Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica Review: Oh Freaking Baby

Pebble Beach Car Week has come and gone. This year's festivities marked my 12th in a row, and the world's biggest automobile bash/gala/jubilee felt more lively and comprehensive than ever. I went as a guest of Cadillac, which was celebrating the brand's 120th birthday. Caddy showed off its Project GTP Hypercar, a stealth-fighter-esque concept that previews the upcoming third-generation prototype race car that will eventually contest the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours. But the belle of Cadillac's current ball remains the Celestiq, the upcoming hand-built electric supersedan. How big a deal is this thing? GM CEO Mary Barra was at the Celestiq reveal party; I saw her with my own two eyes as I stuffed my maw with caviar-covered tater tots (fat and salt plus fat and salt is delicious—who knew?). Before the beef wellington and lobster were served, I got a long, hard look at the Celestiq and asked a whole mess of questions. Not to be one who bites the hand that feeds me foie gras, but I have some concerns.Can Cadillac Really Sell $300K Cars?First, though, it's important to consider whether the Cadillac brand is strong enough to support a $300,000 car. My take: Absolutely, yes. Even more so than Maybach, I feel Cadillac could compete on equal footing with Bentley and Rolls-Royce should GM ever choose to fully embrace that route. Yes, the Celestiq is being built to go toe to toe against both British brands' upcoming EV entrants. And in more ways than either Bentley or Rolls will ever publicly admit, the Escalade is a true competitor to both the Bentayga and Cullinan. I'll always remember former head of Rolls-Royce design Giles Taylor telling me the Cullinan had to be made much larger after American Rolls-Royce owners were shown a proposal and said something to the effect of, "You call that an SUV? I have an Escalade at the ranch that's three times as big!"Obviously, the Celestiq's success is not a fait accompli. Everything can still go wrong. But for whatever reason, and aside from all the "Standard of the World" sloganeering, Americans simply have a soft spot in our hearts for great Cadillacs. But the XT4? Uh, no. It's a bad little thing our Buyer's Guide has ranked fifteenth in its segment. Fifteenth! Cadillac needs to make sure this sort of product is dead and buried by the time the Celestiq (pronounced "sell-EHS-tick," not "sell-ess-TEEK") shows up in 2024. And, hey, as a sign of good faith to those you're asking to plonk down three big bills, why not kill the XT4 now? "But they sell," I can hear someone all the way in Michigan saying back to me. As Dan Ammann, GM's former CFO, said when Cadillac briefly moved to New York City, "It's easy to look out your window in Detroit and think Cadillac's a success." A rising tide lifts all ships, while anchors do the opposite. If Cadillac wants the Celestiq to succeed, it has shed the dead weight.It Needs to Be Truly Special and BespokeI raised the following several times at the Celestiq party: "I've been to Crewe. I've met the woman who takes 13 hours to hand-stitch every single Bentley steering wheel. And if a Bentley owner hasn't also been to Crewe and met her, they've seen the video. I've also met the guy at Goodwood who hand-paints every single pinstripe on every single Rolls-Royce. Do you have them? Have you hired these people?" I was not thrilled with the answers. I heard that, no, there's no one in-house right now to do those things on the production vehicle, but members of the design team are capable. Narrator's voice: No one on the design team will be doing anything like that on production Celestiqs. I kept pressing and heard a worse answer: The plan is to let items like this be handled by suppliers. Who, Johnson Controls? That's simply not an acceptable answer.I'm not being snobbish for the sake of being snobbish. People who spent $300,000 on an automobile do so because they want to. It's an unneeded, wholly unnecessary luxury. You can't outsource the little things. You have to sweat 'em, which is why Bentley has a guy named Clive (or something similarly British) and his chisel handling the wood. To be fair to Cadillac, and seeing as how I received several different, uncoordinated answers, I don't think the brand has all the answers just yet. The car is still two years away from production. Everyone I spoke with did explain how the level of customization and individual personification will be tops in the industry. Have a guitar string that means something to you? Cadillac will incorporate it into the interior. Same goes for the guitar itself or Granny's dentures—whatever you desire. As one of those Americans with a soft spot in my heart for great Cadillacs, I want nothing more than for GM to get the Celestiq right. But you must at least rise to the level of the competition before you can beat them.What About the Car?I still can't figure out the design. The size is right—read: massive—but I neither love it nor hate it. I think that means I haven't gotten a great look at it yet. Yeah, there were the mediocre press photos, and I saw the car at night in a crowded party, but I still don't feel like I've really seen the thing. The front end is imposing but eyeless, like a blind shark. The hard side is different to the point that I'm not sure what to make of it. I see an Audi concept car mixed with SUX 6000 from Robocop. The rear glass needs a tint, and I'd love to see a Celestiq in a color other than gray. The rear end is the most successful part of the design to my eyes, but still there are angles—much like the new Nissan Z—that make me suddenly go, "Hmmm." I think the actual production version needs to be a grand slam knockout. Nothing should be able to be questioned.The interior is commodious, a true four-throne luxury villa. Although, boy, it would have been cool to have seen a themed interior, one showing off the customization Cadillac kept bragging about. Caddy, I have one of Billie Joe Armstrong's guitar strings from a Green Day show in 1992 (before they sold out!) in a box somewhere if you need it. Speaking of cool, the interior felt a bit frore, like sitting in a robot's lap. Cadillac's design team kept stressing that, "Everything that looks like metal is metal." Indeed, but how about some leather and/or wood?The most troubling thing about the interior is the massive screen that spans from one A-pillar to the other. Why's that a problem? Well, unless Cadillac has the software engineers on hand to make sure the screen is constantly filled with car-appropriate stuff, you're instead going to have a big, empty screen. That ain't world-class luxury. I asked if there's a way for the screen to go away, pointing out that in both Bentleys and Rolls-Royces there are ways to hit a switch and the screen is suddenly replaced or covered by wood. Cadillac's answer was no. But what if a customer doesn't want to see the screen? The key to cars like this is being able to answer yes, almost no matter the request.PostscriptThere was much sarcastic chatter about Cadillac's plan to fly customers to GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, when it's time to begin customizing the car. 'Thank you for your $300K, here's your ticket to Detroit.' And, 'where is Cadillac going to hotel these well-heeled customers, downtown at the Book Cadillac?' Mind you, these were dudes from Detroit making these cracks. I've always admired the Tech Center from afar—it's a mid-century architectural masterpiece—though I've never visited. I have been to Crewe and Goodwood, Maranello and Sant'Agata Bolognese, and Porsche's Exclusive Manufaktur showroom in Zuffenhausen, all places where people visit in order to customize cars at this price point. Making this sort of visit a positive one is vital. I think Cadillac's on the right track here.The night after the Cadillac Celestiq party, I attended the annual Bentley Signature Party where Bentley's CEO Adrian Hallmark took the wraps off the brand's not very good-looking Batur. (It looks like it could be the 2028 Infiniti Q60.) Once inside the fabulous house on Pebble Beach's 17th fairway that Bentley rents year after year, I noticed the whole team from Crewe was dressed like dandies. Rule Britannia and all that, but my word, did the Bentley team look well tailored. Classy, high end, like the sort of people who might know a thing or two about selling you a $300,000 car. Team Cadillac? Far too many white T-shirts from multipacks worn under dress shirts. It's a Midwest thing, I get it, but come on.But let's back up, all the way to the night before the Celestiq party. That evening, I attended the Land Rover party where we were shown the Range Rover Carmel Edition. It's going to be the rarest Range Rover ever built, limited to just 17 units (one for each mile of 17-Mile Drive), has a pretty nifty interior, and stickers for $345,000. Yes, I spit my champagne out when the price was revealed. However, Joe Eberhardt, the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, did mention that the only people being invited to purchase a Carmel Edition were standing right there. I heard the car sold out later that weekend. Perhaps that means $345,000 ain't what it used to be. Maybe Cadillac knows exactly what it's doing. Check back here in 2024.

alfa-romeo tonale Full OverviewThe launch of any new vehicle is significant, but for the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale it's doubly so. The new Tonale isn't just Alfa's first small SUV (not to mention only its second SUV). It also marks the first step in Alfa Romeo's sprint toward a promised all-electric lineup by 2027. With three full-hybrid drivetrains on top of traditional gas and diesel options, the new 2023 Tonale is Alfa's way of stylishly setting the tone for its electrified path into the future.What's the Tonale?Alfa Romeo unveiled the Tonale at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019 (remember those, auto shows?) in concept form. Aside from the requisite side mirrors, door handles, and windshield wipers, the production 2023 Tonale is a virtual dead ringer for the now 2-year-old show vehicle.That's just as well because the concept was a looker. Designed to compete against the Audi Q3 and Q4, BMW X1 and X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, and Volvo XC40, the Tonale stands out with its understated "necessary beauty" sheetmetal, set off by new 3+3 LED lighting elements on its nose and tail, both of which Alfa says harken back to the SZ and Brera.What Powers the Tonale?Underpinned by a heavily modified version of Stellantis' SCCS crossover platform (versions of which are found in the Jeep Compass and Renegade and Fiat 500L and 500X), the Tonale aims to offer the signature Alfa driving experience in an efficient, practical package. Designed from the get-go to be both a global vehicle and the linchpin in Alfa's inevitable pivot to electrification, the Tonale will offer up five powertrain options globally, two of which are coming to North America.The Tonale's standard North American powertrain will be familiar—Stellantis' turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4, versions of which can be found in vehicles such as the Jeep Cherokee. Under the Tonale's hood, that engine produces 256 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It's paired with a nine-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive.Alfa's first-ever plug-in hybrid powertrain—expected to be the volume seller—is optional. The Tonale PHEV will sport a 1.3-liter turbocharged I-4 paired with an eTorque-like electric assist motor and six-speed automatic driving the front wheels, while an electric motor backed by a 15.5-kWh battery pack sits at the rear axle, giving the Tonale a total system output of 272 hp and an unspecified amount of torque. (A source at Alfa indicates 350 lb-ft is likely, but that figure isn't official.)Alfa says the new Tonale PHEV will be both the sportiest Tonale in the lineup and the most efficient. It'll sprint from 0 to 60 mph in an Alfa-estimated 6.0 seconds, and it will be capable of traveling more than 30 miles on electricity alone when fully charged. Like most plug-in hybrids, the Tonale PHEV's battery pack is small enough that it doesn't need Level 3 fast charging; a Level 2 charger will charge the battery from empty to full in about two hours and 30 minutes.Europe, Asia, and Africa will have the choice of three additional powertrains. In Europe and Asia, the new Tonale Hybrid will be standard. Consisting of a brand-new 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with a built-in electric motor, the front-drive-only Tonale Hybrid will be available in both 130- and 160-hp forms.Alfa will also offer a 130-hp turbodiesel Tonale with front-wheel drive and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic in Europe and Africa. Alfa says it has no plans to bring the new Tonale Hybrid or diesel stateside, as neither is powerful or torquey enough for North American tastes.With sportiness a priority for any Alfa, the brand spent much of its time tweaking the Tonale's chassis, making it stiffer and lighter than versions of the SCCS platform found elsewhere in parent company Stellantis' portfolio. Alfa fit all four of the Tonale's corners with struts and frequency-selective damping to ensure a comfortable yet sporty ride. An optional electronically adjustable suspension turns up the wick even more. Alfa promises the Tonale's brake-by-wire tech will "seamlessly" balance regenerative and mechanical braking, as well as ABS functions, while its electronic power steering will be quick and precise. We're eager to test those claims.Inside the New TonaleWith Alfa positioned as Stellantis' new global premium brand, the automaker went to great lengths to make the Tonale's cabin upscale without stepping on the toes of its fellow Italian Stellantis brand, Maserati. The cabin isn't revolutionary, but the richly appointed, driver-focused cabin appears to be a step forward in functionality compared to the at times finicky controls in the Giulia and Stelvio.As with most new vehicles these days, the cabin's centerpieces are the two large screens up front. In front of the driver is a 12.3-inch digital dash. This reconfigurable screen features the usual assortment of adjustability but also an analog-dial-aping option inspired by the instrument panels of the iconic Alfa Giulia Super and GT Junior.The 10.3-inch central display features Stellantis' latest Uconnect 5 infotainment suite, but with Alfa-exclusive graphics and functionality. Alfa says this sharp-looking system offers over-the-air update capability, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and Amazon Alexa.SpeakiNg oF Tech …Speaking of tech, the Alfa Romeo Tonale is the first vehicle we're aware of to use NFTs to manage vehicle data. Alfa says each Tonale will be given its own NFT as it rolls down the assembly line in Italy, tracking the features and options of that particular vehicle. Then, once the vehicle reaches its owner, the Tonale's NFT can be continually updated by Alfa dealers with mileage, service history, and accident information. Alfa says the goal of its NFT program is to improve residual values, as the NFT can be passed down from owner to owner as part of Alfa's new certified pre-owned vehicle program. The automaker says owners can opt out of the NFT if they desire.Aside from NFTs, the new 2023 Tonale will feature the Level 2 Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) buyers in the segment expect. The Tonale's ADAS suite includes convenience features such as adaptive cruise control, with traffic jam assist, and lane centering, as well as safety features like automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-path protection.How Much Is the Tonale and How Do I Buy One?Alfa isn't talking prices for the new 2023 Tonale yet, but it is talking about how you can buy one. In a first for Alfa, the Tonale will be available for purchase both at the 138 Alfa dealers nationwide and online. Designed to simplify the purchasing process, Alfa says it will partner with its small dealer base to both expand each dealer's geographical footprint and make the purchasing process easier and more transparent for Tonale buyers. As part of this effort, Alfa is introducing "video checks" at the dealer, where vehicle and service techs will show owners any potential issues with their cars, with the goal of improving customer peace of mind.Although Alfa Romeo says it won't release 2023 Tonale pricing until closer to its early 2023 launch, it has told us that prices would be "competitive" with the segment. The Tonale will be offered in just three trims at launch: The base Tonale Sprint will be available with the gas engine only, the midlevel Tonale Ti will offer both gas and PHEV options, and the loaded Tonale Veloce will be PHEV only. Our best guess is that the Tonale Sprint will begin around $37,000 or so, Tonale Ti around $42,000, and Tonale Veloce around $45,000.Regardless of what the Tonale costs, there's no denying it's a significant transition for Alfa as it races to become the first manufacturer in the Stellantis family to go all-electric.Looks good! More details?

mercedes-benz eqs-class Full OverviewSolid and dependable, comfortably composed on any road at any speed, sometimes conservatively styled yet always unmistakably premium, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan has for decades been the car whose core values have defined the Mercedes brand. But not for much longer. Mercedes-Benz's dramatic pivot to focus almost entirely on electric vehicles means there is no new E-Class under development in Stuttgart. Instead, its role as the company's touchstone is being handed to the new, all-electric Mercedes-EQ EQE.Think of it as a heart transplant for the three-pointed star.What Is the EQE?The EQE is the smaller sibling of the new EQS sedan, built on a slightly compacted version of the same EVA2 electric architecture. At 196.7 inches, the EQE is 10.6 inches shorter overall than the EQS, but, significantly, its 122.8-inch wheelbase is only 3.6 inches shorter. It has the same swoopy one-box profile as the EQS—at 59.6 inches its overall height is the same—but with the wheels pulled farther to the corners of the car, it has a chunkier stance.The more compact dimensions mean the EQE will only be available with the smaller 10-cell, 91-kWh battery pack. (The EQS is available with a 12-cell, 108-kWh battery.) Even so, Mercedes says in its most efficient specification—single motor, rear drive on steel springs and 19-inch wheels—the EQE has a WLTP-certified 410-mile range. (Official EPA ranges are often 20 percent or more lower, but figure 300-plus miles in any event.) The car can handle fast-charge rates up to 170 kW, which means up to 36 kWh, enough for 155 miles on the WTLP standard, can be added to the battery in just 15 minutes.The EQE also shares much of the technology available on the EQS. The massive Hyperscreen is available as an option, along with air suspension and rear-wheel steering, which pivots the wheels either 10 degrees or 4.5 degrees depending on the wheel/tire package. Speaking of which, the entry-level wheel is a 19-incher, with 20s or 21s available, though selecting those will trim the range by about 5 percent. What you won't be able to get on the EQE—for now, at least—is the Level 3 autonomous Drive Pilot system that made its debut on the new S-Class and is now available on the EQS.Although the EQE looks a lot like the EQS, it's not just a Shrinky Dinks version of the bigger car. Apart from its proportions, the front end is subtly different with its own headlight graphics. And unlike the EQS, which is a hatchback, the EQE has a conventional trunk. The reason, says EVA2 vehicle development chief Holger Enzmann, who's driving me around Stuttgart in a pre-production EQE350+, is to improve rear headroom by eliminating the need to package the hatch's hinges in the roof.I try the rear seat at a stop. Although it feels cozier than an E-Class', there's plenty of leg- and knee room, and the H-points on the front and rear seats are 3.2 inches farther apart than in the E-Class. There's also more than an inch of clearance (I'm 6-foot-2) between my head and the optional glass roof fitted to the car. The rear seat also simply looks smaller than the E-Class', particularly in the squab, but Enzmann says the shoulder room is the same. You do have to duck under the header rail to get in and out, however, and the view through the dramatically sloping rear backlight is like looking out of a mailbox.The Ride Stuff: Our ImpressionsThe white EQE350+ Enzmann is driving has a single 288-hp, 391-lb-ft electric motor driving the rear wheels. It feels brisk enough when he punches it to merge onto the autobahn, despite the EQE's 5,300-pound mass. More powerful versions such as the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model are coming, and there'll be an AMG EQE with about 670 horsepower. Think of the EQE350+ as analogous to the entry-level E350 sedan, though Enzmann's brought along a well-optioned car, fitted with the Hyperscreen, a glass roof, the 10-degree rear steering system, air suspension, and an AMG Line appearance package, which includes a slightly more aggressive-looking front fascia and 20-inch wheels.From the front passenger seat, at least, the EQE hews closely to traditional E-Class values. With the battery under the floor, the front seating position is 2.6 inches higher than in an E-Class, and there's just over an inch more shoulder room. It feels spacious.You expect an electric car to be smooth and quiet, but the air-suspended EQE rides beautifully and is eerily silent, with nary a hint of a whine from the six-phase permanently excited synchronous electric motor or any harmonics from the 255/40 Pirelli SottoZero winter tires. "An internal combustion engine masks all sorts of noise," Enzmann says, "but in an EV there's nowhere to hide." The noise-suppression features include isolating both the motor and the inverter and control electronics, which are packaged in a special sandwich sheet steel with a plastic central layer.We'll wait until we get to drive and test one on roads we know, but first impressions suggest the EQE350+ with air suspension is a benchmark midsize luxury EV in terms of ride and refinement. It makes a Tesla Model S feel like an antique.In case you don't want to waft along in near silence, the EQE offers three sound experiences, artificial noisescapes piped through the audio speakers that rise and fall in concert with speed and acceleration, their intensity linked to whether you're driving in Eco, Comfort, or Sport modes. Silver Wave is a sort of gentle ambient sound, Vivid Flux is a robotic electronic noise, and Roaring Pulse sounds like someone trying to suffocate an AMG GT Black Series under a giant pillow. Quite why you'd want any of them, I don't know, but they're there. And if that's not enough interior entertainment, you can also select an ambient lighting mode that also responds to speed and acceleration.The aforementioned drive modes change the same sorts of things as in the regular E-Class, with Individual mode allowing drivers to mix and match accelerator mapping, suspension settings, steering weighting, and traction and stability settings as they desire.The Verdict—So FarFirst impression: The EQE is the E-Class electrified. No, the interior package is not the same—though roomier up front and with more rear legroom—as that sloping roofline makes the rear seats feel slightly more cramped. But the EQE350+ feels to have the same overall demeanor of the three-pointed star's touchstone car. And that's a good thing.But the E-Class, of course, is more than just a sedan. One in three E-Classes sold in Europe last year was a wagon, and in Germany wagons accounted for 50 percent of E volume. And then there is the E-Class Coupe and its Cabriolet cousin, both still solid sellers. Do they simply go away when production of the internal combustion E-Class finally ends?Enzmann demurs, then hints EQ versions of those models are likely to appear toward the end of this decade, when the EVA2 architecture is superseded by the new MB.EA architecture under development in Stuttgart.An AMG EQE wagon? Sign us up.Looks good! More details?2023 Mercedes-EQ EQE 350+ Specifications PRICE $57,000 (est) LAYOUT Rear-motor, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 288-hp/391-lb-ft permanent-magnet electric TRANSMISSION 1-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT 5,300lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 122.8 in L x W x H 196.7 x 77.2 x 59.6 in 0-60 MPH 6.5 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB Not yet rated EPA RANGE, COMB 339 miles (est) ON SALE 2023 Show All