These two go-anywhere SUVs are pretty much the king of the mom-car fleet. They also have price tags around $55,000 and are extremely good off-road. But which multi-purpose SUV is better?
2. Porsche Cayenne
Porsche's Cayenne was released about 11 years ago and has definitely grown since then. Then, it was kind of a tractor with a Porsche suspension, chasse, and powertrain. Now, it is much more advanced and efficient. It has many engine choices, including a 3.6 liter V6, a 3.6 liter hybrid, and a 4.8 liter V8. That engine propels the car to 60 in 4.3 seconds, which is slightly faster than the supercharged Range Rover Sport, which does it in 4.7 seconds. The interior is more complicated, more sporty, and more button-laden. The driving dynamics are closer to a 911 than the Range Rover is to an F-Type. But, the car's options add up quickly, and you are not getting much practicality for $60,000, so it loses this comparison.
1. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Revealed in 2006, the RR Sport has been around for 8 years now and grown so much. Then, it was sort of a caveman-like thing and was not very refined or luxurious. But new for the 2014 model year, it has been completely redesigned (based on the Evoque's styling) and is very powerful, luxurious, and good off-road. It has two engine choices: a 3.0 liter supercharged V6, and a 5.0 liter supercharged V8 that helps the car do 60 in 4.7 seconds. Like the new Range Rover lineup, it features Land Rover's brilliant Terrain Response 2, which features different off-road modes and a sensor that works out the road ahead of you. The interior is much better than the old one's and is so modern and simple, yet still being one of the best interiors on the road.
A couple of years ago, Hyundai released its attempt to make a luxury sedan that competes with cars like the Mercedes-Benz S Class and the BMW 7 Series. That was the Equus, and it has done great in the past 3 years. Now, Kia, Hyundai's corporate cousin, has released the K900, which has the exact ambitions. It has a 5.0 liter, 420 hp V8 that is very similar to the engine in the Equus. The interior very closely resembles the one in the Lexus LS or the BMW 7 Series. I like it a lot, but I think Kia should have been more original with the interior, as well as the exterior. But, I like it when car manufacturers do something completely different that what they usually do, because it shows if they can handle a challenge or not. I think Kia and Hyundai have both done great jobs with their luxury sedans and I encourage car manufacturers to do more things like that.
The Jaguar XK has been around for a couple of years now and is one of my favorite Jaguars of all time. I just love the big hood intakes and the ferocious personality of the car. The XKR-S GT in particular, is the most powerful XK and rivals cars like the Aston Martin Vantage V12 S. It has a tuned version of Jaguar's wonderful 5.0 liter supercharged V8 that now produces 550 hp and 502 pound-feet of torque. This monster of an engine shoots the car to 60 in 3.9 seconds, which is very,very fast for something that weighs a lot, even though Jaguar has given this XK a very large diet. The interior is pretty much the same as the base XK but has carbon-fiber trim and R style sport buckets. Some of the main competitors for this mad Jag are the Porsche 911 Turbo/Turbo S, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, and the Maserati Granturismo MC coupe. I love the XK and I hope Jaguar will not discontinue it for a while.
When Bentley released the Flying Spur in late 2013, it was a big step away from the Continental family, mainly because it used to be a four-door Continental GT, where it clearly did not belong. But now, Bentley has released a V8 version, which uses the same 4.0 liter V8 in the Continental GT V8. It is Audi-derived, and produces 500 hp and 487 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 takes 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 183 mph. The interior is pretty much the same as the W12 Flying Spur and that is a good thing, considering the enormous list of leather and veneer choices. It has a lot of options as well, for example the rear-seat fridge and the touch-screen remote control that can control the navigation head unit and allows you to view the vehicle's current speed. I think even though Bentley removed the Flying Spur from the Continental family, it is still very similar.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA has only been out for a small amount of time and it already has an AMG sibling, the CLA45. It has the most powerful four-cylinder engine production engine in the world, which produces an amazing 178 hp per liter. It measures 2.0 liters in displacement and is twin-turbocharged. 0-60 takes 4.4 seconds because of its 355 horsepower, which is incredible from such a small engine. The interior is mainly standard CLA, except for the sport seats with the special AMG upholstery. The CLA45 is very fun to drive and at $48,000, I think it is a great alternative to a $65,000 C63 AMG.
Next year, Maserati will be releasing part two of its plan to attract lower-end clients who don't want to pay $150K for a Quattroporte. In late 2013, Maserati released the Ghibli, which is a $70K sedan that competes with the Audi A7, the BMW 6 series Gran Coupe, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS. But, next year, they will release the Levante, a midsized crossover that competes with cars like the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz ML. There will be a range of engine choces from their Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans, starting with a 3.0 liter V6 that makes 404 hp and a 3.8 liter V8 that makes 523 hp. It will be available with Maserati's Q4 all-wheel drive and it will probably be pretty good off-road, mainly because it need to compete with the Range Rover Sport.
Both of these two-door behemoths have a price tag of over $175,000, have big V12 powerplants, and are extremely luxurious. But one is $100,000 more than the other, so is it worth it?
2. Rolls-Royce Wraith
Rolls-Royce's Wraith coupe was released in late 2013 and is one of the largest coupes on the market. I mean, it is longer than a Chrysler Town&Country and has about 3 times the power. The 6.6 liter V12 produces 624 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 takes a somewhat disappointing 4.4 seconds. The interior is incredibly finished, with hand-crafted veneers and leather that came from only the finest cows. Everything is put together by hand and that pays off, resulting in one of the best-looking Rolls-Royce interiors ever. But, I find the Wraith disappointing in areas like acceleration, gas mileage, and most of all, the price tag. Only a mere $300,000. Only.
1. Bentley Continental GT
The Continental GT has been around since 2003, and has had many variants since, such as GT Speed, GTC, and Supersports. All of these have been favorites of mine and always will be. One of the best aspects of the car is the powertrain. Measuring 6.0 liters in displacement, it is a Volkswagen-sourced W12 that makes 616 hp and 590 lb-feet of torque. 0-60 takes 4.0 seconds, which is insane for a car that weighs this much. The total weight is a staggering 5,115 lbs, which I don't find surprizing somehow. I find the interior a little more plasticky than the Wraith's but I like it more.
