Motor News

Prodrive, the British company famous for building some of the most iconic race cars on the planet, has revealed a road-legal off-roader based on its championship-leading Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car. Called the Hunter, it uses the same engine, drivetrain, and suspension, but comes with more power, more suspension travel, and a more livable interior.

The front-mounted 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine, free from the World Rally-Raid Championship’s restrictions, now makes 591 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, a 50 percent increase over the race car’s output. Like the race car driven by Sebastien Loeb, it sends power to all four wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. But the shifter lever from the race car has been replaced with easier-to-use paddles near the steering wheel. The double-wishbone suspension, which features parallel uprights on all four corners, has 15.7 inches of travel, up from 13.7 in the competition car. The Hunter is fitted with 35-inch off-road tires, but the company estimates the car could hit 62 mph on pavement in less than four seconds if fitted with sticker rubber.While the Ian Callum–designed body of the Hunter hasn’t changed much in the switch from race car to road car, the interior has been given a total revamp. Most of the cage has been tucked away but there’s still plenty of visible carbon fiber on the dash and lower body panels. There are two carbon-fiber bucket seats and a real center console, along with a digital gauge cluster for the driver. You’ll also find six-point harnesses and a dual fire extinguisher system inside. Ben Sayer, a spokesperson for Prodrive, told Road & Track that testing and development for the Hunter has already been going on for over a month. But much of that testing is down to final calibrations and refinement. “Because [the Hunter] is based on the competition car, it’s done a huge amount of endurance [testing] already,” Sayer told Road & Track. “The three [competition] cars have done a total of 25,000 kilometers. So the whole of the powertrain and the suspension has been tested to the extreme and passed that endurance testing. Now it’s very much about refining the car for the kind of person who’s going to drive it.”

Speaking of buyers, Prodrive is currently on tour with its first Hunter model in the Middle East. Sayer says this region of the world will likely be the car’s most valuable market simply because it has exactly the type of terrain the Hunter was designed to conquer. But he also acknowledged its potential for North American sales.”This car is about driving at high speed over rough terrain,” Sayer said. “There are parts of North America where you’re able to do that, where you can turn off the road and you’re fairly free to do it. So North America is one of our markets.”The Hunter shown here has already been sold, and buyers for the next few examples have already been lined up, says Sayer. With a starting price of roughly $1.6 million, the car isn’t cheap. And because it fills such a narrow niche, Prodrive doesn’t expect to sell many. Its sold allocations will keep the team busy until at least the end of the year, according to Sayer. If you want one any time soon, we suggest getting your order in ASAP.

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The Aston Martin V12 Vantage’s twin-turbo V-12 engine will make 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque.It will be limited to just 333 cars globally and comes only as a coupe.The V12 model features a revised suspension, a wider track, and a dramatic-looking aerodynamic kit.We have long loved the combination of large engines in small cars, and few encapsulate the relative imbalance better than the freshly unveiled 2023 Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Aston has stuffed the mighty twin-turbo 5.2-liter V-12 from the DBS Superleggera into the baby Vantage. The combination will be produced in a limited run of 333 cars, and Aston says that the order book has already closed “due to unprecedented demand.”While the previous-generation Vantage spawned multiple V-12–powered variants, all of which used the older 6.0-liter naturally aspirated engine, there will only be a single version of the new V12 Vantage this time around. It’s only available as a coupe and there won’t be a roadster version. The engine is closely related to the one in the DB11 and DBS, sharing the latter’s headline power figure of 690 horsepower produced at 6500 rpm. Although impressive, the 555 pound-feet of torque is 108 pound-feet lower than in the Superleggera. The regular V-8–powered Vantage is no slouch, but Aston Martin claims that the V12 Vantage will have a power-to-weight ratio more than 20 percent better.

Aston Martin

The gearbox is an eight-speed torque-converter automatic—a manual would have been too much to hope for—but with a unique calibration for quicker shifts. But unlike the regular Vantage, which uses an electronically controlled rear differential, the V12 features a conventional mechanical limited-slip differential, a feature previously only offered on the manual Vantage.

Other changes include extensive chassis revisions, many of these related to the ones made to allow the Vantage-based V12 Speedster to accommodate the V-12 last year. Aston CEO Tobias Moers recently told us that the revisions to the V12 Vantage are significant enough for it to be considered a new model, with these including spring rates increased by 40 percent at the front and 50 percent at the rear, new top mounts, revised sway bars, and a new secondary spring for the rear axle to improve ride comfort.

Aston Martin

Aston says the V12 Vantage is 1.6 inch wider than the standard car and features many carbon-fiber panels. A rear strut brace and additional reinforcements have improved structural stiffness over the V-8 model, too. The steering system is revised and carbon ceramic brakes are standard, along with 21-inch wheels. There will be an option for a lightweight version of these wheels, and all V12 Vantages will wear Michelin Pilot 4S tires.Much of the revised exterior design has been dictated by the need to manage the V12 Vantage’s high-speed airflow. The bonnet’s vast “horse shoe” vent seems to occupy more than half of the hood area and the radiator grille is also 25 percent larger than the regular Vantage’s. A new splitter element below the front bumper and a diffuser at the back improve aerodynamic performance, but the vast new wing makes the greatest contribution. Buyers will be able to forego this for a stealthier look, although doing so will diminish the 450 pounds of peak downforce the wing-wearing V12 Vantage is claimed to be capable of generating at peak speed.

Aston Martin

Buyers will be able to choose between leather sports seats or lightweight buckets with exposed carbon shells and manual adjustment; selecting these will save another 16 pounds of mass. Buyers will also be able to use Aston’s Q customization service to select bespoke exterior and trim colors. The company is not expecting any two completed cars to be the same. There is no official word on pricing yet, but we are told to expect around $300,000 before options in the U.S., with deliveries starting later this year. That would be more than twice as much as the standard Vantage, but this is also set to be a much rarer car. Aston has already said its V-12 engine is approaching emissions-enforced retirement; the Vantage will be one of its final applications.
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The Rivian R1T is a groundbreaking electric pickup truck that we’ve been anticipating for years. Configured for outdoor adventuring, it offers many unique options for carrying gear beyond its obvious truck bed, and its so-called Large battery pack—which isn’t as sizable as the Max pack they’ll soon offer—is good for 314 miles of range.

The R1T is powered by four separate electric motors, and they team up for 835 combined horsepower. You obviously won’t get 314 miles of range if you wail on the accelerator pedal and unleash all of those ponies to execute the 3.3-second zero-to-60-mph runs we found the R1T to be capable of, of course. And though it’s also rated to tow 11,000 pounds, latching on a trailer doesn’t do much for range, either. Look for more on that subject in the future, especially after the Max pack becomes available.But I’m here for the suspension. You may know that I used to tune suspensions for two major automakers before I joined Car and Driver, so I’ve developed the habit of pulling the tires off of new and interesting vehicles to see what’s going on in those wheel wells. This truck should be especially interesting for a variety of reasons, among them the hydraulic roll control system that it shares with none other than the McLaren MP4-12C and 720S.The R1T rolls on a four-wheel independent suspension, which isn’t the obvious choice for a pickup, let alone an off-road focused one that’s obviously aimed at the Overlanding set. You want a generous amount of clearance, suspension travel, and articulation when you’re going off road, so that’s why I’ve also driven the R1T up my 20-degree suspension flex ramp to measure its Ramp Travel Index or RTI.Does the R1T have what it takes to acquit itself well when driven in challenging conditions off-road? We’ll answer that question in full detail as we get more seat time in real-world situations, but for now we can get a good idea by eyeballing the suspension and measuring how the R1T does in an RTI test.

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• An excellent example of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the bulldog from Gaydon, is up for sale on Bring a Trailer in an auction that ends on March 18.• Its bite comes from a 4.7-liter V-8 with 430 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque, and its bark is enough to scare Cerberus. The six-speed manual seals the deal, absolving the sins of a deft yet unforgiving chassis.• This Meteor Silver over Chestnut Tan California roadster with just 29,000 miles has had a pre-purchase inspection and comes with a partial service history and clean title.Beauty, hedonism, and nostalgia, daubed with masochism, compel my Bring a Trailer pick of the day, a 2014 Aston Martin V8 Vantage roadster. The auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is accepting bids until Friday, March 18. In its 16-year life span, various trims in the compact, entry-level Vantage lineup have earned gold stars or wooden spoons as the best and worst of 21st-century Aston Martin. Yet it’s never been boring, and even at its worst, like pizza and . . . other things, it’s still rather good. The beauty and hedonism are self-evident. Just look at this car. As for nostalgia, this job requires repeated jaunts to the world’s most tempting locales to measure up the industry’s finest fruit. Eventually, one numbs to luxury, more indifferent to Michelin stars than Michelin tires, prone to exclamations like, “Oh no—not Marbella again.”

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Any work trip that pierces one’s insensate hide is special, and I’ve been on a few. But every trip involving an Aston Martin has been superlative. I drove a DB9 Sport Pack from England to France’s Champagne region, and then to Le Mans to watch the carmaker wage a successful 24-hour fight to win its class. I took a DBS to England’s National Motor Museum to see the James Bond movie-car exhibit, then got waylaid between hedgerows by a mule. A friend and I took a Rapide from Munich to St. Moritz for a long weekend plying Alpine passes.

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And before all that, there was my first international press launch, the 2007 V8 Vantage roadster drive. We bivouacked in a castle perched over a valley in the South of France. I made a bosom pal. We were served truffle-infused meals every day, three times a day, washed down with truffle wine. I still avoid truffles 15 years later.

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As for the V8 Vantage, it was sent to do an impossible job: challenge the Porsche 911. It failed, same as every such challenger, but the Aston Martin failed sensationally, with incredible looks, old-school English cosseting and character, dynamic chops, exclusivity (perhaps to an unintended extent), and an exhaust wail better than Rogaine to make one hirsute.

By 2014, though, development budgets less lavish than the products were turning old-school into an anachronism. The infotainment system needed to be euthanized. Mechanical noises, especially from the rough-shifting SportShift II seven-speed automated manual, went bump in the day and the night. The chassis wasn’t merely stiff; it refused to yield. Every long drive ended at an orthopedist.

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Hence the masochism, because we’d still take this one right here. The 420-hp 4.7-liter V-8 is always ready to stir the pot. The proper six-speed manual eliminates the compromises of the SportShift. The roadster would still “gallop through corners with confident handling, slack-free controls,” same as we said in 2007. And the droptop brings all ears closer to that chorus of dual-pipe demons. No OEM offering of the day was as brutish and pampering as the V8 Vantage, and there will never be another like it.What’s more, they’ll never be cheaper. Bidding is at $50,100 at the time of writing. Don’t be shy.

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Tesla has raised prices on its entire lineup once again.The Model 3 now starts at $48,440, while the Model S costs $101,440 to start.The soonest you can get a Tesla if you order one now is 4–10 weeks, for a Model S Plaid. Tesla estimates a base Model X won’t arrive until May 2023 if ordered now.Like many things in this current world, the prices of Tesla electric vehicles has gone up. Tesla’s entire lineup now costs more, with the base prices of the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X all rising by a few thousand dollars recently. According to Tesla’s website, buyers who order now should also be prepared to wait between several months to over a year for their new vehicles to arrive, depending on the configuration they choose.The Model 3, once promised to be Tesla’s breakthrough into more affordable territory, now starts at $48,440—nearly $6000 more than a base BMW 3-series. And the Model Y, its crossover companion, starts at $64,440. The wait for this cheapest version of the Model 3 spans until August, while a base Model Y that’s ordered today isn’t estimated for delivery until December.

The Model S first crested $90,000 last August, and now its base price has risen into six-figure territory, starting at $101,190. The Model X SUV starts at $116,190 and has the longest estimated wait times of any Tesla model: the soonest you can get a base model is quoted at January 2023. Interestingly, the more powerful Plaid versions of both the Model S ($137,440) and Model X ($140,440) are estimated to arrive sooner than their cheaper equivalents.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted about inflation and logistical issues, claiming that the cost of raw materials has gone up. It’s only logical that this would be the root cause of these price increases. Tesla’s online ordering model also means that its price changes show up more directly to consumers compared to the traditional dealer model. Many dealerships have added markups to push vehicle prices well over MSRP, and data shows that shoppers have been paying over sticker price for new vehicles recently.

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The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is basically an EQS sedan with a raised ride height and an available third row.We rode shotgun in a dual-motor prototype that went up and down steep grades and slithered between trees.Mercedes-Benz will officially reveal the EQS SUV to the world on April 19.Don’t be fooled by the press photos of a camouflaged 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV playing in the sand. While the majority of our recent ride-along in a pre-production model was indeed spent off-road, the environment we experienced wasn’t something out of Lawrence of Arabia—instead, it consisted of steep grades and tight trails at a designated course located on the grounds of Mercedes’s assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The factory was recently retooled to accommodate both traditional Mercedes SUVs–such as the GLE- and GLS-class–as well as the upcoming EQE and EQS electric SUVs, the latter of which is slated to start production within the next few months. Both models will receive lithium-ion battery packs produced at the company’s new battery plant located in nearby Bibb County. The EV SUVs will also set the stage for a slew of new all-electric models bearing Mercedes EQ branding, including the EQB SUV and EQE sedan.

Mercedes-Benz

While the company chose to stay silent on a variety of specific details about the new EQS SUV during our brief drive, we did get to see it perform on the aforementioned off-road course. We also got our first up-close-and-personal look at its undisguised interior, from the front passenger seat, at least. Our first impressions were pretty limited, and we wondered why Mercedes chose to conduct the ride almost exclusively off-road given that this vehicle will likely see trails as often as Jeep Wranglers see autocross courses, but we came away impressed nonetheless.

The EQS SUV shares a platform, wheelbase, and battery pack with the EQS sedan. That means it’s the second EQ model and first SUV built on the company’s modular EVO 2 platform. It measures 126.4 inches between its axles and draws power from a 107.8-kWh battery. The version we rode in featured an all-wheel-drive, dual-motor configuration with undisclosed output. However, we’d wager that its final figures will be similar to the EQS 580 sedan’s powertrain, which is rated at 516 horsepower and 631 pound-feet of torque.

Mercedes-Benz

Unfortunately, we weren’t treated to any launches or high-speed runs in the prototype EQS SUV. Instead, we had a couple of short runs over a nicely paved test track, noting its whisper-quiet cabin and ultra-smooth ride, aided by the standard air suspension. Our sample chariot was also fitted with 21-inch wheels wearing 275/45 front and 285/45 rear Pirelli Sottozero all-season tires. Despite the oversized rims, the tires’ thick sidewalls provided plenty of cushion without any noticeable effect on handling. Then again, our ride never got much more intense than someone racing for an open parking spot at Target.When the EQS SUV we rode in first left the asphalt for an undulating two-track dirt road, we thought maybe it was time for an explainer on its dazzling 56-inch Hyperscreen, which is optional, not standard. It’s a showpiece, no doubt, but it’s similar to the EQS sedan’s, except the passenger display can play live video. The sound only plays through a headset, and if the driver looks over at the screen, a monitoring system detects it and shuts off the screen to comply with safety regulations. Oddly, though, our driver was able to reach over and interact with other menus on the passenger display while driving without issue.

Mercedes-Benz

Instead of a rundown on the infotainment system, we watched our test driver set the EQS SUV to the Off-Road drive mode (a setting not found on the EQS sedan) and learned that it raises the suspension to its maximum ride height (another specific detail we’ll have to wait for) while also changing characteristics of the powertrain and stability-control system. We then proceeded over the rough terrain until we reached a steep bank leading down to some shallow standing water. The EQS slowly descended the hill and crossed the water hazard before easily ascending a 42-degree incline–as indicated by the in-dash inclinometer–without any wheelspin or drama whatsoever. Perhaps the most amazing feat was its agility on the tight, winding trail that we were told was as narrow as 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in some spots. The massive machine’s maneuverability was aided by its standard rear-axle steering, which turns the rear wheels up to 10 degrees.The prototype EQS SUV we rode in had a fully undisguised interior, the first time Mercedes has shown the space. The design looks almost identical to the inside of the EQS sedan, but Mercedes says there’s more headroom. Unlike its sedan sibling, the SUV version also offers a third row with seating for up to seven. The cabin’s fit and finish looked ready for production, and we’re big fans of the useful storage solutions throughout the cockpit. However, we’re less enthused by the near-total lack of physical switchgear. Almost every control inside the EQS SUV is touch-sensitive, and it makes us yearn for the knobs and buttons that once provided separation of function.

Mercedes-Benz

We’ll learn more when Mercedes officially reveals the 2023 EQS SUV on April 19. We expect it to be even more popular than its sedan counterpart, especially since its current competition is pretty much limited to the BMW iX and the Tesla Model X. We also expect it to spawn an AMG-tuned version and an ultra-luxurious Maybach model if the concept is any indication.
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Volvo and Starbucks are adding ChargePoint DC fast chargers along a 1350-mile route from Seattle to Denver.The network of chargers will be available to all electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicle drivers, but Volvo models benefit from either a discounted rate or free use of the chargers.Look for the charging route to be fully online by the end of the year.Starbucks is no longer catering solely to people looking for a quick recharge. Now the coffeehouse chain is working with Volvo to ensure plug-in-hybrid and battery-electric vehicles are able to nab a recharge at a number of its locations.

Don’t get too excited, though. While Starbucks seemingly has a store at every other corner of most major metropolitan areas, the company only intends to fit up to 60 ChargePoint DC fast chargers at as many as 15 of its stores along a route that extends from Seattle, Washington, to Denver, Colorado. That’s less than 0.001 percent of the number of coffee shops Starbucks operates in the United States, according to the data company ScrapeHero.
Still, if all goes according to plan, then these chargers are due to pop up approximately 100 miles from one another, ensuring EV drivers never need to worry about running out of charge while journeying from the home of Starbucks to the Mile-High City and back.Although Volvo’s branding may grace the fast chargers dotting the approximately 1350-mile route, the Swedish automaker intends to let all PHEV and EV drivers plug in for a charge. That said, owners of Volvo’s plug-in-hybrid (S60, S90; V60, V90; XC60, XC90) and electric (XC40 and C40) Recharge models will get to use these chargers for a lower fee, or even for free. Look for the installation of these chargers to be completed by the end of 2022. We hope this signals the start of a larger network of Starbucks-based ChargePoint DC fast chargers throughout the country, too, because there are few better ways to kill the time it takes to fast-charge a PHEV or EV than at a place with free Wi-Fi and good—or at least acceptable—coffee. That would sure beat killing time inside your vehicle as it charges in an empty parking lot.
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• This 2012 Lexus LFA is low on miles and has a $70,000 Nürburgring package; few copies of the already rare Japanese supercar were sold this way.• The Nürburgring package bumped total power output of the Yamaha co-developed V-10 engine to 563 horsepower and added carbon-fiber goodies plus special wheels and tires, among other extras.• According to the vehicle’s Carfax report, this 2000-mile LFA was delivered to Massachusetts in 2012 but would later transfer ownership to Florida and Montana, and it eventually found a home in California where it’s listed today.Many comment sections, out there in the infinite web of the internet, quickly devolve. So if you scroll deep into the comments of the Bring a Trailer listing for this nearly new Lexus LFA, you won’t be surprised to see things get a bit emotional. “The only two-pedal car I lust after,” one comment adds. “OMG, I just wet myself,” another reveals. “Makes my heart beat way too fast this early in the morning,” says a third reader. All of them can be forgiven, however; they’re salivating over this 563-hp LFA, a car built to do battle against Ferraris that cost nearly double its price. It came with a 4.8-liter V-10 co-developed with Yamaha that could scream to 9000 rpm. And when it screamed, it sang. This 2000-mile example on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is far from ordinary. All emotion inspired by it is legitimate.

Of the 500 cars produced during the LFA’s two-year production run, only 64 were built with the Nürburgring package, and very few of those were delivered to the U.S. The $70,000 package added 10 horsepower, different wheels, more aggressive performance tires, carbon-fiber spoilers, and a lighter battery. The six-speed automated sequential transmission was also tuned for quicker shifts. It was offered in Whitest White, Black, Matte Black, and this listing’s cheddar-colored Orange paint color. The interior was given extra carbon-fiber treatment, and Lexus went as far as removing the floor mats—an immediate safety requirement for any track day.

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Why not the Tokyo Expressway Edition, or the Mark Levinson Bass Boost Custom? Because the German track’s 12.9-mile loop is where the LFA was developed. And it didn’t hurt that the pre-production LFA won first in its class during the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2010, beating out race-car versions of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage and Rapide, as well as entries like the Audi R8 and Chevy Corvette.Lexus stamped a 7:14.64 production time with the Nürburgring Package LFA at Nürburgring Nordschleife. That’s quicker than cars like the Ferrari 488 GTB, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS (997), and just a second slower than an attempt with the $847,975 Porsche 918 Spyder. The quickest LFA we’ve tested achieved 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, continuing to a quarter-mile in just 11.7 seconds at 125 mph. That’s quicker than the 612-hp Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano we compared it against.Every LFA purchase came with a pair of Tumi carbon-fiber suitcases, a carbon-fiber key, and two normal keys that look like they belong to the family’s 1995 Lexus ES. That’s all included in this auction, as well as a copy of service receipts and the original window sticker.
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With the auction set to end on Friday, March 18, bidding is up to to $1.6 million. That’s more than triple the car’s original $445,000 MSRP, and still more than twice as much after calculating for inflation. There are five days left for that bid to climb before No. 349 of 500 gets a new home. And we’re sure the emotional pitch of the comments section will only get more interesting as the auction continues.

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