Comparisons

Mercedes is finally here with its trump card in the electric crossover segment – the Mercedes-Benz EQC. On 4 September, when the whole world was excited to witness the launch of this beast, there was one particular nervous face as well - the face that has been dominating the e-crossover market for quite some time now – The Tesla Model X. It was natural for the Model X to be threatened by a car which has a name that stands for ‘Electric Intelligence’. The king of the jungle finally has stiff competition (no offense, Jaguar lovers! the I-Pace is good too) in terms of looks, practicality, and performance. How can we not compare the two? Tesla’s days of bullying the kids in this segment seem to be nearing its end.

BMW concept cars are somewhat special. Most of them turn out to be clear representations of what one can expect to get from the production phase. The latest BMW Z4 Concept included. BMW pulled a stunt by introducing the Z4 Concept at The Quail in 2017 and, just one year later we got the all-new 2019 BMW Z4. So, while you may still be smitten by the new Z4, I am taking the opportunity to show you just how different the new production Z4 is compared with the Z4 Concept. Or, just how similar it is. Despite losing some sharpness, edginess, and exclusivity of the Z4 Concept, I feel that the production version of the 2019 BMW Z4 actually retained most of the important design cues. Except for the most important ones of course, because, well, real life is never that good.

Like most mainstream automakers, Mercedes has been working on an all-electric drivertrain for more than a decade now. However, the Germans joined the market relatively late, with its first production model, the B-Class Electric Drive, being introduced in 2014. Four years later and Mercedes has finally rolled out its first fully independent EV built on a stand-alone platform. It’s called the EQC, and it’s part of the company’s new EQ brand for electric vehicles.

The EQC joins a rather tight niche of all-electric crossovers, with competitors including the Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace, and the upcoming BMW iX3. The Model X is already dominating the segment, but the I-Pace is also new to the market. With the EQC set to go on sale in 2019, it’s the right time to compare it against it’s most important rivals. This time around, we’re looking at its European counterpart, the Jaguar I-Pace. Let’s find out how the two compare in terms of design, technology, and drivetrain below.

The new BMW Z4 is a totally different car compared with the one from before. BMW officials are adamant about the new positioning of the Z4 which has, apparently, become a far more engaging and dynamic machine. Developed along with the new Supra (according to BMW “Toyota ordered a sports car as a coupe from us [BMW], which we developed according to our order,” said BMW Z4 Project Manager Andreas Ederer), the new Z4 had to be meaner and sharper than ever before. After all, it shares the drivetrain, the chassis, and many driving aids with the upcoming Toyota icon.

Despite its clear connections with the new Supra, the BMW Z4 is its own car, and we have to look at it as a continuation of the lineage that started all the way back with the first Z car - the Z1. In that regard, I will try to draw some parallels between the newest kid on the block and its latest revealed predecessor - the 2017 BMW Z4 sDrive35is.

However, before we sink into the real fun stuff about the engines and performance of the 2019 BMW Z4 M40i and the 2017 BMW Z4 sDrive35is, I’ll start, well, at the very beginning:

It is almost impossible to compare the new Audi PB18 e-tron and the R8 V-10 Plus. While taking the shape of supercars, the Audi R8 V-10 Plus and the new Audi PB18 e-tron are different on so many levels I find it rather amusing to see where Audi is going with its e-tron and sports car program. Nevertheless, revealing the Audi PB18 e-tron at the Monterey Car Week, Audi held a long said promise of developing a super fast electric supercar. I will go one step further here and say that PB18 e-tron, if it ever reaches production heaven, will be a supercar at the very least. Currently, Audi provides a whole set of sports machines from the S and the RS line of cars. Yet, the only one to even touch the majesty of the PB18 e-tron is the Audi R8 V-10 Plus. Of course, only the most powerful version as the PB18 is plainly mad.

Let me get something off my chest right away - PB in the PB18 e-tron actually stands for Pebble Beach. It is like a specially dedicated concept crafted only for the event. The 18, on the other hand, is from the Audi LMP1 racer - the R18 e-tron. Nicely tied Audi. Well played.

Now, we can definitely call the latest Audi R8 V-10 Plus a supercar. After all, it takes all the tech from the likes of the Huracan, and that is a supercar. The PB18 e-tron, on the other hand, is an even more extreme representation of the supercar ideology. One based on electricity and torque delivery that no V-10 can ever achieve.

Let’s not beat around the bush – the Divo does, kind of, look like a Chiron at a glance. But then you look at it, and it becomes clear that there’s a lot of tweaks and changes that make the Divo what it is – and agiler, corner-eating beast from which there is no escape. But how does it really compare to the Chiron? Well let’s take a quick look and see for ourselves:

Revealed at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Maserati Levante GTS showed that Maser knows a thing or two about making really fast luxurious cars. SUVs or not. It does not matter to them. The new car features a Ferrari-built 3.8-liter, turbocharged, V-8 with 542 horsepower, can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, and it can hit a top speed of 181 mph. It is the supercar of SUVs. Or as Maserati would put it, the new Levante GTS is the Maserati of SUVs. I like this one better.

While this sounds really impressive, this is not the first time that Maserati smashed a Ferrari V-8 into the Levante. Only a few months ago, the Italian company revealed the Maserati Levante Trofeo with the same V-8 only tuned up to 590 horsepower. That one is a tad faster, a tad meaner, and $50,000 more expensive. Why in hell is the Levante Trofeo so much more expensive than the Levante GTS that is priced at $120,000?

The midsize SUV segment is as hot as ever, with families flocking to dealers to scoop up high-riding ‘utes capable of providing loads of cargo room, passenger comfort, and tech choices. Two of the most popular entries in this space come from Honda, including the Pilot, and, from its premium Acura brand offering, the MDX. But the question is this - which should you buy?

For starters, the MDX is one of the most popular three-row luxury SUVs ever created, with the current model headed for a new fourth generation sometime next year. However, there’s a newly refreshed Honda Pilot out as well, which is set to make its full debut later this month. Choosing between these two can be tricky given how similar they are, but luckily, we’re here to lay out all the important info, bringing it right here to help you pick the right model for your needs.

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It is time we faced the truth. The new Chevrolet Blazer isn’t an off-roader, but a cool-looking family CUV and the best way for all of us to accept that is to compare it with its new competition - the Ford Edge and the Jeep Cherokee. I suspect both of these are smaller compared with the new Blazer, but they have some striking similarities amongst themselves as well. All three offer seating for only five, boast a somewhat flamboyant styling, offer four-cylinder engines, and are based on top of the front-wheel-drive underpinnings. Obviously, one searching for a $30k-ish five-seater, midsize SUV with a lot of equipment and maybe an optional AWD is only expected to take all three into consideration.

A few years ago, McLaren was still a very small company that had few models on offer. This changed in 2015, when the Brits added a new lineup, the Sports Series. Placed under the Super Series family which includes the 650S and 675LT, among others, the Sports Series is the brand’s most affordable line of cars. It debuted with the 570S and 540C, but it soon grew to include the 570S Spider, the less track-focused 570GT, and the race-spec 570S GT4 and 570S Sprint. In 2018, McLaren finally granted the Sports Series access to its exclusive Longtail lineup and launched the 600LT.

Essentially an upgrade to the 570S, the 600LT uses more extreme aerodynamics and a more powerful engine. It’s quicker and more agile on the race track, yet it remains road-legal, sliding just under the track-only 570S GT4. So how does it compare to the 570S, the lineup’s range-topping model for three years? Let’s find out in the comparison below.

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First introduced in 2001, the Aston Martin Vanquish enjoyed its position at the top of Aston’s lineup for roughly 17 years, most recently with the highly impressive Vanquish S released in 2017. Now, however, the Vanquish must give way to the even-more-impressive DBS Superleggera, the British brand’s latest V-12-powered range-topping super GT car. Indeed, the DBS Superleggera is truly a mighty thing to behold, but how mighty is it next to the outgoing Vanquish? Read on for the details.

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It is a well-known fact at this point that the latest Aston Martin DBS Superleggera will go after the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Even Aston Martin officials implied this. However, I am fairly certain that in terms of poise, speed, technology, and price, the Bentley Continental GT may be thrown in the same ring in an endless fight for prestige among super luxury GTs. Sure, the coupe from Crewe isn’t as hardcore as the machines from Gaydon and Maranello, but the Continental GT will gain even more spirited versions in the future. Some of them will definitely take aim at the buyers of the DBS or the 812. The Supersports, I am looking at you.

For now, let’s see how the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, the Ferrari 812 Superfast, and the Bentley Continental GT stack up against one another.

Aston’s latest addition to the world of high-end speed is the DBS Superleggera, a V-12-powered range-topping super GT flagship. This thing is one big, bad monster machine, but peel back the sultry body pieces, and you’ll find the Aston Martin DB11, which provides both the underpinnings and many of the mechanical bits. So then, how do they compare?

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First of all, you have to bear in mind that all the cars in the so-called super luxury GT class have somewhat unique characteristics. They aren’t as segmentized as, say, compact hatchbacks, or midsize sedans. That being said, there is no direct competitor to either one of them, but they are all competing with each other on one level or another. The Aston Martin Superleggera entered the segment as a sexy beast poised to take on Ferrari. It is a hard-core machine, but not without its luxury merit. Considering its fighting nature, laced with lush luxury and Aston Martin delight, the DBS Superleggera competes within both segments - the fast and the luxury. That is why it has to take on everything - from a Rolls-Royce to a Ferrari.

Some characteristics for this comparison had to be set, though. All cars have to have two doors, a V-12 engine under the hood, some exceptional performance figures, and they need to be handsomely priced.

Launched in conjunction with the grand opening of Volvo’s new manufacturing plant in South Carolina, the third-generation S60 compact executive four-door brings a host of fresh features to make it competitive in the segment. However, Mercedes-Benz commands a strong position here as well thanks to it’s best-selling C-Class, which recently received an update for the 2019 model year at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. So then - which is the better buy? To find out, we put them side by side and dived into the specs.

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After years of struggle to make a stand in the premium market, the S60 finally has a shot against the leading nameplates in this niche: the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Audi A4. We’ve already compared the S60 to the Merc, so now it’s time to pit it against the 3 Series, the vehicle that has set the benchmark in this segment for many years.

Purchased by Geely in 2009, Volvo was subject to a makeover in recent years that saw most of its important models redesigned from the ground up and all engines that weren’t four-cylinders discontinued. The Swedish firm also developed a hybrid drivetrain under Chinese ownership. The first vehicle to sport all these novelties, the XC90, entered production in 2014, but the design and tech expanded to include the S90 and XC40 too. Come 2018, and Volvo redesigned the S60 compact sedan using the same features and technologies, turning it into a shrunken S90.

The 2019 Volvo S60 has arrived, and not a moment too soon. Volvo’s small premium sedan finally broke cover after weeks of build-up, ushering in a new era for the Swedish automaker in its attempt to compete against established titans like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The new S60 represents a lot of new things for Volvo. It’s bringing the company’s new design language to the masses, which, in a lot of ways, is one of its biggest selling points. Say what you will about the new S60, but one thing that’s indisputable is that it’s a major step-up from its predecessor.

After many years of persistent requests from gearheads and several rumors, the BMW 8 Series finally returned to the market after almost 20 years. The grand tourer’s revival not only marks the return of an iconic Bimmer, but it also gives the Munich-based company a proper competitor against the highly-acclaimed Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe and the Bentley Continental GT. BMW also returns to the luxury coupe segment before Audi will bring the A9 into dealerships.

Previewed by a concept car unveiled in 2017, the new BMW 8 Series is more than just a two-door version of the 7 Series. On top of having a unique design, it also debuts new technologies for the brand and adds a bit of sportiness to an otherwise sober segment. But, how does it compare to the popular Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe? Let’s find out in the comparison below.

The arrival of the 2019 BMW 8 Series was a long time in the making. It’s been almost 20 years since an 8 Series hit the streets, and the arrival of the new model has brought our memories of the original version back on the surface. In times like this, we can’t help but wonder how the 8 Series measures up to the original. Does it look better? Does it have better materials? Which came with better technologies? We pieced through all that to find a clearer picture of how the new 8 Series compares to its iconic OG.

If you’re in the market for a new mid-size four-door from Japan, Toyota’s offering up the 2019 Avalon, while Lexus has the 2019 ES, and truth be told, there’s lots of overlap between the two. However, there’s also several critical differences, so to find out which was best, we put ‘em side by side and broke out the magnifying glass.

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Japanese luxury brand Lexus dropped its brand-new UX compact crossover at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, challenging established offerings like the Audi Q3 for dominance - but which is better? To find out, we took a hard look at both and lined them up side by side to compare the numbers. Read on for the results.

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Audi just extended its SUV lineup to include the Q8, essentially a sportier proposition to the utilitarian, wagon-like Q7. The new crossover marks Audi’s entry in the coupe-style market, a playground dominated by the BMW X6 since 2007. The segment also includes the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and the boxier Range Rover Sport.

With a new player on the market, it’s natural to ask yourselves which one is better. We’re here to answer this question by comparing the Audi Q8 against the BMW X6 and the Range Rover Sport. We left the GLE Coupe out of the game simply because it’s based on a model that was launched all the way back in 2011 and a new-generation model is just around the corner.

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