The automobile landscape as we know it continues to dissolve, and we car nuts have no choice but to watch with enthusiasm or horror or a combination of both. Some of the cars on this list will no doubt be future classics, but for now, they are the vehicles which impressed me, frustrated me and delighted me on 2022. Here goes:
2022 Aston-Martin DBX
A blizzard of high-end auto manufacturers have jumped on the SUV bandwagon in the last ten years, for better or worse. One gets behind the wheel of some of these creations, drives a bit, then says “This is nice but I’d rather have the Ghost or the Continental GTC.”
Not so with the DBX. It’s a monster. No bumper sticker needed reading “My other ride is a Vantage.”
My $185,500 test SUV was left for me at a hotel in Tarrytown, New York. It was midnight and pouring rain when I arrived, so I didn’t get a look until the next morning when I came out of the hotel and saw the same angry, angular, hiked-up body I’d seen in Beverly Hills in December 2021, and felt the same devolvement of vocabulary - “Woah..this is nice.” “Geez.”
I got in and looked around in awe, belted up, started the engine and – another woah. Godzilla under the hood. A Twin-Turbo 4.0L V8 making 542 horsepower and 516 lb.ft of torque.
Like I said, it’s a monster. You don’t know you’re driving an SUV most of the time – it drives like one of AM’s other monsters. Grumbly acceleration, whipping through the corners of forested roads in Pound Ridge, N.Y. stopping instantly when I asked it to.
I flogged this ride, was in it constantly, and filled its tank twice with $5.85-a-gallon premium. I hammed it up with the photos, too. The DBX is like a $185,500 jacket – you look better in it or even next to it. Even Lincoln Center looks a bit more upscale, yes?
2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
2021 brought the 4Runner its best year in sales since its 1984 debut, so clearly the old boy still hits the spot for many fans. While the 2022 model lacked any dramatic changes and it’s still underpowered when compared to others in its class, its looks and tough-guy-no-nonsense flavor made it a great driving car as well as a capable off-roader.
The TRD’s trims are many - the SR5, Trail Special Edition, TRD Sport (my tester) SR5 Premium, TRD Off-Road, the Limited and TRD Pro can be perused here. The conspicuous and mean-looking skid plate up front practically begs: “Take me off-road.” My test car was grasshopper green, though the company calls it “Lime Rush.” Some loved it. (Me.) Others hated it. (My sister-in-law.) As Bill Murray said in “Groundhog Day,” “Different is good.” I loved the optional slide-out door in the cargo area. One can always use more room.
The 2023 model isn’t shabby, either – I had one a month ago and loved the same things about it that I loved in the 2022 model, and the color was as unique as it was in January.
Our TRD Sport Trim brought us goodies like a locking rear differential and Toyota's sophisticated suspension system called KDSS, both in aid of keeping your grip over rough terrain. If you live in a city and rarely get off-road, you might want to research further. But over hill and dale and mud and snow? Here’s your boy. It’s mileage isn’t so hot at around 17 MPG city/highway combined. Is there an electric in the future? I’d like to see it/drive it.
2022 Bentley Continental GT
To drive a Bentley in Los Angeles is to learn to stew/sit patiently while everyone and you achieves speeds of about 15 miles per hour in town and on the 405. Unless it’s, say, 2 AM.
On the other hand, there are few cars it’s as much a pleasure to be caught in traffic in. My Continental GT Convertible was a beautiful-looking, beautiful-smelling stealthmobile, as grey as a brewing storm, its twinkly LED headlamps lighting up the city after dark, the city where my movie idols from the 1920s, 30s and 40s plied their trade. It was all ok with me, see?
The big Bentley news for 2022 in this case was the introduction of the company’s GT Speed model, delivering a higher-powered version of the famous W12, six-litre, 650 HP engine. Mine was the good old V8, which I appreciated as the boy is thirsty and gas in Beverly Hills was close to 6 bucks per gallon, premium, that is, at that time. One does not feed the King a baloney sandwich.
A twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, mated with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, was more than adequate for my needs, making 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque delivered to the four wheels and going 0-60 speed in about 4 seconds. I never really did hammer it, nor did I want to. What’s the rush, bub?
The ability to produce lightning in a split second made it easy to accelerate out of traffic situations, though. Step on it and lickety-split, everyone else is in your rear-view mirror. A dual-clutch transmission was utterly smooth. There isn’t much ferocity sound-wise, but rather a low, assured, satisfying rumble.
2022 Honda Civic Si
It was hard not to be full of cheer behind the wheel of the 2022 Honda Civic Si for the following reasons:
1. It’s cute, but with a slightly angry vibe. My tester was a “Blazing Orange Pearl.”
2. Its mileage is a not-horrible 31 MPG city-highway combined – but you’ll get less because you’ll go fast. You have to.
3. Its standard shift invites you to enjoy old-school grunt and subsequent speed and control and delight. It’s also not available in an automatic. Good.
4. It’s got a solid-looking, stylish cockpit that beats most or all of what I’ve seen this year in whatever price range. It’s got for-real knobs, noirish lights, honeycomb trim and everything is obvious, thank you – not a second spent on “Where is it? or “How do you work it?”
5. It’s relatively cheap at $27,300, $28,710 with everything. If you can find one. They are rare at the moment.
6. The press car I had before I got into the Si was a 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost and it made no difference – I loved the Si upon sight and drive, despite the vehicle costing about $427,000 less than the Ghost.
My test was comprised of trips near and far, in traffic and on winding mountain roads, solo the whole time, and always in a hurry while being safe about it. Roads were dry the entire time I had the vehicle; I’d like to see what the car can do in snow and ice.
Rivals you’ll want to check out when shopping in this range include Hyundai’s Elantra N, the Golf GTI and the Mazda3 Turbo.
2022 Toyota Sienna
There comes a time in everyone’s life when the dreams of rock stardom or pro sports acclaim give way to the harsh realities of day-to-day living, which for many of us means a partner and kiddos. And, by rote, a minivan.
Don’t take it so hard, boss. If you get the right one in the right color and you’ve got good car-karma, I promise you you will learn to love it. Especially this one.
It was love at first sight for me and the dorky Sienna, whose fiery red exterior, sharp angles and gargantuan interior make it an ideal ride for as many as eight full-size humans and their debris, depending on the trim you choose. Its polished look comes from its “bold new face design” which include new skinny headlights and a fat grille augmenting its Brontosaurusian flavor.
The 2022 Sienna is available in six trim levels: LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, Limited and Platinum. Every trim comes with hybrid powertrain mated to a four-cylinder engine and with a combined horsepower of 245 horsepower.
The best news is that my tester was listed as getting a healthy 36 or so miles per city/highway driving - but I got something like 44 MPG, exceeding expectations. Front wheel drive comes standard, but AWD is available also.
Also 16, count ‘em, 16 cupholders are available along with a big shelf between the driver and passenger and generous seat pockets.
2023 Nissan Z
The all-new, gorgeous Z roared our way this summer, bringing with it loads of growly fun, 400 horses under the hood and ready to take on all comers in its (reasonable) price range of $41,015.
I only had the new Z for an hour, starting in Boulder, Colorado and blasting up the mountain to a place called Nederland and back, a round trip distance of approximately 40 miles. That was all I needed to make up my mind, really, though I’d love a typical week’s loan. The road to Nederland is beautiful and curvy, and so is the Z, and we got along just fine despite my wishing I could try the manual, which, happily, is the same price as the automatic.
Here’s what’s cookin’.
First, there are a few trims available. The meaner, faster Z Coupe Performance goes for $52,015, also with a choice of manual or automatic for the same price. Finally, a limited-edition called the Coupe Proto Spec will set you back $54,015. I wanted for nothing on my test drive, however. Whatever Z you pick, you’ll be cleared for takeoff.
Nissan says the Z is “80 percent new” but anyone who’s ever eyeballed the Z line since its 1970 introduction will recognize that stealthy-looking DNA and feel right at home driving the 2023 model. The big difference, of course, is the 400 horsepower, twin-turbo V6, plus a whole bunch of other goodies that’ll get you there faster, wherever “there” is.
For instance, a recirculating valve that keeps boosted air inside the system instead of out of the exhaust gives you a healthy boost, and a variable valve timing for intake and an integrated exhaust manifold with a water-cooled charge cooler all contribute to the machine’s performance. Employ the launch control and you’ve got a very fast little sportster, indeed. Buyers can also get a mechanical limited-slip differential and Nissan Performance Brakes on Performance and Proto models.
And the drive? Plenty of speed, power and torque, natch. It’s a tad hefty machine at approximately 3,500 pounds, which one felt in the wheel when turning through tight corners, but with the more powerful trims, that probably won’t be as much of an issue. This new model features new mono tube shocks, new front geometry and rear suspension tuning to help in that department.
The savage 2022 McLaren GT
Cruising for the first time in the 2022 McLaren GT in midtown Manhattan and over the river to Hoboken on a recent balmy evening was like being the loaf of bread a school of fish has just spotted.
The mania didn't stop for the whole 24 hours I had the ride. Wherever I appeared − road, parking lot, street − Elvis had entered the building. Passerby temporarily removed their phones from their faces and aimed them towards yours truly – the car, actually, not me.
Soon, very soon, I realized there was no dwelling peacefully, anywhere, without an avalanche of questions, nay, demands from strangers who had seen the McLaren only on line, and now beheld the real thing.
I answered as best I could, and will repeat here the statements I made dozens of times over the day this jewel was mine.
*It's $217,555 with all options.
*It’s got a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine mounted in the middle of the vehicle.
*612 horsepower, and 465 pound-feet of torque.
*It’s got a seven-speed automated manual gearbox and rear-wheel-drive.
It gets about 17 miles to the gallon on paper, but you’ll probably get less because whenever there’s a wee bit of open pavement in front of you, you tend to mash that pedal.
Its tank holds 19 gallons of the red stuff.
It can go from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds.
Its top speed is about 208 MPH.
A carryover for 2022, it holds its own next to its Italian brothers with its carbon fiber chassis and open differential, and it includes a deactivation mechanism, saving you the wee bit of gas over time.
And the drive? Splendid. Insane acceleration, great handling, a thrill, a buzz, a gas. This was a very short test, so no track, no winding, forested Westchester roadways. Just a visit to the scenic bridge in Yorktown Heights, where I was raised, and a stop at the Croton Dam, then out to Hoboken to pick up a pal and enjoy the night, as one was meant to do in a car like this.
2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5
Yes, I just reviewed this - but it belongs on this list.
The IONIQ 5 Limited was a great week’s test full of speed when I needed it, plenty of room inside and a cockpit that reminds me of some of the prototypes of old in a good way – spare, stark and stylish. It’s also got a charming dorky exterior and a healthy range of 300-ish miles on a full charge in economy mode (For our tester, the Limited. Less expensive trims produce fewer miles on a charge.) You’re not going to intimidate a single other driver, but you will be able to find this vehicle in parking lots quickly.
It’s also got its demerits such as a dinky gearshift placed right behind the steering wheel, where “D” and “R” are accomplished by twisting. I never did get used to that shift after seven days.
One of its most compelling features is its 350-kW DC fast-charging ability, putting the IONIQ 5 right up there with the exotics. You also don’t necessarily need to spring for the Limited - opt for the SEL trim and you’ll still get the 303-ish miles of range, depending on your driving habits and the weather. (Cold and electrics are not pals.) That trim comes standard with ambient interior lighting, a hands-free power liftgate, wireless charging, a heated steering wheel and other goodies.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning remains, a year after its debut, a hot topic on the street, in parking lots and in driveways where one is constantly questioned and quizzed by fellow truck-lovers.
These are the some of the questions, and answers:
*How many miles can it go on a charge? About 230 at 100% charge, but an extended-range version will deliver more than 300 miles.
*Is it as good as the ICE F-150? Better. You won’t miss your gas-powered F-150. In town, that is. On the road, you’ll have to deal with finding chargers depending on where you are, and we’re not there yet.
*Is it way more expensive this year than last year? Yes, to the tune of $12,000 more. A base Lightning, if you can find one, will be $53,769 and the extended-range model will set you back $82,769.
Is it worth it? Yes. The 2023 F-150 Lightning is an absolutely honey of an electric truck, with all the naked raw power you could want, all the interior room, all the handling and accelerating and overall beastliness that satisfies the soul. It cost less than $80 to juice up over 500 miles, too, a vast improvement against the couple of hundred bucks, at least, that I would have spent on a gas-powered F-150 covering the same ground.
Ride safe, folks.
