The Prius has earned this. Whereas the humble city car once represented the avant-garde of electrification, it’s now a veteran in the space and, in some sense, the victim of its own success. The vehicle’s hybrid technology—what Toyota calls Hybrid Synergy Drive—now powers the RAV4, Corolla, Highlander, Crown, Sienna, and a litany of Lexus models. Even as fully electric models have proliferated over the last few years, both conventional (parallel) hybrids and plug-in hybrids from automakers across the globe are in huge demand. As Toyota group Vice President and General Manager Dave Christ put it, “The weight of the Prius name is heavy—it carries with it the identity of an entire category of vehicle powertrain.”

The new Prius, launched last year for 2023, may not deserve your undying passion as a driver. That would be a stretch. But it does deserve your respect. Not only is this fifth-generation the best-driving Prius in the model’s nearly three-decade run, it’s by far the best-looking, all while remaining a committed MPG maven.

Heavy may lie the crown, but this latest Prius is only marginally porkier than its predecessor. Base curb weight is up between 50 and 150 pounds, give or take, depending on trim. That’s despite a larger, 2.0-liter gas engine and significantly more overall power than the outgoing fourth-generation car. Whereas the prior Prius’ 1.8-liter engine and hybrid system peaked at 121 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque, here output ratchets up to 194 hp and 139 lb-ft (or 196 hp with all-wheel drive). That translates to a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds for the new front-drive Prius, versus 9.8 seconds for the car it replaces.

Toyota says that the new Prius’ second-generation TNGA-C platform is lighter and more rigid than before. The battery pack now uses lithium-ion chemistry rather than nickel chemistry, saving space and as much as 40 pounds while increasing output by 15 percent.

Specs: 2024 Toyota Prius Limited AWD

Price: $37,160 (base); $39,938 (as-tested)
Powertrain: 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine, two electric drive motor/generators (one front, one rear), one integrated starter-generator; electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission
Output: 196 hp combined; 150 hp @ 6000 rpm, 139 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm gas engine
Layout: All-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger liftback sedan
EPA Fuel Economy: 49 mpg city, 50 mpg highway, 49 mpg combined
Competitors: Honda Civic Hybrid, Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, Kia Niro

Given that we’d previously reviewed a 2023 Prius Prime, the plug-in variant that comes exclusively with front-wheel drive, for 2024 we went with a Prius Limited with all-wheel drive. The $37,160 Limited is the loaded trim, incorporating the XLE’s standard features plus a 12.3-inch touchscreen, JBL eight-speaker audio system, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated seats, eight-way power driver’s seat with memory, and a power rear liftgate. Optional extras on our loaner: the Advance Technology Package’s 360-degree camera and automatic parking ($1085), heated rear seats ($350), carpeted floor mats and cargo mat ($299), door sill protectors ($250), a rear bumper appliqué ($69), mudguards ($150), and a dash camera ($375). All in, MSRP came to $39,938 including destination fees.

For nearly 40 grand, a mainstream car better turn heads, and the Prius does. We got a number of neck snaps and stares from Prius drivers in particular. The new design is sleek and elegant, rather than the drab or dorky appearance that usually results from cars drawn exclusively for their aerodynamic efficiency. Sure, the car’s lines are significantly cleaner and simpler than the overwrought fourth-gen Prius it replaces, but the success of this design starts with its proportions. The car’s roughly one inch of extra width allows for a more planted stance and a lower hip point. The roofline is two inches lower, and the wheels are pushed out closer to the bumpers. Our Limited tester rides on standard 19-inch wheels, which hamper fuel efficiency by about 4 mpg over smaller wheels, but look damn stylish in the process.

Nothing about the interior suggests outright luxury, but neither does it betray obvious cost-cutting. Behind the better-than-average-quality plastics is a logical, practical, unfussy design. The starter button is right where you expect it to be. Climate functions operate via two rows of buttons positioned below the center screen. Two of the car’s six USB-C ports are situated just below that, alongside a 12-volt accessory port and conveniently above a handy phone tray. Press the release lever on the tray and you’ll find yet another storage tray—this one perfect for hiding valuables out of view when the car is parked. I wouldn’t call the center console generous, but given the other storage options in the vicinity, it’s alright. As for the phone slot in which you can lay your phone on its side—twofold brilliance. It charges in there wirelessly, and while stored there it seemed much less tempting to reach for at long stop lights. 

Longtime Prius fans may notice a few other important shifts. For starters, the giant iPad-like screen from the upper trims of the outgoing car has been replaced with a much more handsome center touchscreen. Beyond that, the instrument cluster now sits behind the steering wheel on a little perch, rather than up in the center of the dashboard behind the display. The shifter, too, is positioned in a more conventional location between the seats rather than on the dashboard like some electro-mechanical proboscis. All of these choices indicate a kind of design maturity—the Prius doesn’t have to constantly remind you it’s a hybrid, because the West has already been won. Instead it can focus on, well, being a thoughtful and useful car.

To wit, the new Prius’ liftback body style works great in daily use. The trunk is nice and wide, with a reasonably low load height. The all-wheel drive hardware on the rear axle—an electric motor and its accompanying components—contribute to a slightly taller trunk floor, but it’s within reason. On either side of the main floor are useful cubbies, perfect for the odd single grocery bag or tote. My favorite feature: a molded plastic piece on either side of the rear seats that, when said seats are folded, keeps the seat belt in position and out of the way of large cargo. 

The interior’s sole weak point I found during a week with the Prius is that rear-seat headroom is worse than before. (The price we pay for that sweeping roofline.) The seats could use a bit more support for longer drives. Oh, and when the windows are open at speed, the wind causes the moonroof shade to flap like a beached carp.

My only other major gripe concerns the noise of the gas engine when it kicks on from pure-electric operation. (It stays on if you select B mode, which better charges the battery.) The 2.0-liter sounds hoarse and unhappy, as if it just swallowed a cylinder of black peppercorns. 

That clatter arrives in contrast with what is otherwise a serene driving experience. The ride is composed, comfortable, and not excessively floaty. Turn-in isn’t exactly crisp, and the steering feels artificially weighted, but the Prius changes direction with poise. It’s sure-footed on bumpy roads, twisty roads, freeways, you name it. The car’s biggest achievement is how it blends brake feel, resulting in a seamless transition between mechanical and regenerative braking—no easy feat. (Those brakes do groan a bit at low speeds, however.)

In several hundred miles of mixed driving, the Prius had no problem getting 50 mpg, equaling its mixed highway rating from the EPA. The new car’s combined rating of 49 mpg is 2 mpg greater than the outgoing XLE e-AWD’s 47 mpg, but the older Prius highway rating beats this car’s 50 mpg rating by 1 mile. Suffice to say, the new car is about as efficient as the Prius it replaces while offering much more useful passing power and far superior handling. 

All that said, unless you live in an area that experiences severe winter weather, I’d much sooner buy a set of top-shelf winter tires for a base Prius LE ($29,470) or a mid-grade XLE ($32,490) and stick with front-wheel drive. This Prius makes a lot more sense as a mainstream car that punches way above its weight than it does as a luxury-adjacent commuter, and the LE returns an impressive 57 mpg. 

In fairness, the heated seats are nice and the 360-degree camera works flawlessly, but for $40,000 a Prius—even one this good—is facing competition from the Audi A3s and Mercedes-Benz CLAs of the world, not to mention the more spacious Honda Civic Sport Touring that comes with a standard hybrid powertrain for 2025. Hell, for the same price you could lose 6 or 7 mpg and pick up an Accord Hybrid Touring, which is a whole lot more spacious and luxurious.

Naturally, none of the above can boast Toyota’s track record for reliability. That and low long-term maintenance costs remain major factors in new-car decisions, which also explains the Prius’ generally fabulous resale value.

So far in 2024, its first full year of sales, Toyota is on pace to sell about 45,000 examples of the new-generation Prius. That’s a long way off from the heyday of the early 2010s, when sales topped 200,000 for three years running. However, don’t take that to mean the Prius has lost its way—if anything it has found it, maturing into a well-sorted and sophisticated hybrid commuter nobody should be embarrassed to drive. Think of this fifth-gen car as the Prius entering its golden years as a silver fox—older, wiser, and relieved from the burden of carrying so much early water for hybridization. Like it or not, this is the Prius’ world; we’re just living in it.

2024 Toyota Prius Limited AWD

Price: $37,160 (base); $39,938 (as-tested)

Highs: Useful power, practical interior, handsome styling. Excellent brake feel. And, of course, 50 mpg.

Lows: Sub-par headroom in the back seat. Noisy gas engine. Limited’s nearly-$40K price pits it against more spacious rivals.

Takeaway: Far and away the best-driving, best-looking Toyota Prius in history.

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Although people travel to the Bonneville Salt Flats in western Utah to drive fast, there is really no place quite like it on Earth to make you feel slow. The broad, incredibly flat salt playa that hosts the annual Bonneville Speedweek (as always, weather permitting) is a featureless moonscape that has no reference points to indicate motion. The surrounding mountains are so distant that their bases are concealed below the arc of the horizon, and except for the course markers at every milepost that whisk past, there’s no sensation of motion save for the plink-plink of salt crystals spraying in the wheel wells.

Back in 2003, some sharp minds at Toyota figured out that of the 600-plus classes at Bonneville, none was for gasoline-electric hybrid cars such as its hot-selling Prius. Further, as long as the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), which hosts Speedweek, was willing to create a class, a car could go 300 mph or 30 mph and still set a record. I was then an editor at Car and Driver magazine and having drinks one night with Bill Reinert, then Toyota’s U.S. manager of advanced technologies. He let slip the Bonneville plan and I volunteered, without asking my boss, a full spread in Car and Driver if Toyota let us drive it.

While negotiations commenced with SCTA, a team in Los Angeles headed by Chuck Wade, who built special vehicles for Toyota including all of its Toyota Pro/Celebrity race cars, was tasked with modifying a stock 2003 Prius for Bonneville. Which involved gutting the car, lowering it, and fitting huge Mickey Thompson salt-flat tires and disc wheels.

It sounds simple enough, but it proved to be incredibly complex thanks to the Prius’s hybrid powertrain. The entire transmission had to be “clocked” relative to the engine to bring the driveshaft power-takeoffs lower, or else the CV joints would be eaten by the extreme angles. That created a rat’s nest of interference issues that had to be worked out. A large fluid tank in place of the passenger seat would be filled with ice and water just before the run in order to cool the car’s power electronics, and a bar was fixed to the back bumper so the Tacoma push-truck could nudge the Prius off the line.

Only a few months later we were out on the salt flats sweating under the intense sun as the lowered, gutted, and striped Prius was made ready for its first run. I would take the first pass, followed by Prius chief engineer Shigeyuki Hori, and then Toyota vice president Fumiaki Kobayashi. All three of us shared billing on the side of the car, above prominent Car and Driver logos. 

Belted in, I looked down the five-mile short course while I awaited our turn off the line. As we rolled up to take our run, the car suddenly refused to shift from neutral to drive. Our crew chief, Bonneville veteran and Toyota engineer Jim Leininger, yanked open the door and barked commands: “Press the brake once! Floor the gas three times! Press the brake again and try it!” Nothing worked, and while the starter grew impatient at this larval computer pod stalled at his line, we frantically rebooted the car and tried again. Finally, the Prius’s five-or-so computers reached agreement and the car shifted into drive. The Tacoma pushed me off the line and, when Jim honked the horn at 40 mph, I floored it.

While the stock Prius back then was computer-limited to 104 mph, the goal was to squeeze the Bonneville Prius over 130, a figure calculated based on its horsepower and very slippery drag coefficient. The car accelerated fairly lazily and without drama, and I had time to look around at the sun-drenched salt, the bustling pits that were passing way in the distance off to the left, and the mountains rising from the horizon. The narrow tires sounded like skis whisking through fresh snow, the salt clattering against the bottom of the car. Crossing the line, the in-car radio reported the speeds: 130 mph at the start of the measured mile, 131 mph a quarter of the way through, and 129 mph out the back door, for an average of 130.794 mph.

Later, for fun, because it was illegal for the purposes of setting a record, the team taped up the front-end openings and got 134 mph out of the Prius. Smiles and “banzais” all around. The Prius was shipped back to Japan, where Hori managed to crash it while showing it off on a racetrack (because of the oversized wheels, the steering was never able to turn more than a few degrees). Toyota thought it would crush it then, but back in Los Angeles, Wade volunteered to rebuild the car and it was shipped back to the U.S. Following the rebuild, the Prius lived a quiet life in Toyota’s museum in Torrance, California, before the company moved it to Texas.

The best part of the whole thing was that Toyota purchased full-page ads for its feat in all of the major car magazines, which meant that readers of our competitors at Motor Trend, Automobile, and Road & Track at some point came across a large Car and Driver logo emblazoned across the side of the Bonneville Prius in each of those magazines. Not that it got me a raise or anything.

Now the car has been marked for destruction by Toyota and spotted in a recycling yard outside Dallas. The conditions at Bonneville are extremely hard on a car, and corrosion has likely done a number on this racer. The Prius is also potentially un-registrable due to being built from a car that might never have been prepped to sell. Regardless, we say kudos to you, brave hybrid, and may you set a record on that first run at the salt flats in the sky.

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Following three rounds of voting by 50 members of the print, TV, and electronic media in the U.S. and Canada, the North American Car, Truck, and Sport Utility of the Year awards have been announced. The NACTOY awards are celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2024.

Winner of the North American Car of the Year is the Toyota Prius/Prius Prime. Truck of the Year is the Ford Super Duty, and the winning SUV is the Kia EV9.

NACTOY jurors (full disclosure: I’m on the jury) narrowed their picks down from 52 eligible vehicles to a preliminary list of 25, announced in September at the Detroit Auto Show. After a ride and drive of the semi-finalists, the list was narrowed to nine vehicles, three in each class, announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The other finalists in those classes: The Honda Accord and Hyundai Ioniq 6 (car), the Chevrolet Colorado and Chevrolet Silverado EV (truck), and the Genesis Electrified GV70 and Hyundai Kona (SUV).

“Our winners reflect the fact that a modern vehicle must be a combination of style, utility, and technology,” said NACTOY president Jeff Gilbert. “I commend our 50 jurors for coming up with some excellent choices.”

The full list of NACTOY winners, dating back to 1994, can be found here.

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Yes, we know, putting together a list of the most important vehicles introduced this past year is a very subjective thing. But this has been a big year for new debuts, including sports cars, trucks, luxury EVs, and more. If we got it wrong, there’s a comments section down at the bottom where you can set us straight. So without further delay, here are 12 vehicles we think moved the needle in 2022, or will soon in 2023. Oh, and they’re organized alphabetically, rather than ranked in any particular order.

BMW i4 M50

With the i4 M50, BMW is just showing off. With the enormous grille that is there for looks (what happened to the modest bow tie grilles on BMWs?), the electric i4 M50 has dual-motor all-wheel-drive, totaling 536 horsepower, with a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. Weight is over 5000 pounds, but it feels lighter on its feet than you’d expect. It’s a solid vehicle with in-your-face styling, starting at $68,295. Click here to read Ronan Glon’s BMW i4 M50 review.

BMW M2

Yes, it’s surrounded on this list by a lot of electric cars, but the BMW M2 is a pocket rocket reminds you of why internal combustion and manual transmissions still matter. The turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine has 453 horsepower and the six-speed manual promises smooth shifting, especially after the car is broken in and you get used to that familiar, rubbery gear engagement. It’s pricier than, say, the Toyota GR Corolla, but this car is as exciting and, in its own way, sophisticated as it gets for $63,195. Money well spent, we’d say. And no M4 grille!

Cadillac Lyriq

Go to Cadillac.com and click on “Lyriq.” The first thing you see: “Orders for the 2023 Lyriq are full. Pre-order your 2024 model today.” That speaks to the general appeal of the elegant electric Lyriq. Cadillac estimates the price of the 2024 all-wheel-drive, two-motor, 500-horsepower Lyriq at $64,000; they might sell out in ’24 too – a problem Cadillac hasn’t had with a mass-market model in a long time. Click here to read Aaron Robinson’s 2023 Cadillac Lyriq 450E review.

Ford F-150 Lightning

The F-150 Lightning has become the default representative of the electric truck. It’s quick, entirely capable as a pickup, handsome, and despite a rash of price increases that now comes in at a base of just under $60,000, still affordable if you opt for the Pro or Lariat model (though the Platinum extended range model is dangerously close to $100,000). Rivian’s swanky R1T is a looker, but the Lightning boasts well-conceived and expertly executed package—with the backing of the Blue Oval. Click here to read Sajeev Mehta’s Ford F-150 Lightning review.

Ford Mustang

Yes, we know, we haven’t driven the seventh-generation Mustang, but it is an important car, even if the new generation isn’t that far removed from the sixth. But all signs point to the possibility that this may be the last true new pony car with an internal combustion engine, and that wonderful sound from the (soon to be) 480-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8, much less the track-ready, 500-horsepower Dark Horse model. The looks aren’t to everyone’s taste, but the performance can’t be denied.

Genesis GV60

The electric Genesis GV60 tries to be many things to many buyers, and it essentially succeeds. The premium cockpit and very smooth, quiet ride point up the level of precision that went into this SUV; there are luxury models that are more fun to drive, such as the Volvo XC40 Recharge, but as daily runabout transportation the Genesis GV60 delivers everything you’d want in a modern EV. Starting price is just over $60,000. Look for Nate Petroelje’s first drive review of the GV60 in the coming weeks.

Lordstown Endurance

While the Endurances we drove earlier this year were certainly capable and well screwed together, this fleet truck scores points mainly because it exists, turning an abandoned GM plant in Ohio into a working factory again. Kudos, and good luck getting the Endurance off the ground. Click here to read my Lordstown Endurance review.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer L

The L is representative of all the big new Jeep Wagoneer models, but there’s something about the L that just seems appropriately stately. After seeing a white one at a gas station towing a big aluminum-skinned Avion trailer, we had to admit it just looked right. And the new 510-horsepower “Hurricane” inline six-cylinder engine is just right, too. Of course, starting at $88,640, the Grand Wagoneer L better be good. Click here to Nate Petroelje’s Jeep Grand Wagoneer L 4×4 Obsidian review.

Kia EV6/Hyundai Ioniq 5

These two South Koreans are essentially twins, so choose your styling and your dealer and go for it. You’ll be getting one of the most critically acclaimed electric SUVs on the market. Handling is startlingly good, masking the weight of the battery (and let’s face it, electric vehicles are way too heavy). Power is adequate at 320 horsepower, and far more than adequate in the sports-minded 576-horsepower EV6 GT model. The single-motor Ioniq 5 SE is probably the best bargain, with rear-wheel-drive and 320 horses, but a range of over 300 miles for under $47,000. Click here to read Sajeev Mehta’s Hyundai Ioniq 5 design story.

Nissan Z

No, it isn’t as fast as some customers might want it to be, but 400 horsepower seems like plenty for this Japanese sports car. Handling is very good, ergonomics above average, and the styling, reminiscent of the 1990 Nissan 300 ZX but not derivative, is spot on. Eventually the pipeline will be full enough so dealers can’t so easily tack on $20,000 to what is a tantalizingly low base price of $39,990 (before destination). If you’re looking for attention, this may well be the most appealing pure sports car you can get for the money. Click here to read Eddy Eckart’s Nissan Z review.

Toyota GR Corolla

The only question we have about the GR Corolla is, what took Toyota so long to build a wild thing like this? It’s a blast to drive, but even with its 300-horsepower turbo three-cylinder it’s docile enough to serve as practical daily transportation. The manual transmission is way fun, and handling is truly kart-like. The all-wheel drive system and limited-slip differentials front/rear make it a uniquely rally-bred prospect, now that the Subaru WRX STI is dead in the water. The GR Corolla starts at $35,990 (before shipping), but good luck finding one for that.

Toyota Prius

We suspect a lot of consumers who have never thought about buying a Prius will now add it to the “consider” list. It’s finally pretty, and with the base hybrid’s 193-horse powertrain, it should be reasonably capable of merging onto the highway. Add in great mileage and Toyota reliability and resale value, and we think the new Prius will be a big hit.

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I’ve had the privilege of writing Vision Thing for you for a little while now, and although we’ve covered a lot of ground in car design, there’s much still uncovered. It occurred to me the other day when I was showering: I haven’t really given you an insight into which cars I think have a really standout design—and why.

(You never know when these thoughts are going to hit you; this why you should always carry a notebook. Probably not into the shower, though.)

This time of the year, there are a lot of list articles about, and I’m not one to leave a bandwagon un-jumped on for my readers’ sakes. I know I’ve mentioned a few tangentially both above and below the line, but I will now wheel my own opinions out into the harsh glare of the studio strip lights for a design critique session.

What follows then, is a brief list of standouts currently (or soon to be) available to buy, each of which should make a sizable dent in your kid’s college fund. If you’re thinking about any of these and need an excuse to take to the finance committee, tell them a professional said each is a future design classic.

Lexus LC 500

Sometimes a manufacturer struggles with a design language for years, trying to make it work over several different models, before finally the right canvas comes along and it all suddenly makes sense.

Cadillac tried for years with its Art & Science philosophy before finally nailing it on the 2013 ATS. The concept version of the Lexus LC, the LF-LC, showed us in 2012 what its L-finesse language was going to look like—swooping surfaces that twisted in all directions, a massive spindle grille.

It was fabulous.

Unfortunately, the first production Lexus sporting L-finesse clothes was not a big grand tourer but an urban crossover, the NX, which looked like it had been rolled down the stairs. The same story repeated itself with subsequent product releases, but when we got the LC 500 in 2017, it all came together (again) magnificently.

The height of the cowl above the bottom of the side daylight opening (DLO) is much higher than normal, but this allows the metal in front of the door mirror to roll smoothly to the horizontal to meet the hood. It lends the whole car an F1-style forward rake. The dimensions temper the aggressiveness.

Even the trademark spindle grille works in this application. Searingly modern and unmistakably Japanese, it looks like nothing else on the road.

The LC 500 feels like the kind of car Jaguar should be making if it had the daring. But to call the LC a Japanese Jaguar is to sell it short: Gaydon would never be this bold.

The LC 500 is probably my favorite new car on sale, if you’re stuck for something to get your favorite auto-design writer for Christmas.

Ford Maverick

At first, I didn’t totally get the Maverick, a small truck that wasn’t really all that rugged. There were plenty of options for pickup buyers already, although not at this price point.

Then it dawned on me. The Maverick is a direct replacement for the Focus. It’s even built off the same platform. A pickup for the non-traditional pickup buyer.

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense. Eschewing the overt brashness that characterizes basically every other open-backed vehicle on the market, the Maverick is a handsome vehicle with crisp detailing and surfacing that will take you to work without turning your spine to cookie crumbs, and be ready to get mucky on the weekend.

Arguably the Maverick’s best feature is that eye-catching MSRP: $23,690, as of this writing, for a 2023 model. You need a component catalog the size of Ford’s coupled with its economies of scale to get down that low. The strategy is clever as opposed to ruthless and cost-cut. There’s nothing you don’t really need—the base model even comes with old-fashioned steelies. When these become more widely available the aftermarket is going to wild with them, 3-D printers a-whirring.

A sensible, economical, good-looking, and practical commuter vehicle that happens to be a pickup? America, your 1980 Fiat Panda has arrived.

Toyota Prius

Okay. Hands up on who saw this coming? I certainly didn’t.

Toyota stunned everyone when it showed us the 2024 Prius in November. For four generations the Prius has been a worthy but polarizing car, bought by people who took conservation very seriously and wanted everyone to know it. A slightly unnecessary, aerodynamic hunch leant it the appearance of an oversized computer mouse. It was hardly the last word in style. Until now.

The whole part-electric powertrain deal no longer being a novelty (nearly every car on this list is available as a hybrid in one form or another), Toyota has wisely shed the yurts and yoghurt vibe and given us a Prius that no longer trades on economy but on looks. It’s like seeing the server you smiled at in Whole Foods dressed to kill in a swanky downtown cocktail bar.

Squints hard. Prius, is that you?

It’s a much lower, wedgier car for 2024. The high point of the roof has been pulled right back to the rear passenger compartment, which in this or any segment is unheard of. This allows the cant rail to dive seamlessly into the A-pillar.

Volume has been added into the hood at the center line, and the abrupt cut-off tail of previous versions toned down considerably. This no longer feels like a car that places economy above all other considerations, and in sign of growing design confidence, Toyota have cheekily referenced the Ferrari SF90 front headlight graphic.

Surprised? I dropped my wheatgrass smoothie.

Lincoln Navigator

About a year ago my Range Rover Sport slipped into my life. About a day later, off it went into my heart. I bonded with it in a way I never did with my previous daily, an Audi TT.

“Designers are all style over function,” my ass!

Even though mine is a 2011, the Range Rover still has a regal on-road presence and is full of thoughtful touches (and one or two infuriating ones, such as no rear-passenger compartment lighting!). It simply goes about its business quietly and competently. No, I don’t take it off-road, but have you seen the state of the nation’s tarmac recently? I’ll take that day-to-day isolation, thanks.

Ford has not been averse to lifting Range Rover design cues for its bigger SUVs in the past, but with the Navigator, released in 2018 and refreshed last year, Lincoln has a model that can go head-to-head with Gaydon’s best. Look hard enough, and you can see a little modern Range Rover in the Navigator’s body-side surfacing—that’s a compliment, not a demerit. This is domestic luxury that need apologize to no one.

To get a measure of how good the Navigator is, consider that Jeep had a free field goal with the new Grand Wagoneer—and missed it by miles. The Navigator’s wrap-around glazing DLO looks classy, all of a piece and fittingly expensive. The Wagoneer’s body-colored pillars, the exact opposite.

Decorated with just the right amount of chrome, the Navigator exudes American class and authority without going over the top, something that hasn’t always been true of high-end domestic cars in the past. I actually saw a photo of a Navigator in central London recently (probably a diplomat’s car) and you know what? It didn’t look out of place one bit.

As designers we have to accept that customers like SUVs and these days they are willing to trade the last couple of mpg to drive them. To that end, the Navigator doesn’t have a V-8. These cars will continue to exist, so we must make them as safe and fuel-efficient as possible. That they generate good profit margins and support American jobs is something to be celebrated as well.

Ferrari 296 GTB

So we finally got the V-6 baby Ferrari that’s been rumored for who knows how many years. Except it’s not really a baby at all, slotting somewhere into the middle of Maranello’s ever more-confusing range. No matter. The 296 is simply the best-looking Ferrari in an absolute age. It is gorgeous.

That’s not something that can be said of many recent efforts from chief designer Flavio Manzoni. Although generally good in profile and proportion, his vehicles have been extremely complex in the detailing. Surfaces desecrated with nicks and cuts, awkward lamp graphics, and, in the case of the rather plain Roma, the best car Aston Martin never made. Ferrari’s been twisting the marque in knots to create ever more-special editions and even now an SUV.

This is important. Ferrari’s rivals at McLaren have been hampered by spinning a range of indeterminate models off of the essentially the same kit of parts; the carbon-fiber cell and the 3.8-liter twin turbo V-8. Maranello shouldn’t have this problem, given the range of engines and layouts at its disposal: You should know straight away if you’re looking at the mid-engined, entry-level V-8 one, the front-engined, V-12 GT one, whatever the range topper is, and so on. Recently, that hasn’t been the case for Ferrari. At a car show in the fall, a designer friend and I were standing behind an SF90 wondering if we’d got the model designation right.

The 296GTB is a refreshing return to a classically beautiful aesthetic that belies the technical complexity beneath. The nose has one wide, mesh-filled opening, flanked by two smaller air curtains on each side and a smaller, lower central one. It’s simple without being simplistic, an attitude which is very hard to get right. The hips’ air vents are models of restraint, impressive given what the airflow requirements of this thing must be. Rather than punch more holes in the rear body work or increase the size of the rear lights, the rear fog and reflectors are brilliantly and subtly incorporated into the upward surface of the diffuser.

Minimalist without being minimal, this is one of those cars that can only be ruined by the inevitable go-faster version with tacked-on aero kit. What was I saying about that Lexus?

Honorable mentions: Land Rover Defender

It’s been with us for three years. Was it what we expecting? The evergreen original combined Blake’s Satanic mills with British sheer bloody-mindedness. We were never going to get a newer version of that. The workhorse role it was designed for has long since been taken over by base model pickups and ATVs, so how to keep this most beloved nameplate relevant?

By creating a frighteningly modern-looking, tough, capable SUV that, in lower trims at least (get the steel wheels!), maintains some of the class transcendence that characterized the original. The Defender looks like nothing else on the road and shows up the Ineos Grenadier up for the fool’s errand it is.

Honorable mentions: Alfa Romeo Giulia

I would have put the Mazda6 here, because it remains for me the blueprint for a mid-market sporting saloon, but that body is now ten years old. (It’s also no longer available domestically.)

When I first saw the Giulia, my reaction was Alfa Romeo should have had the Mazda in Alfa Centro Stile as inspiration instead of whatever they did use. But if ever a car looked better in the flesh than photos, the Giulia is it.

Just refreshed for 2022, it was famously crash-designed and developed by a dedicated tiger team after Sergio ordered a do-over. Little wonder that initial cars had teething problems. But it’s one of those cars that makes pause and smile every time I see one out on the road. Tautly organic, faintly muscular, and delicately detailed, the Giulia makes its German rivals look decidedly ordinary.

I purposely didn’t mention the Dodge Challenger in this list, because if you’ve kept up with my columns, you’ll know my feelings for that particular slice of Mopar design brilliance. Truth is, there are a lot of decent-looking vehicles available for sale right now. Not everything needs to be a design revolution or market disruptor—sometimes getting the basics right, and being solidly handsome, well-marketed, and ably developed is enough.

Hopefully these will give you some inspiration for the January sales (if such a thing will happen in today’s weird new-car market). If not, next time, I’ll tease you with some of my design choices that you can’t buy.

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