Car Reviews

The future of electric hypercars may not quite exist yet, but Lotus is certainly doing its part to invent it with the new Evija. While several manufacturers have promised to play in this exotic realm, the British sports-car maker looks set to be the first when the Evija goes on sale this summer. To get an idea of what customers can expect from the full production model, we secured a track drive in a prototype version at Lotus’s Hethel headquarters in England.

While deeply impressive, the Evija prototype’s numbers are not quite what Lotus promises for the finished car. Combined output across the prototype’s four electric motors (one at each wheel) is limited to just over 1600 horsepower—a mighty figure but still significantly less than the production version’s nearly 2000 horses. The development car also was, unsportingly, fitted with 140-mph speed limiter, whereas customer cars will be able to exceed 200 mph. It also, for our drive, did without active aerodynamics, adaptive dampers, regenerative braking, torque vectoring across its axles, and the ability to vary its front-to-rear torque split beyond an arbitrary 23/77 percent. This is in keeping with the company’s engineering ethos to first perfect the core chassis before adding support systems. Of greater concern on the day of our drive was the lack of any kind of stability or traction control, which we thought may come in handy given the car’s track-biased Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires and temperatures in the low 40s at the company’s the Hethel circuit.
Fortunately, the Evija’s lack of electronic safeguards was not an issue as the tires came up to temperature and began to deliver huge amounts of grip. Along with being Lotus’s first EV, the Evija also is the brand’s first all-wheel-drive road car. Yet despite both of those novelties, its core dynamic experience is remarkably close to that of the company’s existing sports cars. Just much, much quicker.The Evija’s steering is reassuringly Lotus-like, with a slightly slower ratio than the supercar norm but with linear responses and rich off-center feedback. To maintain better feel, Lotus has surprisingly kept with hydraulic assistance in place of an electric rack that’s the norm today, even though this brings the complication of integrating a separate electrically driven hydraulic pump. For similar reasons the Evija employs a conventional brake booster instead of one of the increasingly fashionable electric-assist systems.The car has a relatively tall battery pack situated behind its passenger compartment, rather than a shorter pack spanning the length of the vehicle. Lotus says the 70.0-kWh lithium-ion pack weighs a substantial 1583 pounds—in contrast, the car’s naked carbon-fiber tub weighs only 284 pounds—but its position gives the Evija a weight distribution and center of gravity similar to that of an internal-combustion mid-engined supercar. Indeed, on track the Evija does drive much like a large and very powerful Evora, rotating keenly and responding well to small driver inputs. It feels wieldy and approachable, never skittish. The suspension has good initial compliance, with heavy cornering loads inducing a small amount of body roll providing feedback to the driver.
Formula 1 cars aside, no Lotus has ever accelerated so quickly. The Evija’s straight-line performance is outside normal frames of reference, both in terms of its instantaneous savagery and the lack of drama that accompanies it. This is, for want of a better term, a quietly startling vehicle to drive. The objective evidence of g-forces and spiraling numbers on the car’s digital display is in total contrast to the lack of anything like a recognizable supercar soundtrack, with nothing more than a muscular electrical hum entering the cockpit. We reached the 140-mph speed limiter well before the end of one of Hethel’s longer straights, the rapidly approaching braking zones coming as a surprise every time. Lotus figures the production Evija will be able to bolt from rest to 186 mph in an astonishing nine seconds or so. For comparison, the quickest car we’ve ever tested, the Bugatti Chiron Sport, needed 12.4 seconds to hit 180 mph.Lotus has yet to say exactly how much downforce the finished Evija’s hydraulically operated rear wing and vast diffuser will produce, although it acknowledges the total will be large. The prototype’s wing was fixed during our drive, yet the massive lateral loads that the car could generate through Hethel’s quicker corners left us with no doubt about the presence of serious aerodynamic assistance. The Evija’s pushrod-actuated suspension incorporates Formula 1-inspired front and rear “heave dampers.” This setup features a strut that connects the tops of the upper left and right control arms in order to act equally against forces on both wheels while allowing each corner’s springs and dampers to remain compliant. Even under substantial downforce loads, the suspension never became harsh nor the steering excessively heavy.
Not that the prototype felt finished in all areas. It was running an early ABS calibration for its hugely powerful Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, which intervened early and made the car feel surprisingly heavy going into the Hethel’s tight hairpins. The brake pedal also became soft after a couple of hot laps, perhaps due to the development car’s lack of regenerative braking assistance.The other issue we experienced is one the Evija can’t be fairly blamed for: the limitations of current battery technology. Harder use devours the battery’s charge at a prodigious rate. While the finished car should be able to achieve a 250-mile range under Europe’s admittedly optimistic WLTP protocol, our experience was that track driving will deplete the pack in less than 15 minutes, although output never seemed to drop as the pack approached empty. The finished Evija will support charging speeds of up to 800 kW, although even today’s commercially available 350-kW units should allow for the battery to be replenished in not much more time than it takes to empty it on the track.Lotus seems to be on course to be among the first to bring an electric hypercar to market. But it may have created a car ahead of its time. Company executives admit it is possible that it may not sell all of the 130 examples that it plans to produce. In addition to a price that works out to around $2.4 million at current exchange rates, the Evija will not be street legal in the United States, which means American buyers will face additional import complications and show-and-display restrictions. Still, Lotus says that hasn’t put off some determined and very wealthy early adopters, with several cars already set to come stateside. Their hypercar of the future is nearly here.

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Porsche’s Taycan Cross Turismo is the wagon addition to the Taycan EV family and will be available midsummer at a starting price of $92,250. The Cross Turismo will be initially limited to the 469-hp 4 and the 616-hp Turbo, with 562-hp 4S and 750-hp Turbo S variants to come. Since the Cross Turismo has the word Cross in the name and the shape of the body implies some crossover-ness and soft-road credibility, the new model features a 1.2-inch increase in ride height, a new Gravel mode for the stability-control system, retuned air springs and adaptive dampers, and some off-road-themed body work.Unlike the Taycan sedan, all Cross Turismo models come standard with the larger of the two available battery packs, an 83.7-kWh unit. In the 4, that pack powers the two motors to an available 469 horsepower when using launch control. During normal use, you get 375 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. As in all Taycans, a two-speed automatic transmission on the rear axle enables brisk off-the-line acceleration and more efficient high-speed cruising. Porsche says the 4 should hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, but given that the Taycan 4S outperformed Porsche’s 3.8-second estimate by 0.4, we’re willing to bet the Cross Turismo will hit 60 mph in 4.5 ticks.

Our drive of the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo took place around Los Angeles and took us out toward Big Bear Lake and onto some twisting canyon roads before heading back to Lala Land. With more than an hour of L.A.-area freeway driving right out of the gate, the entry Cross Turismo impressed with its zippy mid-speed acceleration, the reality of which greatly exceeds what you’d expect based on the unimpressive power and torque numbers and its estimated 5200-pound curb weight. Need to pass a dawdling left-lane daydreamer? It’s already done.By the time we arrived at the base of the mountain roads leading up to Big Bear, the battery had gone from its starting point of 97 percent charge to an indicated 77 percent. You might think the weight of the Taycan would rear its head as the terrain grew steep and wizened, but it doesn’t. In fact, if you didn’t know the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo weighed north of 2.5 tons, you’d might never guess it. The Taycan carries its mass low, making a center of gravity that’s low and a boon to handling. This despite the slightly higher ride height of the Cross Turismo compared to the standard Taycan. On the brakes, the Cross Turismo is confident and brutally capable, never nervous—a useful trait on unfamiliar mountain roads.
Steering accuracy and feel plays into that sense of confidence. While not seemingly telepathic like that of a GT3 or GT2 RS, the Taycan steers remarkably well for a car of its size and heft. Grip was provided by (optional) Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires wrapped around unique 20-inch Offroad Design wheels. The Offroad Design package also fitted to the car raises the ride height an additional 0.4 inch, and adds silver-colored lower-body accents as well as small, triangular protectors ahead of the wheel wells to reduce the “witness marks” produced by the gravel thrown around when you are, presumably, powersliding through a forest or a desert wash.At the top of the mountain, the battery gauge indicated 44 percent of the battery’s capacity remained, leaving 93 miles of range. Following an aggressive descent, the battery reported a 41 percent charge and 107 miles of range. Upon returning the car to the studio in Glendale, the battery had 21 percent of its charge left and an estimated 62 miles of range. I’d just driven from Glendale to Big Bear and back in a day, a roughly 200-mile round trip, 60 of those miles on enthusiastically driven mountain roads, on a single charge with no perceptible loss of performance as the battery drained and no need to even look for a charging station or feel stressed about range.
A lack of bags, cargo, and passengers on this short day trip meant we didn’t get to formally test the expanded rear cargo area and additional rear-seat passenger space provided by the wagon shape. Porsche says the Cross Turismo body adds a minor 0.4 inches of headroom up front and a major 3.7 inches in the back seat. The rear cargo area also grows in comparison to the trunk of the sedan, offering 16 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 43 cubic feet with them folded forward. There was also, unfortunately, no opportunity to test the Taycan’s new Gravel off-road mode. The Taycan Cross Turismo’s combination of looks, speed, and space put it into the realm of the now-legendary combustion-powered Boss wagons like the Audi RS6 Avant and Mercedes-AMG E63 S wagon. The Cross Turismo offers a compelling alternative to those two super wagons, and while those two lovely German V-8s burn gasoline in excess, the Taycan’s electric-motor powertrain and lack of tailpipe emissions give it some green cred. Determining a winner among the three might be tough, but whenever performance, price, and practicality line up this well, a comparison test seems inevitable. Stay tuned.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo
VEHICLE TYPE
front and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 4- or 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
BASE PRICE
$92,250
MOTORS
2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC; combined output, 469 hp, 368 lb-ft; 83.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
TRANSMISSIONS (F/R)
direct drive/2-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 114.3 inLength: 195.8 inWidth: 77.4 inHeight: 55.5–55.9 inCargo volume (F/R): 3/16 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 5200 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 4.5 sec100 mph: 9.8 sec1/4 mile: 12.7 secTop speed: 136 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/city/highway: 76/73/81 MPGeRange: 225 miles

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The gradual evolution of the automobile has meant that different innovations have arrived at different times, and leaping back 90 years in automotive history makes for a strange combination of the familiar and the utterly alien. It’s a point made spectacularly well by the Bentley Blower Continuation, a vehicle that manages the unique trick of possessing both a new-car smell and a genuine pre-war driving experience. The Blower’s dial-strewn dashboard seems to have been modeled on the mantelpiece of an English country manor, yet it houses both a tachometer and a speedometer—features that few cars had in 1930. It doesn’t have a fuel gauge, however. A period Blower’s owner—or, likely, their servant—would have checked the car’s fuel level by simply gazing into its vast, 26.4-gallon tank. The Blower’s floor-mounted gearshift is laid out in a conventional H pattern—top left for first gear, bottom right for fourth—although it is positioned awkwardly to the right of the right-hand driving position. The clutch pedal also is where your left foot expects to find it. But things get more archaic with the realization that this vintage of Bentley predates conventionally modern pedal positioning, what with its accelerator situated in the middle and the brake pedal on the right.
In short, Bentley has done what it promised when it announced it would build a run of 12 of its most famous cars. Beyond the lack of 90 years of wear, the Continuation is an exact facsimile of the original Blower. Jaguar kicked off the modern trend for factory-sanctioned continuation models in 2015 by producing seven lightweight E-types that the company had originally planned but never got around to making. Additional models have followed. Aston Martin also got in on the act with old-new versions of the DB4 GT, DB4 GT Zagato, and the James Bond-inspired DB5 Goldfinger.But when Bentley’s Mulliner division decided to do something similar, it opted to head much further back in time and to deliver what is a much more demanding driving experience. Yet, there was no shortage of interest. The company says it could have sold considerably more than the dozen cars it will build, despite each example costing $2.1 million and not being suitable for registered road use in most parts of the world.

Despite being one of Bentley’s most famous models, the original Blower wasn’t a factory project. Company founder W.O. Bentley didn’t believe in forced induction, holding that larger naturally aspirated engines were a more appropriately English way to respond to the challenge posed by rival supercharged racers such as the Mercedes SSK and Bugatti Type 35C. One-time fighter pilot and aristocratic Bentley Boy driver, Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, politely disagreed and set about building a four-cylinder car that would use an Amherst-Villiers Roots-type supercharger to produce more power than the Bentley Works team’s Speed Sixes. Doing this cost Birkin most of his personal fortune, and when that ran short, he managed to arrange additional support from a wealthy heiress named Dorothy Paget, a prolific gambler and racehorse owner. Eventually he persuaded Woolf Barnato, Bentley’s chairman and another factory race driver, to sanction the production of 55 Blowers, five of which would be outfitted for racing.Featuring such innovations as a 16-valve cylinder head, twin-spark ignition, aluminium pistons, and a magnesium crankcase, the Blower’s 4.4-liter four was one of the most powerful in the world at that time, making 240 horsepower in race trim. That was more than the 200 or so horses made by the massive Speed Six cars—the ones that Ettore Bugatti once referred to as the world’s fastest trucks. But the Blower was also thirsty and prone to failure. “The Blower eats plugs like a donkey eats hay,” as Bentley’s chief mechanic put it.
Some more history: The Bentley Blower never won a significant race in its day, although it did play a heroic cameo at the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bentley had won the endurance race in 1929 and was defending its title with three factory-entered Speed Sixes. Birkin brought another trio of Blowers, driving the No. 2 car himself. The big threat was Rudolf Caracciola’s privately entered Mercedes SSK, a car with a clear performance advantage over the Speed Six but considered mechanically fragile when driven flat-out. When the race began, Birkin set off at a searing pace, overtaking the Mercedes twice and goading the German into giving chase. Caracciola did, and his SSK indeed broke before the finish, but none of the Blowers made it to the checkered flag, either. Barnato in his Speed Six ultimately led a one-two finish for the works team.Bentley now owns Birkin’s No. 2 car and reckons it is worth tens of millions of dollars. There have been various mild restorations over the years, but the core structure and engine are the same that raced in 1930. That car served as the basis for the Continuation project, with Mulliner disassembling it and scanning individual parts before commissioning exact replicas. The car in our photos is the development prototype, officially known as Car Zero, and it carries some extra paraphernalia required as a Volkswagen Group test mule, including both supplementary LED headlights and a data-acquisition system. But mechanically it is identical to both the original car and the dozen production models that will follow it.
Despite being worth far more than the Continuation, the No. 2 car is surprisingly the one Bentley asked us to sample first at Millbrook Proving Ground. This was to impart an appreciation for the car’s rich history and, as Bentley’s public-relations manager admits, because the teeth of its non-synchronized transmission have been smoothed by decades of graunchy gear changes and should therefore be slightly more forgiving in inexperienced hands.Coping with the Blower’s gearbox is the greatest challenge when behind the wheel. The accurately named “crash” transmission requires double declutching—pressing the clutch pedal to deselect a gear, releasing it, and pressing it again to select a gear—for shifting both up and down its ratios, with downshifts bringing the additional complication of matching the engine’s revs to road speeds. The clutch also incorporates an engine brake to still the big four’s input shaft so that first gear can be selected. On the move, this means that downshifts bring the additional challenge of remembering to only depress the clutch halfway while blipping a wrongly placed accelerator and manipulating a shifter that’s partially positioned under your right thigh. Yes, there were some grinding noises.
But the rest of the experience of the No. 2 car feels, if not exactly modern, certainly less old-fashioned. Performance is impressively brisk. The big engine has no enthusiasm for revs and is reluctant to reach its modest 4500-rpm redline. But low-end torque is plentiful, and the boost gauge indicates the supercharger’s significant contribution even at low revs. When the original Blower team cars were sold off in 1931, Birkin guaranteed that each was able to achieve a top speed of at least 125 mph. We were restricted to an indicated 80 mph on Millbrook’s banked two-mile oval, but the Blower feels completely happy at this pace, tracking straight and with less slop in its steering than many later cars. Driving it is a physical experience. The steering barely lightens as the car gains speed, and the cable-operated drum brakes are feeble. Even panic-level pressures produce less retardation than resting your foot on the brake pedal of a modern vacuum-boosted braking system. Switching to Car Zero confirms a nearly identical driving experience. The new car’s fresh gearbox is less tolerant of fluffed shifts, although the heavy shift mechanism feels more accurate. The prototype’s brakes are even worse—we later learned that it had been fitted with new pads that hadn’t been properly bedded—but we soon find that the sizeable external handbrake lever operates a separate set of shoes on the back axle, allowing rear braking force to be usefully increased. The engine emits the same thump-thump-thumpsoundtrack, and although it is limited to 3200 rpm during testing, the car actually feels slightly quicker than the original.
The greater difference is one of perception. The Continuation feels every bit as archaic to drive as its predecessor, but it’s not an irreplaceable historical artifact. We don’t mind pushing it harder on Millbrook’s Hill Route, which could pass for a narrow, twisty Alpine road. The combination of solid axles, leaf springs, and lever-arm dampers cope surprisingly well with harder cornering loads, although the ride feels brutally hard over even small bumps. Peak cornering forces are modest, and the combination of narrow tires and the positively cambered front wheels make for limited grip and the early onset of understeer. Overall traction is decent, but the heavy, recirculating-ball steering tries to center itself when you call for more power with any steering lock applied. Within a couple of miles, it is clear that the biggest limitation to speed on a windy road is most likely to be the driver and their ability to wrestle the Blower through turns. Bentley has done exactly what it needed to do with the Blower Continuation, and to have tamed or civilized it in any way would have entirely missed the point. Bentley’s first continuation model is also the most extreme of the genre so far. Here’s hoping it gives the upper echelons of the market an appetite for other equally impressive newly built anachronisms.

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If only Henrik’s version had been this good. That thought popped into your author’s head on a drive from Los Angeles to Palm Springs in a 2021 Karma GS-6 plug-in hybrid. Roughly halfway into the 107-mile trip, the 24.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack had given all it could, at which point the BMW-sourced turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-three under the hood fired up to keep power flowing to the pair of electric motors out back. At highway speeds, the transition to gasoline power snuck up on us. It took about 10 miles for us to notice, despite the gauge cluster alerting us that the range-extending engine was now in use.Karma Correction in Just 10 Years With the introduction of the GS-6, it finally appears that someone got the Fisker Karma right. Car designer Henrik Fisker is no longer involved nor is the company that bore his name. Fisker’s company made about 2000 or so Fisker Karma plug-in hybrids about a decade ago. Once the model name, Karma is now the brand that sells the heavily updated Fisker creation. That name change is one of many changes made by Chinese auto-parts supplier Wanxiang after it scooped up the smoldering remains of Fisker Automotive and decided to reintroduce the lusty luxury car under a new name, Revero, in 2017. [image id=’f8fa4752-ee5e-486e-84af-0af4360c91fd’ mediaId=’e04f58e8-4200-49dc-bb7f-eee9ec3024b8′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image][editoriallinks id=’eafb1416-1af8-4449-8a9d-e879fe8fd55c’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Karma’s early Reveros weren’t much different than Fisker’s version and suffered from many of the problems of the original. Like the Fisker version, the Revero had impractical packaging, a smallish interior, outlandish pricing, and fit and finish in need of some TLC. Worst of all, it neither worked as an extended-range electric car nor a sports sedan. With a driver and a passenger aboard, the original Karma’s weight surpassed 5500 pounds, and that prevented its twin, 402-hp electric powertrain on the rear axle from propelling it to 60 mph any quicker than a modern Toyota Camry V-6. We couldn’t get more than 24 to 28 miles of electric driving from its battery before its 260-hp turbocharged four-banger kicked on to extend the range, bleating like an angry goat while sucking down fuel like a mid-size SUV.[image id=’d2ce6ce8-a6ea-458f-80e7-01fc55b30655′ mediaId=’684106bf-ba1d-4da1-b213-b07a356aade4′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Karma introduced the Revero with a detuned version of General Motors’s turbo four and a slightly larger battery pack, but that wasn’t enough to improve the car’s range, performance, and weight problems. Then came the 2020 Revero GT with mildly restyled front and rear fascias, improved aerodynamics, and new rear-axle motors producing a combined 536 horsepower, 134 more ponies than before. Out went the GM engine, and in went a BMW i8’s turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder as the range extender. Karma then installed a more energy-dense 24.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Thus equipped and a claimed 357 pounds trimmer, the new Revero (according to Karma) could now hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and travel 71 miles on a single charge. Armed now with stats to match the styling, Revero GT seemed more interesting, although with a price remaining well into six-figure territory, we weren’t sure it was more compelling. Priced Aligned, Product RefinedIn fall 2020, Karma unveiled the visually—and mechanically—identical GS-6 models that, starting at $85,700, are more than $60K less than the least expensive 2021 Revero GT. Even in its pricier Luxury and Sport trim levels, which start at $95,700 and $105,700, respectively, the GS-6 seems like a relative bargain. An electric-only GSe-6 model will start at $81,700. Stir in applicable local and federal incentives and the deal gets even sweeter, especially when one considers that the GS-6, like the Revero and the Fisker Karma before it, remains mostly hand-built, even after Karma relocated the production facility from Finland to Moreno Valley, California. [image id=’f441e890-82d9-493c-868d-271527594625′ mediaId=’3f76ae2c-56ed-4ef0-afc3-27e4e1d373e3′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]That’s nice, you say, but what about all the numerous design and packaging problems that helped doom the Karma a decade ago? Well, not everything has been fixed. The weird 10-year-old push-button shifter remains, for example, but the hideous original steering wheel and uncomfortable seats have been replaced with better stuff. Cabin space remains snug, and it continues to be hard to get into, especially in back. The inches-off-the-ground seating position feels lower than ever, which may turn off folks who may have become acclimated to driving trucks and crossovers. Once you’re in, the seating position and the view out the windshield will make owners of a C6 or C7 Corvette feel right at home. Nearly everything inside the Luxury-trim car we drove was swathed in buttery black, expertly sewn Bridge of Weir leather. Carbon-fiber accents dress things up, and there’s almost no exposed plastic. The dashboard design lacks the Tomorrowland feel of a Tesla or a Lucid, let alone the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS, but it’s not embarrassingly outdated. The GS-6’s digital gauge cluster and infotainment-system controls are highly configurable. Information-obsessed drivers can call up several dozen different gauges and displays monitoring everything from energy flow to g-forces to various trip-computer readouts.[image id=’40ea1e5f-ce25-4b58-bdc2-2d7dc39ad2ff’ mediaId=’8ed7df27-5f85-4180-99d7-e06fd365eeb6′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Fun, Fast, and … Flatulent?If the battery is at least 90 percent charged, the GS-6 offers a launch mode, which is engaged when the car is in Sport mode via the leftmost steering-wheel paddle, then mashing both pedals while stopped. The BMW three-cylinder revs to about 4000 rpm and a countdown indicator appears on the dashboard. Once ready, simply release the brake and the car catapults forward like a ball bearing out of a slingshot, mashing you into the seatback while the engine emits a flatulent, high-pitched wail until you release the accelerator. It’s fun, if not terribly pleasant to hear. Furthermore, it’s repeatable again and again “as long as you’ve got enough fuel and tires,” said Karma’s training technical and sales training manager, John Albinson. And we did, many times. We’d like to strap our own test equipment to the GS-6 soon, but until then, we can summarily state that Fisker’s, er, Karma’s sedan is the best it’s ever been. But Tesla’s EV success has shifted the market away from plug-in hybrids like the GS-6 and toward EVs. Still, for buyers looking for a plug-in hybrid with concept-car looks, the Karma remains an iconoclast’s choice. It took a decade to get it right, but if Henrik’s car had been this well sorted from the start, things might have turned out very differently for his company.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle]

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For most of its 35-year history selling vehicles in the United States, the funk laid heavily over Hyundai. Excels, Tiburons, Scoupes, Azeras, XG350s—some utterly awkward-looking machinery wore the italicized H badge. But lately the company has been on a design tear. Under Belgian-born chief designer Luc Donckerwolke, stalwarts like the Sonata sedan have hammocked between avant and garde, new vehicles like the blocky Palisade SUV have been runaway hits, and even the cheap twerps like the Venue have some class. But all that seems like mere prelude to the faceted, distinctive design of the new 2022 Tucson compact crossover. In a market segment dominated by play-it-safe designs like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the Tucson will be polarizing. And sometimes, polarizing is good.In general profile, the new, larger Tucson isn’t that much different than the outgoing model. It’s the details that make it a standout. The exaggerated bulge of the fenders, the razor-edge line that runs through the doors, and the Hyundai logo sequestered under the rear-hatch glass speak to design ambitions beyond the genre standard. Granted, it’s a small crossover, and there’s only so far that form factor can be pushed. But somehow it feels like the designers were liberated here. Love it or hate it, the Tucson isn’t boring.

Of all the exterior design elements, the ones bound to attract the most attention are the daytime running lights. DRLs aren’t usually of much interest, but Hyundai made the creative decision to incorporate LEDs into the grille itself. When the Tucson is shut off, the DRLs practically disappear. But when the car is running, the stacked lights look like wings spreading from the lower grille up toward the headlights. Some of you will find a reason to hate this, but find something else worthy of your irrational wrath.As impressive as the exterior is, the interior is better. There are some echoes of Honda in there, some touches of Lexus, and a big chunk of Audi, but it all works together. Just to show that Hyundai hasn’t abandoned the funk altogether, the steering wheel has a goofy design with four spokes in the lower third of the wheel. But it is well sized, and its rim has a nice squish to it. The stars here are the twin 10.3-inch screens. The one in front of the driver is brilliant enough that it doesn’t require a hood over it to provide shade, and the center screen has a more or less intuitive interface. (And in the context of current infotainment systems, “more or less” is a synonym for “pretty good.”) What’s missing? How about a volume knob for the sound system? Come on, it’s easy. Hyundai also claims the new Tucson has some neat interior ambient lighting, but the press preview drive was conducted in daylight, so that remains to be seen.
With a 108.5-inch wheelbase and 182.3-inch overall length, the Tucson grows significantly in size from the 2021 model. Its dimensions now put it right alongside the 182.1-inch-long Honda CR-V. And the Hyundai’s 108 cubic feet of passenger volume beats the CR-V by a few cubes. That’s three more cubic feet you could use to store, say, a small poodle or a sushi bento box. Your move, Honda! Hyundai may be pushing the style edge with the Tucson, but from a practical standpoint it’s going cube for cube with the class leaders.Interestingly, the Tucson sold in the U.S. (and made in Alabama) enjoys a languid 108.5-inch wheelbase, but many other markets will get a version that’s three inches shorter between axles. According to Hyundai, no market will get both wheelbases. Apparently, Europeans just don’t like rear-seat legroom.The Tucson’s base 2.5-liter inline-four is rated at 187 horsepower, which is pretty much the industry standard for this class. It’s powerful enough to get the 3550-pound front-drive Limited version moving well, if not hastily. The eight-speed automatic transmission that goes with it counts as a big plus, with gear ratios well spaced for around-town puttering and computer logic that has the decency not to go hunting for the higher ratios at the slightest opportunity. It also shifts decently when operated manually.
The console-mounted shifter itself is a push-button thing similar to that now used by Honda. The Tucson’s sibling, the Santa Cruz truck, uses a conventional lever shifter. Hyundai should offer the lever as an option on the Tucson if it can. Maybe it will show up on the sportier N Line version of the vehicle that was on display but not available to drive.Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system uses a clutch-pack coupler to divvy up torque between the front and rear axles. The system operates in Normal, Sport, Smart, and Snow modes. Why Normal, Sport, and Snow can’t also be Smart is a mystery.Fuel-economy estimates rubber-stamped by the EPA come in at 26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined for two-wheel-drive models, with the all-wheel-drive versions sacrificing 2 mpg combined. Like the engine itself, that’s competitive but not exceptional.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions will also be available. Both of those lash a 180-hp, turbocharged 1.6-liter four to an electric motor and a six-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive. The hybrid uses a 59-hp electric motor, with the plug-in upsizing to a 90-hp motor. During the brief drive, the hybrid system was unobtrusive. With the torque-rich turbo four and electric motor combining for 226 horsepower (the PHEV generates 261 horses), the electrified Tucson feels more casually powerful than the non-hybrid. It’s no RAV4 Prime but likely good enough. Hyundai promises an all-electric range of up to 32 miles, and the PHEV will also qualify for a healthy federal tax credit—$6587, based on battery capacity.Naturally, the Tucson will be offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. On the easygoing fire roads that were part of the press drive, the differences between all-wheel and front-wheel drive models were hardly tested. But Hyundai, at least on initial impressions, seems to have done an excellent job with suspension tuning for both models. The steering is decently weighted, turn-in is reasonably crisp, and not even once did the Tucson spontaneously levitate. In terms of driving experience, it’s exactly the crossover that customers expect. And right now, this already vast and ever-expanding class is what standard family transportation in the U.S. looks like.
Press previews like this one usually feature highly optioned, zippy top-of-the line models, the better to show off all available finery. Meanwhile, the bulk of sales are likely to be midrange versions that are well-equipped but hardly lavish. Thus, it’s commendable that Hyundai has endowed the Tucson with a lot of standard safety features, including lane-keeping assist, driver-attention monitoring, lead-vehicle-departure sensing, and forward-collision avoidance. All good stuff for life in the nip, tuck, and thrust of suburban distracted driving—particularly when the kiddies are aboard and fighting, the dog is shedding his winter coat in the cargo area, and an annoying in-law is riding shotgun and offering real estate advice.The 2022 Tucson should be on sale in June, with prices starting at $26,135 for the base SE model with front drive and ranging up to $37,285 for the Limited with all-wheel drive. The SEL, starting at $27,685 seems destined to be the bestseller. Hybrid models will start at $30,235 and go up to $38,535 for the Limited. With the new Tucson, Hyundai has pushed the style envelope in some ways but gone strictly conventional in others. The Tucson is, based on worldwide sales, the company’s bestseller. Hyundai can’t afford to screw this up. And it hasn’t.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Hyundai Tucson
VEHICLE TYPE
front-engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
BASE PRICE
SE, $26,135; SEL, $27,685; Hybrid AWD, $30,235; Hybrid SEL AWD, $32,835; N-Line, $31,785; PHEV, $34,500 (C/D est); Limited, $35,885; Hybrid Limited AWD, $38,535
POWERTRAINS
DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter inline-4, 187 hp, 178 lb-ft; turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 1.6-liter inline-4, 180 hp, 195 lb-ft + permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor, 59 hp, 195 lb-ft (combined output, 226 hp); turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 1.6-liter inline-4, 180 hp, 195 lb-ft + permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor, 90 hp, 224 lb-ft (combined output, 261 hp)
TRANSMISSIONS
6-speed automatic, 8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 108.5 inLength: 182.3 inWidth: 73.4 inHeight: 65.6 inPassenger volume: 105–108 ft3Cargo volume: 32–39 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 3350–3900 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 7.4–8.5 sec1/4 mile: 16.1–16.6 secTop speed: 125–135 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 26–38/24–38/29–38 mpg

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It’s the wail of the west wind. It’s a storm on the Bering Sea. It’s ghosts, the wuthering of spirits lost on the moors. Beneath that, the crack and crash of battling robots, the pssssh of a hull breech in outer space. The 2020 McLaren 620R is a cacophony of intake noise and dumped boost unmuffled by fripperies like sound-deadening or carpet. Those things are for street cars. The 620R is a race car that just happens to have a license plate. Every supercar is a fantasy, a sueded, high-revving way to get closer to an imagined lifestyle of parties in places where people’s yachts have yachts. Then there’s the street-legal race car, a brutal, stripped-down version that will shake all the bubbles out of your champagne. In this fantasy, you live near enough to a racetrack to pop in whenever the urge to overtake overtakes, and you roll your eyes at such unnecessary luxuries as cupholders and seat padding. There are no unnecessary luxuries in the 620R. There are no luxuries at all. This car is a street version of the track-only 570S GT4, which was itself a track version of the road-going 570S.

In this hall of mirrors we must also include the 600LT, which was another track-tuned option in McLaren’s Sports series of models. But if the 600LT was the Arnold Palmer of track and race in a 50/50 ratio, the 620R is far heavier on the track tea, stripped of anything that might weigh it down. It starts sans carpets, stereo, a glovebox, or air conditioning—the latter can be added as a no-cost option. Customers who commit to the leanest cut of this car are rewarded with a curb weight around 3100 pounds. Our test car, prepped for needy journalists who love comfort, packed on some price tag—it’s a fast way to spend $312,605—and some poundage in the form of air conditioning, a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and McLaren’s three-position adaptive suspension with front-axle lift for easier speed-bump navigation. A true track rat would forgo the ease of swapping modes from inside the car and equip their 620R with the two-way manually adjustable coil-overs from the GT4 car. That setup saves 13 pounds and confers the ability to set the suspension to the exact track feel you prefer. The downside is that you can’t make those changes with a single click of a conveniently placed in-cabin button, but they do have 32 clicks of adjustment for the compression and rebound rates. From a performance standpoint, choosing the adaptive suspension doesn’t come with a huge lap-time penalty, according to McLaren chief engineer James Warner. It’s all about track feel. “The extra tunability and the rigid mounting of the manually adjustable dampers are more about the driver confidence to get the most out of the car,” he said, “rather than ultimate lap time.” So, go ahead, get the axle lift. You’ll still have a fast car.
The 620R is a boon to the insecure. Even in its softest setting with the adaptive suspension, no driver will lack the confidence to attack a corner. Maybe it’s the red slash marking the 12-o’clock on the steering wheel or the six-point racing harness that makes you feel just a helmet away from a Le Mans win. More likely, it’s how the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires stick so well they feel more likely to pull up the pavement than roll over it or how the carbon-ceramic brakes bring the car to a stop so quickly you’ll expect the wing to come through the back window. Don’t worry, you can outrun it. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 happily puts the power down in the straights and cracks like a whip when you shift. Unburdened by pesky race regulations, McLaren upped the engine tune to 611 horsepower, the most of any car in its Sports series. Should your closest track be a dragstrip, McLaren says the 620R can dispatch a quarter-mile pass in 10.4 seconds, and even with its big wing, it will reach a max speed of 200 mph. So, racetrack. Yes. Canyon carving. Absolutely. Head-turning at the cruise night? Have you seen this thing with its white-eyeliner accents around the door inlet and $12,080 carbon-fiber fender vents? Every eye will be on you, even if there are 20 other McLarens in the parking lot. With a production run of 225 cars, it’s unlikely any of them will be another 620R. Just don’t get out of the car in front of a crowd. The seats, lightweight carbon buckets designed for the Senna, wrap around you like a full-body Alien face hugger and with similar malice. Exiting the 620R can be accomplished through a tuck and roll ejection or a slow-speed stretch and straddle, but neither is elegant. Best to just stay inside, raise the doors, and let everyone admire the red, webbed pull strap on the door handle, which tells the world, “I need this to shut the door when I am fully strapped into my racing harness in my race car, which this is, in case you didn’t notice the wing.”
That wing, by the way, is the same airfoil the 570S GT has, only with an embedded brake light in its underside for street legality. In its most aggressive setting, it helps push the 620R to the ground with 408 pounds of downforce. On the street, it mostly just blocks your view, but it does offer a handy place to rest a beverage or, during our drive, a take-out carton of Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. We could tell you that the 620R is a pleasant dual-purpose machine, equally suited for comfort on the street and performance at the track, but that would be a bald-faced lie. This is a tornado on gloss-black wheels. It will pummel you like a grade-school bully and mock you when you cry. The seats have just enough padding to keep you from going numb, and that’s no kindness. Even in the most mild setting, you’ll feel not only the imperfections of the pavement but every tiny stone you kick up from driving over them. This is a high-heel shoe of a car, all sharp pinch and blisters, but as the poster over the treadmill says, “No pain, no gain.” If you want to strut, you’ll look good wearing it, and you won’t see anyone else in the same outfit.

Specifications

Specifications
2020 McLaren 620R
VEHICLE TYPE
mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
BASE PRICE
$278,445
ENGINE TYPE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port direct fuel injectionDisplacement
232 in3, 3799 cm3Power
611 hp @ 7500 rpmTorque
457 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.1 inLength: 179.4 inWidth: 76.6 inHeight: 47.0 inTrunk volume: 4 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 3100 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.7 sec100 mph: 6.0 sec1/4 mile: 10.3 secTop speed: 200 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/city/highway: 18/15/22 mpg

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From the July 2009 issue of Car and Driver.When getting there is assumed and what counts is your arrival, you need a ride with Coach cachet, Ferragamo flair, Saks snobbery, Vuitton verve. In the travertine halls of the Somerset Collection, a ritzy shopping enclave in the Detroit suburb of  Troy, Michigan, our quintet of all-weather Arrival Vehicles—let’s call them AVs—basked in admiring glances. Burberry and Ralph Lauren behind showroom glass, Lexus and Mercedes out front, the coveting begins at 10 a.m. [editoriallinks id=’236f4ff4-3352-4455-9709-c97a4d75c3bc’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Of course, an AV will get you to most any terrestrial destination; all-wheel drive, traction control, stability control, and onboard navigation see to that. But it’s the designer details and gilt-edge labels that mark an arrival. Arrival—as opposed to just plain ol’ arrival—naturally costs a little more, the price of moving up the status pyramid far enough to be where everybody isn’t. Unrolling 45 or 50 thou won’t put you up in the thin oxygen, but the manners are more polite and the leather is softer.This comparison test is prompted by four new entries in this so-called “compact-luxury sport-utility” class. We’re facing them off against the veteran BMW X3, first introduced in 2004, the winner of our last roundup [July 2007]. For the record, these crossover vehicles are all based on passenger-car platforms.The Audi Q5, newborn for 2009 and Audi’s first entry in the segment, is based on the similarly new A4 sedan. A 3.2-liter V-6 and Quattro all-wheel drive are standard equipment.The new-for-2010 Lexus RX350 follows the formula that made its predecessor the bestseller in the segment, a sumptuous leather cabin riding on a creamy suspension. Choose front- or all-wheel drive.Mercedes-Benz, long a lofty presence in heavyweight SUVs, for the first time lowers its sights to the compact segment with the 2010 GLK350, which is based on C-class architecture. A 3.5-liter V-6 is standard equipment, backed by a seven-speed automatic, with your choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.Volvo’s swoopy XC60 debuts as a 2010 model, a shortened and much resculpted take on a platform shared by the V70/XC70/S80 models. The 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six spools up to 281 peak horsepower, making it the top performer of this group, on paper at least. Golf clap, please, for these five AVs.[vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=’mercedes-benz’ vehicle-model=’mercedes-benz_glk-class’ vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=’mercedes-benz_glk-class_mercedes-benz-glk-class_2010′ vehicle-year=’2010′][/vehicle]Fifth Place: Mercedes-Benz GLK350[image id=’5c2f2852-17ae-4892-9498-f2efe003e46f’ mediaId=’482a16e3-623d-4cdf-b201-7faae8ec8818′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]If comparison tests were decided on the basis of styling, this spunky little Benz rolling on Pirelli 20-inchers might have won here. But low-profile tires are noisy, and they often make the steering vague on-center; both complaints echoed and reechoed throughout our drive. All the other vehicles wore 55 and 60 profiles and elicited no squawks. Surprisingly, given the tires, the Benz’s ride was relatively smooth, better than the BMW’s. HIGHS: Looks like fun on wheels, spirited growls from the V-6, smart screen-control strategy, excellent support from the driver’s seat.LOWS: HVAC controls below driver’s knees, noisy on the road, dead travel in brake pedal, flaring sills put mud on pant legs.The GLK350 looks sharp inside and out, with chunky expanses of neatly bent and brushed metal punctuating the black interior. The dash, and particularly the instrument cluster with its crisp markings, seems clean and contemporary. We like the firmly stuffed driver’s seat, pronouncing it just right for all-day journeys.[image id=’e48db2c3-186a-4662-938a-5d8fd3cef9f1′ mediaId=’40f5a5fc-5313-432f-abcc-40c5bdc8333b’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The V-6 growls as the Benz romps to the lead in the 0-to-30 sprint—only 2.2 seconds required—then falls back a nose by 60 mph before returning to the front of the pack to tie the Volvo for a 15.0-second ET in the quarter-mile. The snarl never goes away, though, making this a relatively noisy ride at interstate speeds.[editoriallinks id=’f3ce52fe-c21d-4b84-b747-c49fe34e7906′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]This is the shortest and narrowest of our AVs, and if you’re planning to transport three adults in back, don’t—unless one of them agrees to leave a shoulder behind. The high doorsills try to trip you on exit, too. Cargo capacity, measured in cubic feet, is smallest of the quintet. With the second row folded, however, the Benz tied the Volvo at the top of the chart, as both swallowed 37 longneck-beer cases. Those who opt for the power liftgate will learn to use it every time; manual operation takes a strong pull. [image id=’797f2884-3e17-4746-af8a-784c2191ca19′ mediaId=’f9106f3b-bbee-41cc-a180-15b173858c94′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]When the final votes were counted, the disconnected steering and wooden brake feel were too much to overlook, so we’ll appreciate GLK style from the cockpit of something else.THE VERDICT: A baby G-wagen, if you go for that sort of thing.2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC268-hp V-6, 7-speed automatic, 4234 lbBase/as-tested price: $36,775/$45,935Interior volume f/r: 53/45 ft3Cargo behind f/r: 55/23 ft3C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.6 sec100 mph: 17.3 sec1/4 mile: 15.0 sec @ 93 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 180 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.78 g C/D observed fuel economy: 20 mpg [vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=’lexus’ vehicle-model=’lexus_rx’ vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=’lexus_rx_lexus-rx350_2010′ vehicle-year=’2010′][/vehicle]Fourth Place: Lexus RX350[image id=’146a66d6-95f4-4e6e-ac32-55313c4280a4′ mediaId=’d231d074-64f1-42fb-8e5b-6e95bccee52b’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]This triple-creme Lexus may define the class in consumers’ minds—it is, after all, the top seller—but it takes more than comfort, silence, and top-level materials to push our car-enthusiast buttons. We insist on driver involvement; Lexus specializes in isolation. We end up feeling respect rather than love.HIGHS: The zenith of plushness, buttery leather everywhere, creamy ride, thoughtful and convenient control layout.LOWS: Power outlets too far down in the console bin, seat cushion and lumbar adjusters never quite get the seat right.[image id=’e3b73797-7a3b-4989-a30e-f4ea4613f646′ mediaId=’24624776-3add-4d15-b06a-fbf8b2c3e7ec’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]That said, the RX350 offers much to respect. The bright, white instrument markings stand out against black backgrounds like stars on a desert night. The interior leather is surely from cows that enjoyed Oil of Olay rubdowns every day of their lives. The 275-hp V-6 purrs happily all the way to its 6500-rpm redline, allowing this Lexus to beat the BMW to 60 mph. Automatic shifts manage to feel silky and sound incredibly precise as well.[editoriallinks id=’3c4f8d2f-dba7-467a-9985-3767d0049dd7′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]In most measures of performance, the RX turns in numbers that are average for the class, although road grip, at 0.76 g, is weakest of all by a narrow margin. Fuel economy, at 21 mpg on our 450-mile test trip, is exactly average for the group.Surprisingly, given Lexus’s emphasis on luxury, the RX also tops the rankings in practicality. Perhaps in this class, usability is a prerequisite for lavishness. The liftgate is widest of all, opening to the largest floor area behind the second row. Only Lexus and Audi provide release mechanisms allowing you to fold the second-row seat as you load from behind. The hauling space available above the rear wheel arches is by far the widest of the group, resulting in the largest maximum cargo capacity measured by cubic feet, 13 percent larger than that of the second-place BMW. That said, the shape of your stuff determines how much can fit. A full-size bicycle fit most easily into the Lexus, though we managed to get it into every test vehicle. Yet in our beer-case test, both the Volvo and the Benz held more—37, versus 35 for the Lexus. [image id=’ec4087a9-29b3-455f-8406-65adfbb5cedf’ mediaId=’10294263-47c8-414e-8efa-e687f6e522b8′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Our list of admirable Lexus features goes on and on, but we didn’t find the one quality that we seek more than any other—passion.THE VERDICT: The definitive luxury utility absent of any real sport.2010 Lexus RX350275-hp V-6, 6-speed automatic, 4471 lbBase/as-tested price: $39,025/$52,965Interior volume f/r: 57/46 ft3Cargo behind f/r: 80/40 ft3C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.8 sec100 mph: 18.6 sec1/4 mile: 15.3 sec @ 92 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 175 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 gC/D observed fuel economy: 21 mpg[vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=’suv’ vehicle-make=’volvo’ vehicle-model=’volvo_xc60′ vehicle-model-category=’compact-luxury-crossovers-and-suvs’ vehicle-submodel=’volvo_xc60_volvo-xc60_2010′ vehicle-year=’2010′][/vehicle]Third Place: Volvo XC60[image id=’eaea8bf2-5a5f-4945-a675-fac50573a29c’ mediaId=’44cc350c-761b-465c-9340-552b8a37648e’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]This turbo Volvo won the sprinting contest, faltering only in the 0-to-30-mph jump, where the Mercedes and the Audi nipped briefly to the front. From there on, it was all Volvo all the way, blowing through the quarter-mile at 96 mph, three up on the Mercedes, which scored the same time. Big power is usually accompanied by small mpg numbers, and this Volvo is no exception—19 mpg puts it last on our trip, compared with 22 for the BMW at the top.HIGHS: Fascinating styling, excellent front seats, lots of turbo thrust, low-mass liftgate swings easily.LOWS: Pancake syrup in the steering, sharp ride motions and crashing noises on broken pavement, look-ahead safety system lights up laser detectors.[image id=’987c88f9-3eb4-4caa-891f-727d4e66da3b’ mediaId=’e8e2dff5-0cf9-48ca-a741-25592ef851ae’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Turbo boost comes up quickly. The steering is highly damped, as if the parts were moving in a goopy fluid. The ride is firm over rough roads, accompanied by crashing sounds. [editoriallinks id=’87750d87-aa12-49c0-ade4-797aafa16ed8′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]As Arrival Vehicles go, this one gives the fashionistas something to look at: a high-waisted shape that flares dramatically as it sweeps back to huge sculptural taillights. Better yet, this visual entertainment takes place without encroaching on the capacity within. The XC60 ties the Audi in length at 182.2, exactly mid-size in this collection. We rated rear-seat comfort equal to that of the Audi and the Lexus at the top of the group, cargo space topped them all in our beer-case test, and the lightweight liftgate swung so easily that power assist would have been superfluous. Our bicyclist says the Volvo and the Lexus are easiest to load.[image id=’ffe191c1-18ac-4873-8682-405f4ebd0536′ mediaId=’f700b57e-8778-44d7-8a95-91e54e3f9016′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Inside we found a design that mixes caution and daring, starting with relentless black, wall to wall. And yet the black seats are carefully accented with an orange stitching faint enough that it doesn’t immediately grab the eye. Looking around, there’s a potpourri of textures, with the one on the door inserts being so bold the mind considers, just briefly: Could this have been a mistake? Oddly, the radio/entertainment information appears in a display that humps up out of the dash top like it was an afterthought. The front buckets are form fitting, yet they seem to fit all shapes. We rated them highest for comfort, in a tie with the Audi’s.Speed and comfort, a lasting recipe.THE VERDICT: Volvo breaks the shackles of stodgy but can’t quite make the leap to fun.2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD281-hp turbo inline-6, 6-speed automatic, 4258 lbBase/as-tested price: $38,025/$42,250Interior volume f/r: 51/44 ft3Cargo behind f/r: 67/31 ft3C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.5 sec100 mph: 16.5 sec1/4 mile: 15.0 sec @ 96 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 177 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 gC/D observed fuel economy: 19 mpg[vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=’suv’ vehicle-make=’bmw’ vehicle-model=’bmw_x3′ vehicle-model-category=’compact-luxury-crossovers-and-suvs’ vehicle-submodel=’bmw_x3_bmw-x3_2009′ vehicle-year=’2009′][/vehicle]Second Place: BMW X3[image id=’4500f093-4227-4072-9458-c1816ac6c4be’ mediaId=’77c4c0ed-4dd3-4b59-961c-86eda21ca7c9′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]We like this high-riding X3 for the same reason we hoist superlatives in honor of most other BMWs: It drives like it loves what it’s doing.HIGHS: Surprisingly agile, smooth six-cylinder, big glass area opens the view.LOWS: Shockingly expensive even in stripper form, inhospitable rear seat, thinly padded interior feels a class below the others.[image id=’064611d5-a3f4-4ffd-8362-561b0f3e6745′ mediaId=’852b58a2-20d6-4e53-89b8-a231cbbc60f6′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]At the same time, this X3 is the extremist of the group, the anti-Lexus, devoid of plush, abstinent of lush, so thinly padded inside that it feels bony, with road noises typical of a model that’s already five years into its run. [editoriallinks id=’f83f5d61-d44b-471b-9f2b-bcca5375bc9b’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]But that athletic BMW feel is there. Does it make up for the hideous value proposition? At $46,525 as tested—about $600 more than the nicely equipped Benz and $4275 pricier than the appealing Volvo—the X3 may not represent a sensible investment. The list of equipment we expect at that price that is absent from the X3 raises eyebrows: no navigation, no individual temperature controls for front occupants, no extend feature on the visors, no height adjuster for the front shoulder belts. This is an austere car. And despite the athletic feel, the performance numbers mostly don’t impress. An exception is fuel economy, which tops all others at 22 mpg over 450 miles, compared with 19 mpg for the turbo Volvo at the thirsty end. This lightest-of-the-group X3 stops shortest, too, needing just 169 feet to halt from 70 mph. But it was consistently last in measures of acceleration. [image id=’58b953c0-ebed-4bd7-8baa-994598721935′ mediaId=’2ddfbb45-2641-4a64-b60d-f2cf6293c5de’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The X3, and the Mercedes even more so, stands at the compact end of the class, almost eight inches shorter than the Lexus. We rated the rear seat lowest in comfort for two, a significant disadvantage for those with social lives. Out back, though the floor area is second smallest, the lean padding and upright sides allow a credible showing in the cargo-space department: 71 cubic feet with the second row folded, compared with 80 for the Lexus and 55 for the least-roomy Benz. Bottom line, this is a driver’s AV, thoroughly and unconditionally satisfying on that count, at a price that promises more pampering than it delivers.THE VERDICT: Imagine a five-year-old BMW on stilts, and you’ll get the idea.2009 BMW X3 xDrive30i260-hp inline-6, 6-speed automatic, 4141 lbBase/as-tested price: $40,525/$46,525Interior volume f/r: 51/45 ft3Cargo behind f/r: 71/30 ft3C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 7.1 sec100 mph: 19.1 sec1/4 mile: 15.5 sec @ 91 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 169 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 gC/D observed fuel economy: 22 mpg[vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=’audi’ vehicle-model=’audi_q5′ vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=’audi_q5_audi-q5_2009′ vehicle-year=’2009′][/vehicle]First Place: Audi Q5[image id=’2135fe80-52dc-4ad0-a59e-fc5c135a978a’ mediaId=’65e85003-0386-4cda-9570-a73f410f6e99′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]From the driver’s seat, you just have to love the surroundings, the smooth contouring of the almost seamless leather wheel, the deft designer touch with the metal trim around the burled-wood accents, the neat detailing of the door panels right down to the slickly integrated stiffener molded into the top edge of the storage pockets. Oh, sure, we can nitpick. The bin under the center armrest isn’t big enough to be dinky, and what’s with the speedo markings up to 180 mph?HIGHS: Sculptural perfection inside, inspired use of bright trim, fun screen graphics, composed handling.LOWS: Oddly heavy steering at low speeds, freakishly oversized side mirrors, screen-menu buttons too low in cockpit.[image id=’3a19f621-1ba8-40bf-b643-66bd334e5426′ mediaId=’b4a857c8-b723-45ac-a3c8-5aec9e19e2a0′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Audi has delivered where it counts, though: quick acceleration, top-level comfort in the back seat, class-leading grip as measured on the skidpad, better-than-average fuel-economy ratings, respectable cargo space, and, of course, an interior so classy you might delay your arrival for just one more trip around the block. [editoriallinks id=’ba58bfbd-427c-4f3a-b78b-23584cc20a8e’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]This test car was equipped with Audi drive select, a $2950 electronic controller that tailors throttle response, steering effort, automatic shift points, and ride damping according to your selection of buttons labeled comfort, auto, dynamic, and individual. But don’t expect comfort to be the Lexus mode. The Q5 always feels muscular, more inclined toward the BMW-Mercedes end of things. As with most of these “u-tailor-it” systems, there’s something to like and something to dislike in each position, and after a few days of evaluating, we just decided to default to auto and forget about it. Knocking three grand off the sticker is a better idea.The driver’s seat earned top marks for both comfort and support, in a tie with the Volvo. The side mirrors are freakishly large; some test drivers complained they blocked the view toward the front corners. Out on the two-laners, we appreciated the passing power, confirmed by top marks in the 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70 acceleration tests. The steering, so heavy in town, seems just right at speed.[image id=’5d9c7a06-d9fd-4d8c-838b-ffe0686473a4′ mediaId=’2a2fbef5-cfdc-4986-8f83-795448781bc1′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Comfortable, composed, and capable, that’s our consensus on this new entry, and the interior design is most inviting of all. In fact, we find it irresistible.THE VERDICT: Great over-the-road dynamics in a high-class package.2009 Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro270-hp V-6, 6-speed automatic, 4346 lbBase/as-tested price: $38,275/$48,275Interior volume f/r: 52/46 ft3Cargo behind f/r: 57/29 ft3C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.5 sec100 mph: 17.5 sec1/4 mile: 15.1 sec @ 94 mphBraking, 70­-0 mph: 170 ftRoadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.83 gC/D observed fuel economy: 21 mpg

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