Cadillac is getting ready to become an EV-only brand from 2030, but before it gets there it’s going to serve up a near-700 hp Escalade-V. Intel suggests the kick-ass Caddy hauler will be powered by the 689 hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8 from the CT5-V Blackwing. That would make it one of the quickest ways on the planet to move seven people from zero to 60mph.
But maybe not the quickest. The super-SUV sector is booming and we’ve counted 17 family trucks that have more than 500 hp, nine that are packing over 600, and a couple of crazies with more than 1000 horses under the hood. Here’s your countdown of the most muscular SUVs you can buy, from 505 hp to more than 1000 hp.
► Sports saloon vs thoroughbread
► Can one reign supreme?
The BMW M3 has always been above the saloon riff-raff, preferring instead to mix it with blue-blood sports cars. New M3 meets Porsche 911 and heads for the hills.
Pre-flight briefing: BMW M3
Why is it here?
Because this is the new M3 – the latest in a long and lauded line of outstanding performance saloons from BMW s M division. Compared with the previous car, the new one, based on the G20 3-series, is bigger, heavier, stiffer, runs bigger tyres and gets a load more power: 503bhp from a twin-turbo straight-six.
Any clever stuff?
Acceleration is one of the biggest thrills that a car can bring, and with a number of manufacturers now utilising the instant power delivery of the electric motor, a sub-3 second 0-60mph time is now almost commonplace in the upper echelons of the performance car world. The fastest accelerating cars are still pushing at the boundaries though, with manufacturers continuing to place value on out-pacing their rivals in a straight drag race.
Though the ‘nought to sixty’ time is the most common method of measuring a vehicle’s acceleration, this isn’t without its flaws. Some manufacturers are decidedly vague when it comes to providing accurate acceleration information. Some overstate their cars’ abilities, while others have been known to underestimate 0-60mph times for one reason or another.
Leave it to Porsche to even think about offering a long-roof model of its electric sport sedan. For decades Porsche has been taking risks by offering form factors that other companies must believe to be be too difficult to engineer, produce, or market. How many wagons are left on the market? Five? Add one more to that list, and it’s a damn fine addition.
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Full Disclosure: Porsche invited me to sunny Los Angeles to test drive its newest Taycan variant, the one with a long roof. I paid for my travel, driving my own car rather than flying, and I paid for my own hotel stay. Porsche provided me with a car and a fully charged up battery pack for about 7 hours to do whatever I wanted to do.)
PORSCHE 911 TARGA 4S
Base price: $288,600
Powertrain and economy: 3.0-litre turbo-petrol flat six, 331kW/530Nm, 8-speed dual clutch transmission, AWD, combined economy 9.7L/100km, CO2 223g/km (source: RightCar).
Vital statistics: 4519mm long, 1852mm wide, 1303mm high, 2450mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 132 litres (front), 163 litres (rear), 20-inch (front)/ 21-inch (rear) alloy wheels.
We like: It s a 911, fantastic retro-inspired design, unnecessarily elaborate roof mechanism.
We don t like: AWD isn’t as pure or as fun as RWD, unnecessarily elaborate roof mechanism. Whether you want more than a sunroof, but less than a convertible because you are
weirdly specific, or you just like the cool retro-inspired looks, the Porsche 911 Targa 4S might just be the sweet spot in the 911 range for you.