Let’s cut to it: electrons have won the go-fast arms race, but exactly zero performance EVs have strummed enthusiasts’ heartstrings. Not the Taycans, Teslas, i4s, or Sapphires. We’re awed by EVs’ raw power, thrilled by their spec-sheet prowess, cosseted by their quietude, but never head-over-heels.

With the 2025 Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai promises something different: An EV that’s actually fun to drive. An EV you’ll love. We sent the I5N cannonballing down Laguna Seca’s front straight to find out if Hyundai’s ideas about smile-inducing EV were any good. Then we took to NorCal’s canyon roads to double check Hyundai’s work.

From the first hit of acceleration, hammering toward Laguna’s right-hand turn three, the 5 N proves its stat-sheet bona fides. Like every performance EV, the Ioniq 5 N is a straight-line ICE killer. Dual motors lay down 601 horses and 545 pound-feet. Expect 60 mph from a stop in just 3.4 seconds (according to Hyundai’s conservative claims), and a quarter-mile time below 12 seconds (based on our own bench racing). Top speed is limited to 162 mph. 

These figures pair to some genuinely exciting tech, much of it slathered in oddball marketing nomenclature; N Grin Boost, which sounds like the vigorous setting on some Japanese bidet, is actually a push-to-pass button. “NGB,” as the American marketing folks smartly call it, spikes battery power in 10-second sprints, offering 641 hp and 568 lb-ft. 

NGB wouldn’t engage entering Laguna’s front straight, right when you need every fizzing electron. Then NGB failed again and again down the length of the straight. The I5N’s central screen relayed a message that conditions weren’t met to unload the batteries. Later, on public roads, I had no problem deploying the system. Strange.

At any rate, the 5N felt only marginally faster with push-to-pass engaged, but anyone who’s harassed a Porsche Turbo through every corner at a track day, only to get dropped on the straights (and denied a point-by), will lament N Grin Boost’s unreliability. 

Another oddly named philosophy—N Corner Rascal—is shorthand for how the 5 N’s drivetrain shuffles power to the road. Like the hallowed Mitsubishi Evo, the 5 N can send nearly all its power to the rear axle on the fly. Even more, there’s a screen that offers customized torque splits between the front and rear, paired to an e-LSD at the back.

Hyundai brass evoked the Evo namesake during a pre-drive brief, then doubled down with repeat mentions of Hyundai’s WRC program. Their basic message: the I5N’s tech was designed to make your fleshy bits go tingly in corners.

Pros: Track-Ready, Engaging, Fast As Hell

Mission accomplished. There’s an immediate snap, felt through the vehicle’s steering, when you nose the I5 N into a corner. The car’s very bones, down to the body-in-white, were reinforced and stiffened to improve torsional rigidity with an eye to improved cornering. Bushing materials in key locations like the steering rack were selected on the basis of driver engagement, not isolation, a Hyundai rep told Motor1. 

You feel those choices in every corner. Most modern electric steering racks offer a hyper-quick steering ratio in place of snappiness and huge steering effort in place of a feelsome quality that tells you exactly how a car’s nose loads up at turn-in. Hyundai’s system is an example of the better qualities.

And in that qualitative sense, the I5N is a legitimate track-day contender to something like the BMW M4 Competition xDrive. While the BMW has the ultimate advantage in lap times, the I5N gets damned close, and communicates that little bit better with its driver, despite its immense mass. 

That weight never exits the equation, especially at a race track. Braking into Laguna’s Andretti Hairpin demands huge real estate. But the I5N’s 4,861-pound curb weight feels beautifully managed, never overwhelming. A glut of microprocessors no doubt rein in the Hyundai’s heft, but gigantic brakes, a five-link independent rear suspension, and the 275-section Pirellis front and rear give the I5N velvety, predictable manners on the track.

An 118.0-inch wheelbase allows for easy-to-catch slides when your full-throttle corner exit runs against the curbing to the outside of turn 2. In those moments, I get the sense there’s enough balance baked into the I5N to make its “N Drift Optimizer” software redundant.

Speaking of modes: there’s an absolute boatload. Adjustments for brake regen, steering, suspension, power delivery. Everything. Call it rolling choice paralysis. The people who own these things might come to enjoy the minutiae. But I get the sense that, were I to buy an I5N, I’d fidget with the menus for a day before landing on a “good-enough” setting forever. 

Cons: Low Range, Marmite Looks, Infotainment Overload

But there’s a pair of settings that must be left on always. One selects the I5N’s active sound and the other simulates an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. These both sound like gimmicks. Instead, they’re game changers. 

I know, I know. I KNOW.

Nobody rolled their eyes harder at the prospect of fake engine noises and fake shifts in a nearly 5,000-lb. EV hatch that looks like Bertone’s Chinese takeout box. I came to the experience with an eye roll, but left it with absolute reassurance: this is exactly what EVs need. 

Eight interior speakers and an exterior speaker at each end of the car roughly simulate a turbo-four’s basso, inside and out. The speakers are powerful enough that if you lean against the Ioniq while it’s “idling,” the simulated exhaust note resonates up through your arm, raising the hairs on your neck.

Even if it’s pandering. Even if it’s inauthentic. Even if it’s synthetic. It’s simply better. Better than the whooshy future Star Wars noises emanating from every other EV on the market. Better than silence. Audible engine feedback is central to the enjoyment of driving. I didn’t understand how much noise mattered until Hyundai did an impeccable job of imitating it. This is a seamless, masterfully calibrated system, because anything less would sink the idea.

Every last performance EV maker should take notes from Hyundai here. Leave these cars silent for normies. They don’t care. But any EV aimed at a canyon switchback should offer an engine note blaring through the speakers. An F1 V-10, a blatting turbo-four, a cross-plane V-8. Mix it up. I can’t live without engine sounds in an EV anymore.

Same goes for the shifts. Hyundai’s speakers and drivetrain perfectly imitate the burble *pause* blat burble sequence of a double-clutch and a turbo-four. It’s uncanny, and at speed, indistinguishable from the sensory experience of real thing.

Those shifts also provide the dynamic context your brain expects for lapping a racetrack. In most EVs, which have a single gear, you rely entirely on intuition to negotiate corner entry speed. By imitating physical gears and never letting the veneer drop—the car won’t “shift” unless the driver dictates it—you can brag about entering a high-speed sweeper “at the top of fourth,” even if you were really lugging low revs.

I can already sense readers’ reluctance while reading this. My only suggestion is to give it an honest shot. You’ll be surprised. Promise.

From a performance and engagement standpoint, the Ioniq 5 N is ready for track days. Whether the track is ready for an EV is another matter entirely, one I’ll cover in a follow-up piece later this week. But the I5N is equally suited to fast road use.

The 84.0-kWh battery provides 221 miles of range. It’s not a groundbreaking figure in 2024, and I’d expect less if you’re driving like a loon. But the I5N’s 800-volt architecture puts this Hyundai on par with the best EVs on the market, offering a 10-80% charge time of just 18 minutes. 

On a California canyon road, the I5N feels steady on the rolling, warp-speed straights. It digs into hairpins on feathered brakes without pushing, nosed down on the compliant front end, like it’s after a pavement truffle. The simulated shifts and sounds enhance the experience here too, but perhaps not as much as on the track; I’d still keep them on.

Its $66,100 MSRP (plus $1195 destination) slots this Hyundai into a competitive section of the market, where German badges and go-fast Teslas abound. There are no options to select outside a paint color, just one configuration for the US market. Given the breadth of its talents, civility, and objective capability, I’d call the Ioniq 5 N a bargain in the performance EV space. 

While many EVs could match or exceed the I5N’s pace over a single lap, the Hyundai is deeply optimized for track work, from its race-y seats, to its heavy duty cooling, and endurance-oriented battery management. It means you’ll have a far better track day than in a Tesla Plaid product, so long as you’ve got fast-charging infrastructure at your local road course.

Most people don’t, however. 

That means the I5N isn’t terribly useful as a track-day special, even if it’s a very good one. Not until race tracks catch up to Hyundai’s ambition. Until then, the Ioniq 5 N, with its simulated engine noise and gearbox, has at least produced a meaningful leap forward for EVs. It’s bridged the gap between silent detachment and the experiential aspects of driving we love. 

For that, we adore it. 

Competitors

BMW iX M60 Kia EV6 GT Tesla Model Y Performance Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Today

More Go-Fast EVs

2023 Kia EV6 GT First Drive Review: White Smoke, Green Cred
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In Australia, there’s an old saying: “If you want to go into the bush, take a Land Rover. If you want to come back, take a Land Cruiser.” 

It’s hard not to frame the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser that way. This is a car explicitly designed to evoke its forebears, the ones used globally by people and organizations for whom nothing less than the most-rugged and reliable ute will do.

This is a very different Land Cruiser than we’ve grown accustomed to, however. Where before, Toyota brough the full-size flagship Land Cruiser to America, it now brings the smaller, more-affordable Land Cruiser Prado, which previously came to the States as the Lexus GX. The old 200-series Land Cruiser cost $87,830 in 2021, its final year on the market; this new 250-series starts at $57,345. 

Like all of Toyota’s latest trucks, the new Land Cruiser rides on the automaker’s TGNA-F frame, and shares a lot of hardware with the Tacoma and 4Runner. Standard in the U.S. is a hybrid powertrain that marries a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and an electric motor for 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. The mill mates to an eight-speed automatic transmission, plus a full-time four-wheel drive system with low range, and lockable center and rear differentials.

Pros: Serious Off-Road Capability, Torquey Hybrid Powertrain, Throwback Looks

Toyota had us out to a ranch near the Mexican border to sample the Land Cruiser in its base “1958 Edition,” and in a fancier trim called, simply, “Land Cruiser.” Unfortunately, we weren’t able to drive either on road, so a full verdict will come later. But on sandy, reasonably challenging terrain, the new Land Cruiser proved its mettle. 

The 1958 Edition is a throwback of sorts, a tribute to purely utilitarian versions of the Land Cruisers, like the standby 70-Series still built today. The 1958 Edition comes in three colors only— white, silver, and black—and inside, you’ll find cloth seats and small screens for the gauge cluster and infotainment. There are no option packages available, just aftermarket accessories, and round headlights to evoke the original FJ40 Land Cruiser.

These bare-bones trucks also sit on very road-biased tires and do without Toyota’s excellent Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) system, which helps maximize traction off road, and the anti-roll-bar disconnect featured on other models. Out on the course, it wasn’t an issue. All that grunt from the hybrid powertrain, combined with low range and locking diffs, offered more than enough capability. Obstacles included a couple of rocky hills, some steep grades, moguls to test the articulation, and a little bit of mud. It didn’t take an off-roading expert to deal with any of them. 

It’s an easy truck to maneuver on this terrain. Bulges in the hood let you know exactly where the front wheels sit, and the calibration of the hybrid system is excellent to the point that you forget it’s even a hybrid in the first place. 

Intellectually, I know the truck is doing a lot to manage the output, especially in 4-Low, yet you can’t sense any of it. There’s no true EV mode, as the Land Cruiser uses a small 1.87-kWh Nickel-Metal-Hydride battery, so you can’t fully enjoy the quiet of the outdoors. But I actually like the sound of the four-cylinder here. It’s a bit agricultural, but so too were the first Land Cruisers, and many rugged Toyota trucks over the years.

Cons: Not Much Cheaper Than Lexus GX, Multi-Terrain Select and Anti-Roll-Bar Disconnect Only On Higher Trims, Battery Limits Trunk Space

Like all the other trucks on this platform, the Land Cruiser has independent, double-wishbone front suspension, and a solid multi-link axle at the back. Approach, departure, and breakover angles are 31, 22, and 23 degrees, respectively, and there is 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

The standard “Land Cruiser” model sits in the middle of the range between the 1958 Edition and the limited First Edition. It adds a number of luxuries, plus the aforementioned MTS and anti-roll-bar disconnect.

Given this borderland terrain wasn’t too challenging, it’s hard to say how much Toyota’s MTS helped, but previous experience with the system in the mechanically similar Lexus GX indicates that it works very well when the going gets tough. Again, making life easier. What’s more noticeable is the roll-bar disconnect. A simple geared mechanism in the middle of the bar decouples and lets both halves rotate freely. This brings a huge increase in wheel articulation, and a lot more comfort off-road. You won’t be tossed around nearly as much because the wheels are all free to do their thing. (The Land Cruiser doesn’t have a rear anti-roll bar.)

Much as I want to say that the base 1958 Edition is the way to go—and it probably is, if you want to upfit it yourself—the extra $6,000 for the regular Land Cruiser goes a long way. Not only do you get the useful MTS system and the roll-bar disconnect, you get a nicer interior with leather, heated and cooled seats, bigger infotainment and gauge screens, and 360-degree cameras that help a lot with placement off road. You also get some cool color options, and FJ62-inspired rectangular headlights that I think look better than the round units. 

But either trim is very capable.

A lot of people, myself included, wondered what’s the point of having an LC and a 4Runner so close in price. I don’t anymore. 

“The Land Cruiser is a car that’s loved globally…it’s a vehicle that has been honed on the most rugged and treacherous terrain, so in that sense, it’s an unmatched, unrivaled, unique identity for a vehicle,” says Ketia Moritsuo, chief engineer for the new Land Cruiser. “We want to be able to relay the pride of being in a vehicle like that for customers, and so that would be their experience for the Land Cruiser, that trust, that confidence, that faith they put in that vehicle.”

The name Land Cruiser means something. It symbolizes everything Toyota is good at. Time will tell how this 250-series measures up, in that we’re still waiting for an opportunity to drive it on road and really push it off road. But we think this Land Cruiser should live up to the badge.

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Competitors

Lexus GX550 Land Rover Defender Ford Bronco

More on the New Landie

Don’t Expect Hardcore Off-Road Versions of the New Land Cruiser
Here’s What Makes the New Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser Different

“Think of all the money you’ll save on therapy!” That’s what my brother said when I bought a Miata. It wasn’t anything special—a 2010 Grand Touring with the all-important limited-slip differential—but it was a soft-top convertible, and it was mine. A 2,800-mile road trip proved my brother right. Driving the top-down Miata felt great for my mental health.

That happy little car popped into my head last month when Aston Martin offered a quick stint in the DB12 Volante. It has little in common with my old Miata: double the cylinders, three and a half times the power, 1,500 extra pounds, and a sophisticated eight-speed auto instead of a simple six-speed stick. But they share the same mood-altering properties by way of a retractable fabric top and its associated sensory delights. Convertibles, man.

With a base price of $265,000 (ballooning to my Caribbean Blue Pearl tester’s $339,500 with options), the DB12 Volante fights for the same consumer cash as the Ferrari Roma Spider and Bentley Continental GTC. The automaker also set out to create a vehicle that has the hard-edged performance of the former with the long-distance comfort of the latter, a blend of attributes that comprise its “super tourer” marketing schtick. If true, that combination of attributes seems tailor-made to keep brain serotonin levels high.

That said, the Aston comes up a wee bit short on paper—with 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet, its AMG-sourced, twin-turbocharged V-8 makes more grunt than the 612-hp Roma and 650-hp Conti GTC Speed. The drop-top DB12’s 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds lags behind the Ferrari by 0.3 seconds thanks to the Italian’s lighter weight, and the Bentley can hit 208 miles per hour due to its freight-train 664 lb-ft of torque, while the DB12 runs out of steam at “just” 202 mph.

Skeptics might also cast aspersions at the DB12’s base structure, which isn’t substantively different from that of the DB11 it replaces. Aston Martin upgraded the suspension mounting points, stiffening up the front end specifically by 140 percent. Torsional rigidity is up 3 percent. But as is evident from the proportions and overall styling, the DB12 Volante shares more than a little with its predecessor.

Pros: It’s A Convertible, It’s Beautiful, It’s Luxurious

But unless you drive cars in CAD programs instead of the real world, those numbers are merely hypothetical. The Volante is a stunner. The transition from coupe to convertible does great things for the DB12, jettisoning the hardtop’s oddly detailed C-pillar, accentuating those voluptuous rear fenders, and keeping the massive front grille and intricately designed headlights. Aston fits the cabriolet roof within a commendably low tonneau, eating into trunk space but preserving rearward visibility and, more importantly, a low and lean stance. The DB12 Volante passes the parking lot look-back test with flying colors.

Inside, the convertible has largely the same interior as the coupe, representing a huge improvement over the DB11. Our test car’s gorgeous wood trim spanned the dash, center console, front seatbacks, and door panels in an appeal to traditional luxury, but the matte, golden finish looked almost Scandinavian in its upscale modernity. Predictably, leather and soft-touch plastics appear everywhere, although I was disappointed by HVAC vents that looked hewn from aluminum but felt chintzy. Better leave those alone and focus on the hefty shift paddles sprouting from the wheel instead.

Gone is the DB11’s ovoid center stack, replaced with a more rectilinear and appealing design that highlights the Aston Martin–specific infotainment system. The 10.3-inch touchscreen is a massive upgrade over the DB11’s reskinned Mercedes COMAND interface, with slicker response and multi-touch gesture controls that should feel intuitive to any smartphone user. Its only major drawback is a too-dim screen that’s tilted up at about a 30-degree angle, wholly inappropriate for a sunny-day tourer like the DB12 Volante.

Dial up the DB12’s four-position drive selector to Sport Plus. Doing so uncorks the exhaust, letting that mellow V-8 snarl through upshifts, crackle when braking, and pop on overrun. It also sharpens up the electric steering, giving it some heft to match solid levels of communication. On the sun-soaked, rain-rutted drive route above Malibu, the DB12 Volante delivered information to the last pebble directly to my palms, improving my confidence in the grippy Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tires. Ditto the optional carbon brakes, which had no trouble arresting this 3,960-pound convertible.

Cons: Old-ish Platform, Intrusive Electronics, Less Powerful Than Competitors

The steel springs, adaptive dampers, and fixed-rate anti-roll bars give the Aston Martin very consistent handling, resisting body roll even in the most lenient Grand Touring suspension mode. In fact, given the cracked and potholed nature of California’s roads after some late winter and early spring rains, I preferred to set up the car’s Individual drive setting for soft suspension, heavy steering, sharp throttle and transmission response, and a loud exhaust.

The Aston Martin absolutely shines when driven at a brisk pace, where its controlled and damped ride, eager powertrain, and abundant aural drama stimulate the brain so nicely that it should require a prescription. But any time I ventured beyond 8/10ths, my anxiety returned. Since the DB12 is still a relatively heavy sportster, the stability and traction controls have to step in—especially in tight downhill corners. As I pushed harder, the you-ran-out-of-talent electronics became more obvious and intrusive, eroding my confidence in both the car and myself. For the return trip, I chose to just dial everything back and enjoy the scenery.

As with my Miata, I learned again that if sunshine and spring breezes could be packaged and prescribed, mental health would skyrocket. But the two differ in one other key area: price. From its $265,000 starting point, my DB12 tester added the brilliant-but-pricey $18,000 coat of paint, a $14,500 carbon ceramic braking package, a staggering $22,900 in leather, carpet, and wood options, $6,200 for diamond-turned wheels, and $4,500 in blackout body jewelry. Even the brown seatbelts are a $1,000 option.

Luckily, we still live in a world where pre-owned Miatas and Mustangs exist, so folks looking for a drop-top fix can get one on the cheap. But those with the means will find Aston Martin’s latest convertible offering to be a tantalizing blend of panache, dynamics, and comfort—a combination that just might put your therapist out of a job.

Competitors

Ferrari Roma Spider Maserati GranCabrio McLaren Artura Spider

Our Other Aston Martin Reviews

2024 Aston Martin DB12 First Drive Review: Tres Bien
The Aston Martin DBX707 Is an SUV-Shaped Supercar

Say hello to the Lamborghini Huracan STJ, the final iteration of the Huracan model as the marque waves goodbye to V10 power with new aerodynamic and chassis package alongside 640hp and RWD only.

The curtain is closing on the Lamborghini Huracan. It’s been some story, arriving in 2014 with that wonderful 5.2-litre Audi V10 engine. Since then, its had multiple revisions, alongside a whole host of variations, and special editions (even an off roader with the Sterrato). And to wave goodbye to the Huracan, Lamborghini has produced one final limited edition version, the STJ.

Limited to just 10 examples, the STJ is the last dance for the Huracan, and stands for Super Trofeo Jota, which pays tribute to the Huracan’s one-make motorsport championship.

What features does the Lamborghini STJ have?

Building on the Huracan STO, the STJ receives the same 640hp version of the V10 engine. This is paired exclusively to a rear-wheel drive setup, rather than the traditional all-wheel drive. Where it differs from the STO, however, is the introduction of yet further aerodynamic and chassis updates.

The aero changes are small, but said to contribute to a 10 per cent aerodynamic load without disturbing the car’s balance. It does this by introducing two carbon fibre flicks with a 3-degree adjustment to the rear wing.

Also new are four-way adjustable racing dampers and special Bridgestone Potenza Race tyres on 20 inch wheels. Those dampers allow for rebound and compression adjustment at both high and low frequencies. Developed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse technicians, these incremental changes were brought about as a result of 10 years of competitive motorsport. The result is that the STJ laps the Nardo handling circuit 1 second faster than the Huracan STO.

Limited to 10 examples, customers could spec the car in either Grigio Telesto (grey) or Blue Eliadi (blue). Unsurprisingly, all 10 cars were snapped up a long time ago.

The post Limited Edition Lamborghini Huracan STJ Revealed appeared first on Fast Car.

The monochrome orange glow of street lights fills the cabin as my lover and I wait to enter the West Seattle bridge. When the light turns green, I gently pull my hand from hers and grip the leather-wrapped wheel tightly. Aimed at the onramp with the throttle matted, the 4.0-liter V-8’s baritone voice soars, filling the Aston’s cockpit until it’s rudely interrupted by the staccato bark of a violent upshift at 7,000 rpm. In three seconds, we’re at merging speed. Three more seconds and the speedo reads triple digits. 

In a blink, we’re at our exit. The six-piston calipers bite hard into the 16.5-inch carbon ceramic rotors as my passenger makes a little squeak of a giggle and scrambles for the leather grab handle, and I pitch the Aston at the apex of the off-ramp, tires thumping the Bott’s Dots like curbing. A short jaunt through the sleeping city, and we’re home, and not a moment too soon. My beautiful passenger looks over at me with anticipation.

It’s time for us to unload all the groceries from Costco.

Every high-end supercar manufacturer who swore they’d never make an SUV now makes an SUV, so the DBX was no real surprise. It’s even less surprising that in the four years since its debut, it’s become Aston’s best-seller, outselling every other model combined. That success has not been for a lack of competition, as we live in the best era in human history to be an ungodly wealthy SUV shopper: Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Audi will all sell you a roughly $200,000 SUV that hits 60 in the neighborhood of three seconds. 

The DBX had the title of “most beautiful” locked down the minute it was introduced. Its front end is stereotypically Aston Martin and defined by its trademark mustache grille, but the rear—with its flared haunches flowing into a wagon-like C-pillar, all tied together with Aston’s signature heckblende—is one of the most beautiful of any SUV sold, ever. Its silhouette in profile is more shooting brake than sport utility. Aston knows how to build a car with sex appeal, and its first stab at an SUV is no different. 

Pros: Ungodly Fast, Supercar-Like Handling, Sumptuous Interior

Still, what the original DBX had in beauty it lacked in speed, with a doddering four-second sprint to 60. That’s a whole second slower than its competitors. Yawn-inducing. The solution to closing the acceleration gap was for Aston to rework the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 at the heart of the DBX.

New turbos and a healthy tune add 155 horsepower, for 697 total, and push torque to an eye-watering 664 pound-feet. Bigger brakes, a wet-clutch nine-speed automatic to replace the torque converter one, and chassis tuning turn the DBX into the DBX707. Now, it’s the most beautiful and fastest gas-powered SUV that money can buy. Just bring a lot of it: my test vehicle rang up at $266,408.

The price made sense once I got behind the wheel, because the DBX707 truly is a supercar in corners. It weighs a staggering 4,950 pounds, but I’d never suspect it. Steering response is Walther-accurate, quick (14.4:1), and perfectly linear. After you take aim, an electronic center transfer case and computerized limited-slip differential direct power, while a 48-volt active roll-mitigation system and adjustable three-chambered air suspension ensure that torque completes its journey to the pavement. 

Chassis tuning this SUV must have required more computing power than the Space Shuttle program had access to, but it was worth it. The processors work perfectly in concert with one another, because at no point did I ever notice them churning. Lap times for SUVs always seem a little pointless—what soccer mom has time for Thunderhill between practices?—but if I owned this, I’d actually want to track it. It feels more direct than half of the sports cars on the market. When Mrs. Bond has kids, she won’t even miss the Vantage.

Cons: Horrible Infotainment, Loud Brakes And Tires, Difficult To Live With

For $7,800, Aston Martin will cover every square inch of the DBX707 in semi-aniline leather. My test car—equipped with this option—arrived specced out like a candy bar, with a rich metallic red wrapper over a caramel center. It felt like sitting inside a catcher’s mitt; I highly recommend spending the eight grand. The seats are grand-tourer worthy, but never feel too weakly bolstered in hard driving. It’s sumptuous. Even the 14-speaker, 800-watt stereo is the best I’ve ever heard in a test car. 

Of course, I hope you don’t want to skip any songs, because the infotainment system is a truly maddening knob-and-touchpad setup that forgoes a touchscreen entirely (editor’s note: future models will get a touchscreen). Even by the standards of touchpad systems, this one is impressively terrible. I gave up on switching songs via the stereo, and instead used my phone to do it at stoplights. Unfortunately, Apple CarPlay is wired, not wireless, and there’s nowhere to put your phone except on top of a wireless charger under the main console. Have fun digging that out.

This is where I began to remember that daily driving a supercar—even if it’s an SUV—is bound to come with downsides. Those massive carbon-ceramic brakes squeal like hogs in traffic, which is a supremely embarrassing way to turn heads. The mirrors don’t adjust far enough, leaving me with gaping blind spots. The trunk cover doesn’t actually fold up—it’s a solid piece of leather-wrapped particleboard—so although the cargo bay is spacious, a Costco run requires dismantling the car before leaving home.

The turning circle is enormous at 40.7 feet (bigger than the Cayenne and Urus), which makes parking the 78.7-inch-wide SUV harder than it already would have been. Road noise, even with all-season tires, is noticeably loud at highway speeds, and the standard 22-inch wheels don’t do favors to comfort over pavement gaps and potholes.

To cure annoyance, I stabbed the gas and then, inevitably, cackled. Zoloft has nothing on this drivetrain. All of my troubles immediately faded away. 

The DBX707 is an unbelievable marriage of supercar dynamics and SUV form, and there’s no vehicle on the planet I’d rather take to Costco. Just don’t be fooled: You’re not escaping all the headaches that come with owning a supercar just because it looks like an SUV. 

Photos: Victoria Scott for Motor1

Competitors

Bentley Bentayga Speed Lamborghini Urus

More DBX 707 Stories

2023 Aston Martin DBX707 First Drive: Bringing The Fight To Italy
Aston Martin DBX707 Enters Production, First Customer Car Is Built

I’m too narrow into Circuto Monteblanco’s turn two. Lars Kern, Porsche’s factory development-driver ace in the car leading me around the track, pulls away. No matter, though. Tug at the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT’s right-hand steering-wheel paddle and you unlock Attack Mode, which gives you 1,019 horsepower for 10 seconds. Get on throttle quickly, and the car scrambles out of the corner with authority, vaporizing my mistake. 

It’s a monster.

The Turbo GT is the product of “what if?” Specifically, “What if we made a track car out of an electric sedan?” A genuine skunkworks project, a small team within Porsche developed the car. The team answered only to the board, not middle management. The quickest four-door in the world—electric or not—resulted.

We turned a handful of laps at Circuito Monteblanco outside Seville, Spain, on the launch for the recently facelifted Taycan. It was eye opening.

Based on the Turbo S, the Turbo GT gets a new silicon-carbide inverter for the rear motor that pushes total power output up to 1,019 hp during launch control and for 10 seconds in what Porsche calls “Attack Mode,” and in all other situations, you get 777 hp. 

That power pairs to revised aerodynamics including a fixed rear wing on the Turbo GT model, wider wheels and tires, a specific tune for the standard active-suspension system, and some weight-savings measures. Nothing too extreme, well maybe except for the rear-seat delete with the Weissach Package. Even the power figure, though enormous, isn’t that much greater than the Turbo S’s. But these tweaks adds up to a very different electric sport sedan.

Even knowing chassis electronics have made ultra-high-horsepower cars so approachable, the Taycan Turbo GT intimidates. It’s still a 1,000-plus-horsepower car that weighs close to 5,000 pounds in its lightest form. I didn’t pay much attention in physics, but I do know that force is equal to mass times acceleration, and this has a lot of M and A. 

Pros: Demonically Quick, Enormously Grippy, Shockingly Approachable

Yet, the Turbo GT is shockingly approachable. For something designed to set crazy fast lap times, it’s incredibly welcoming and talkative. You quickly get a sense of the grip level available, which is gargantuan. The Turbo GT comes with the new Pirelli P-Zero R tires standard, and while these tires manage the huge power and weight well, the optional Trofeo RS really make the car come alive. Turn-in grip is absurd. You turn the wheel and think you’re at the limit, but there’s always more available. And breathe off the throttle mid corner and the car rotates beautifully. It’s so responsive.

On either tire, the Turbo GT feels hundreds, if not a thousand pounds lighter than it is. The standard Porsche Active Ride suspension system is fully active, meaning it can put force into the body via hydraulic motor-pump units connected to each damper. The system runs off the Taycan’s 800-volt battery and is capable of generating enormous force (2,248 pounds) in a very short amount of time. As a result, the Turbo GT has virtually no roll, pitch, or dive. (It doesn’t compensate for tire deflection, so the car does move around, but the body sits perfectly level.) 

Clever calibration means this feels more natural than you’d expect, but Active Ride generates immense grip by controlling the loads independently at each corner. The damping is basically perfect, too. Monteblanco has a couple tall curbs and big rumble strips. You can huck a Turbo GT over them at silly speeds and the car just shrugs it off.

If a car is just a battle between horsepower and grip, this battle is evenly matched. Which is astonishing. In the slow corners and chicanes, the Turbo GT rockets forward, with just a hint of how hard the car is working to generate traction; in the high-speed stuff, it feels absolutely stable. Between the massive mechanical and aero grip—the Turbo GT Weissach Package generates a maximum of 485 lbs at its 190-mph top speed—the car feels planted at all times.  

Monteblanco’s best corner is a fast uphill right with a compression at the bottom. You need a light brake or a lift, and the corner puts so much load through the car. The Turbo GT takes it all no problem. It’s astonishing.

The Turbo GT excels at stopping too, especially when you consider the fact that it’s constantly adjusting the balance of regenerative and friction braking, and dealing with incredible speed and weight. 

Cons: Expensive, Limited In Appeal

Oh yeah, speed. Porsche had us stop along the front straight and launch the Turbo GT. From there, Kern says if you ran the full length of the straight, you’d probably be doing around 175 mph braking into turn one. Too fast for an event like this. Yet even stopping more than halfway down the straight and using launch control, you still hit around 120 mph before you have to pull the chute.

Launching the Turbo GT is genuinely disorienting. Porsche says 0-60 mph in 2.1 seconds for the Weissach Pack car, and the first time I did it, my vision went blurry for an alarming amount of time. It takes a little over six seconds to get to 124 mph, which is about as long as it’d take me to get to 60 in my Volkswagen GTI if I decided that I no longer wanted a functioning clutch.

The acceleration and speed are party tricks, but the Turbo GT is much more. It feels entirely at home on a track. The way it generates grip recalls the best stuff I’ve ever driven on a circuit, and it still manages to feel engaging. 

“For us as race car drivers, it’s not a negative if the car drives well,” Kern says. “It’s as easy as that. We like a comfortable car as well, a car that’s easy to drive at the limit.”

Downsides? The cool bucket seats you see here aren’t available in America. They’re a little silly in a car like this, but they offer more feedback through the seat of the pants, and, well, the whole car is a little silly, right?

I think the target audience for this is small, though. A $230,000 four-door EV track car is a very specific niche, but I suppose there are always people who want the best version of a thing. And while we didn’t get to drive the Turbo GT on the road, the flexibility of the active suspension should mean it’s no more difficult as an everyday proposition than any other Taycan. Unless you delete the rear seats.

Competitors

Lucid Air Sapphire Tesla Model S Plaid

More Performance EVs

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Affordable electric city cars haven’t caught on in the US. It’s a shame, because if you live in a large city like Miami where traffic is unrelenting, public transportation is piss-poor, and most things are just out of a reasonable walking distance, having a tiny EV for around-town use makes a lot of sense.

If any brand can make the city EV work in the US—especially in a city like Miami—it’s Fiat. And I know, the first-generation 500e wasn’t exactly a hot seller. But this new one feels like a fully fleshed-out product, not a compliance car with a barely usable amount of range.

This 500e will drive up to 149 miles on a single charge, which is pretty good given its 42.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack (39.0-kWh usable) and single front-mounted electric motor. There’s a modest 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque on tap, which is enough for a 0-30 mph sprint of 3.1 seconds—all the speed you’ll need around town. Getting to 60 mph takes a much slower 8.5 seconds.

But the 500e certainly isn’t underpowered. It has enough torque for hurrying off stoplights and overtaking easily at city speeds. There is a one-pedal “Range” mode, but the amount of regen isn’t adjustable. It’s either on or off. And a second, oddly named “Sherpa” mode shuts off things like the A/C in case the range is really low. But Fiat admits that Sherpa mode is almost exclusively for range emergencies

Being one of the lightest EVs on sale today certainly helps with acceleration. The 500e only weighs 2,952 pounds, just a few hundred pounds more than the BMW i3 (2,630 pounds) that debuted way back in 2013. Compare that to the latest Tesla Model 3 (3,862 pounds) and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 (3,935 pounds), and the Fiat is a lightweight.

Pros: Cute As Heck, Zippy Around Town, More Affordable Than Its Predecessor

The new 500e is relatively tiny, too. It’s only 2.4 inches longer than the previous model, which means it’s about half as long as a Ford F-150 and just three-quarters the width. Its diminutive size makes it easy (and kinda fun) to rip around town. The tight two-lane roads of downtown Miami are no match for the 500e’s darting and weaving abilities. It’s genuinely spunky; the steering is quick and responsive, and the compact wheelbase gives it that kart-like character you expect of something this small.

And it looks cute doing it. The previous 500e was cute too, but this one has the sort of premium, Avant-garde styling Italian manufacturers are known for. It’s like a handbag on wheels. Rounded LED headlights and a happy face “grille” give the 500e its bubbly personality. And instead of a traditional Fiat badge on the front end, it has a chic 500 logo instead.

In general, the 500e feels much nicer from behind the wheel than its predecessor ever was. The former 500e had an uncomfortable perched driving position, but this new model’s steering wheel and cloth thrones offer better support and adjustability. It’s like you’re actually sitting in the chairs rather than on top of them—a novel concept.

It’s a shame, though, that the cabin isn’t nearly as premium as the exterior looks. The base Inspi(Red) model offered first in the US has cheap cloth seats and hard plastics everywhere. Even the headliner feels extremely cheap. More premium trims with faux leather and nicer finishes will arrive in the US at a later date.

A 10.3-inch touchscreen with the latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system comes standard, as does a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster. Things like automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and traffic sign recognition all come standard, too.

Cons: Limited Range (For Most Americans), Cheap Interior

In terms of charging, the 500e will get you from 10 to 80 percent in 35 minutes on an 85-kilowatt DC fast charger. Those aren’t exactly blistering speeds, but enough to refill the 149 miles of range in time to get you back on the road quickly. It should be noted that the 500e currently has a CCS charging port, but like all future Stellantis models, it will switch to NACS come 2025. And that’s enough range, Fiat figures, for you to be happy with the 500e as your second car.

The CEO of Fiat Automobiles, Olivier Francois, even admits the 500e isn’t a one-car solution. “[Our ambition] is not to replace your sedan or SUV, our ambition is to inspire,” he says. “It’s the ultimate fashion expression for your driveway. So this will not be the mass EV for everyone everywhere, no.”

Considering the new 500e is actually cheaper than the one it replaces, Fiat’s thinking makes sense. The 2024 model starts at $34,095 with the $1,595 destination fee included, compared to the previous car, which cost $34,705. It’s even more enticing as a lease when you remember the 500e is eligible for up to $7,500 worth of tax credits—so that $34,000 starting price would be closer to $26,000.

The 2024 Fiat 500e still probably won’t appeal to a mass audience, mainly here in the US with just 149 miles of range. But as a second or third car, the electric 500 makes a lot of sense. Especially if you can snag one for cheap.

Competitors

Mini Cooper SE

Other Compact EVs

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The new Audi S3 has dropped and early impressions suggest that it’s a notable step forward over its predecessor. Here are the major headlines.

The Audi S3 (and its brawnier RS3 sibling) has become a bit of a favorite in the modern-day car tuning scene. From the factory, these compact sedans and hatches pack a hefty punch, and when you start tinkering under the hood you’ll find that they have massive potential. However, one common criticism that fast Audis tend to receive is their relative lack of dynamism in the handling department, in comparison to rivals. Well, it appears as though the folks from Ingolstadt have taken notice, as in addition to a slab of extra power, the new Audi S3 gets some trick tech to help improve the way it handles.

First though, let’s take a closer look at the powertrain…

2024 Audi S3 powertrain

For the new S3, Audi has taken its 2.0-liter TFSI four-pot engine and beefed it up a little. The power unit now produces 333hp and 310lb ft of torque in its stock guise, though Audi hasn’t revealed what exactly has been done to achieve those gains. For context, that’s a 23hp and 15lb ft increase over the outgoing S3. A 4.7-second 0-60mph time means that it’s marginally quicker in a sprint compared to the old car too.

It’s not just raw numbers to be aware of either. Audi has also tuned the engine to improve the way it delivers that power. For instance, the maximum torque band has been widened to between 2100-5500 rpm, and when cruising the turbocharger preloads at a constant rpm in anticipation of you putting your foot down. If you weren’t a fan of the old S3’s gearbox, fear not, as the DSG unit’s shift times (when under full load) have been halved for this model. Impressive stuff.

Quattro with torque splitter

As is synonymous with premium Audi models, the S3 gets the company’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. However, an intriguing new addition into the mix is the inclusion of a torque splitter.

In simple terms, the torque splitter uses an electronic multi-disc clutch on each driveshaft to allow for fully variable torque distribution between the two rear wheels. That means that, depending on the driving situation and drive mode selected, the car will receive differing amounts of torque to the inside and outside rear wheels in order to improve its cornering ability.

Dynamic Plus driving mode

Another new feature to the upcoming Audi S3 is the addition of the ‘Dynamic Plus’ driving mode. This new sixth driving mode has been designed by Audi to evoke a more ’emotional’ driving experience. Essentially, what this does is encourage oversteer by heavily biasing torque to the outer rear wheel via the torque splitter. Plus, whereas the car’s electronic stability control will remain typically active in regular ‘Sport’ mode, Audi promises far fewer ESC interruptions when driving in Dynamic Plus. To complement all of that, Dynamic Plus mode also raises the car’s idle by 200rpm and sharpens up the throttle response for quicker getaways.

As is tradition, you can get the S3 as a ‘Sportback’ as well as a sedan.

Suspension & brakes

It’s all well and good enhancing the bits that make a car go, but no self-respecting manufacturer would neglect the way a car turns, or how it stops too. Happily, the new Audi S3 has some updated running gear to go along with the extra power and clever delivery systems, coming in the form of revisions to both the suspension and the brakes.

Improved steering response and increased lateral control (aka, more dynamism and grip through bends) was high on Audi’s shopping list when developing this car, and they seem pretty confident that they’ve achieved that through stiffer wishbone bearings and entirely new pivot bearings – which allow for greater negative camber. They’ve also played around with the car’s steering ratios to give you more control over the car when cornering.

Compared to the normal A3, the S3 sits 15mm lower on its suspension, and if you get the Vorsprung package, it’ll include adaptive dampers that have been specifically tuned with the new torque splitter in mind.

As for the brakes, the 18-inch perforated steel setup is 4mm thicker than before, and the S3 gets two-piston calipers on the front (complete with larger pads for a bigger friction surface).

The post New Audi S3 Promises More Power & Agility Than Ever Before appeared first on Fast Car.

We look ahead to what you can expect at the inaugural Classic Japfest 2024 event following our biggest ever Japfest Silverstone show.

While Japfest Silverstone 2024 is over, the show must go on! New for 2024, we’re launching Classic Japfest, a car show dedicated to what is arguably the golden era of Japanese cars. And what better place to launch a new event than at the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit, a new venue for Fast Car Entertainment. The show takes place on October 6th and is part of a double-header for FCE as we host the German Car Festival on October 5th at Goodwood.

So what can you expect from the Classic Japfest 2024 show? Read on to find out.

What’s on at Classic Japfest 2024?

Car Club Displays & Awards

Much like Japfest Silverstone, car clubs will form the main feature of the event. Members of car clubs can display their vehicle as part of a club stand for show goers to ogle over, with club tickets available to purchase on the Classic Japfest website. Awards will be up for grabs for our clubs, and these include Best Car Club, Best Regional Car Club, Best One Make Car Club and Club Hero. Display cars must be 20 years or older (2004>).

If you aren’t part of a car club but still want to display your vehicle at the show, then you can still purchase a ticket and be part of our special display.

Retail Village

Aside from the car clubs, a bustling retail village will satisfy your need for new products, car parts, apparel and other merchandise. This is a great opportunity to speak directly to the people at the brands you know and love. You’ll have the opportunity to ask for help or advice on modifications or how to use a product and you may even pick yourself up a bargain!

Classic Japfest Icons

If you’ve got something unique, you can apply to take centre stage at Classic Japfest 2024 as part of the Icons Display. This is a hand-picked competition where applicants can apply to become part of the display. At the event, our judges will pick a top three, with the winner taking home the trophy and title.

Apply to be a part of the Icons Display here.

Fast Car Display

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Fast Car Entertainment show without our own display now would it? We’ll be organising a display of past and future feature cars to showcase the best in classic Japanese car culture. Perhaps there may even be a Gran Turismo-type theme…

Keep your eyes peeled Classic Japfest website for updates on show features as well as answers to FAQs and general show advice. Follow the below links for relevant ticket information.

• Public tickets
• Club tickets

The post Classic Japfest 2024: What You Can Expect appeared first on Fast Car.

The post Japfest 2024 Show Report appeared first on Fast Car.