The Best Midsize Luxury SUVs to Buy in 2022

Looking to deck out your Tesla with carbon-fiber dress-up bits? A new lineup of carbon parts from Unplugged Performance bring more than an extra dash of splash—they're manufactured by none other than Koenigsegg. Yes, that Koenigsegg, the hypercar manufacturer behind crazed top-speed runs and exotic (internal-combustion) engine technologies.This collaboration, dubbed UP x KAM, in reference to Koenigsegg Advanced Manufacturing, kicks off with carbon-fiber spoilers for the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X, as well as wider front fenders and a "high-downforce" spoiler for the Model 3 specifically. More parts are promised later this year.While the parts themselves cost significantly less than, say, one entire Koenigsegg hypercar, these aren't Pep Boys bits. The regular spoilers for the Model 3 and Y run $1,745 apiece and are claimed to aid each vehicle's aero efficiency. The "long-tail" spoilers for the Model S sedan and X SUV cost a cool $2,495. And those wider Ascension R front fenders for the Model 3? Those are listed at an eye-popping $8,845; to be fair, the lightweight wings lend the Model 3 a spicy vibe while their 0.8-inch extra width helps accommodate up to 315-section tires, compared to the biggest a regular 3 can comfortably swallow, 275 to 295s. Unplugged Performance also claims the fenders, when used in collaboration with other Ascension-R front-end parts, help with downforce.Every component comes with a nifty UP x KAM sticker denoting the Koenigsegg, er, koennection, and each piece is handmade. Quantities of these first-run products are limited, so if you want some for your Tesla, you better hurry. Unplugged Performance also has its own assortment of exterior upgrades for Teslas, in case you miss out.

audi s8 Full OverviewAudi's S8 has always flown under the radar. Even the iconic D3 model, launched in 2006, hid its light under a bushel, with a discreet "V10" badge, silver side mirror caps, and quad exhausts the only clues to the 450-hp of mellifluous madness delivered by the Lamborghini Gallardo-derived 5.2-liter V-10 lurking under the hood. The refreshed 2022 S8 maintains the stealth sport sedan tradition.Sadly, the charismatic V-10 is long gone. The D4-generation S8 launched in 2012 with the Audi-developed EA824 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that made 520 horsepower and 421 lb-ft of torque under the hood. For the current-generation S8 that arrived in 2016, that engine was in turn replaced by the Porsche-developed EA825 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which also sees duty in the Porsche Panamera, Bentley Continental GT, and Lamborghini Urus.That engine carries over unchanged in the 2022 refresh of the S8, its 563 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque delivered with a baritone burble that scarcely rises above a murmur even in Dynamic mode. It may sound like a more plebeian powertrain on paper, but there's nothing wrong with what it delivers: The 2023 S8 will surge from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, a full 1.1 seconds quicker than its 550-pound-lighter Lambo-powered predecessor could manage.In simple terms, the 2022 S8 is an A8 with the lot. Standard equipment includes rear-wheel steering, a sport rear differential, and predictive active suspension. The suspension uses actuators at each wheel to counter cornering loads rather than electrically twisting a stabiliser bar across the axle, and it delivers a surprisingly supple ride with very low noise levels even though the big sedan scarcely rolls through corners or pitches under acceleration and braking.The 2022 face-lift, which also extends across the regular A8 range, is little more than a subtle nip and tuck. The most visible change is at the front, where the single-frame grille has been made even bolder and more aggressive. It's still roughly hexagonal in shape, but it's wider, and the corners on either side have been positioned closer toward the bonnet. The new grille, which makes the slightly slab-sided S8 look lower and wider, is flanked by more upright air intakes and redesigned headlights.At the rear, bazooka-caliber chrome exhaust pipes peek out from under a rear bumper that has been redesigned to incorporate a new diffuser graphic. Customizable digital OLED taillights feature a continuous light strip that runs the full width of the car.America's S8, like those in Canada, China, and South Korea, is built on the long-wheelbase A8L platform. That means a 5.1-inch stretch in the wheelbase compared with the rest of the world's S8, but the standard rear-wheel steering system endows the car with surprising agility in tight corners. High-speed stability is superb.With their engine slung out ahead of the front wheels, big Audis have always tended to push when you gas the accelerator a shove. But despite carrying 56 percent of its weight over the front axle, the S8 turns in nicely, and the sport diff ensures the rear wheels get maximum torque to the tarmac. This is a big sedan that is calm and fast, confident and comfortable, the sort of car you could happily hustle 600 miles through the Rockies in a day and step out at the end of it feeling relaxed.Four new colors have been added to the S8 exterior palette, three of them available in the U.S.: District Green, Firmament Blue, and Ultra Blue, the last of which is the signature shade for the 2022 refresh (which may end up arriving in American dealers as a 2023 model). The standard wheels are 20-inch double-five-spoke pieces, with 10-spoke 21-inchers in either silver or black available as an option. Europeans can order their S8 with a full white leather interior. American customers are offered black or black with either cognac brown or merlot red inserts.No, nobody's going to look twice at the new S8 when it arrives here in spring, priced from $118,995 (a decrease of $12,950 from the 2021 model). Especially if you order one in anything other than the punchy Ultra Blue. But that's an intrinsic element of this car's appeal.The 2022 Audi A8 story is a mix of good and bad news. The good news is the subtle refresh gives Audi's somewhat conservative flagship sedan a more arresting presence on the road, and all cars come with the sportier S-Line design tweaks being offered on the A8 for the first time, plus the customizable OLED rear lights.The bad news is the model lineup has been rationalized. The PHEV powertrain will no longer be offered, and if you want a V-8, you'll have to reach for the top shelf and order the S8. Mind you, that's not a bad option.What that means is Audi's flagship luxury sedan now comes in only one flavor for America: long wheelbase and with the 340-hp, 369-lb-ft 3.0-liter V-6 under the hood, which is known as the A8L 55 TFSI Quattro in Audi-speak. Prices start at $87,595.The $3,400 Executive package adds 20-inch wheels—19s are standard—and adaptive cruise with traffic jam assist and turn assist, among other things, while the $3,250 Comfort Plus package includes goodies such as noise-reducing dual-pane glass and massaging front seats. The $5,400 Luxury bundle brings rear-wheel steering plus interior upgrades such as power rear seats with lumbar and memory functions.New for the A8 worldwide and available on U.S.-spec cars are a pair of optional Black Optic packages, one priced at $1,750 that offers high-gloss black exterior trim items and silver and black multispoke 21-inch wheels, the other priced at $2,750 and adding black-painted 10-spoke 21-inch wheels, black Audi badges,\ and black-painted brake calipers.Looks good! More details?2022 Audi S8 Specifications PRICE $118,995 LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 4.0L/563-hp/590-lb-ft twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT 5,300 lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 123.1 in L x W x H 208.7 x 76.6 x 58.5 in 0-60 MPH 3.8 sec (mfr est) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB 14/23/17 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 369 miles ON SALE Spring 2022 Show All

lincoln navigator Full OverviewThe Lincoln Navigator is well established among ginormous three-row luxury SUVs, having initiated the full-size segment some 25 years ago. The latest iteration of the Navigator made its debut for the 2018 model year and has been refreshed for 2022 with updated styling and some new technology. We usually welcome changes like these, but in the case of the 2022 Navigator at least one addition isn't, er, particularly great.ActiveGuide Is New but Has FlawsLet's dive right into the trouble: The headline technology for the updated Navigator is Lincoln's ActiveGlide semi-autonomous driving technology, effectively an adaptive cruise control and lane centering system that allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on certain pre-mapped roads, the ever-expanding database of which will be beamed to Lincolns through over-the-air updates. (ActiveGlide is effectively a rebadged version of the BlueCruise system used in the parent company's Ford-branded vehicles. Lincoln offers it free for the first three years before owners need to subscribe.)Like all hands-free systems, in order to let you take your hands off the wheel, ActiveGlide needs to be able to detect that you are watching the road. To do this, the Navigator employs cameras atop the steering column that detect head and eye movements. If the system senses that the driver's eyes are off the road, it sounds repeated aural warnings before canceling lane guidance.We are intimately familiar with this sequence of events because we experienced it repeatedly—not because we weren't watching where we were going, but because we forgot to bring sunglasses to the press preview. Turns out that if you squint, ActiveGlide loses track of your eyes and thinks you aren't looking at the road. It also turns out that if a short driver doesn't position the steering column low enough, the steering wheel hub partially blocks the camera, generating more false alarms."Watch the Road"? We Are Watching the Road!We experienced ActiveGlide's full automation on Phoenix's 202 loop freeway and found it worked beautifully—right up until the road curved west into the afternoon sun, when it started shouting warnings to our squinting selves. (Interestingly enough, when the Navigator came to a section where it couldn't steer itself and needed the driver to put hands back on the wheel, the warnings were silent.)Now, we'd normally dismiss this as not such a big deal if it only affected hands-free driving, but there is a major caveat here: The face-recognition camera is also required for the normal lane centering function. So even when we weren't letting the Lincoln do the driving—so, when we were on non-ActiveGlide-mapped roads and turned on cruise control and lane guidance, with our hands firmly on the wheel—the Navigator continued to yell at us to watch the road, even though we were.This annoyance is piled on top of another one: Like most vehicles, when lane centering is engaged, the Navigator sounds a warning if it believes you've taken your hands off the wheel. Instead of a capacitive touch sensor, Lincoln uses the cheaper torque sensor, which detects inputs on the steering wheel. The problem—which we've experienced on other vehicles as well—is that on long straightaways, which require no steering, the Navigator yells at you to put your hands on the wheel even when they are already there. This is the reason why the Cadillac Escalade, equipped with GM's competing Super Cruise system, invested in the pricier touch sensors. Lincoln could do better for its top-of-the-line vehicle—after all, it's not like it's selling these full-sizers at razor-thin profit margins.Were these isolated incidents or due to a malfunctioning vehicle? We don't think so. We drove two different Navigators, and both exhibited the same behavior. Furthermore, other staffers have experienced these issues with the BlueCruise-branded version of the system in Ford vehicles. However, aside from the bedeviled lane-centering system, we found lots to like in the face-lifted Navigator.The Actual Improvements to the 2022 Lincoln NavigatorThere are other changes to the '22 Navigator, and some are genuine improvements, like the styling. The 2022 model has thinner headlights, a bolder grille, and better taillights, i.e., ones that no longer look like they've been installed upside down. There's a new Central Park Edition available with a dark green interior that looks in person better than it sounds on paper, as well as the blue-upholstered Yacht Club version. (Is this a return to the 1970s, when you could get your car's interior done up in colors other than black and beige? Gosh, we hope so.)The newly expanded 13.2-inch center screen, which runs Ford's Sync 4 system, is intuitive and easy to use, and the optional premium sound system is nothing short of spectacular. We also remain fascinated by Lincoln's 30-way power front seats, though we're not convinced they're a great idea. Automakers pay ergonomic experts to craft seats that are supportive and comfortable, with a few simple adjustments so we can tweak them to our needs. Lincoln's 30-way seats make, well, the occupants into the experts. Except most people aren't orthopedic spine physicians, and they will have the same trouble we do molding the seats into a perfect position. Perhaps there is such a thing as too many choices. Lincoln, how about a few ergonomically optimized presets that we can then fine-tune?The Best Seats Are the Rear SeatsWe had a much better time in the back seat (stop giggling, you children). Before our drive, we were chauffeured around in a Navigator equipped with Lincoln's new-for-'22 rear-seat entertainment system, which now incorporates Amazon Fire TV. Two of us streamed two separate programs from Amazon Prime (the system also does Netflix and Disney Plus), all while enjoying the class-exclusive massaging rear seats. (OK, so maybe there isn't such a thing as too many choices.) It was a far more enjoyable experience than being yelled at by the lane-centering system.The 2022 Lincoln Navigator also gets the latest version of Ford's Pro Trailer Assist system, which lets you steer a trailer in reverse via a knob on the dash. Programming is now easier than ever: No separate transponder is needed (as on the Ford F-150), just a checkerboard sticker on the trailer that Ford devotees will recognize from the system's first generation. In addition, no measuring is required to set up the system as with the original sticker-based system. Drive a calibration pattern, and the cameras do all the measuring for you. We're pleased to see this in the Navigator; its ability to tow up to 8,700 pounds—more than half a ton better than the Escalade—is a compelling reason to buy it.Likable, But Still Needs to Be BetterIn all other respects, the 2022 Navigator is basically the gentle giant we've come to know and love enough to make it our top-ranked full-size luxury SUV. It has authoritative power from the 440-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6, a smooth-shifting 10-speed transmission, and a somewhat noisier, choppier ride than you might expect from Lincoln's flagship. And, of course, the Navigator is woefully inefficient—count on fuel economy numbers in the mid-teens. Lincoln tells us it has no plans to add a hybrid powertrain because gas mileage is not high on the priority list of the Navigator's target buyer.Hopefully said buyer is willing to deal with the driver-assistance foibles, too. Lincoln could dramatically mitigate the Navigator's problem by disabling the face cameras for hands-on lane centering, but it would be better still if the brand invested more in the engineering of the system. ActiveGlide's current functionality is enough to give us major pause, and that's really a shame—among big SUVs, the Lincoln has a lot to offer. Let's hope Lincoln sees the wisdom in investing in a rapid update to this update.Looks good! More details?2022 Lincoln Navigator Specifications BASE PRICE $78,405-$107,720 LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 7-8-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 3.5L/440-hp/510-lb-ft twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 24-valve V-6 TRANSMISSION 10-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 5,700-6,050 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 122.5-131.6 in L x W x H 210.0-221.9 x 79.9 x 76.1-76.4 in 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB 16-17/22-23/18-19 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 414-513 miles ON SALE Now Show All