These are fast-moving, transformative times for the car industry, but do not fear, GQ is here to serve up the best new cars on a regular basis. Whether you’re navigating your way through the highly charged new electric landscape, falling for a fashionable classic, or want to get a load of the latest Aston Martin, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche, we have access all areas – to the cars that count, the people who create them, and the culture that sustains them. This is the GQ edit of the best new cars of 2024.
Defender OCTA
Defender has a new flagship, and it's a diamond. At least, that's what the brand is aiming for with the OCTA, named so in tribute to the stone's strength-enhancing octahedral shape. There's even a new diamond graphic slapped on the OCTA for good measure, but that's far from the biggest upgrade: the 635PS 4.4-litre Twin Turbo V8 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission make it the most powerful Defender ever made, with a top speed of 155mph and 0-60 in 3.8 seconds.
The OCTA is also Defender's techiest car to date, designed to be enjoyed on leisurely drives as much as bombing through the undergrowth (because let's be honest: how often do you do that?). The OCTA automatically detects the surface it's being driven on and shifts its settings accordingly, making use of the hydraulic 6D Dynamics suspension. “We have been able to unlock the full potential of Defender,” says Managing Director Mark Cameron. “It is the very definition of breadth of capability, and a testament to what we can achieve utilising the very best technologies and talents within our engineering division.”
Inside, the driver and passenger get to enjoy Body and Soul Seats, developed with music industry experts SUBPAC and Coventry University to offer some extra haptic buzz to your playlists – and provide six wellness programmes. It's a 4x4 spa. See it first at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11-14 July, before it goes on sale, priced from £145,300.
BMW Concept Skytop
BMW’s chief design officer Adrian van Hoydoonk is a clever man who has presided over an era of startling change at the German giant. “Tradition is not about worshipping the ashes but tending the flames of desire,” he once told GQ, paraphrasing Bohemian composer, Gustav Mahler. The Concept Skytop does a bit of both. It’s a classically elegant BMW rather than one designed to ignite a debate, and though based on the current 8 series it’s channelling the ‘50s 503 and the '90s Z8. Though we like the sharky nose and bonnet spine, the Skytop is best appreciated from the rear. Check out the flowing buttresses and the way the interior’s reddish-brown brogue-style leather is picked up in the roll-over bar behind the seats and even continues in the exterior paintwork before smoothly transitioning into a silver finish. Likely heading for limited series production, priced from £400k.
Kia EV3
“It’s more sheer, more strict and restrained,” explains Kia's Karim Habib of the new EV3, a fully electric crossover that promises to transfer the tech used in the EV9 SUV to a smaller canvas. “There is some complexity here, it’s not totally minimalist. Technology is everywhere in Korea, so the robotic feel is a conscious thing. There’s a kind of circuit line here…” That’s in the area where the chamfered bonnet and ultra-slim LED headlights intersect with the vertical day-time running lights. The EV3 sits on a dedicated electric platform which groups the motor, transmission and inverter into a single powertrain. It also has unusually generous interior space, and a distinctly lounge vibe with Netflix and YouTube streaming Apps and built-in gaming. The larger 81.4kWh battery offers 372 mile of range when fully charged.
Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid
As you’d hope from Porsche, the first electrified version of the 911 – called the T-Hybrid – summons a lot of engineering firepower in the service of high performance. A shoebox-sized 1.9 kWh battery mounted beneath the front bulkhead powers two small electric motors, one of which makes 55bhp and is integrated within the dual-clutch gearbox, while the other is used to increase the efficiency of the turbo. This is about erasing lag and improving response rather than reducing CO2 emissions or providing pure e-power. Available initially in GTS form only, the T-Hybrid has a total power output of 534bhp and sits beneath the range-topping Turbo and the competition-oriented GT3. “We produce the energy on board,” says 911 project lead, Frank Moser. “It always recuperates, under acceleration, during braking and on a trailing throttle.”
Alpine GTZ
The Z stands for Zagato, one of the pre-eminent Italian coachbuilders since 1919. A true survivor in a fickle business, the latest limited run special to bear the flamboyant Z logo is based on Alpine’s exceptional little A110 coupe. But it also plunders a lesser known chapter in the French road and racing company’s history for inspiration, namely the late Sixties A220 endurance racer. That one came in short and long-tail guises, for enhanced aerodynamic performance, and the AGTZ does too. It’s quite the party trick. The tail can be bolted on in a few minutes and transforms the look of the car, creating a supreme slice of Franco-Italian garage sculpture. Elsewhere, Zagato has worked its customary magic, rebodying the A110 in carbon fibre and adding a more expressive front end, wheelarch blisters front and rear, and its signature double-bubble roof. Working in collaboration with well-respected Polish supercar dealer La Squadra, only 19 AGTZs will be made, from €650k each.
McLaren Artura Spider
Adding power in the hybrid and electric age isn’t difficult. But doing it while keeping the weight down is a much bigger challenge, and it’s why McLaren refuses to commit to a fully electric car. Batteries are still too heavy and the technology just isn’t good enough yet, according to the company’s engineers. But the Artura is part of the way there, powered by a clever, mid-mounted 3.0-litre combustion engine boosted by an axial flux e-motor fed by a 7.4kWh battery that sits behind the seats. Together they imbue the Artura, newly available in Spider form with a clever electrochromic retractable roof, with a total power output of 690bhp. Naturally this translates to massive performance – 62mph in 3.0 seconds dead is going some – but it’s the way the e-power expands the car’s bandwidth that really gets under your skin. It also gives it a range in electric mode of 21 miles, a useful redoubt around town or when you don’t want to disturb the neighbours. From £221,500
Ferrari 12Cilindri
“Sometimes I was a bit of a pain in the ass,” admits Ferrari’s chief design officer, Flavio Manzoni. With the new 12Cilindri, the pressure is really on because the company’s gigantic reputation is founded on its front-engined 12 cylinder models. These are the connoisseur’s Ferraris. “It’s something you need to experience once in life,” says chief technical officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi, “Otherwise it is not a life.”
The 12Cilindri’s front end is a masterful homage to the late '60s 365 GTB/4 Daytona. The rest of it, though, is bracingly progressive, in both coupe and Spider open-top form. The single-piece bonnet sweeps dramatically into a short, cab-rearward passenger compartment, while the contrast-black roof sweeps down onto a tail that features aviation-inspired active aero. The interior is also all-new, as luxurious as it is sporting and hi-tech.
“This car represents a huge jump in terms of modernity,” explains Manzoni. “This isn’t easy. A Gran Turismo like this is intrinsically elegant and quite traditional, with a long bonnet and short cabin. So the challenge is to introduce a new language on a car with this architecture. It took four years to develop. Form follows function but with an artistic touch. It’s science and art together.”
And keeping the 6.5-litre V12 in production in 2024 is no mean feat, as the regulations become ever tighter, but Ferrari’s clients demand it. This engine is a masterpiece of hard- and software, suffused with F1 tech to reduce weight and improve response, while delivering a maximal soundtrack.
TWR Supercat
Jaguar XJS’s great misfortune was it had to replace the E-type, a car so unutterably beautiful even Enzo Ferrari thought it prettier than some of his cars. It arrived in 1975, with an epically elongated bonnet and unusual flying buttresses, the product of a company in the grip of an industrial near-death spin. But weird things can happen and Jaguar’s suave grand tourer is now a rapidly appreciating asset and object of cult adoration. Enter the TWR Supercat, a limited run super-GT that references one of the XJS’s greatest and most left-field achievements: as a serial winner in Eighties European touring car racing. The cars were prepped and run by a competition outfit called Tom Walkinshaw Racing and the Supercat is the work of his son, Fergus. Various motorsport alumni are involved, as is California-based car whisperer, Magnus Walker. The Supercat’s wild carbon fibre body, the work of young design tyro Khyzyl Saleem, clothes a fully restored XJS chassis and a V12 combustion engine that’ll make around 600bhp. A six-speed manual ’box and rear-wheel drive complete a distinctly old-school analogue recipe. TWR ran Jaguar’s legendary 1988 Le Mans-winning XJR-9, a win referenced in the Supercat’s 88 car production run. Prices start at £270k.
Alfa Romeo Junior
Few car makers enjoy the sort of ceaseless goodwill Alfa Romeo generates. The limited run £2m 33 Stradale hypercar stokes the flames of desire, but Alfa is dead unless it can shift serious units. Enter its first electric car, the Junior. Short, stocky and punchy looking, the Junior attitude to spare. Its abbreviated rear end references the Sixties Giulia TZ more effectively than you’d imagine. There’s a new take on the ‘scudetto’ grille, which comes in ‘leggenda’ or punchy ‘progresso’ versions. The famous Alfa telephone dial wheel design gets a reboot, and the 3+3 headlights are full LED matrix jobs. The electric Junior uses a 54 kWh battery pack, identical to the set-up in the Abarth 600e and Jeep Avenger. It’s available in two variants, with either a 154bhp or 238bhp power output, and a single motor driving the front wheels. Alfa claims a range of 250 miles likely to be closer to 200 IRL. A 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbo hybrid is also available.
Pagani Utopia
It’s 25 years since Horacio Pagani, an Argentinian emigré and former Lamborghini employee, first announced himself as a force to be reckoned with. If the name Pagani Zonda sounded positively operatic, the car that wore the badge was a next-level product of Modena’s celebrated motor valley. The man, meanwhile, made no secret of his love for Italy’s Renaissance artist and sculptors, talked up his admiration of Da Vinci.
Now we have the Utopia, a hypercar that’s part Marvel villain’s steampunk conveyance, part Fabergé egg. Only 99 will be made, they cost £2.2m each, and such is Pagani’s relationship with its client base that they were all spoken for before he’d even finalised the car’s design. Horacio doesn’t follow trends or pay any heed to what else is going on; the man and his cars exist in their own universe.
It’s a wildly flamboyant looking car, restlessly curvy and eye-popping in detail. The chassis is made of carbo-titanium and carbo-triax, lightweight sci-fi-sounding materials developed by Pagani that give the car incredible structural rigidity. High end watchmaking informs the interior, which contains a myriad components machined from billets of solid aluminium and lots of tactile switchgear and touchpoints. Including the steering wheel, which started life as a 47kg chunk but now weighs just 1.7kg.
Then there’s the 6.0-litre, twin-turbo V12, sourced from AMG and sitting behind the occupants. It’s harnessed to a manual gearbox, further emphasising Pagani’s commitment to the physical. With a power output of 862bhp and a kerb weight of 1340kg, the Utopia is monumentally fast. But more than any comparable car, this one is just as delectable doing precisely zero mph.
Mercedes G580 with EQ technology
The G Wagen is the great survivor. The more things change, the more they stay the same. On the exterior at least, where Mercedes’s off-roader looks as monolithic as ever. But the G580 with EQ technology, as it’s known, is fully electric, its new heart betrayed only by a smoother bonnet, revised A pillars, and discreet roof spoiler. Instead of a spare wheel, the compartment on the rear door can carry a charging cable. The G580 has four electric motors, one on each wheel and driven by its own two-speed gearbox, to deliver 579bhp and 859lb ft of torque. Mercedes says the electric G wagen actually surpasses the combustion version off-road, with its ability to handle 35° side slopes and wade in up to 850mm of water. Needless to say, all the electric components are fully sealed. It also has some neat party tricks: it can perform a G turn which allows it to rotate 720° on the spot, there’s a clever rock crawling function, and a transparent bonnet function uses the forward facing cameras to scan the terrain ahead to project an image onto the central infotainment screen. A massive 116kWh battery gives a claimed range of 292 miles, but Mercedes is already hard at work on a new, more energy dense battery that promises to substantially boost the range. It needn’t worry. Almost every G-Wagen on the planet is an urban warrior.
Rolls-Royce Arcadia
The third of four Droptails to, er, drop, the Arcadia is also the prettiest so far. And the most serene, even for a company that specialises in cars that seal the occupants off so spectacularly from the real world. Arcadia is a location in Greek mythology that represents heaven on earth. At £20m, this is the world’s most expensive new car, and it’s garlanded with a number of absurdly grand numerical stats – like the fact 8000 hours were spent crafting the various pieces of wood (called Santos Straight Grain) in the cabin and on the rear deck. The exterior paint is a solid white infused with aluminium and glass particles to create a fathomless sense of depth. The owner lives in Singapore but the Arcadia Droptail is intended for international use. Look out for it.
Rivian R2/3
“One reason start-ups are so effective, particularly early stage startups, is the ability to rapidly iterate on an idea,” says Rivian CEO, RJ Scaringe. “When I started Rivian, if I was dead set on what the strategy was and wasn’t able to pivot or change or evolve, it would have been impossible to be successful.”
Well Rivian has just iterated some more. Ford and Amazon are two of the big-ticket investors who’ve made this buzzy EV company too big to fail, and it’s just added the R2 SUV and surprised investors and its fanbase with the smaller R3. “Keep the world adventurous forever” is Rivian’s mantra, so the R2 can do all that rugged, outdoorsy stuff. But we like the R3 even more, a hatch/crossover mash-up that seduces reluctant petrolheads by channelling the Lancia Delta Integrale and original VW Golf. Its retro-modern look was overseen by former Jeep design VP, Jeff Hammoud. “It has the soul of a rally car,” adds Scaringe. With a former Lotus and McLaren guy in charge of the engineering, maybe they’ll make good on that.
Skoda Enyaq 85x
For an odyssey that will take us to the edge of the Sahara, forget the Toyota Landcruiser or Morocco’s car of choice, the Dacia Duster, we’re using the latest Skoda Enyaq. Our dual-motor 85x now has 282bhp and improved thermal management has increased range to around 350 miles. GQ saw an indicated 5.1 miles per kWh, the best figure we’ve ever managed in an EV, helped by warm temperatures and a long downhill stretches on a route south of the Atlas Mountains. The climb up the Tizi n’Tichka on the way back to Marrakesh was less energy efficient but more fun. Fearless adventuring, but nothing compared to Dutch duo Renske Cox and Maarten van Pel, who chose an Enyaq to drive from the Netherlands to South Africa and back. On alternate days, they rolled out a mat of solar panels hooked up to the car to recharge, and lived in a roof-box tent.
Mini Countryman Electric
The Mini Countryman electric is almost the same size as the original Range Rover. It’s also available with a combustion engine but we reckon the dual motor electric version is the best bet. It’s 340kg heavier but with 309bhp it’s also more powerful. And it really suits the Countryman’s overall vibe. With a 65 kWh battery, the dual motor car has a claimed range of 287 miles and can go from 10 per cent to 80 per cent on a 130 kW charger in 30 minutes. This gives you time to appreciate the Countryman’s interior. A large, multi-configurable central OLED touchscreen display dominates, but there’s a neat row of physical buttons beneath. The gently curving dash and doors are covered in a knitted textile two-tone surface that’s made entirely of recycled polyester. There’s voice activation, eight different drive modes that alter the car’s dynamics and character, and AI learns your driving habits.
Aston Martin Vantage
Against the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche, Aston Martin has had little option but to play up the plucky underdog schtick. But the boss, Lawrence Stroll, is a resoundingly alpha kinda guy, and the product portfolio is beginning to look that way too. Having reconfigured the DB12 into a super GT, now the smaller, sportier and supposedly more affordable Vantage has turned up the heat. Its stockier stance and bigger grille don’t do justice to the changes beneath. The Merc-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre V8 gains hotter turbos, new cams and improved cooling to see its power output rise to 656bhp. That’s more than the previous Vantage V12 made, underlining the shift in priorities here. There’s new adaptive suspension, bespoke Michelin tyres, and a dynamics ‘controller’ that puts the Vantage level with Ferrari and Lamborghini in terms of reaction times and sensation (ie: fast and lots of).
Audi RS6 GT
Audi’s transition to full electrification is well under way, and the e-tron GT is proof high performance is not under threat for the lack of combustion. But this limited series RS6 suggests that at least some of Audi Sport’s engineers want to see out the old era in the style with which we’ve become accustomed. Since the RS2 arrived 30 years ago, fast Audi estates have become a distinct subculture, but the RS6 GT is on another level. Trailed by 2020’s GTO concept, which in turn took inspiration from the wild 1989 IMSA 90 quattro race car, the GT arrives in a limited edition of 660 cars worldwide, 60 of which are coming to the UK. Eye-popping livery aside, this is the first Audi to use carbon fibre for the bonnet and wings, as well as on its wheels. Aero tweaks run to a double rear wing, a bigger diffuser, and angrier front splitter. The engine is the same 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 as the ‘regular’ RS6, which is good for 621bhp. But the suspension and rear diff have been reconfigured to sharpen handling. Even at £180k, they’ll all be gone by the time you read this.
Porsche Macan
This is Porsche’s second pure-electric car, following the magnificent Taycan, and comes in two guises: the 402bhp Macan 4 (£69,800) and the 630bhp Turbo (£95,000). The 95kWh battery uses an 800-volt architecture so it can charge more efficiently for a claimed range of 381 miles (367 for the Turbo), and there are dual motors and all-wheel drive. Such is the vast developmental cost of an all-new EV, the Macan shares its underpinnings with the upcoming Audi Q6 e-tron). The Macan is taller, wider and longer than the outgoing car, and channels the Taycan for visual inspiration – witness the quad headlights, full-width rear light bar and tight surfaces. Inside, the infotainment runs an Android Automotive operating system, with ‘Hey Porsche’ voice assistant and a Porsche App Centre. But a Porsche is a Porsche and this one’s new software electronics are apparently five times faster than the existing Macan’s. Still need that old-school engine?
Honda 0 series
The 0 – for zero – represents a big reset for Honda. Slow to embrace full electrification, the Japanese giant is aiming to make up for lost time as it sinks £30bn into a vast range of new electric vehicles (30 models by 2030). The primly named Saloon and wackier Space-Hub are tasters for what’s coming, and we’re fully on-board assuming they stick to this path. Batteries are heavy things but Honda insists the captivatingly mono-volume Saloon is designed to be “thin, light and wise”. The real thing, due to land in 2026, will pulse with all the latest advanced driving assistance systems, including level three automation, while Honda’s expertise in robotics plays out in posture control and a motion management system. AI will tailor the user’s preferences, enable the car to become ‘one with the driver’, and also venture suggestions. Here’s ours: include a giant ‘off’ button for all that stuff. Because if the 0 ends up being anything like as good to look at and drive as this concept suggests, we really would prefer to be left alone to enjoy it. The Space-Hub, meanwhile, maxxes out on the interior possibilities and the rising pre-eminence of the ‘internet of things’. No off button needed here.
Cupra Dark Rebel
Cupra is the upstart performance brand that has out-played its Seat parent, and become one of the star performers within the VW mega-corps. The Dark Rebel is a concept that posits an all-electric coupe, notable for its ‘shooting brake’ silhouette and details like the ‘hidden until lit’ head- and tail-lights. Design director Jorge Diez confirmed that these are tricky to do but could be production feasible. Cupra is a hit with Gen Y for whom legacy is less of a deal-breaker, and the steering wheel and display screens take inspiration from the gaming world. We’re less certain that the Dark Rebel’s heavily raked rear end and complex diffuser will survive into production, but we’re not complaining. The design team used input from a ‘Hyper Configurator’ to determine the car’s liquid mercury colour scheme, amongst other elements, gathering data from 270,000 contributors. Crowd-sourced goodness.
Lotus Emira i4
If the electric Eletre crossover is the wildly off-piste machine Lotus needs to survive, the Emira is the two-seater, mid-engined sports car that needs no introduction, right? This is Lotus at its zenith. Impressive amounts of re-engineering has gone in to make the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine fit, including an i4-specific aluminium subframe, although it’s detuned here compared to the AMG A45 that uses the same engine (360bhp v 415). The turbo whistles and whooshes and the i4 generally gets noisier as you close in on the red-line, imbuing this Emira with a personality that’s markedly different from the V6. Fast too: 171mph top speed, 0-62mph in 4.4, with urgency throughout. Even in a sector that contains the brilliant Alpine A110 and Porsche Cayman, the Emira covers ground in a poised and vastly entertaining way. It’s also the best looking sports car this side of the Ferrari 296 GTB, so even at the First Edition’s punchy £81k, it delivers value for money. It will also be the last Lotus sports car to use a combustion engine.
Mercedes AMG SL 63 S E
We like the SL, one of Mercedes’ signature models and a byword for a timeless automotive glamour. Some say it’s the equivalent of Coco Chanel’s little black dress, while Richard Gere teamed his Armani suit with an SL to devastating effect in '80s American Gigolo. You never have to try too hard in one of these, A-lister or not. Which hasn’t stopped Mercedes from throwing pretty much everything at the latest SL 63 E Performance. The unwieldy name hides plug-in hybrid technology designed to double down on the current SL’s more aggressively sporting remit. Power comes from a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 603bhp on its own, further boosted by the addition of a rear-mounted electric motor for a combined output of 804bhp. More eye-popping still is the 1047lb ft of torque, so this thing is going to kick like an especially angry mule. It starts silently in e-mode, though, and can travel a further eight miles in that fashion, but really this is more about performance than efficiency. There are no less than eight different drive modes, governing the SL’s throttle response, gearshift speed, and chassis. Multiple personalities, then, but there’s only ever one Mercedes SL.
Aston Martin DB12
In its quest to become Britain’s answer to Ferrari, Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ now contains a number of clever people persuaded by majority shareholder Lawrence Stroll to swap Maranello for the Midlands. GQ has known CEO Amedeo Felisa and chief technical officer Roberto Fedeli for years, and between them these guys have some of Ferrari’s greatest hits in their back catalogue. So it’s no surprise that the DB12 is so accomplished and so much more than a mere facelift of the lovely looking but dynamically sketchy DB11. Everything has been overhauled, including the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. That now makes 671bhp, enough to back up Aston’s claim that this is a ‘super tourer’, staking out the territory between GT and supercar currently patrolled by the likes of Bentley’s Continental GT and Porsche’s 911 Turbo – fearsome rivals, both. Yet the DB12 matches them not just in terms of pace – which is considerable, hitting 62mph in 3.6 seconds, and 202mph all-out – but more importantly in how well tied down it is, in whichever of its three drive modes is selected. You’d find yourself wrestling the old car a lot of the time, but this one is less… intimidating, much of which is due to the presence of a clever Ferrari-like ‘e-diff’. It also looks magnificent, inside and out, the interior now featuring Aston’s first-ever touchscreen. It works well, although some of the typefaces, though pretty, are too small. The gearlever is a useful toggle switch, sited in the middle of a centre console that slopes down. Everything you touch feels beautifully made, too. Could this be the best Aston Martin ever? Yes, it could… (from £185,055)
Callum Skye
Ian Callum is one of the world’s great automotive designers, responsible for Aston Martin’s bacon-saving DB7 and Vanquish, and countless gems during a 20-year tenure as design director at Jaguar. Fans of the man have been pining for more and here it is: the Callum Skye, a fabulous looking high performance multi-terrain electric vehicle, powered by a 42 kWh battery pack, with an e-motor on each axle. Callum is aiming for a range of around 170 miles for the Skye, while a chassis that mixes steel and carbon fibre keeps the weight down to around 1100kg. That equates to an extremely useful power-to-weight ratio, a far more relevant metric than horsepower alone. As mainstream electric cars become effectively big smartphones on wheels and car-makers get ever deeper into software, the niche in the market for hedonistic but sustainable recreational cars like the Skye is set to blossom. This is a light, agile answer to the question you didn’t know you were about to ask.
Toyota Land Cruiser
In the Australian Outback or on the African plains, the locals don’t drive Land Rovers, they use Toyota Land Cruisers. Split across ‘heavy duty’, ‘station wagon’ and ‘light duty’ formats, 11.3 million have been sold in 170 territories worldwide since the model line arrived in 1951. It’s unlikely a single one ever suffered a break down, which is what counts if you’re trying to out-run a lion. Or vengeful war-lord. The J250 you see here is the fifth generation in the ‘light duty’ blood-line, and its retro-leaning design calls to mind the 70 series and GQ’s favourite Land Cruiser, the perpetually if unexpectedly fashionable Eighties 60 series. Thrillingly and unrepentantly boxy by design, highlights include the adoption of a new chassis – though still body-on-frame for maximum off-road utility – which is 30 per cent stiffer overall than before. There’s new electric steering and an electronically disconnecting front anti-roll bar, and an automatic terrain sensing system. If this all sounds suspiciously hi-tech for a Land Cruiser, the new model will land in Europe powered by a 2.8-litre diesel engine. A hybrid will follow, but that won’t be as good come the zombie apocalypse.
Genesis G90
Squid Game. Bong Joon-Ho. BLACKPINK. South Korea’s exports show no sign of ending. In automotive, too, where Kia and Hyundai are both doing great things, top of the pile sits luxury brand Genesis, and at the summit of that is the G90 saloon. Buy the 5.4m-long version and you even gain admission to the Genesis Lounge in Seoul’s Shilla Hotel. The G90 is coming to Europe, though not yet the UK, and as a statement of intent it’s a fascinating rival for big players like the Audi A8, BMW 7 series and the Mercedes S-class. Genesis goes big on technology and what it calls ‘son-min’ which means ‘honoured guest’. It’s also sufficiently different in design and execution to earn our full attention, its captivating exterior the work of South Korean superstar, Sangyup Lee. The bonnet, for example, is a single-piece clamshell, the twin-row LED headlights delivering a distinctive day- and night-time signature. Inside, Genesis has achieved an ambience and level of quality that matches Bentley. It’s not as accomplished dynamically, but if you’ve got one of these you’ve also most likely also got someone on the payroll in the driver’s seat.
BMW i5 M60
The 5 series is a heartland car for BMW, to the tune of 10m sold across seven generations since its arrival in 1972. The stakes are kinda high, not least as this eighth-gen car is the one that’s going fully electric. The i5’s design is handsomely understated to the point of looking rather generic from some angles, but get the colour and spec combination right and there’s a modernism that’s in keeping with the fantastic technology that underpins it. Its interior is better still: the 14.9in Curved Glass display is the best touchscreen in the automotive world, both to look at and to use, and the 5 series also gains a clever illuminated Interaction Bar and seamless air vents. The dual motor M60 xDrive is the one to go for, at least until the new hybridised M5 rocks up next year. It uses an 81.2kWh battery pack that can be charged at up to 205kW, to whoosh it up to 80 per cent charge in around 30 minutes (assuming the charging point is working and the batteries are nicely pre-conditioned). The M60’s motors are good for almost 600bhp, and adaptive damping and active anti-roll bars ensure amazing agility on the move. There’s also a load of driver assistance systems, including one that offers hands-off semi-autonomous functionality that uses eye activation to trigger overtakes. Sounds cool, but it’s annoying in reality. The rest of the i5 is brilliant, though, if expensive. The M60 costs £96,840.
Zenvo Aurora
There is no mainstream Danish car industry, and the Danes are not renowned for their love of extrovert hypercars. All of which makes Zenvo a fascinating outlier, doggedly pursuing its high performance ambitions for more than a decade. Now here comes the new Aurora, available in road-oriented Tur or track-focused Agil form. There’s an all-new chassis and 6.6-litre quad-turbo V12 engine, developed by specialist Mahle, and good for up to 1,850bhp with the aid of three e-motors. “The Aurora project is best described as an equilibrium of extremes,” Zenvo boss Jens Sverdup says with some Scandinavian understatement. Christian Brandt has done an astute job on the car’s design, citing the Danish love of simplicity as an inspiration. ‘We wanted to showcase as much of the chassis, engine and suspension as we could,’ he says.