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Putting the utility in sport utility

Many of us think of sport-utility vehicles as the ultimate in family transportation: spacious, versatile, with enough ground clearance for rough roads or cottage trails, and often the traction and stability benefits of all-wheel drive. It doesn’t hurt that they’re also stylish and offer a more rugged, outdoorsy image than a minivan or a station wagon. However, not all sport-utilities have the same balance of attributes. 

Audi is all-in on electric. The company has announced publicly that it is ending development of gasoline and diesel engines by 2026, and plans to be an all-electric brand by 2032. All-electric Audi models such as the original e-tron and swift e-tron GT sedan, have been rolling out since 2019, but the new Q4 e-tron, now arriving on our shores, is by far the most important. A pure-electric SUV aimed straight at the heart of the market, it has to be a success in order for the brand’s ambitions to come true.

 

So here we are. The Artura, McLaren’s first hybrid sports car. A car that, I have to say, I’ve been eagerly awaiting since they announced it, with an all-new powertrain.

 

My inner engineer has been hungry for an all-new powertrain from McLaren since the 4.0-litre unit found in the 720S. A lot of people give McLaren a hard time for the lack of newly-developed powertrains – but I can assure you the original M838T found in the 12C and the 720’s M840T are quite a bit different. So much so that, from product to product, you can…

In case you haven’t noticed, SUVs are taking over the world. A vehicle class that was once for outdoor, off-road adventurers is now the vehicle of choice for more families than the four-door sedan. We all seem to love the raised ride height which makes getting in and out of these vehicles easier; the ease of accessing cargo areas through a big hatch instead of a trunk; and the image they help us portray: active, outdoorsy, the best version of ourselves.

GTS. For Porsche fans, these three letters mean a lot. Whichever model you are looking at – the Cayenne and Macan SUVs, the Panamera sedan, or the 718 and 911 sports cars – the GTS models are often the sweet spot. They are an enticing combination of extra performance, sporty styling details, upgraded interiors, and a more emotional driving experience – a useful and worthwhile upgrade over “S” models, but less extreme from a performance and price standpoint than the flagship Turbo or GT versions. 

 

Sometimes, I think BMW doesn’t get enough credit for how forward-thinking it is. The brand has often courted controversy with out-there styling that broke classical moulds – only to have the rest of the industry follow in its footsteps in subsequent years. BMW was the first to bring a big screen to vehicle dashboards, unifying the ever-multiplying entertainment and setup options in one place, with a single set of controls and menus – something which generated a ton of critical reaction at the time, but is standard for the industry today.

Lithia & Driveway (NYSE: LAD) and Pfaff Automotive Partners today announced the first addition to their Canadian portfolio in 2022, Sisley Honda, based in Thornhill, Ontario. The addition of Sisley, one of the highest-volume Honda dealerships in Canada, significantly increases LAD’s mainstream Canadian footprint. The acquisition follows the partnership LAD formed with Pfaff in 2021.

Initial coverage of the all-electric BMW iX was concentrated around its controversial looks. Built on the same styling elements as the somewhat more compact iNext concept car, the iX definitely doesn’t look like any BMW you’ve ever seen on the road. Its one-box shape, giant “grille” elements and skinny lights make it a very different kind of BMW, one not defined so much by sleekness and sportiness, but instead by technology and a deliberate sense of doing things different.

Audi’s e-tron, one of the original premium German electric vehicles, has a new sibling called sportback. Substituting a sleek, teardrop-shaped side profile for the more practical boxy SUV shape, the e-tron sportback sure is a looker, especially in S Line trim, with a blacked-out front “grille,” giant 22-inch wheels, and orange brake calipers. As you walk up to it, LED lights animate themselves into life; it looks expensive, futuristic, and at the moment, quite unlike anything else on the road.