Top New Car Deals for January 2022: New Year’s Resolution Rides

Best Driver's Car has become MotorTrend's Performance Vehicle of the Year. There are two key positives we netted by changing our annual high-performance hullaballoo to a MotorTrend Of The Year program. First, the number of cars competing increases substantially. With Best Driver's Car we were hamstrung by logistics—BDC was a traveling road show, after all—and could only ever evaluate a maximum of 12 vehicles. Year One of Performance Vehicle of the Year saw a field of 22 contenders and finalists, and if not for the pandemic, the semiconductor chip shortage, and general supply chain woes, the number would have been greater. Second, the amount of time our judges get with each car increases by orders of magnitude, especially on the track. We did lose the amazing contributions of our friend and professional race car driver Randy Pobst, as well as his WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca lap times, but these changes allow us to deliver to you a better story with a better verdict.We began the inaugural MotorTrend PVOTY at Hyundai's desert proving ground in California City, California. Our test team arrived a week early to get numbers (curb weights, 0-60 and quarter-mile times, 60-0 braking distances, and figure-eight and skidpad figures) from every contender. Our test team members remain our unsung heroes, but to give you an idea of what they do, they fling each car around our figure-eight course at least five times. If the team isn't happy about the performance, three cooldown laps occur before another five hard laps. Plus, with some vehicles rolling on R-compound tires, you need to heat up the rubber before your laps, so there's even more driving. Best-case scenario with 22 cars is more than 200 laps, and please see Murphy's Law for the odds of best cases ever working out. Our photo team arrived with the test team and shot roughly 1,000 images—per vehicle!Next, the official judges arrived at Hyundai and proceeded to conduct walkarounds of every vehicle to make sure everyone was up to speed about what they faced. Few on staff had driven many of the contenders, and certainly no one had driven them all. Only one judge had previously driven the Lamborghini Huracán STO. We had the Volkswagen Golf R and Toyobaru twins at our Car of the Year event, but not everyone present at PVOTY attended this year's COTY.What's in a walkaround? Well, for example, I was tasked with explaining the BMW XB7 Alpina to the rest of the judges. I broke down why it's in the contest (it's a 612-hp SUV) and what vehicles it competes with in reality. I pointed out its engine's unique tune, the hidden shift buttons, and the Alpina-spec 23-inch Pirelli P Zero tires—"Cool Features," as we term it on our internal template, that you wouldn't necessarily figure out while flinging cars around a proving ground.We then drive quite a bit, and for the next two days we had free rein of Hyundai's awesome facility. We used the high-speed, 6-mile oval to evaluate ride quality—how does a car feel cruising at 120 mph for three minutes? The judges also had access to the figure-eight and skidpad, as well as the special surfaces area (split mu, potholes, Botts' dots, broken pavement, and the like). The bulk of our evaluations took place on Hyundai's winding road course, which, let's face it, is what you want out of a performance vehicle test. The winding layout isn't quite a true racetrack, but it's not not a racetrack, either. Wink, wink.After every judge drove every vehicle, we all sat down to cull the herd from 22 contenders to a certain number of finalists, though we had no set number in mind. The finalists would go on to the canyon and track portions of our test. This, of course, proved very straightforward and easy. Kidding! What's the line from A Christmas Story? "In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenity that, as far as we know, is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan." Yeah, well, if you ever find yourself in the Mojave Desert, don't look up.There were many fearsome battles. The one that stands out most prominently concerned the BMW M5 CS. Because of supply chain issues, BMW was unable to deliver us a car with the proper tires equipped (the ones the CS was developed around). Even though some of us couldn't comprehend the M5 CS getting cut, well, cut it was. That's democracy for you, and we wound up with nine finalists. Also, #M5CSwasrobbed.The next leg of PVOTY activities began with a bang, as deputy editor Alexander Stoklosa managed to battle a bear (a bear!) with the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series on the way to our meeting point atop Angeles Crest Highway, just north of Los Angeles. Fortunately, it was a small bear, a glancing blow, and only an aerodynamic canard was knocked from the car. With the help of the California Highway Patrol, we ran each car on a 12-mile loop from our basecamp above the twin tunnels down to the Mount Waterman Ski Lifts and back.We quickly began to realize the difference between the smooth, wide-open proving ground laps and the reality of keeping a vehicle in a single lane over quite beaten-up tarmac. Some vehicles, like the Hyundai Veloster N, gained favor in our collective estimation. Others, like the AMG, lost points, figuratively speaking. We had an inkling we'd discover things like this, based on the years of running our other OTY programs in this same manner. It was nice to be proven correct.Our next and final stop was the Streets of Willow, the smaller, curvier track at Willow Springs International Raceway. Monster vehicles like the three in our Big Wing Gang (Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, Porsche 911 GT3, Lamborghini Huracán STO) would be a bit restricted on this shorter course. The other side of that coin was that vehicles like Toyota's GR86 and the Veloster N would be lost at sea on Willow's big track. Moreover, we elected to run Streets backward, for two reasons. First was safety, specifically because the infamous high-speed downhill kink is taken out of the equation. With each judge running five laps per car and nine finalists, that's 45 hot laps per judge, 315 laps total. That's a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong. Second, if you've ever driven Streets backward, you know it's more fun.As we discovered the day before on ACH, opinions about the vehicles changed based on the environment. A couple of the darlings of ACH quickly lost some appeal as they suffered horrible brake fade on the racetrack. We're looking at you, Hyundai and Toyota. On the other hand, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing drew massive praise and huzzahs over their world-class, repeatable stopping prowess. Then there was the case of the AMG, which was collectively deemed "too much" for the street but did better on the track. However, there were two vehicles that sang and danced wonderfully in all three locations. After a surprisingly mellow debate, and by a 5-to-2 margin of victory, we had the inaugural 2022 MotorTrend Performance Vehicle of the Year winner.

BMW calls the iX its technology flagship, but the 2023 BMW iX M60 aims to be the company's high-performance technology flagship. Built as a true M vehicle, the iX M60 features dual motors for a combined 610 horsepower while still achieving nearly 300 miles of range. The sportier EV crossover won't be all hardcore performance thanks to its air suspension system, innovative interior features, and connectivity that you've come to expect from the Bavarian luxury brand.High-Tech ChassisThe iX M60 leverages the latent performance potential of the relatively lightweight iX xDrive50 model, utilizing an aluminum spaceframe chassis, carbon fiber unibody, and carbon fiber reinforced panels for the roof, side, and rear sections. All that helps it com in at 5,769 pounds, with a large portion residing down low in the battery pack. Those exterior panels can also come in seven different colors, with Alpine White as standard and range from Dark Graphite Metallic, Phyronic Blue Metallic, Blue Ridge Mountain Metallic, Storm Bay Metallic, Oxide Grey Metallic, and Aventurin Red Metallic.A double-wishbone setup is found up front, while the rear is a five-link. All four corners are suspended by an air suspension system with electronically controlled dampers, which take roll, acceleration, deceleration, vehicle speed, and even steering input to make sure the body stays planted. That damper rate is further mapped differently depending on the "My Modes" setting, which is changed by a button on the center console. Steering is assisted by BMW's Servotronic with a variable ratio steering rate. This all is designed to deliver optimum handling and feel while also keeping the M60's height correct at any speed and any load. You can also adjust the height of the body manually if you think you need extra ground clearance or not.The wheels and tires the iX M60 comes with will, of course, also play a role in upping its performance over an iX xDrive50. The standard wheel is a 21-inch design wrapped in 255/50R21 sized tires on all four corners. The optional wheel is a half-inch-wider, 22-inch-diameter aluminum wheel with a unique aerodynamic design and Titanium Bronze color with a 275/40R22 tires. Behind either wheel are blue-painted, Brembo-made brake calipers with the "M" logo, letting bystanders know that you have the highest performance braking yet fitted to a stock BMW EV. It's a fixed four-piston caliper for each front wheel and a fixed two-piston caliper on each rear.High-Tech InteriorInside, every iX M60 will come standard with BMW's Live Cockpit Professional and Natural Interaction, which allows you to activate certain functions via your voice or even by gestures, much like your smartphone. Giving you and your occupants theater quality sound is a standard Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound system. The headliner comes in Anthracite as standard but you do get five different interior colors to choose from. The Oyster, Mocha, and Black colored interiors come in perforated SensaTec synthetic materials but if you want the feel of real hide, you can get perforated leather coverings in Amido or Castenea Chestnut colors.Both the front passenger and the driver are treated to Active Seat Ventilation, but the hot part is the Radiant Heating Package. This system warms not only the seats, steering wheel, and armrests but also the door panels and dashboard, as found in some Mercedes products these days. You'll still get more traditional hot air to defrost the windows courtesy of an efficient heat pump system. A thermally insulated windshield helps keep that warm air in. Occupants are also surrounded by ambient lighting with LED strips located between the door cars and windows and in the Panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof.Fifth-Generation Rear MotorNow, we get to the fun bit: the e-motors that drive the BMW iX M60. BMW employs a three-phase AC synchronous motor out back, which according to BMW allows for more energy density, faster switching frequency, and better heat management—all of which translate to higher RPM, more horsepower, and more torque. More power and torque, indeed—the standard combined output of both the front and rear motor is 532 hp and 749 lb-ft of torque. Individually, the front motor provides 255 hp while the rear motor provides 483 hp in normal operation. In Sport Boost mode, that jumps to 610 hp while Launch Mode slams you in the back of your seat with 811 lb-ft of torque.Battery Type and CapacityThe iX M60 employs a lithium-ion battery pack with a 106.3-kWh nominal power capacity. It's capable of Level 2 AC charging at up to an 11-kW charging rate for a 0-100 percent charge in just over 10 hours. However, it is also DC fast charge capable at up to 250 kW, going from 10-80 percent full in about 35 minutes. In all, you'll get 280 miles of range out of the iX M60 on a full charge, according to BMW's preliminary EPA rating.If you're looking for the current epitome of EV performance with a focus on German build quality, you're going to want to take a look at the 2023 iX M60. At the very least, you're getting a taste of BMW's bright and powerful future. The 2023 BMW iX M60 is set to launch in June of 2022 with a base price of $106,095.

Mini may have only one EV in its current lineup, but it is well on its way to meeting the BMW Group's directive of having at least half of its vehicles go electric by 2030. Mini is starting to tease that electric future one concept model at a time. It wasn't long ago that the brand bought a "skunkworks" Mini Cooper SE convertible to Miami, Florida as a feeler.Now Mini is pulling back more of its electric curtain with the debut of its Concept Aceman. The Mini Concept Aceman would be the brand's first EV crossover and "provides a glimpse of a completely new vehicle, bridging the space between the Mini Cooper and the Mini Countryman in the future of the model family," says Stefanie Wurst, Head of Mini in a release.The Mini Concept Aceman is supposed to "reflect how Mini is reinventing itself for its all-electric future and what the brand stands for:  an electrified go-kart feel, an immersive digital experience and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint," according to Wurst.Mini's new design languageUnlike the Mini Cooper SE convertible (or the Cooper SE hatch on which that model is based), the Mini Concept Aceman is more than a drivetrain swap into a current Mini chassis. The Aceman also serves as a preview for Mini's new design language. Obviously, Mini wouldn't completely abandon the major design elements that are synonymous with the brand but it is looking to make changes that better align with its so-called "reinvention.""With this approach, we are redeveloping the Mini design icons, with all their analogue strengths, for the digital future," said Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design.According to the official press release, Mini officially refers to its new design language as "Charismatic Simplicity." One of the most noticeable elements is the octagonal front "grille" which is really more of an illuminated outline that borders the radiator area. The geometric theme continues to the headlights. It's different for Mini, but there aren't so many angles and creases that the overall design isn't relatable to the classic rounded headlights that Mini is known for.The interior is a study in tech minimalismPassengers face a dashboard that is nearly devoid of tactile buttons, vents, or gauges. There is a round OLED touchscreen in the center of the dash, which serves as the hub of all of the infotainment as well as readouts like speed and battery range. Underneath the OLED screen is where traditional Mini toggle switches can be found.The infotainment system utilizes the Mini Companion software which offers "sensor based animation" that choreographs light and sound for what Mini calls a "holistic user experience." These animations extend into light arrays that are hidden in the dashboard and door panels. Different animations will playout through the OLED screen, dashboard, and door panels as passengers enter and exit the vehicle.Moving image projections can also transfer graphics and animations from the Mini Operating System to the dashboard for an added wow factor. These animations can create "diversified interactions" on the OLED screen when stopped at a light or charging the battery.The Mini Concept Aceman is set to make its debut physical appearance at the Gamescom video game fair in Cologne, Germany on August 23, 2022.