Luxury cars

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Mercedes-AMG debuts most powerful S Class

Mercedes-Benz S Class fans wouldn’t typically associate the historically plush ride with supercar-rivaling performance figures. But that’s what the newly debuted S63 E Performance delivers. Mercedes’ next-generation S63 is equipped with nearly 800 horsepower, four-digit torque figures and sophisticated hybrid technology. All are firsts for the S Class AMG. The S63 also retains the turbo V8 synonymous with top-tier AMG models unlike the recently launched, four-cylinder C63 E Performance. The Mercedes-AMG achieved a 3.2-second 0-60 launch and 180-mph limited top speed. The S63 and its renowned 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 pump 603 horsepower and 664 pounds/feet of torque. These numbers are boosted to 791 and 1,055 respectively when factoring in the rear-mounted electric permanently synchronous motor (PSM) and 13.1-kWh, 400-volt battery.

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De Tomaso refreshes hypercar standing with new P900

Italian sports car manufacturer De Tomaso is on the comeback trail after financial issues derailed the company in the early 2000s. De Tomaso has introduced the P900 hypercar, one of the few road cars that achieves 1:1 power to weight ratios. It allows  the 900 kilogram (1,984-pound) machine to produce 900 horsepower. The automaker is also passing, at least for now, on the EV future, betting instead on the use of environmentally friendly synthetic fuel in the P900. Only 18 P900s will be built priced at $3M each. It’s a big step for the producer of the famous Mangusta and Pantera models. The P900 is a bold attempt to refresh De Tomaso’s hypercar standing and is using the shortest and

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Porsche 911 Dakar honors rich off-road history

Apparently it’s no longer enough for Porsche 911s to dominate on the asphalt. The iconic German automaker recently modified its flagship to scale a volcano and has now unveiled the 911 Dakar. It’s a multi-purpose sports car said to be “equally at home on loose surfaces as it does on country roads.” No automaker is prouder of its heritage than Porsche; the 911 Dakar is a nod to the company’s off-road racing. The 911 Dakar car pays homage to Porsche’s successful line of Paris-Dakar race cars in the 1980s, but wasn’t developed to race off road. Rather, the 2,500 911 Dakars produced are designed for a less intense off-road experience, albeit powerful and expensive. Porsche has based the $223,000 911

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Ferrari Purosangue SUV: When nobody knows your name

The idea of a supercar presented as a sport utility vehicle was preposterous — until a few years ago. Sales were so high, not even niche high-end manufacturers could ignore the consumer shift away from sedans to more versatile people haulers. Welcome Ferrari to the once-off-limits core of prestigious carmakers clamoring for a market share. Joining the Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the 2023 Ferrari Purosangue is expected to debut in July. It’s a rare double for the Italian carmaker — a new model and its first SUV. Introduced last September, the most controversial vehicle in Ferrari history, delayed for more than two years became of Covid-19, will further add to the ever-expanding

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Volvo EX90 accelerates toward its electric future

Volvo‘s push for an all-electric future ramped up as the Swedish automaker recently unveiled in Stockholm the Volvo EX90, its largest and most expensive electric vehicle to date. The debut of the Volvo EX90 follows the carmaker’s pledge to eliminate all gas-powered vehicles from its lineup by 2030. Volvo currently sells two EVs — the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge — yet the electric architecture of the EX90 has been built from the ground up for peak ergonomics. Volvo’s newest model is propelled exclusively by two electric motors sending power to all four wheels. Currently no single-motor option is available but this could change. The standard, Twin Motor model generates 402 horsepower and 568 lbs/ft of torque. Volvo EX90: Engine

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2022 AMG EQS: Tesla rival worth its hefty price

Consumers purchase vehicles for nearly as many reasons and varieties of cars and trucks. Budget, fuel economy, brand preference, dependability and an intangible like status are priorities. The 2022 AMG EQS has qualities from several categories, it’s also a vehicle purchased simply because a buyer who doesn’t need justification wants it. Introduced about a year ago, the full-size luxury sedan is the first electric offered by the AMG line, the separate but connected, performance-oriented lineup of vehicles affiliated with Mercedes. It’s not marketed so directly, but it’s the German manufacturer’s response to Tesla. It has many features also available in the Tesla lineup, but it’s offered by a nearly 100-year-old carmaker and without the controversy of the polarizing e-machines introduced

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2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53: Handsome, fast, pricey

Seven years ago, Mercedes-Benz changed the name of its mid-size sport utility vehicles from M-Class to GLE. It aligned the vehicles with the badges of the manufacturer’s most closely related sedans. The SUVs are offered in five trims, including the AMG GLE 53, and they remain among the carmaker’s most versatile luxury wheels. With the AMG GLE 63, the two siblings feature the subsidiary’s suite of high-performance engines and superior interior accouterments that can elevate the offerings to six-figure vehicles. All trim levels come standard with all-wheel drive, which Mercedes-Benz calls (4MATIC) except for the GLE 350. It’s also available in rear-wheel drive. The GLE lineup also has five-passenger seating standard, with three rows for seven passengers optional. The AMG

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2022 Range Rover: looks, power, big money

Land Rover decided 2022 was the ideal time to introduce the most expensive vehicle in the multi-national manufacturer’s nearly 75-year history. It’s called the Range Rover SV LWB. The rig is powerful. It features a 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 with 523 horsepower and a top speed of 155 miles per hour. Its vastness and power also result in impressive versatility. The Range Rover has an 8,000-pound towing capacity and it can also accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in five seconds. With its preposterously opulent collection of features, the new Range Rover is the quarter-million dollar car from Jaguar Land Rover. Since 2008, it’s been a subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors and makes cars in Brazil, China, India, Slovakia and the

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Little Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 SUV is big-time

Mercedes-Benz and its uber-luxury sidekicks AMG and Maybach offer 31 vehicles in 2022 models. Coupes, convertibles, electric vehicles, sedans, sport utility vehicles, roadsters and wagons are all in the mix. Add multiple trims in each segment, and whether via abacus or app, keeping track of the German manufacturer’s extended family of vehicles is a task. Mercedes-Benz Offers Lots Of Choices Even connoisseurs of the carmakers’ stoic vehicles might need a chart to differentiate the GLA 250, GLB 250 and GLC SUVs. The former is a luxury subcompact; the latter is a luxury compact. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is among the competitors of the GLB, which seats as many as seven. Now in its third model year, the 2022 GLB 250 continues

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2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge redefines station wagons

American full-sized station wagons were dispatched from the new car lineup in 1996. Once chariots of choice to transport occupants and massive trundle-style suitcases to train stations, the three-row beauties were discarded in favor of a multi-brand brigade of sport utility vehicles. Thankfully, wagons still abound, with cargo space still relevant. It’s now part of the versatile vehicles’ three-part attraction that also includes sportiness and performance. The updated 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge adds a fourth attraction. It’s a plug-in hybrid in both the T6 and T8 Inscription (hybrid twin-engine technology) trims. The last long-tenured American full-size wagons were family rooms on wheels, the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster. Decorated often in plastic and leather, long-haul comfort was the priority. Dodge

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2022 Lexus NX 350h: Improved SUV drives well, looks ugly

The 2022 Lexus NX 350h is an automotive dichotomy. Now in its second generation and eight years removed from its debut, the futuristic-looking sport utility vehicle is categorized as a subcompact luxury crossover. The description is contradictory and inaccurate. Luxury in vehicles was once determined by spaciousness, top-end construction, top-line materials and a handsome, confident and powerful presence powering along the highway. The NX 350 is none of that. Lexus remains the luxury brand of Toyota. Its upscale offerings were vaulted to the top of the J.D Power & Associates in 1991, the car maker’s third model year. More than 30 years later, the brand’s SUV lineup gets similar industry ratings. But as represented to an extreme by the NX

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2022 Genesis G80 defines the best of luxury sedans

The guy standing next to his parked Mercedes-Benz sedan was three spots away from my ride in the far reaches of a Home Depot parking lot. He stared at the 2022 Genesis G80 and said, “Nice lines. What kind of car is it?” The entire Genesis lineup gets plenty of similar reactions. Praised by critics and inundated with awards, the South Korean carmaker debuted as a stand-alone luxury brand from Hyundai in 2016. But it remains unheralded. Further confusing, Hyundai offered a Genesis as its top-line sedan beginning in 2009. Now Genesis manufacturers the G70 sports sedan, G80 mid-size sedan, G90 full-size sedan, GV80 mid-size SUV, and for 2023, the GV60 electric SUV. 2022 Genesis G80: Only One Dealership The

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2022 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe: purists’ joy

For some BMW purists, the 8 Series sedan isn’t enough. Fine. How about the 2022 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe? It’s quick, stunningly attractive and rare with about 2,000 manufactured for those with discriminating tastes, the need for more performance and possessing deep pockets. Founded in 1965, Alpina, the German customization specialty company, and BMW have maintained a long business relationship. The former works independently but it’s also permanently partnered with BMW. The collaboration morphs into vehicles greater than the sum of the two companies. Key Takeaways 612-hp twin-turbo V8 splits the M8 lineup: Positioned between the 600-hp M8 and 617-hp M8 Competition, the Alpina B8 uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 backed by an Alpina-tuned eight-speed. 590 lb-ft of torque

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2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580: Value-priced, Ultra Luxury

Like sports cars and economy vehicles, what defines a luxury car is blurred in marketing materials and manufacturers’ whims. An ultra-luxury car easier may be easier to pinpoint since fewer are made. The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach qualifies without any squabble. After its long tumultuous tenure, Maybach ceased as a standalone manufacturer in 2013. Two years later it became a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. Beginning in 2021, Daimler began to make ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Classic and GLS-Class using the name Mercedes-Maybach. The 2022 edition is available in S 580 and S 680 trims. The reviewed S 580 features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 496 horsepower. Both trims have all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The S 680 has a 12-cylinder

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2022 Genesis G70 challenges luxury foes

Four model years after it received more honors than its upstart manufacturer could have imagined, the Hyundai Genesis G70 is still an unheralded small luxury sedan. Sales are stagnant as the worthy upscale beauty stumbles along against its longstanding rivals. With its makeover for 2022, the underdog is trying again. The Genesis G70 remains in its first generation but much has changed. The sedan more than holds its own against Acura, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla competitors with its smooth driving, quick acceleration, comfort and good looks. 2022 Genesis G70: Old Is New Again It’s been seven years since Genesis became an independent marque, but a rewind is warranted. The Hyundai Genesis debuted as the South Korean manufacturer’s luxury sedan

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Burning ship, 4,000 burning cars in the Atlantic, oh, my!

As if the automotive marketplace doesn’t nave enough problems, now it has burning cars on a burning ship adrift on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. According to insurance experts, an estimated 4,000 vehicles in transition from Germany to Rhode Island were cargo on the now-abandoned 656-foot Felicity Ace. It’s the ship that caught fire while carrying an estimated $401 million worth of cars and a total of $438 million in goods. The burning cars include Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche or Volkswagen models. The vessel’s 22 crew members were evacuated without injuries via helicopter. But the fire continued to burn for several days, fueled by lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles on board, according a port official. “These

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