Significant direction changes require the subtlest of steering inputs, with instant results. Its standard carbon-ceramic brakes, measuring 15.6 and 14.1 inches front to back, are intuitive with a firm initial bite and progressive pedal travel. Despite the SF90 Spider weighing around 220 pounds over its coupe counterpart and its claimed hefty 3,682-pound dry weight, the proficiency of its traction systems, suspension, and the stiffness of its chassis leave no noticeable loss in performance when compared to the Stradale. Even as you flip through its drive modes, there's no unsettling the SF90. It's not the car that'll play around and make you feel like a backroad hero with easily managed slides. Its grip levels are so high, and its chassis so dialed in that its only purpose is tackling a road as quickly as possible, even if it comes at the cost of driver engagement. While the Ferrari SF90 Spider is as fast as any road car can be on a back road, it doubles as an excellent cruiser. Lower its top, set its dampers to their softest setting, and its powertrain settles nicely on longer drives. Although reports of SF90s struggling when transitioning from electric to hybrid power were plentiful when launched, we didn't experience that during our time on the road. Instead, our tester switched between its modes effortlessly, making it far more usable than just on back road blasts. Like practically all new Ferrari models, the SF90 Spider's interior counts on no analog gauges. Instead, it utilizes touch capacitive buttons almost exclusively, which are, unfortunately, less than user-friendly and often require multiple presses to activate. Usability issues aside, its infotainment system is nicely laid out with intuitive menus and, in the case of our tester, a sleek passenger display. A bonus of this supercar's large footprint is its ample cabin space. However, its cargo volume, on the other hand, is a tiny 3.31 cubic feet, including the area surrounding its seats. For 2024, the Ferrari SF90 Spider starts at $583,590, while its coupe counterpart costs $528,764. Our 2022 model-year tester carries an as-tested price of $659,101. The Ferrari SF90 Spider is one of the most complex road cars ever made. From its twin-turbo V8 and tri-motor powertrain to the breadth of its software-enabled capabilities down to its cleverly sculpted bodywork and hidden aero components, it is a true feat of engineering. Shifting emissions regulations have not only pushed supercar brands to embrace hybridization, but they've also allowed them to redefine themselves. In the SF90's case, Ferrari flexes its engineering muscles, showcasing how advanced its cars can be. Even in Spider form, lugging around an extra 220 pounds, its hypercar hunter is one of the quickest, most intuitive, and easy-to-use road cars. However, in this approach, we reach a point in which technology supersedes driver involvement and enjoyment, and the SF90 uses its advanced tech solely for the pursuit of speed.

By Gabriel Vega – March 05, 2024

First Drive: The 2024 McLaren 750S

The concept behind the McLaren 750S is a simple one: Take the bedrock foundation of the sublime 720S and add 30 percent new or updated parts, including some poached off the 765LT. The end result is a potent blend of McLaren’s road and track-focused cars. But while the 750S is slightly lighter, more powerful, and quicker than the 720S, but the earlier car could already keep up with hypercars. So why is the 750S an important car? Well, for starters, the 750S aims much higher than simply improved performance stats. Its seven-speed dual-clutch features a shorter final drive ratio, meaning that while it accelerates a mere tenth of a second quicker to 60 mph than the 720S, it actually spends more time near its theatrical 8,500 redline. The 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 benefits from higher boost pressure and lightweight pistons borrowed from the 765LT, making 740 horsepower with an engine that revs more freely, thanks to its reduced internal mass. Coupled with a faster steering ratio, revised spring rates, a widened track, and a crackling new centra-exit exhaust, the 750S is hypercar quick. Now, it brings more carnal appeal. At first glance, it’s hard to tell the 750S from the 720S. This despite the long list of revised styling elements: new front bumper, an extended front splitter, louvered fenders, a re-styled rear bumper, new wheel designs, and a 765LT-inspired active rear spoiler. However, the relative subtlety of these tweaks limits their visual impact, a subtlety that seems to stem less from an unwillingness to push the 750's design in a new direction and more from the natural limitations of a car that's built to serve as the midpoint between two models without stepping over either. The effect of familiarity at play also contributes to its overall lack of distinction. This is, after all, a 2024 model-year car that looks strikingly like one that first went into production in 2017. Step inside, and the 750S's interior updates are obvious. Gone is the 720S's rotating digital display, replaced with an Artura-style fixed screen, which shaves four pounds, features more vibrant graphics, and whose bezel houses a new paddle-style powertrain and handling mode selectors. A new vertically oriented center infotainment screen adorns the dashboard and comes standard with only Apple CarPlay—sorry, Android users. Its updated bezel houses a row of vertical buttons, the middle of which is McLaren's new Control Launcher, allowing drivers to quickly recall preconfigured aero, handling, powertrain, and transmission settings. These tech updates take an interior that was once the 720S's weak point and push it to be genuinely intuitive and class-leading. The cabin's material choices have improved as well. As standard, the McLaren 750S features an Alcantara-trimmed interior. However, new Performance and TechLux interior packages bring Nappa leather and contrast stitching, which can be had in a seemingly endless list of colors. McLaren's $7,600 Super-Lightweight Carbon Fiber Racing Seats, the same set offered for the Senna and 765LT, are now available for the 750S. Offered in two "sizes," the carbon shells are identical; only the amount of padding used changes. Comfort and Carbon Fiber Racing seats are no-cost options, the latter of which is the sweet spot within the lineup. The Comfort option is, as expected, somewhat plush but lacks side bolstering. At the same time, the Senna's firm carbon buckets allow for greater connection with the car by transmissing more feedback from the chassis but will only comfortably serve only the lighter and shorter among us. Like the 720S that inspired it, the McLaren 750S is a hypercar masquerading as a supercar. Its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 now develops 740 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, up 30 hp and 22 lb-ft, all of which goes to its rear wheels. However, despite these herculean figures, McLaren's well-calibrated traction control system steps in precisely when you need it to, allowing the 750S to put practically all of its power down. Dive into a corner in the 750S, and you'll feel the cumulative effects of this car's subtle but focused improvements. Its hydraulically assisted power steering rack is still the most talkative of any modern supercar, now made even quicker thanks to its revised ratios. Its coil spring and semi-active damper suspension are now lighter by 4.4 pounds, three percent softer up front, and four percent firmer in the back, while the 750S' overall track widens by 0.3 inches. Handling that power is made easy thanks to the 750S's updated Comfort, Sport, and Track handling and powertrain modes, alongside a new Variable Drift Control, which allows drivers to dial in how much they'd like the rear end to step around before the car's computers kick in. Despite its slightly firmer suspension, the 750S retains the duality the 720S is famous for. It confidently tackles significant road imperfections in Comfort mode while dialing out body roll and delivering balance and stability in Sport and Track. The result is an agile, grippy, and nicely balanced front end, which combines with a rear that, although tail happy when provoked, will hold on nicely when driven thoughtfully. And although similar words could aptly describe the 720S, the 750S builds with an added layer of connectedness. You can look deep into a corner and imagine where you'd like to place it, and it intrinsically follows your inputs. And it isn't just the feedback it provides that impresses; it's how precise its steering, brakes, and throttle are, allowing this car to change direction precisely but intuitively. On the back end of a corner, the 750S reveals its most significant update: its shortened gears. The paddles behind its buttonless steering wheel still hook up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, but its final drive is shorter overall like you'd find in a 765LT. Whether in coupe or Spider form, the 750S now sprints to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds or, for those keeping score, a whole tenth of a second quicker than the 720S. The big story, however, is how dramatic its acceleration feels as you blast out of a bend. Due to its shorter gears, you not only spend more time clicking through them but also hover around its 8,500 rpm redline for far longer. Its top speed may shrink from 212 mph to a frankly pedestrian 206 mph, but the 750S is quicker overall, especially at slower speeds where theatrical acceleration always beats an unreachable top speed figure. Its V8 remains responsive despite its increased boost pressure, thanks mainly to its lightened pistons, another gift from the 765LT. Coupled with a brand-new central-exit Sports Exhaust that crackles authentically as you decelerate while accentuating this engine's higher-pitched notes under load, you get a sense that the 750S is constantly trying to overwhelm the senses. Even as you connect tight bends, the McLaren 750S feels practically massless. At its core, we have its carbon-fiber monocoque to thank. It allows a coupe with the right options to boast a 2,815-pound dry weight figure (2,923 lb for the Spider) and is firm enough not to require additional strengthening in the 750S Spider. Thanks to a carbon fiber folding top, most of this convertible's 108-pound gain comes from its roof mechanism. More importantly, this rigidity means it's nearly impossible to tell a coupe from a Spider from a driving perspective alone. As standard, the 750S counts on 15.4-inch and 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors with six and four-piston calipers to slow itself down. And while they may require a firm press of the pedal to activate fully, they're easy to modulate and offer excellent feedback as you near the sweet spot before its ABS kicks in. For those seeking even higher performance, a $18,050 Track Brake system carries over the ceramic discs and calipers first introduced for the Senna, along with a new brake booster, vacuum pump, and a caliper cooling system. The 2024 McLaren 750S starts at $331,740, including $5,500 destination and $2,240 America Accessories Pack fees. Opting for the Spider carries a $21,000 premium up to its $352,740 base price, including the same fees. And while the pair is immediately available to order, the British carmaker confirmed that about half of the total production run has already been sold. Simultaneously, the brand is deep into developing the hybrid V8 powertrain that'll debut in its eventual successor. We have to look past its headline-worthy figures to answer the earlier question of not just what the 750S is but whether or not its updates make a meaningful difference. Its 66-pound savings, 30 horsepower bump up to 740, and 2.7-second 0-60 time are impressive, but they're not the updates with the most significant impact. Instead, this car's shortened gear ratios, quickened hydraulic steering, and revised suspension shift its focus toward driver engagement. The 750S may not be all-new, but it takes what was already one of the best-driving supercars and improves it in every meaningful way.

An image of a Lexus LC 500 Convertible parked outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – February 29, 2024

Review: The 2024 Lexus LC 500 Is A Forgotten Flagship

If you read the 2024 Lexus LC 500’s spec sheet, you’ll find a car that represents an ideal grand-tourer from a bygone world. Much like the Bentley Continental GT of the early 2000s, the LC 500 serves as the carmaker’s flagship coupe and a product built to court younger buyers. Its cabin is beautifully trimmed, with practically every surface covered in semi-aniline blue and white leather. Its spring and shock multilink suspension delivers a comfortable and controlled ride. Even its engine, a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V-8 that generates 471 horsepower, produces a raspy old-school engine note reminiscent of an 80s Aston Martin V8 Vantage. And because Lexus green-lit 2012’s LF-LC concept for production without significant changes, it blends old-school, long-hooded GT proportions with modern, angular styling. In almost every way, it’s an ideal GT. Why, then, are so few people buying it? Don’t look to Lexus’s product planners for answers. As the LC enters its seventh year of production, its sales figures continue to struggle. Last year, Lexus managed to sell just 1,761 units of its flagship product, including its coupe, convertible, and hybrid variants. In the same period, BMW’s 8 Series racked up 5,752 sales, while Porsche sold 11,728 911s. Yet, while the market for six-figure luxury vehicles continues to expand, it’s as if this massive wave of growth has all but missed the LC. The question posed above resurfaced constantly throughout our week behind the wheel of a well-optioned LC 500 Convertible equipped with a new Bespoke Build Package. Was the LC’s struggle nothing more than market preferences placing more value on luxurious SUVs, or did Lexus’ flagship fail to connect with the market of affluent young buyers it was built to target? As it turns out, to find answers, we have to examine what the LC could’ve been. Although the Lexus LC 500 has been on sale since 2017 ( the droptop in 2020), it hasn’t changed much. As our Cloudburst Gray tester shows, aside from adding a new set of multi-spoke 21-inch wheels, its exterior remains virtually identical seven years on. While it may have been able to bank on its concept-car-looks back when new, direct competitors like the BMW 8-Sereies and Porsche 911 have received significant updates in the interim. For 2024, Lexus updated the LC’s list of available colors to include Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 and Copper Crest, while its infotainment screen gets not just sleeker, more user-friendly software but a larger 12.3-inch display. The most significant update, however, is the inclusion of a Bespoke Build option, which was introduced to expand this flagship’s customization options. Unlike its European competitors, the Lexus LC 500 offers a relatively short list of extras. It comes standard with all its best equipment and only offers a handful of interior, wheel, and exterior options. It may sound counterintuitive, but this focus on value lures in the $40,000 ES buyer, not someone looking to part with six figures for a flagship GT. A prospective buyer considering a car as flashy and as lavish as the LC wants the ability to customize it, even if just with add-ons that do nothing more than show off how expensive they are. This is a gap options like the $5,500 Bespoke Build are starting to fill. In our tester’s case, the clearest example is its $1,900 blue and white leather interior, an undeniably flamboyant and very un-Lexus-like color combo that suits this car perfectly. Unfortunately, it’s only available for the Convertible model. The coupes get a new Rioja Red shade plus the previously offered Black and Toasted Caramel colors. Other touches include darkened chrome and a carbon scuff plate. Although the LC 500 only offers Black and Sand colors for its canvas top, the Bespoke Build expands this list to include Dark Rose and Blue. Skip this new package, and you can access the LC’s best and brightest standard colors like Flare Yellow, Copper Crest, and Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0. While these new extras are a step in the right direction, there’s value in letting a buyer’s imagination go wild. And as Bugatti’s Frank Heyl told us during an interview at Car Week last year, offering more flexibility when customizing a luxury product is now more critical than ever. If you’re not buying a Lexus LC 500 for its looks alone, you’re doing so for the engine that powers it. Like most buyers, we’ll skip over the forgettable hybrid model and dive straight into the range-topper’s naturally aspirated V8. It’s a rarity in an industry destined to downsize and turbocharge to meet stricter emissions regulations, but in the LC’s case, its old-school lump is central to its driving experience. Although it’ll develop a healthy 471 horses, it does so at 7,100 rpm, which forces you to repeatedly chase its redline before it truly gets going. Even its 398 pound-feet of torque doesn’t come in at 4,800 rpm. Thankfully, staying in the 500’s powerband once you get there is easy thanks to its 10-speed automatic and its closely spaced gears. Despite having to route all of that power to the rear wheels, the fact that this V8 requires a slow build before it bites allows the LC’s back tires to put all of its power down without so much as a twitch from its back end. On its best day, the convertible LC sprints to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and tops out at an electronically limited 168 mph. While it might be 0.2 seconds to 60 than the coupe, an indistinguishable amount, it has the distinct benefit of offering up glorious V8 noises anytime your foot nears the throttle. In Sport+ mode, with its valves fully open, this luxurious cruiser wakes up and becomes muscle car loud. Its note is bassy, rumbly, and charmingly old-school. While this V8’s sidestepping of broader industry downsizing trends is its biggest strength, it’s also its greatest weakness. Compared to its turbocharged competitors, the Lexus LC 500 can often feel downright slow thanks to its lack of available torque. Take BMW’s 840i as an example, an inline-six powered GT that’s far from a flagship product, yet just about matches the LC to 60 mph despite counting on 136 fewer horses. Puttering around town, the 500 feels the slowest out of its direct competitors. The playing field only levels on an empty back road at higher revs. Pick up the pace, and the gap between the big Lexus and its European rivals grows. While our tester lacked a $460 package that adds firmer dampers and a limited-slip differential, they wouldn’t make much of a difference in all but extreme scenarios. Around tighter bends, the LC’s front end isn’t particularly agile, nor is its steering precise. And although it weighs up nicely in the more aggressive drive modes, it transmits very little feedback. The same goes for its brakes, which are smooth and quiet around town but tend to fade quickly at higher speeds. The result is that while the LC can carry a rapid pace up a canyon road, it leaves its driver wholly disconnected from the experience. What the Lexus LC 500 may lack in sharpness, it makes up for with excellent dampening and body control. As you’d expect from a big GT, it tackles a bumpy back road gracefully. It soaks up imperfections, both big and small, all while remaining quite balanced. The LC’s proficiency on a back road is primarily due to its revised suspension, which Lexus tuned to account for this 4,540-pound convertible’s 200-pound gians over its coupe counterpart. These benefits carry over to the real world, where the LC proves its dominance as a high-speed cruiser. It’s cushy but not floaty and feels supremely planted at higher speeds. And although firmer dampers might sharpen its response slightly, this softer setup allows it to excel where it truly counts. Like with practically all modern convertibles, you can’t feel the LC’s chassis flex in most scenarios. Only when tackling driveways with obscenely steep angles did unsettling, crunching noises fill the cabin. Whether at higher speeds or just cruising around town, the Convertible is as quiet as the coupe, and given the unfettered access to V8 noises it provides, it’s the one to have. Plus, it folds in 15 seconds at up to 31 mph and doesn’t further reduce this GT’s already tiny 3.4 cubic feet of trunk space. Step inside, and the Lexus LC 500 greets you with its blue and white leather cabin with perforated front seats for cooling. To an extent, it’s comparable to what you’d get in a Bentley Continental GT. And because of this, practically everything you see and interact with feels expensive, minus some of the center console’s plastic switchgear and Lexus’ terrible touchpad control. For 2024, a new bright and colorful 12.3-inch infotainment display adorns the dashboard and adds much-needed touchscreen functionality, circumventing the need to use Lexus’ cumbersome touchpad. On the surface, Lexus’ flagship checks all the boxes. It’s stunning, quiet, comfortable, and impeccably well-built. Should you be willing to part with the $117,660 ($106,350 base price) our tester commands, it’s probably the most rational way to spend the cash. After all, you get practically everything as standard. Even “fully optioned,” Lexus’ flagship significantly undercuts its direct rivals. The problem is that while you probably should buy the Lexus, it struggles to make you want to. Despite its many excellent attributes, the LC struggles to communicate these strengths to consumers like its European competitors can. As a result, it doesn’t immediately come across as the luxury item it truly is. Be it due to Lexus’ lack of brand cache at the higher end of the price spectrum or the 500’s relative lack of flexibility when personalizing, it fails to connect with a broader customer base. A major contributing factor is also the need for significant updates. While the Lexus LC 500 is, at its core, a solid GT, it sits idle at the top of the Lexus food chain. Meanwhile, competitors like BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz have continuously updated their offerings and expanded their ranges with high-performance variants and, in general, more opportunities to make your six-figure GT feel unique. At this price point, and when trying to court a customer base inundated with excellent options, offering a well-built and equipped product at a reasonable price point doesn’t draw attention as it does in lower segments. Anyone willing to spend six figures on a big GT is looking for something more, and despite the LC 500 being practically faultless from behind the wheel, none of it matters if the customer base that should be salivating at the chance to have one has all but forgotten it exists.

An image of an Imola Red BMW M8 Competition parked outdoors.

By Gabriel Vega – February 22, 2024

The BMW M8 Competition Is An Overachieving GT

Until the early 2000s, automakers mainly designed cars to meet one overarching goal. Sports cars only had to be sporty, luxury cars only had to be luxurious, while SUVs got away with being dressed-up off-roaders. However, as engine, tire, and suspension technology have advanced, these predetermined lines have blurred. Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT, for example, is somehow equal parts family hauler and canyon carver, while McLaren’s 720S sprints like a hypercar while simultaneously offering genuine daily usability. The breadth of what cars can be has forever altered what we expect them to be. Of course, not all machines successfully blend these multiple personas. Some fall painfully flat in the eyes of their target demo as they overextend to reach a wider audience. Others are the BMW M8 Competition, a 617-hp two-door that, at first glance, comes across as just a high-powered luxury GT but, upon closer inspection, reveals some seriously sporty intentions. Historically, BMW’s grand tourers have been just that and only that. The original 8-Series certainly wasn’t setting any track records, while even the V10-powered M6 was great on an open highway but wasn’t exactly at home on a twisty back road. This range-topping 8-Series flips the script and pushes forward not just what a modern M-badged GT can be but through the depth of its range, it shows us what one should be. Introduced in 2019 as the now-defunct M6’s replacement, the BMW M8 Competition doesn’t deviate much from its predecessor’s formula. Dimensionally, the pair are almost identical, with the eight being shorter, wider, and slightly lower to the ground. Its curb weight does increase by 45 pounds, but considering that it does so in part because it gains a standard all-wheel-drive system, such a small bump in weight is actually quite impressive. What does change, however, is the M8’s performance. In competition form, its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 pumps out 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, a modest 17-hp increase over the standard M8’s 600-hp figure. Like practically all fast BMWs today, it sends all that power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Flat out, it’ll sprint to 60 mph in three seconds and top out at 155mph, or 190 mph, when equipped with the M Driver’s Package. Those are the figures. However, it takes only minutes behind the wheel for the feeling to creep in that those numbers, while impressive in their own right, are grossly underrated. Three seconds to 60 is fast in anything, especially something that tips the scales at nearly two tonnes, but the M8 feels quicker still. There’s a ferocity and immediacy to how this turbo-eight delivers its power. Although the German carmaker has since equipped its fast SUVs with a mild-hybrid system to make their version of this powertrain more responsive, it’s hard to see why. On a winding back road, you’d have to be in something from Woking, Sant'Agata Bolognese, or Maranello to outpace an M8 Competition in the bends, and the bends alone, for as soon as the road straightens, this full-size luxury GT is just as fast as most high-dollar exotics. In most cases, it would take a fair bit of mental gymnastics to frame a $160,000 super coupé as an overachiever, but when you consider that you’d have to spend at least double its as-tested price to beat its performance, it’s hard to call it anything but. However, as fast as the M8 is, there’s an unmistakable disconnect between what its speedo reads and what you feel behind the wheel. While this GT’s excellent noise isolation is worth praising for how refined it makes its cabin feel, it simultaneously takes away from the driving experience, not allowing its driver to feel the physics-bending performance this car delivers. Although incredibly effective and precise, its electronic power steering and $8,150 carbon-ceramic brakes don’t do much to liven the experience, offering little feedback. Even the M8’s engine note, which permeates the cabin courtesy of this car’s speakers, sounds muffled in most scenarios. Body roll is unavoidable when dealing with cars as powerful and heavy as the BMW M8 Competition. And while the German carmaker had the choice to firm up this car’s adaptive suspension system to dial this unwanted motion out, it’s almost impossible to un-stiffen a car once you do. Getting this balance just right is vital, especially in a big GT. While BMW certainly has had some missteps in the past, the range of the M8 Competition’s Adaptive M Suspension is impressive. It may be slightly firmer than what you’ll find in the standard M8, but it’s still cushier than expected. It may not hide this car’s heft particularly well around tight bends, but the trade-off is more than worthwhile for retaining daily comfort. Still, don’t mistake body-roll for an overall lack of agility. The BMW M8 Competition tackles bends in a way something this large and heavy shouldn’t be able to. Its grip is seemingly endless, and despite a bit of push from the front end when you dive into a corner, this car’s all-wheel-drive system allows it to put all outfit power down on the way out. For extra fun, you can completely disengage the front wheels and exit corners sideways like most old-school BMWs do. This is an area where the M8’s softer suspension comes in handy, making it far less snappy once you reach its limits, vastly boosting driver confidence. Swap the twisties for an open highway, and the M8 comes into its own. Like its predecessor and, honestly, practically all of BMW’s M cars, this large GT is most at home sitting at triple-digit speeds on an empty stretch of road. It’s comfortable but never floaty, and thanks to the noise isolation, it’s much quieter than you’d expect from a car wearing an italicized M on the back. Here, this two-door showcases the other half of its split persona, equally comfortable chasing supercars or on a cross-country road trip. A significant contributing factor to this car’s comfort is its seat choice. Although its cabin is practically fully covered in leather while my tester adds a fair bit of carbon-fiber trim, the chairs you choose have the most significant impact. My tester correctly sticks to the standard M Sport Seats. I say correctly only because BMW’s carbon-backed buckets are available as an optional extra for this car. Although they’re fine in an M2 or M3, they’re fundamentally mismatched to this car’s overarching goals. And while they may make back road drives slightly more enjoyable, they’d detract from the drive elsewhere. As the BMW M8 Competition enters its fifth model year, the German carmaker has added new options to its lengthy list of extras, such as the aforementioned carbon buckets. Its central infotainment screen grows from 10.25 inches to 12.3 inches, bringing this car's interior up to speed with the rest of its lineup. In terms of its exterior, the changes are equally subtle. M Shadowline trim is now available for its Adaptive LED headlights, as are a handful of excellent colors such as Frozen Pure Grey, Tanzanite Blue II, and Isle of Man Green. The BMW M8 Competition is a masterclass on incorporating modern technology to make something big and heavy dance in the bends like a proper lightweight. Although it may read like a big GT on paper, and its isolation from the world certainly backs this up, there’s no discounting this car’s sports car persona. By pairing supercar performance with relatively soft suspension and a plush cabin, this car achieves a duality most modern GTs can’t. For the nearly $160,000 my Imola Red tester costs, the breadth in the personality of BMW’s flagship makes it an inciting one-car solution.

By Gabriel Vega – February 12, 2024

Lasting Impressions: Our Best Automotive Reviews In 2023

We drove a lot of luxury and exotic cars in 2023. These were the best. As the luxury and exotic car segments continue to flourish, so have duPont REGISTRY’s reviews. In 2023, we drove more cars, traveled to more destinations, and brought you more vehicle reveals than ever before. We’ve covered practically every new model to launch from almost every major automaker. As such, narrowing down the list to our top 10 favorites proved to be quite the challenge. Rather than picking the most impressive cars on paper, we’re focusing our selections on the machines that delivered the most memorable experiences behind the wheel. 10. Aston Martin DBX 707 The 707 treatment brings much-needed excitement and flair to the Aston Martin DBX. It takes a solid base and improves it with tremendous speed and performance. However, its hustle up a twisty back road presents the real thrill. The AMG-sourced 697-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 grabs all the headlines, but the 707’s suspension, and the calibration of its all-wheel-drive, allows for a bit of tail-happiness. As high-powered SUVs become ubiquitous, the range-topping DBX stands apart as one of the most exhilarating. View All Aston Martin DBX 707 For Sale 9. Maserati MC20 Cielo Although we were previously impressed with its coupe counterpart, in 2023, the Maserati MC20 Cielo and its retractable hardtop stole our attention. The Cielo loses none of the coupe’s capabilities or agility, and driving with the top down adds an extra dimension. While its twin-turbo V6 isn’t the most exotic-sounding powerplant in the segment, it creates tons of turbo spooling and whooshing noises that pump drama back in. Without a doubt, what kept us thinking about the Cielo is its styling — it is uncomplicated, elegant, and memorable. View All Maserati MC20 Cielo For Sale 8. Lotus Emira The Lotus Emira earned its spot on the list by reminding us what a sports car should be. While its competitors grow larger, heavier, and more tech-filled than ever, the Emira offers all the creature comforts you’d ever want in a package that still feels genuinely light. Hustling it around at practically any speed promises a good time. Close gear ratios mean you’re constantly upshifting and downshifting as you try to keep the revs high. It’s a sports car in the traditional sense — and one we’d choose over some competitors that cost up to twice as much. View All Lotus Emira For Sale 7. Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT CoThe Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is, the most capable performance SUV we’ve tested. It’s not only quick in a straight line, but also genuinely athletic in the bends. It tackles a back road like no SUV should be able to, yet it doubles as a cozy commuter. The 2024 model received a facelift and a power bump up to 650 horsepower, making it one of the best all-rounders currently on sale.py View All Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT For Sale 6. BMW M3 CS Drawing inspiration from the M4 CSL, the M3 CS pushes this sporty sedan’s persona closer to that of a dedicated track toy. It’s lighter, firmer, and more powerful, making it feel far more exciting than its standard production counterpart. Although arguably too stiff to drive daily, the CS is the car we always hoped the M3 Competition would offer. As the carmaker’s products become more refined with each new generation, the CS reminds us that BMW can still build a raw and roaring four-door. View All BMW M3 For Sale 5. Bentley Flying Spur S V8 What impresses most about the Bentley Flying Spur S V8 is how it drives. Downsizing from a W12 to a V8 takes the weight off the nose while its active anti-roll bars and finely tuned suspension allow it to tackle a twisty road in full anger. It is balanced, genuinely agile, and properly quick in a straight line. A subtle growl from the massive exhaust tips further adds a hint of sportiness that results in a nicely rounded driving experience. Oh, and of course, it’s a beautifully appointed luxury sedan, too. View All Bentley Flying Spur For Sale 4. Lucid Air Sapphire Of the entire list, we spent the least time with the Lucid Air Sapphire, yet it still managed to leave a lasting impression. It’s not just a spec monster, although the 1,234-horsepower output certainly helps. Instead, it’s the Sapphire’s dynamics that landed it in a top spot. Supercar quick in the bends, the Sapphire confidently puts all of its power down in even less-than-ideal conditions thanks to the custom development by Lucid engineers. Perhaps no other car we’ve tested is easier to drive at speed than Lucid’s $250,000 flagship. 3. McLaren Artura Although the McLaren Artura hit some bumps on its way to production, the resulting car is worth the weight. It seamlessly integrates its electric motor with a 120-degree twin-turbo V6 to deliver effortless acceleration despite many behind-the-scenes complexities. Despite housing an electric motor and a small battery pack, the model tips the scales at 3,303 pounds, making it not only mighty with 671 horsepower, but also a genuine lightweight among its peers. Add in hydraulic steering and a stiff chassis, and it delivers tons of feedback, making the Artura one of the most exciting supercars of 2023. View All McLaren Artura For Sale 2. Rolls-Royce Spectre Worthy of a long list of superlatives, the electrified Rolls-Royce Spectre is likely the quietest and most comfortable luxury car we’ve ever tested. We’ve driven it around Napa Valley, through the Valley of Fire, and on a road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Every time we log miles, the Spectre further cements itself as one of our favorites. Costing more than $500,000 with options, such excellence is expected. What isn’t is how far it surpasses even its closest siblingsdrive of 2023. View All Rolls-Royce Spectre For Sale 1. Ferrari 296 GTB Asseto Fiorano Although we drove the Ferrari 296 GTB Assetto Fiorano toward the beginning of 2023, nothing else we tested could dethrone it from the top spot. Like the Artura, it combines an electric motor with a 120-degree twin-turbo V6. However, it develops a whopping 819 horsepower, making it one of the quickest cars we’ve ever tested. Speed aside, the 296 is almost faultless from a driving perspective. Behind the wheel, you’d be hard-pressed to sense its heft at 3,700 pounds; the Assetto Fiorano feels light and agile and generates tremendous grip. Yet it’s still easy to hustle through a canyon. Combined with elegant styling and a unique engine note, the 296 GTB tops our list as the most memorable drive of 2023. View All Ferrari 296 GTB For Sale

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