Luxury cars

2022 Lexus LX 600 goes big, luxurious, expensive

New for 2022, the Lexus LX 600 replaces its lackluster LX 570 stablemate and beams anew as the manufacturer’s latest, biggest and most luxurious sport utility vehicle. Debuting the vehicle’s fourth generation, The LX 600 is equipped with a 3.4-liter, turbocharged V6 with 409 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It’s an impressive leap. Last year’s turbocharged V8 with 382 horsepower. The new Lexus advances on a new chassis the carmakers said is 20 percent more rigid and with lower overall weight. The combination substantially changes the SUV‘s dynamics. It hasn’t transitioned into a sports car, but it is more sporty. The LX 600 is available in five trims, ranging from the five-passenger, two-row LX to three mid-level offerings —

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Aston Martin bids farewell to DBS with limited 770 Ultimate

Aston Martin unveiled the DBS 770 Ultimate this week and it marked the end of the grand tourer’s production. The 770 Ultimate is the final iteration of the current-generation DBS and the most powerful production vehicle Aston Martin has produced. It’s limited to 499 units between the coupe and Volante convertible and if you want one, it’s too late. The full production has been reserved. The “770” nameplate has been given to this DBS for the 770-ps (759 horsepower), 5.2 liter, twin-turbocharged V12 found under the hood. Torque figures are equally exciting at 664 lbs/ft, and are sent with all 759 horsepower to the rear wheels through a ZF-built eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard mechanical limited-slip differential. Aston Martin

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2023 BMW X7: stunning, luxurious and pricey

The 2023 BMW X7 is the fifth edition of the manufacturer’s largest and most expensive sport utility vehicle. It’s a seven-passenger, three-row family hauler available in two trim levels. Both are luxurious, ideally showcasing the German carmaker at its best. Announced in 2014 and unveiled in 2018, the public debut of the BMW X7 began in 2019 in the XDrive40i and M60i trims. The xDrive40i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine with 375 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. The M60i has a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 rated at 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Both engines feature an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension. It gives the BMW its soft, smooth ride, more reminiscent

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Hennessey unveils track-ready Venom F5 Revolution

American high-performance automaker Hennessey has dialed up track performance to the proverbial “11” with the release of the Venom F5 Revolution. The 1,817-horsepower hypercar adds large downforce components to the standard, top-speed focused Venom F5 Coupe to maximize its competitiveness on the racetrack. Hennessey says the Revolution will be street-legal and priced at $2.7M. Only 24 units will leave the production line. Hennessey Chief Engineer John ‘Heinrocket’ Heinricy said in a statement the original F5 was designed to be “ultra-light and monstrously powerful, with dynamics to match.” Heinricy stated the Revolution’s purpose is to take Hennessy’s existing hypercar and “create a machine that is the ultimate visceral and emotional driving experience.” Adding new aerodynamics to the most powerful production car

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Only Corvette ZL-1 convertible could fetch $3M

The 1969 Corvette ZL-1 Convertible is one of Chevrolet’s rarest vehicles and it’s heading to RM Sotheby’s auction in Phoenix, Arizona, auction in January. Only two Corvettes Stingrays were equipped with the 7.0L ZL-1 V8 from factory and only one is a convertible. The auction marks the first time a Corvette with a ZL-1 engine has been offered to the public in 30 years, and the only time a convertible with this engine has been available for purchase. This ultra-rare Corvette was never intended for public sale. It’s anticipated to fetch between $2.6- $3 million,  which would make it one of the most expensive Corvettes ever sold. The current record is an L88-powered 1967 example that sold for $3.85M in

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2022 Volvo XC90 challenges German rivals

Volvo may hold an unofficial title. It’s the manufacturer with the most improved vehicles, appearance to performance, including the 2022 XC90 Once boxy, plain slow and staid, Volvo remains unheralded in the United States. But its market share in 2021 was 4.2 percent, its best since the manufacturer began selling cars in the U.S. in 1959. Sales increased by 12.6 percent from 2020 to 2021. The major reasons include the carmaker’s complete transition. Its fleet, paced but the XC90 sport utility vehicle, is upscale, inside and outside. Top-level materials, a smooth, handsome design and continued top safety ranking pushed Volvo to three straight years of U.S. sales of more than 100,000 vehicles. Prior to 2019, Volvo hadn’t reached six-figure sales

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Bugatti-Rimac hybrid hypercar will be ‘totally bonkers’

If you’re a Bugatti fan and have wondered about the successor to the Chiron in the wake of the manufacturer’s merger with Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac, wonder no longer. Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili said an interview with Auto Express the Chiron’s successor will be a “hypercar rearranged as a hybrid,” and that the engine powering it is already in development. It will the first time Rimac will use combustion power and Bugatti hybrid technology. For those not sold on the idea of electric power, don’t worry. Rimac, leading the development of the post-Chiron hypercar, told Auto Express the vehicle will be “totally bonkers” and that “everybody will be blown away when they see what we did.”

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2022 Lexus LC 500h: unheralded luxury

The 2022 Lexus LC 500h, now in its seventh year, provides a superior example of one vehicle with complementary multiple personalities. The mesh of traits results in a car greater than its individual strengths combined. A hybrid-electric coupe, the LC 500h features two electric motors with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 354 horsepower and a manufacturer-estimated 4.7-second effort from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It’s propelled with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The top speed is 155 miles per hour. Key Takeaways Hybrid V6 delivers 354 hp and a 4.7-second 0-60: A 3.5-liter V6 paired with two electric motors and a 10-speed automatic gives the LC 500h genuine sports-coupe pace while topping out at 155 mph. Unheralded luxury coupe of the

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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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