Aurelia Butler

After eight years at the helm, CEO Mike Flewitt (pictured with the 765LT) is leaving British supercar company McLaren.During his tenure, Flewitt was plain-spoken with media, and one of the things he made plain was that McLaren was not going to follow other elite carmakers such as Ferrari and Aston Martin in building a sport-utility vehicle. With the company’s financial challenges and amid disappointing results for the GT and Elva, Flewitt’s abrupt departure now seems to leave the door open for a super-SUV that could be a savior. The soap opera at the top of the auto industry is frequently fascinating, but we’re here for the cars. So you’ll rarely finding us reporting the details of executive arrivals and departures. But sometimes a change of leadership can indicate a much bigger switch, and although we only have half the story so far—British supercar maker McLaren confirming that CEO Mike Flewitt is leaving, but not who is set to permanently replace him—we suspect there’s likely something more happening in the background here.Journalists tended to like Flewitt, a no-nonsense Liverpudlian who spent most of his career at Ford before joining McLaren. He spoke his mind and was happy to venture further in interviews than his PR managers wanted him to; his confirmation to Car and Driver that there would be an LT version of the 720S on the same day the basic car made its debut was a fine example of this engaging enthusiasm. But he also made an oft-repeated promise that McLaren would never build an SUV, or anything like one. [editoriallinks id=’56231793-e286-4ba0-b6c5-1634446723a0′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]That pledge won plenty of positive reaction. It seemed like a low-risk strategy in the era when sales of McLaren’s carbon supercars were riding high and the company was still expanding. But as rival luxury makers started to launch their super-utes, Flewitt’s promise started to look more like a hostage to fortune, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and McLaren’s global sales collapsed. The company narrowly survived a cash-flow crisis, one that forced it to cut 1200 jobs and to raise cash against its space-age headquarters. McLaren’s crisis found a parallel in the one being suffered by another British luxury player, Aston Martin, which had also been suffering from falling sales and revenues. Aston had nearly run out of cash developing its first SUV, the DBX, and was also trying to raise the funds necessary to build a series of mid-engine supercars intended to take on McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. But Aston also had a relationship with a much bigger automaker in the form of Mercedes-Benz, one that has grown much closer in the last year with the arrival of former AMG boss Tobias Moers as Aston’s CEO.[image id=’cf6bc030-37b7-46a3-a95c-4fb99c5c6c65′ mediaId=’1b25cff5-eed3-4106-af93-04eca0867717′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’Aston Martin DBX.’ expand=” crop=’original’][/image]McLaren doesn’t have any such relationship. Company insiders have told C/D a technical alliance with a major German automaker, believed to be BMW, was being discussed some time ago—but this never happened. Meaning McLaren and the company’s suffering shareholders have had to bear the huge costs both of developing its next-generation models, which will use a new carbon-fiber architecture, and of the hybridized V-6 engine that will power the first of these, the Artura.[image id=’7c8a6e43-405c-4c35-82c2-caad8a675fde’ mediaId=’fb09edf2-95fb-47b0-bb09-7908cd11045d’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’McLaren Artura.’ expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]The Artura was originally scheduled to arrive in 2020, but its launch has been pushed back into 2022 seemingly due to the engineering challenge of bringing such a complicated car to market. Sales have been disappointing for both the McLaren GT, a fine car which is categorically not the Bentley Continental rival it was originally described as, and the roofless, screenless Elva. These failures seem to have played a significant part in Flewitt’s abrupt departure from the company, with technical leadership passing to McLaren Group director Michael Macht, former Porsche CEO, and other functions to executive chairman Paul Walsh while a permanent full-time successor is sought. It seems likely the choice of new boss will signal a change of direction. Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin have all launched SUVs, all of which are currently their respective companies’ bestselling models. Even Ferrari is set to create something very similar in the form of the Ferrari Purosangue. We can respect Flewitt for holding out against this trend, but we would be very surprised if his successor doesn’t choose to reverse that decision, especially given the possibility of moving straight to a fully electric SUV using somebody else’s platform. (Lotus has explicitly said it wants to license its forthcoming “lightweight” EV platform, which will support 800-volt architecture and produce cars able to go from zero to 62 mph in under three seconds.) [image id=’492f3b32-202a-4996-924a-b895a84f991d’ mediaId=’c061b323-e8d5-4789-be9d-f94d193ab3c9′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’Matt Becker at Aston Martin. ‘ expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]By happy coincidence, McLaren has recently poached Aston Martin’s chief chassis engineer, Matt Becker. The man who led development of the DBX would seem an ideal candidate to introduce another British luxury brand to a more sports-utilitarian future. [poll id=’5194d6f3-4d79-49dd-ba77-f7c8afcb1381_0f9934bb36c83′ type=’text’ question=’Should they or shouldn’t they?’ answer1=’A McLaren SUV would be awesome.’ answer2=’He was right. They shouldn’t.’][/poll]

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The 2022 Toyota GR86 sports car will start at $28,725, with the Premium trim starting at $31,325.It comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission and a six-speed automatic is a $1500 option.The GR86 will arrive at U.S. Toyota dealerships in December, the company says.Toyota has revealed another small point of differentiation between the new 2022 GR86 sports car and its twin, the 2022 Subaru BRZ: the price. The 86 starts at $28,725 for the base trim, just barely undercutting the BRZ’s starting price of $28,955.

That starting price is for the base model, which comes with a six-speed manual transmission and a 2.4-liter boxer-four engine with 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. A more expensive Premium trim is available for $31,325 and swaps out the base car’s 17-inch wheels and all-season tires for 18-inch wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires. The Premium also gains a larger rear spoiler, heated front seats, and leather and faux-suede upholstery.A six-speed automatic transmission is available for $1500 on either trim, but we don’t recommend choosing the two-pedal option in a fun-loving rear-wheel-drive sports car like this. The automatic-transmission car does come with a few extra driver-assistance systems—including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning—that the manual car does without.
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A new Range Rover is here, which is reason enough to head right to its online configurator tool to see all the possible combinations. The redesigned 2022 model’s starting price of $105,350 is really just a light suggestion, as there are numerous expensive upgrades available including a long-wheelbase configuration, a loaded Autobiography trim level, a First Edition with special visuals, and a wide range of exterior and interior colors. We gathered a few editors to choose their ideal specs and came up with these selections.

Joey Capparella’s $115,050 Standard Wheelbase P400

Land Rover

Land Rover

I’ve always felt that Range Rovers are the rare vehicles with six-figure price tags that are truly worth it, and I’m confident that will continue to be the case with new model. I chose a standard-wheelbase model in its P400 trim because I’m a fan of JLR’s inline-six engine. British Racing Green was a natural choice for the exterior color, despite a steep $4500 option price, and the $1000 black contrast roof adds a touch of modernity to the look. 23-inch wheels are available, but I chose a set of 22-inchers for $2300 in an attempt to preserve the ride quality somewhat. Few of the interior options appealed to me, as even the base cabin looks very plush, but I did opt for the $300 heated steering wheel and the $1200 sound-system upgrade. My spec comes out to a total price of $115,050Caleb Miller’s $161,700 Standard Wheelbase Autobiography P530

Land Rover

Land Rover

While I’m all in favor of frugality when buying an economy car, I believe in splurging when it comes to a high-end SUV like the new Range Rover. To that end, I chose a standard wheelbase model in the Autobiography trim, which starts at $152,000 and adds goodies such as 24-way heated and cooled front seats with massage, a heads-up display, SiriusXM satellite radio, a refrigerator compartment in the front console, and an upgraded sound system. Selecting the Autobiography locks in the V-8 engine, which I would’ve opted for anyway. I went for a subtle exterior look, with gloss Constellation Blue paint—a $4550 option—and the Shadow Exterior pack for an extra $1000 to channel my inner James Bond villain. To match the blacked-out trim, I upgraded to 23-inch gloss black wheels, an additional $1500. Inside I went for Deep Garnet, which surprisingly did not boost the price, but I did spend $1300 on the Natural Black Birch veneer, aiming to match the black exterior details while avoiding the fingerprint-attracting gloss black finish. Otherwise, I left the options list alone, since the Autobiography model is already decked out to the nines. My Range Rover came in at $161,700.Drew Dorian’s $158,250 Long Wheelbase Autobiography P530

Land Rover

Land Rover

I think the redesigned Range Rover looks good. Really good. I’d probably be happy with just about any spec, but in this fantasy I went for the long-wheelbase model and the Autobiography trim. This combination automatically adds the more powerful twin-turbo V-8 engine, and the extra space inside should make it even easier for rear seat passengers to ride in comfort. The Autobiography loads up the Range Rover with goodies including handsome 22-inch wheels, massaging front seats, rear captain’s chairs, an air purification system, a 35-speaker Meridian stereo system, a rear-seat entertainment system, and all the best driver-assistance tech. I’d resist the urge to try out one of the new satin paint finishes and stick with a standard metallic; the one that I like the best is Belgravia Green. I also really like the SV Bespoke 22-inch wheel option for $900. Inside, I’d swap the standard black leather upholstery out for the rich saddle-colored Caraway theme and I’d go with the SV Bespoke walnut wood trim. All in, I’m looking at a steep $158,250 for this beauty, which is why this will remain a fantasy.Connor Hoffman’s $131,350 Standard Wheelbase P530

Land Rover

Land Rover

I think the new Land Rover Range Rover looks like a concept car that should’ve never gone into production (especially in the rear), but if I had to buy one, I’d go for the standard wheelbase, not the new seven-seat model. I’m not going for the fancy Autobiography or First Edition model because why add excess to an already excessive SUV? Selecting the 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 is almost an instinct. Thank goodness Land Rover provides more color choices than Jeep, so I’m choosing Tourmaline Brown with a gloss finish, which costs $4,550, and adding the Shadow Exterior Pack for $1000. These standard 21-inch wheels look derpy, so this Range Rover is getting fitted with 23-inch gloss black wheels for $3000 and black black calipers for $550. The roof needs to be black too ($1000). I’m going with the Caraway interior, sticking with the base Windsor leather and Brown Walnut veneer trim to avoid racking up the price even more, which makes my 2022 Range Rover cost $131,350. That’s Porsche 911 money.

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Kia has released U.S. specs for the 2023 Sportage compact SUV.It has the same base engine as the Hyundai Tucson and will offer LX, EX, SX, X-Line, and X-Pro trim levels.The Sportage will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2022, with a hybrid to follow.Kia is nearly ready to bring its redesigned 2023 Sportage to the U.S., and we now have a lot more details on the new model that’s set to arrive on our shores in the first quarter of 2022. Larger than before and with a wider array of trim levels, the new compact SUV features an interesting design inside and out and offers a new off-road variant called X-Pro. A gasoline version with a four-cylinder engine will arrive first, with a hybrid set to join the lineup later on.

The new Sportage has a 3.4-inch longer wheelbase than before, and its overall length has grown by 7.1 inches. This makes for a large cargo area measuring 40 cubic feet with the rear seats up, which beats its corporate cousin the Hyundai Tucson and the Honda CR-V. The U.S. version has the same distinctive headlight setup as the global model we saw earlier this year.
Like the Tucson, the base engine is a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four that will make 187 horsepower in the Sportage. An eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are standard, with all-wheel drive optional. A Sportage hybrid is coming later on, but Kia has yet to provide details on that powertrain. AWD models also feature a bit of extra ground clearance, and there are two available models—the X-Line and the X-Pro—that play up the Sportage’s off-road cred.The X-Line is an appearance package with different bumpers, wheels, a beefier roof rack, and black trim. The X-Pro features additional upgrades including 17-inch wheels with BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, a heated windshield, and LED fog lights. Other trim levels include LX, EX, and SX, and the SX, X-Line, and X-Pro models offer a Prestige package with additional niceties.
Higher trim levels have a modern-looking interior with two large screens: a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch central infotainment display. The base LX model has a smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen. There’s an interesting touch panel below the infotainment screen that controls the radio and the HVAC system, and the two physical knobs on either side can change function depending on what’s displayed, becoming either volume and tuning knobs for audio or temperature knobs for the climate control.Driver-assistance systems including lane-keep assist and forward collision warning are standard across the board, but blind-spot warning and adaptive cruise control are optional.Kia has yet to announce pricing for the 2023 Sportage, but we expect it to start a bit higher than the current model, which costs between $25,265 and $36,425. The nonhybrid is set to go on sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022, with the hybrid likely to follow a few months later.
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