It’s inherently thrilling to test a car as perfectly engineered as the 2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV, and so it’s stunning how adding two simple words—final edition—can change that thrill into mourning. In its last incarnation, the GR Supra is that most wonderful of cars—a vehicle that exists for no other reason than to celebrate the joys of driving. It has the expected blend of infotainment features, but none of them intrude on the focused pleasure of operating the vehicle. It’s not made for economy or ecology. The two-seater coupe has a trunk, but it’s much too small to transport anything but happy people. The buyer invests $71,000 to own a track-worthy performance car that turns even the average daily commute into an adrenaline-fueled treat.

The MkV Final Edition is the highest trim level available for the Supra and the top-performing version since Toyota brought the car back to its lineup in 2019. This 21st-century build is the fifth generation of the iconic model that dates back to 1978 (hence MkV, or Mark 5, if you aren’t into Roman numerals or Speed Racer references). Since its birth, Toyota’s greatest sports car has come and gone as the brand’s racing technology underpinned and powered its development.

For the 21st-century entry, a special partnership between Toyota and BMW produced a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine capable of 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. Since the car weighs only about 3,400 lbs., that’s enough to produce a 0-60 m.p.h. time of 3.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 m.p.h. The end result is a dream marriage of elegant Japanese styling and pinpoint German engineering. The car’s aggressive, forward-dipping lines and sweeping door scoops are immediately eye-catching and unmistakably aggressive. The car looks like it can’t wait to move while standing still. Most fellow drivers see that and know to get out of the way once wheels start turning—or they fail to keep up in a foolish race.

With the Bavarian engine taken care of, Toyota engineers added a carbon-fiber ducktail spoiler, 14.7-inch front brake rotors, adaptive suspension and a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. Why anyone would opt away from a stick shift on the floor in a car like the Supra is beyond any experienced driver’s comprehension. The blessings of the few surviving manual gearboxes still out in the wild must not be taken for granted.

Behind the wheel of the GR Supra MkV Final Edition, it’s clear this sports car isn’t going quietly into that Tokyo night. You can even squeeze out a little more rage against the dying of the light by kicking on Sport driving mode, which tightens the suspension, sharpens acceleration and pours extra testosterone (or your gender-specific hormone of choice) into the exhaust note for extra barks and rumbling.

With a price tag that adds up to a mere fraction of a supercar’s cost, the GR Supra can achieve feats on the pavement that more powerful cars can’t manage. A small, well-powered, rear-wheel-drive car like this can certainly get off the line ahead of most competition, but it can’t match the 0-60 times or top speed of a mid-engined McLaren. It can easily cruise at an illegal 90 mph-plus if the driver isn’t paying attention, but it doesn’t fly the way a front-engined Aston Martin might.

What the Supra can do is dance. Light on its feet and tight in a corner, this MkV can flow and drift in and out of spaces other cars must avoid. So deft and responsive is the car that it needs very little time before it syncs up with the senses of its operator. It’s a rare sensation in this age of technologically

Of course, the test driver takes in all of that stimulation while knowing full well there will be no 2027 Toyota GR Supra. While driving it has elements of grief tinging every moment, it’s fair to note the end of the GR Supra MkV isn’t some heartless plot by Toyota to continue the modern trend of squeezing the fun out of life at every opportunity. The phaseout is much more likely a marketing move and a response to industry trends.

Beloved enthusiast models such as the Supra come and go to give their ancestors a chance to clear the field. When Toyota announced the Supra’s return in 2019, lovers of Japanese sports cars hit the roof. Once the cars were available for ordering, they sold like ramen. In the years since, everyone who wanted a Supra and had the disposable cash bought one. At some point on the balance sheets, the customer list finally rested, more or less satiated.

Perhaps 2026 is that point for this generation’s Supra. This wonderful car needs to retreat into hiding again for a few years until new technology demands that it resurface and bring ecstasy to a new legion of buyers who owned its ancestors or who stand ready to discover the style, speed and precision of a Supra.

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Most objects, artworks and artifacts in museum displays are professionally cared for to one extent or another, but there are some memorial works and pieces of history that demand the most dedicated attention for the raw emotional response they inspire. As a general rule of thumb, the more recent the memory, the rawer it feels. The United States is observing the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks this year, and every piece of building debris, each photograph and each homemade memorial to a civilian lost promises to stop viewers and draw forth the memory of where they were that clear September morning.

In the haze of war that followed 9/11, few outside of New York or Washington, D.C. tracked the cleanup or the cataloging of the tragedy’s aftermath. However, Aaron Noble, senior historian and curator of political and military history at the New York State Museum, told Observer that his institution began documenting the events of September 11 shortly after the attacks. “Under Section 233 of New York State Education Law, the State Museum is the primary repository for materials of historical significance generated by New York State agencies,” he explained. “Because the World Trade Center complex was operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state governmental agency, it became apparent early on that the State Museum would need to be involved.”

According to State Museum records, representatives from the institution and the New York State Archives attended a meeting of museum professionals and archivists hosted at the Museum of the City of New York in October 2001 to discuss how cultural organizations should respond to the crisis. By November, museum staff were making visits to Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and to the World Trade Center Recovery Operation at Fresh Kills on Staten Island.

“After careful conversation and consultation with FDNY, NYPD and FBI officials, the museum began collecting materials documenting the events of 9/11,” Noble said. “One of the main focuses of the recovery operation was to identify victims and belongings from victims and survivors, so the museum prioritized building components including glass, steel and façade fragments; items from first responders; and items that spoke to daily life at the World Trade Center or to daily office life.”

Noble described a scene in which recovery crews and museum staff developed a cooperative relationship, with workers setting aside materials that might be of interest to the museum, serving as de facto curators on the ground. Once artifacts were collected and venues across the country began to request pieces to display in their commemorations, it became necessary to extract them from the attack scene and transport them to their solemn destinations.

Jean-Christophe Thery, founder of MusaArtGallery, has decades of experience preparing fine art for shipping and managing its travel. He stressed that artifacts collected with an emphasis on preserving their physical significance and their context would demand cataloging to document provenance, condition, location of recovery and the circumstances surrounding an object’s use. But “beyond standard conservation considerations for significant historical objects, artifacts connected to 9/11 carry extraordinary emotional and cultural significance.”

Still, it’s the condition and material of each object that determines the specific conservation and handling requirements.” As an example, Noble pointed to the tracking and moving of the FDNY Engine 6 Pumper. “The museum was able to marshal resources and support from across the government to tackle materials that may have proven otherwise logistically challenging,” he says. “The Engine 6 Pumper was transported from Fresh Kills by soldiers of the New York National Guard 369th Sustainment Brigade with coordination and support from the Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority and New York State Police.”

From there, the truck was transported to Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, a since-closed prison where incarcerated individuals were trained in asbestos decontamination. After the abatement, the truck was transported to the State Museum in Albany. Similar interagency cooperation was vital for the transport of other materials, including fragments of steel columns from the World Trade Center towers, more than 1,800 of which are on display in museums, memorials and municipal spaces in the U.S. and abroad.

“Smaller items were transported by museum staff and were processed and cataloged in the same manner as all our museum collections,” Noble added. But the dust of 9/11 needed special handling. For families of the victims, that once ubiquitous dust is a sacred remnant of loved ones who died and whose bodies were never recovered. At the same time, the dust contains numerous toxic substances that could pose a risk to the museum’s staff and the visiting public. Both impact not just how certain objects are handled but also how they are displayed.

Even after 25 years, Noble and New York State Museum staff work with the surviving members of FDNY Engine 6, the families of the firefighters lost on 9/11 and other family groups and survivors to ensure that exhibit decisions are made thoughtfully, in ways that won’t traumatize visitors. “The State Museum is still in regular contact with family members, survivors and other organizations—such as the WTC Family Association, the now-closed 9/11 Tribute Museum and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum—as new exhibits and displays are developed,” he said. “The State Museum works hard to balance the unique sensitivities that exist with the World Trade Center collections with our mission to educate the visiting public in our gallery spaces.”

And the institution still has a robust outgoing loan program, allowing materials from the World Trade Center and other 9/11-related artifacts to be displayed at institutions across the U.S. and Canada. Noble is quick to reiterate that “State Museum staff coordinates closely with the organizers of these exhibits to ensure that the artifacts are handled with proper care.”

Like the city it inhabits, the New York City art market never really sleeps. However, as though part of its own seasonal system, its calendar of events kicks off with fresh energy every autumn—and the timing of that rebirth aligns with a great deal more than just kids going back to school. According to Erin Remington, director of curation at Saatchi Art, September has served as the start of the New York art season for as long as any of its participants can remember. “To my knowledge, it really has always operated this way, as it follows a more European calendar where typically those countries take the entire month of August off for summer holidays,” she told Observer. “Many simply close down for the end of summer and don’t plan to have an exhibition until the beginning of September.”

While Remington credits traditional European art schedules for inspiring the New York clock, she acknowledges the Big Apple now returns the favor by influencing the rest of the world, especially Paris, London, Berlin and Milan. “The New York City opening affects the rest of the world as it is the gateway for the U.S. market,” she added. “The art world is global, but the largest spending power remains in the United States with New York City at the center.”

Citing history, Hailey Widrig, founder and appraiser at Art Partners Advisory, traces the September tradition back to the combination of the legendary Paris salons, which took place at the end of August through September, and the establishment of American Labor Day to mark the return to school and the end of summer vacations: “With World War II, many European artists and dealers fled to North America, bringing the salon tradition with them. The calendars naturally synchronized between art world capitals in Europe—primarily Paris—and New York City after the war. It has continued on this pattern since then.”

Patrice Samara, president of Triumph Communications Group, said that the relative proximity of luxe vacation spots—and the summer art scenes tucked away within them—makes it easier for New York’s gallery owners and buyers to check out for the warm weather months in the manner of their European colleagues. “It’s a well known fact that gallery owners and art aficionados vacate New York for the traditional summer watering holes of the Hamptons, the Berkshires, the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard, Europe or the Greek Islands,” she said. “Summer closures are certainly part of the equation, but they are more a reflection of a larger cultural rhythm than the cause itself.”

Samara concurs with Remington, saying that September became the natural starting point for the annual New York art schedule because it marks a reconvergence of the international art world: “Collectors return from Europe. Curators resume institutional programming. Museums unveil their major exhibitions. Auction houses begin their fall sales. Universities reopen. Artists return to their studios with renewed momentum.”

The result is an irresistible ecosystem of galleries, museums, fairs, critics, collectors and the international press moving in one autumnal direction—though it’s worth noting that the phenomenon is relatively new. “For much of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, there was no singular ‘opening’ of the season as we understand it today,” Samara explains. “Exhibitions were organized throughout the year, often around the schedules of individual institutions or artists. The concept gradually emerged as New York’s gallery districts matured—along 57th Street, later in SoHo, eventually Chelsea and now spreading to other neighborhoods such as The Bowery.”

Both Samara and Widrig look to the 1960s and 1970s as the era when September became the preferred time for galleries to open their best shows of the year. “During the art market expansion of the 1980s and 1990s, the tradition solidified,” Samara added. “The increasing globalization of the art world, coupled with the rise of international art fairs and worldwide media coverage, transformed what had once been an informal practice into a highly anticipated annual event. While there is still no official ribbon-cutting ceremony, everyone in the profession understands when the season begins.”

While New York certainly considers itself the center of the art world, Remington, Widrig and Samara all agreed the most important element of this September significance is what it signals to other creative capitals around the world. “Formidable institutions and galleries around the United States—in Miami, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles—each look to New York because the season opening is less a local tradition than a signal that the international art calendar has shifted into high gear,” Samara added.

With the increasing globalization of the art world, New York’s alignment with international cultural calendars should come as no surprise. London launches its strongest programming in September and October. Paris experiences an annual resurgence with autumn exhibitions coinciding with major international events that draw global attention. Berlin’s season gains momentum after summer with museum openings and gallery weekends. Finally, Milan and Madrid unveil important exhibitions in the autumn.

“New York may receive enormous attention because of its market influence, but nearly every major cultural capital operates according to the seasonal cycle,” Samara concluded. “What distinguishes New York is the concentration of influence. Decisions made here often ripple through museums, galleries, collectors and artists worldwide. A major museum exhibition, a breakthrough gallery presentation, or a significant acquisition announced in New York can influence collecting trends, institutional programming and critical conversations across continents.”

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Throughout its decades-long life as a British automotive icon, the Land Rover Defender was always the brand’s most rugged offspring. It once served as more of a Joe Sixpack and Suzy Temp knock-around beast of burden before evolving into the luxury machine it is today, but it was always the “tough” Land Rover.

These days, the Land Rover name is a trust mark, as JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) has broken it off into its own sub-brand alongside Range Rover, Discovery and Jaguar. Though the Range Rover brand also prides itself on the ability to take on everything hill and dale, Defender still boasts the most rough-and-tumble reputation of the four.

While the 2026 Defender leans hard into the modern era Land Rover’s identity as a high-tech, sophisticated and comfortable luxury SUV, it can still go off-road and easily climb messy hills and ford burbling streams. The OCTA, in particular, is that athletic vehicle on the equivalent of legal performance-enhancing drugs.

The 2026 Defender OCTA is the most performance-tuned, beefed-up, off-roading version of this classic nameplate—and that’s not just marketing mumbo jumbo. Land Rover engineers and designers dropped it everywhere from the sand dunes of Moab and North Africa to the snow and ice north of the Arctic Circle in Arjeplog, Sweden to the dangerous curves of the “Green Hell” of the Nurburgring in Germany. It’s been tested in every hostile environment short of the lunar surface and a penguin’s backyard in Antarctica.

The vehicle’s trim name comes from an “octahedron,” the eight-faced geometric form that resembles a diamond more than an octagon, and the SUV has its own distinctive graphic badge featured on multiple interior and exterior components.

But looks are secondary when it comes to this make; the vehicle’s identity is tied to what it can do. While any Defender can go off-road, the OCTA can venture to places commercial vehicles aren’t supposed to go. The best way to demonstrate that is to pit the tougher Defender against its standard cousins. Standing beside the 2026 Defender 110, the OCTA is bigger—wider and set up taller thanks to a raised 6D Dynamics suspension with hydraulically interconnected dampers that manage pitch and roll.

The standard Defender uses a V8 engine capable of 518 horsepower, by no means a humble number. Still, the OCTA steps that up to a 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system capable of 626 horsepower. That jump creates an SUV that will do 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 130 mph on hefty all-terrain tires.

Those are extraordinary numbers for an all-terrain SUV weighing more than 5,000 lbs., but how exactly is “extraordinary” defined in this case? Consider the following: the 2026 Porsche 911 Carrera and the Toyota GR Supra post the same 0-60 time, with the Porsche 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster managing only a tenth of a second faster.

Of course, while the Defender OCTA can certainly manage straight-line speed, that’s really not the point of its engineering. The SUV’s already formidable chassis is further strengthened for more extreme stress, while the wheel wells are widened and the wading depth raised to 1 meter (3.3 feet). That gives the OCTA the highest wading capability of any factory-issued Defender in history.

The driving experience comes down to absolute confidence. While a media test drive can’t easily replicate the pink sands of Utah or the frozen lakes of Northern Europe, a tear up a poorly kept dirt road, across a lonely field or even up and over a curb or two is enough to demonstrate the OCTA’s evident invulnerability.

The SUV’s interior is deliberately more stark than the standard Defender’s and much rougher in the details than the Range Rover’s. Of course, all of the necessary safety and comfort features stand ready. The front seats contain enhanced bolsters and are covered with newly designed fabric that resists stains and water. The 13.1-inch touchscreen isn’t as prominent as the version found in a Discovery, but it’s big enough. A digital gauge cluster keeps everything in front of the operator while adjusting its display according to driving conditions and driving mode. The Meridian surround sound system, paired with new Land Rover in-house Body and Soul Seat (BASS) technology, makes up the specially tuned stereo system. There’s also an onboard refrigerator because, though the OCTA is tough, it’s not a barbarian.

Of course, all of that additional ability comes with a price, as the OCTA’s sticker climbs high above the already hefty sum needed to buy a standard Defender. The 110 goes for about $63,500, while the OCTA won’t leave the lot for less than $158,800. The OCTA shopper should be ready to truly commit to the more extreme realms of off-roading adventure to justify the doubled-up investment.

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The cultural exports of South Korea have never held as much sway in the U.S. as they have in recent years. From the K-pop craze to the rising acclaim of streaming television series such as Squid Game to ongoing genre film imports, the American entertainment market is increasingly comfortable consuming the peninsula’s productions. Still, the country’s fine art scene remains more of an enigma. With evolving artistic factors within South Korea’s borders brushing up against public and private efforts to make the outside world more aware of the nation’s creators, the question remains whether the nation’s painters, sculptors and other gallery denizens will ever make the same impact across the Pacific.

Born in South Korea and now based in Copenhagen, chef Kristian Baumann enjoys following the journeys of his Korean colleagues and the country’s artists. “It has such a deep and layered cultural history, and I think we’re now seeing that history unfold in new ways through the creative scene,” he tells Observer. “What’s particularly interesting is that I don’t think this recognition comes from one single factor. There’s a real cultural influence, but also a willingness to experiment, innovate and move quickly.”

Baumann credited Koreans with “a remarkable ability to adapt to change and create space for new ideas to come to life,” and he expects that energy will soon influence the global creative landscape. “The local scene feels incredibly dynamic right now. I think Korea’s influence across food, fine art, beauty and entertainment created something of a domino effect. These creative industries are all deeply connected to our culture, so when people discover one aspect, they do a deep dive into its traditions, societal norms or ingredients. As that curiosity grows, the different industries reinforce one another.”

South Korea is becoming a rich breeding ground for artists working on large-scale installations, in particular—especially those combining industrial materials with cutting-edge technology. Artists like Kimsooja, Do Ho Suh, Haegue Yang and Lee Bul are emerging as leaders of that reconstruction movement.

Can Yang, CEO of DRX (a Seoul-based game publishing and esports company utilizing emerging technology), agrees with Baumann that the overall Korean arts scene is becoming a connected ecosystem and moving away from its previous, export-oriented identity. “The global success of Korean entertainment created greater market confidence domestically,” Yang says. “Korean artists and creators are now developing work for both Korean and international audiences from the beginning.”

Yang explains that the expansion of K-pop in particular created new opportunities for Korean artists to participate in global exhibitions, collaborations and commercial projects. He also credits the music craze for encouraging more cross-disciplinary work, which increasingly involved fine artists collaborating with musicians, game developers, filmmakers, brands and technology companies: “The important point is that fine art is becoming part of a larger conversation about Korean creativity, which includes tradition, technology, craftsmanship and contemporary cultural expression.”

As South Korea’s capital and largest city, Seoul naturally emerged as the nation’s artistic and cultural hub. As the country’s creative industries grow more interconnected, that status is further cemented. “It  developed the infrastructure, institutions and international audience necessary to function as that cultural hub,” according to Yang. “It is home to leading galleries, design firms, fashion houses, entertainment companies, technology companies, gaming studios, universities and creative communities. These industries constantly influence one another.”

Yang cites Seoul’s combination of deep cultural history and rapid innovation for its people’s ability to preserve traditional forms while experimenting with new technology, digital media and global business models.

“Its dense urban environment makes collaboration possible, and its highly connected population is often among the first to adopt new cultural and digital experiences,” he says. “Seoul is no longer only producing work for the rest of the world. International artists, brands, investors and audiences are coming to Seoul to participate in its cultural life. The city is becoming a place where ideas are developed, tested and then experienced globally.”

Dr. Eleni Nicolaou is an art therapist and creative wellness expert. She drew on concepts of Korean craftsmanship when she founded the therapeutic art programs at Davincified. “The methods of creating fine art in Korea are rooted in developing a relationship to materials and the hands-on training of working with those materials—not the headlines that are made about K-pop or K-dramas,” Nicolaou says. “Korea’s small, independent art studios take their time and use slow craftsmanship in order to maintain the honesty of the artist’s work.”

She points to Frieze Seoul as a window into the vibrancy of Korea’s art scene; the Gwangju Biennale is another and perhaps one that’s accessible to more people. That kind of local-first, on-the-ground engagement, she argues, is the key to making art relevant overall: “Contemporary art does not have to become an international phenomenon in order to have an impact. It simply needs a person or entity that is going to take notice of the artworks created by their local artist or artistic community.”

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The BMW 550e xDrive offers logic students a perfect example of a Boolean syllogism or the theory of formal consequence: All BMWs are good cars. The 550e xDrive is a BMW. Therefore, the 550e is a good car. As a result of that simple correlation, reviewing it really comes down to comparisons with other BMW options or assorted German sedans from other manufacturers in a similar price range. It’s still a stretch for American, Japanese and Korean luxury cars to compete wheel to wheel with the Germans, and all parties concerned realize that. As a result, analysts keep it in a very Prussian family.

The 5 Series is longtime BMW royalty. The executive sedan has existed in one form or another since 1972 and earned its longstanding reputation as a status symbol around the world. For the aspirational BMW buyer who wanted to drive with more enthusiasm, every edition of the 5 Series sedan since its inception included an M5 high-performance version.

Whenever “M” appears on a BMW build, it means the car, SUV or crossover in question passed through the automaker’s tuning shop to add horsepower and tighten up handling and suspension (all for a price).

In this more electric and ecologically conscious era, this trim of the 2026 550 forgoes an “M” for an “e,” with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The fossil fuel half of the equation is a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine. An integrated 194-hp electric motor joins the party, and the partnership produces 483 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Those numbers are more than adequate for a BMW’s standard duty, because even without that M-badge tuning, any 5 Series sedan is expected to move with alacrity. The 550e xDrive’s top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, and the official 0-60 mph time clocks in at 4.1 seconds.

The $120,000+ BMW M5 beats those performance numbers easily with its twin-turbocharged V8, but the M5 can never match the $75,500 BMW 550e’s mileage. Using just its fossil fuel power, the 550e claims 25 miles per gallon, combined city and highway. However, engage the 550e xDrive’s PHEV technology and the car will deliver a combined 68 mpg(e). Using just the fully charged electric drive will carry the car an estimated 34 miles on its own.

The xDrive in the 550e’s moniker refers to its 8-speed automatic Steptronic Sport transmission. While yesterday’s 5 Series opted for rear-wheel drive as part of its performance pedigree, the 2026 entry chooses xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive.

Put all of that together and the signature BMW driving experience envelops the driver right on schedule. One word accurately describes that BMW collective aura: meticulous. To give credit where it’s due, Don Henley popularized the term in one of his more reclusive hits, “The Garden of Allah.” Regardless of the concept’s origin, the feel is utterly smooth, grounded, balanced and refined.

From the moment the door closes with that uncanny, Tupperware-tight seal, and the driver settles down into the contoured seats (bespoke orders may vary), it’s clear the ride is going to be precise, properly quick and comfortable.

The interior cabin of the sedan seats five, with heated, leather bucket seats in the front and separate climate control in the rear. The driving display uses a 12.3-inch central instrument display, a 14.9-inch infotainment touchscreen and a heads-up display, standard. An onboard Harman Kardon sound system can be switched out for a Bowers & Wilkins unit, if preferred.

But this 5 Series BMW did take a small step back in the styling department. As though looking back to the hard-edged, boxy looks of the 1980s, this 550e cuts a clean but more plain figure than its preceding incarnations. The 2026 version has the new-era (and divisive) BMW grille, with its larger, smiling dual air intakes.

There’s nothing beyond the face with its classic badge that shouts BMW in the 550e from a distance. You won’t even catch a hint of the Hofmeister Kink (the hockey-stick style groove that should adorn the car’s door panels when talking about traditional BMW design). The current look of the sedan is elegant and stately, but a little stolid for a car with its ancestral DNA.

In fairness, while one nagging stereotype of a BMW driver is the hyper-aggressive terminator with no pity for lesser cars or other drivers, no standard BMW is ever meant to be all that flashy. They’re cars for grownups, and the only gaudy color combinations or tricked-out wheels you’ll find on one come from the off-market modifications of today’s youth with their rock ‘n’ roll and hula hoops.

A classic sedan like any 5 Series BMW is expected to be satisfying to drive, comfortable to the point of sophistication and reliable to a fault. The 2026 BMW 550e xDrive manages all of that with fewer trips to the pump.

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For years, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura served as the midrange luxury segment of Asian automakers. But just when these makers thought they had the market on lock, a new player entered the game. When Korea’s Hyundai split its Genesis models off from the fancier end of its line and gathered them into its own higher-end make, its Pacific rivals had to contend with a stylish, function-packed competitor.

It’s not getting in too deep to say the Japanese and Korean mid-market luxury models largely battle each other for their share of buyers. They might aspire to take on the Germans in a similar price range, but it’s a difficult battle to win when the European opposition has decades more history, a thoroughly established reputation and an international collection of loyal buyers. Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and Genesis would be throwing it all away to mess with Munich and Stuttgart, so they fight it out with each other.

It’s still unclear how emerging automotive industries like China’s might change that equation. Without a presence in the U.S., Chinese luxury staples such as Hongqi and Yangwang are still on silent running as far as Americans are concerned. Time will reveal how China’s invisible touch influences their neighbors on the international scene.

For a while, there was a land of confusion for buyers over the true brand identity of Genesis, Hyundai’s fancier cousin. Was the company truly its own entity, or were its vehicles just pricier Hyundai builds under a new badge? Vehicles like the 2026 Genesis G70 Prestige Graphite quell much of that doubt. It’s a limited-edition, top-of-the-line model designed as a step up in class from the standard G70 and even the G70 Prestige trim in performance and appearance. Pricing depends on the choice of drive options, with the rear-wheel version asking $56,900 and the all-wheel version going for $58,900.

When a driver jumps over to the Prestige Graphite from the base variant, there’s a step up to a 3.3-liter, twin-turbo V6 turning over 368 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. That’s a considerable boost of fun for any irresponsible, road-roaring game of follow you, follow me. An eight-speed automatic transmission with sport paddle shifters sends the power to the buyer’s choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Visible black Brembo brake calipers depart from their maker’s traditional red while bringing the whole show to a stop.

It’s possible Genesis backed off slightly from its promises of the pre-pandemic years, when it aspired to go heavily into electrification across its entire line. While the Electrified GV70 crossover remains its exhibit A, the G70 doesn’t yet boast a hybrid or EV in its family.

To transform the Graphite into a sportier version of the G70, the minds behind Genesis added sport-tuned Electronically Controlled Suspension and lowered the overall stance of the vehicle by 10 mm. Black-finished, 19-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels work to toughen the machine’s vibe with a dark chrome grille (an aesthetic combination that seems to work against all odds when one considers the entire purpose of chrome is to shine).

Any styling discussion should acknowledge the increasing rarity of a sporty sedan in any automaker’s plans. Beholding four doors and a proper trunk (or a boot, if you’re, say, Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel) is a refreshing sight in this era of endless crossovers, small SUVs and hatchbacks. Genesis calls the Graphite’s hue choices Ceres Blue and Vatna Gray. For anyone saying “I don’t care anymore” about such concocted color schemes, the former is a deep ultramarine blue shadowed with gray, while the latter is muted off-white.

That’s all in the mechanical performance category differentiating the Graphite from the lesser trims of G70. Still, the upgraded model continues to distinguish itself on the inside with added comfort and aesthetic improvements. Rich blue Nappa leather seats fold in front and back, with the driver and passenger enjoying heating, ventilation and 16-way adjustments for spine and bottom. The passenger stalls also offer those 16 personalized possibilities. Interior technology includes a 12.3-inch face-up instrument cluster for the driver and a 10.5-inch touchscreen for navigation, vehicle adjustments and infotainment with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

The driving experience is initially surprising and overall satisfying. While the 2026 Genesis G70 Prestige Graphite might not possess sledgehammer speed, there’s still big-time acceleration paired with very civilized and balanced handling. In fact, ask drivers to describe the differences between driving a Prestige and driving a Lexus IS or Acura Integra, and you’ll most likely get no reply at all. They’re just as likely to prefer the G70 to all of the above.

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There’s not much you can’t do with a Toyota Land Cruiser. However, allowing a mongoose to drive one makes its way onto the short list of activities not recommended, and so my friend Mongoo merely rode along as I piloted the specially adapted SUV through the dry morning glories dotting the Tanzanian flats. Mongoo was the little mascot of the Chem Chem slow safari team, rescued after a predator wounded her. Once healed and fattened up, she rode along with her adopted crew now and again. By the time I met her on a story about the blend of safaris and poacher enforcement in her stretch of Africa, she was well-accustomed to the bush massage all passengers received as the extended Land Cruiser confidently bounced and cambered its way through the ruts the rainy season left behind.

An extended wheelbase, two extra rows of elevated seats and an open canopy left the military-grade vehicle no worse for wear. As we made our way along, the mongoose with her dark eyes and frowning face would wriggle out of my fists, across my chest and around my shoulders before arriving back at my hands to bite a finger or two. Even that behavior wasn’t enough to make the Land Cruiser difficult to drive.

Armed with off-road tires that could crush a cathedral and suspension that could spit out its steeple (the Land Cruiser, not the mongoose), Chem Chem’s primary expedition vehicle represented its make and model with aplomb. The machine has an ideal blend of attributes for dirty duty across the world: durability, adaptability, reliability and expendability. Yet to an untrained eye, older 100-Series and 200-Series Land Cruisers—as well as the newer 250-Series—look like standard family haulers, easily blending in next to a Highlander or Sequoia, letting owners avoid the flashy, sometimes polarizing reputation that comes with a luxury badge.

Anam Barkan, car expert and driving solutions specialist at HireGo, tracks the history of the Land Cruiser back more than 75 years. “The Toyota Land Cruiser is based on the Toyota BJ that was built in 1951,” Barkan says. “The BJ was a rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle for the Japanese police reserve. In 1954, the Toyota Land Cruiser line was formally established with the 40 series. That generation of the Land Cruiser earned a reputation for being reliable in distant areas.”

Models since that progenitor include the 60, 70, 80, 100, 200 and the current 300. Toyota kept the focus for all of the above on the SUV’s build quality and longevity, regardless of how individual versions might be specially re-equipped for rugged duty out in the field. “Over the years, the Land Cruiser was tested under extreme conditions all around the globe, from the deserts of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to the savannas of Kenya and Tanzania to the Australian desert to the Andes mountains to the Arctic tundra,” Barkan adds. “Organizations such as the Red Cross and U.N. used this type of vehicle for their missions.”

Mohamed Najib of the RVgeo travel planning service reports the Land Cruiser has sold north of 11.3 million units across more than 170 countries since its first run off the assembly line. Najib credits those sales numbers to Toyota’s choice to engineer their SUV as a vehicle that could remain operational where repair facilities, specialized diagnostic equipment and quality fuel might not be available.

“For organizations operating in remote environments, the objective is not simply reaching difficult terrain, but it’s returning reliably, repeatedly and at a predictable operating cost,” Najib says. “That philosophy explains why official procurement documents from the United Nations regularly reference Land Cruiser fleets for peacekeeping, medical evacuation and logistics.”

Don Leonard is a member of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association. He doesn’t credit himself as an automotive historian, but he offers the perspective of someone who admires the Land Cruiser for what it represents. “Growing up in Louisville, I was captivated by Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” he says. “Week after week, I’d watch researchers, conservationists and explorers crossing the African wilderness in what I simply thought of as ‘that Toyota jeep.’ Long before I knew what a Land Cruiser was, it became the vehicle I associated with adventure, exploration, resilience and the freedom to go where most vehicles couldn’t.”

Leonard describes the Toyota Land Cruiser Association as owners and enthusiasts who appreciate the vehicle not as a luxury status symbol, but as one of the most respected and capable utility vehicles ever built. “Toyota never lost sight of the Land Cruiser’s purpose. While many manufacturers transformed their flagship off-road vehicles into luxury statements, Toyota largely preserved the Land Cruiser’s identity as a dependable machine built to solve problems in some of the world’s harshest environments.”

Matt Clamp describes himself as an automotive specialist and car enthusiast at Scrap Car Comparison, a service offering vehicle valuations. He calls the Toyota Land Cruiser the “Range Rover for people who know about cars.”

“The Land Cruiser is an engineering masterpiece,” Clamp says. “They are so unbelievably reliable. The engines and gearboxes just don’t fail. They have had decades of meticulous engineering from the experts at Toyota. You will always find these cars in countries with rougher terrain as the suspension is so robust it just glides over anything.”

With all the raving about Land Cruisers’ toughness, Clamp includes one warning, a chink in the SUV’s armor: “Their only drawback is that in wetter climates they do tend to corrode quite badly. For example, in my 10 years at Scrap Car Comparison, I’ve seen around 150 Toyota Land Cruisers sold for scrap. Of those, only around five had engine faults, and each had covered well over 250,000 miles. The other 145 reached the end of their lives because of severe corrosion underneath the vehicle.”

When it comes to the current Land Cruiser, Ray Shefska, co-founder of CarEdge (a new and used vehicle shopping site), insists Toyota is still leaning fully into rugged capability. “The Land Cruiser has a powerful 5.7-liter V8 engine that puts out a respectable 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque,” he says. “The engine is connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission with full-time four-wheel drive.”

Shefska’s statistics say the average cost of owning a Toyota Land Cruiser for five years is $57,015 (varying by trim level, driving habits and ownership region). The SUV will hold 64.61 percent of its value after five years, ranking 53rd among “popular vehicles.”

Back at Chem Chem camp in Tanzania, Mongoo never took resale value or whether her Land Cruiser had a limited-slip differential into consideration as she led expeditions out into the wild so guests could marvel at elephants or leopards. She simply enjoyed the ride until she one day went where all good mongooses go after they’ve hunted down their last snake. There’s a memorial built for her near base camp where crew and guests alike can pay their respects. It’ll likely be many years before any of Chem Chem’s Land Cruisers join her in the next life.

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Few who love the elite luxury automotive class saw the Bentley Bentayga coming back around 2016 when the British automaker announced the SUV. Previously known only for its signature coupes and Flying Spur sedan, Bentley seemed as unnatural a fit for a four-door people carrier as Aston Martin or Lamborghini. Now, all of the above (along with Ferrari and Rolls-Royce) sell just such a vehicle, but Bentley got to the finish line first in the 21st-century supercar SUV race. The Bentayga is now its maker’s best seller across its various configurations. That fact is hardly surprising, as many automakers covering the spectrum of consumer classes list a larger vehicle as their top earner. The minds behind Bentley and its six-figure rivals just saw the trend coming and knelt at its altar a little bit faster.

The 2026 Bentayga Speed is a descendant of the vehicle’s re-engineered concept that replaced the original 2019 debut model. The first edition came with a W12 engine, and the British builder has introduced different powerplant options since then, including diesel and PHEV entries. The current Speed dropped four cylinders down to a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine without sacrificing performance.

The 2026 edition is capable of 640 horsepower and a top speed of around 190 mph, surging ahead of the 2019 debut’s 626 horsepower while maintaining the same top speed. The powerplant comes with a key element of any performance Bentley: its engine note. The exhaust system sends out a sound unique to the brand, and a very special audio environment for the automotive industry. The Bentayga Speed’s song manages a tone that’s both soft and powerful, a bellowing rumble heard for blocks outside the SUV and felt inside the chest cavity of anyone within its cockpit.

It’s so pleasing to the ear that the driver seeks out opportunities to hang back on occasion, waiting at stoplights or leaving enough empty highway pavement ahead so the toe can slam down and engage all eight cylinders just to hear that seismic growl.

However, the upsides of the driving experience aren’t limited to the aural. Bentley’s engineers kept the Bentayga Speed’s weight about 100 lbs. lighter than the previous Bentayga. That might not sound like a lot, considering the Speed’s weight tips the scales at 5,435 lbs., but Bentley’s boffins are clever enough to take that weight loss and exploit it for grounded balance with minimal understeer. That’s an essential element, as an ultra-performance SUV like the Bentayga Speed must manage maneuvers a lesser machine can’t handle at speeds basic SUVs were never intended to achieve.

The acceleration is immediate and steady to a level the driver’s senses won’t expect from a vehicle of the Bentayga’s size. Still, there’s a sophistication and discipline to the Bentayga Speed’s straight-line power, avoiding the harshness of the Ferrari Purosangue or Lamborghini Urus. And just for style points, the Bentley engineers built four-wheel steering into the Speed, with a surprising drift mode and launch control to add a playful attitude to its overall performance package.

Inside, the Bentayga Speed seats four in absolute comfort. The front seats feature signature precision diamond quilting. The back of the cabin forgoes a bench design in favor of individual rear seats, with room for a fortunate child in between the back stalls.

To honor the Bentley reputation for luxury, the rear passenger area includes a removable and ejectable touchscreen tablet to control climate, lighting, seat massage options and retractable sun blinds. The user can stay occupied for hours fidgeting with the seats’ 300 possible “postural adjustments.”

If there’s a criticism to park at the wheels of the Bentayga Speed, it’s in the styling department. Anyone close enough to see the unmistakable “B” badge on its distinctive grille will spot the SUV, identify it easily and give it the eyebrow-raising respect it deserves.

However, the vehicle is less striking from a distance. There are smooth Bentley lines stretching from the bonnet, but the back end looks stubby and oddly old-fashioned, hanging onto echoes of a station wagon of ages past. As the 2026 Bentayga Speed passes, it doesn’t turn heads the way the previously mentioned Purosangue, Urus or Aston Martin DBX can.

The question is whether the Bentayga buyer wants that attention for his or her $415,000 (the price tag for a fully kitted-out Speed). It’s a more difficult query than it seems for one of the U.K.’s elite brands. Ferrari and Lamborghini owners buy for the flash factor. Bentley lines, however, are always a little more understated. Their cars are attractive in a more stately and dignified manner. Their owners want a four-wheeled sense of earned elitism with a pinky raised.

Examined in that light, the Bentayga Speed is undeniably stately and dignified, fitting in generally with the rest of the Bentley line. Its buyer no doubt is willing to give up a little of the smoother sexiness of a Continental GT or a Supersports for the extra space.

And it still makes that noise.

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This is a confirmed true story: during a recent group media tour of Rome highlighting the city’s lifestyle attractions for men, one young journalist from Brooklyn noticed that the cars packing the Eternal City’s hyperactive streets lacked the sort of bling he often saw in New York (i.e., sport stripes, spinning rims and tinted windows). Then he shrugged it off, saying “Italy must not have much of a car culture.” Notably, no one spoke to that guy for the rest of the trip. You simply can’t be that wrong about something so obvious and survive the moment.

No nation has the same sort of overtly emotional love affair with the automobile, and the innate sense of competition that properly driving one provides, as Italy. Yes, the car built the U.S.A. and forged its self-image. And the Germans pour their meticulousness into their automotive engineering. The Japanese rebuilt their postwar economy with cars. But Italy will always see four wheels and an engine through the eyes of love and artistic expression.

Consider the spiaggine, Italy’s iconic open-air beach cars that became symbols of the Dolce Vita jet set and the ultimate summer accessory along the Amalfi Coast. The annual Mille Miglia is known as “the most beautiful race in the world,” in which hundreds of vintage automobiles travel an 1,800-kilometer loop from Brescia to Rome and back. Italian sports cars are tailored like the finest suits, and Emilia-Romagna’s “Motor Valley” houses world-renowned marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati.

As a result, a majority of the most desired and expensive cars at auction or among private collectors are Italian, led, unsurprisingly, by the creations of Enzo Ferrari and his team. The racing powerhouse built consumer cars primarily to fund the boss’s ambitions on the track, and a mix of those competitive speed machines and the road cars they inspired dominate the auction podiums.

Ferrari specializes in stacking just enough editions of its rare breeds to drive bidding hawks insane. Consider the 1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GTO. Enzo only made 36 of the dominant racers in those three years, making the 250 GTO perhaps the most precious of auction targets. In 2014, Bonhams brought the hammer down on a 250 for $38,115,000, while Sotheby’s sold another in 2023 for $51,705,000.

From Modena, Ferrari consistently puts more entries on the most prized auction lists than any other company, because its ’50s and ’60s creations are both gorgeous and agonizingly rare. Only four 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spiders ever left the factory, and RM Sotheby’s sent one to a private buyer in 2022 for $22,005,000. Four examples exist of the 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, so cue RM Sotheby’s again in 2018 for $22,005,000. Finally, two of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Competizione legends made it out into the world, and Christie’s sent one to a new home for $25,305,000 in 2025.

Moving forward from the 1960s, it’s consistently difficult to say precisely which additional Ferraris rise above their supercar kin. There’s the 1987 F40, with its mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Its F50 successor in 1995 improved on the formula with a 4.7-liter V12 powerplant. Still, the Ferrari 458 emerged in 2009 to surpass them both. Putting out as much as 597 horsepower, there’s something about the cut of its Italian tailoring that identifies it as the stereotypical modern Ferrari.

While the brand may not possess Ferrari’s trophies or price tags, Alfa Romeo is Italy’s most charming automaker. With their unmistakable tri-oval shield grilles and utter dedication to driving fun, there are few old-money auto lines with as much consistent style. The insane lines of the 1952 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante and the 1967 33 Stradale perfectly thumb their noses at the rest of the auto world as “love us or you don’t really like cars” candidates. The light and sporty 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA improved on its then-boxier relatives with pugnacious lines to become an all-time favorite.

But the perfect Alfa Romeo is the Spider. The convertible roadster defined its genre in various forms from 1966 to 1994. Trading the full grille for a shield badge, and posing an ergonomic challenge for some of the world’s taller drivers, there really is no more classically Italian car than Alfa Romeo’s arachnid.

Staying among the smaller car classics, the Fiat 500 rivals the U.K.’s Mini as the cutest pocket car in history. Built off and on from 1957 to 1975 (and reborn via an American partnership in 2007), the three-door hatchback can fit in any city in the world, but looks most at home in Venice or Florence.

Finally, Italy leads the world in the flashy car class, home to machines that demand attention and are never shy about their capabilities and MSRPs. While Lamborghini continues to make a fuss this century with the Gallardo, Aventador, Huracán and Revuelto, the Lambo that adorned the most pubescent teenagers’ walls in history must be the Countach. In production from 1974 to 1990, its low, angular lines rode the design traction from the ’70s through the ’80s with aplomb. They didn’t come with a supermodel standard, but they could have, and no one would bat an eye.

One lesser-known, but defiantly hard-edged, hypercar rounds out the Italian supercar crop. The Pagani Zonda lived under various guises from 1999 to 2019, but each had a gaudy spoiler, brawny wheel wells and up to a 7.3-liter V12 engine. In keeping with its Roman ancestors, a Zonda wanted to be the boldest of the bold, letting lesser cars know they were looking at another Caesar.

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It’s 2026, and the Nissan Armada would like a word. There was a time when Japanese vehicles were all about tiny, fuel-efficient hatchbacks and sports coupes, with the automakers from the Land of the Rising Sun and its neighboring nations content to leave the bigger vehicles to the U.S. of A. Not anymore. The full-size, eight-seat SUV rolls in at more than 209 inches, weighing more than 6,000 lbs. That puts it on the same scale as the largest people carriers in the business, and Nissan’s engineers have maximized its features for its price in the hope of stealing some buyers from the usual SUV suspects.

The aptly named Armada faces competition on two fronts. First, there is the similarly sized and priced Asian market competition. Lining up with the Armada at the starting line are the Toyota Sequoia, Honda Passport, Infiniti QX80, Lexus GX and the Hyundai Palisade. Other brands such as Kia, Mazda and Subaru put out their own SUVs, but nothing from the eight-seat ocean liner breed we see with the Armada.

In this subcategory, the Armada leans into the higher end of the price range without surrendering to extravagance. Starting around $58,000 for the entry-level model, the menu runs north of $82,000 for the Platinum Reserve.

Bearing an unnecessarily similar name, the Armada Platinum sits in the middle of the trim line with an MSRP of about $71,000. That amount puts the Armada on similar footing with the more refined versions of the Sequoia, while outclassing the Passport and Palisade. The Infiniti and Lexus entries run some $20,000 higher than the priciest Armada, pushing them into the mid-luxury class.

Meanwhile, this beefy Nissan presents itself as an alternative to more expensive American full-size SUV royalty. The Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon Denali are each still big enough to have their own zip code and carry the same small army as the Armada, but a buyer has to dig deeper into the coffers to load up said army. The Navigator’s price runs up to $120,000, while its rival Escalade tops out closer to $170,000.

To lure buyers away from the brawnier American players, Nissan loads its SUV with maxed-out features in the Platinum build. The interior cabin centers around a NissanConnect dual-display design with a 14.3-inch infotainment screen with voice-activated Google capability, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto feeding into a 12-speaker Klipsch audio system.

The quilted leather seats are climate controlled, while the folks back in stowage get their own tri-zone automatic temperature control. Everyone sits under a first-row, power-operated glass moonroof.

Nissan’s pitch to SUV shoppers is simple: while they could still drop well more than $100,000 for the Escalade or Navigator, they’ll get all of the same creature comforts, driver aids and entertainment options in the Armada, with enough money saved to buy a new Nissan Sentra on top.

In the performance department, the Armada follows the herd by retiring the V8 engine that would have powered such big machines in the past in favor of a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6. That’s the way of the world for fossil-fuel-engine vehicles now, and there’s no shifting it. In years to come, we will all live and drive at the mercy of turbocharger durability.

In this case, the V6 produces 425 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Torque matters to a big SUV as much as it does for a sports car, but for different reasons. For a Nissan Z, torque aids acceleration by putting the power down quickly. For an Armada, it aids the wheels for an immediate dig-in when towing the SUV’s 4-ton capacity.

Aesthetically, the Armada is a big box on four wheels. That’s not a cheap shot at the Nissan exterior designers; all of the full-size SUV competition’s models are also big boxes on four wheels, right up to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. The visual trend is as boring as a beige room, but it’s also expected by buyers looking into these human transporters. The only real appeal of that visual coding is that any full-size SUV is still better looking than a minivan.

Nissan positions Armada advertising to sell it like a rugged, off-road beast, but it doesn’t have that vibe behind the wheel. Its sheer weight and bulk would get it through most wilderness driving predicaments short of rockier terrain or deeper streams, but the handling feels more tuned to civilized conditions atop pavement. Meanwhile, the interior lacks the rugged serviceability of a tailor-made off-road machine, leaning instead toward urban or suburban sojourns.

Once at home on asphalt, the Armada cruises as any massive SUV should. Its heavyweight suspension protects driver and passenger bottoms from the harsher realities of potholes and speed bumps while moving with a preferred climate and providing chosen entertainment. That’s the true identity of the Nissan Armada Platinum: it gets everyone home in total comfort for less money than the snooty Americans a few doors down the block.

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While its disruption was a mere inconvenience compared to the worldwide life-and-death consequences of COVID-19, the New York art scene still sank out of sight for months during the severe pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Social distancing and crowd control shut down museums and made traditional gallery shows impossible. Yet the warm weather months threw the industry a life preserver. Once the spring and summer temps of 2020 hit, galleries set sail for the Hamptons. Beach clubs and yacht slips soon stood in for white walls and track lighting as outdoor shows and the occasional auction quite literally breathed fresh air into the five boroughs’ ailing art world.

Dobrosława Nowak, founder and CEO of The Italian Art Guide, tells Observer that it wasn’t only the New York galleries who fled the city for Long Island in 2020. “Some wealthy collectors temporarily moved to the Hamptons. When collectors moved, galleries, auction houses and dealers followed by opening pop-ups or seasonal locations. Over the last five years, the Hamptons became a focused luxury market with art leading the way.”

Nowak cited the prime example of the powerful Pace Gallery opening a temporary 1,700-square-foot exhibition space in East Hampton Village. According to Jess Frost, executive director of The Arts Center at Duck Creek, Pace transformed the Vered Gallery space (originally established in 1977) into a specially designed white cube that operated during the two COVID seasons: “They mounted ambitious exhibitions there, including a memorable Arlene Shechet sculpture show that felt every bit as serious as her last show in New York City.”

And the Hamptons effort was enough of a success for the gallery to maintain a presence out east. “I think a lot of [Hamptons] folks who were less familiar with the contemporary art scene had their horizons expanded that summer,” Frost adds. “It’s really easy to get myopic when you live here full time.”

Frost and Nowak do acknowledge that the Hamptons were an art destination in their own right before Manhattan’s COVID exodus, but agree that the pandemic forged an irreversible evolution. “Before 2020, the Hamptons already had a rich artistic history, with institutions such as the Parrish Art Museum and a long tradition of artists living and working on the East End,” Nowak points out. “However, its commercial gallery scene remained relatively modest. The pandemic sped up the Hamptons’ shift from a seasonal cultural destination to a significant node in the international art market.”

Frost celebrates the spotlight COVID turned on Long Island as the region took advantage of an unexpected opportunity: “COVID helped people realize that the Hamptons already had galleries with serious curatorial programs. Places like Halsey McKay and The Drawing Room weren’t simply responding to market trends. They’d been building thoughtful exhibitions for years.”

Jamie Mark, senior vice president at Proper Hospitality and spokesperson for the Montauk Yacht Club, points to that hotel as an example of an emerging art venue growing out of the Hamptons’ post-COVID identity. This summer, it expanded beyond hospitality to become a cultural destination via a new partnership with the artist-driven brand Platform. The site’s most recent solo exhibition featured new works by Brooklyn-based artist Joe Henry Baker.

Mark believes the demand for art outside the city hasn’t gone anywhere, but what replaced that first COVID-driven wave of permanent and satellite galleries is now more interesting. “The energy out east shifted toward a more flexible model with rotating exhibitions, artist collaborations and cultural programming that actually responds to the season and the community,” she says. “That’s the most exciting evolution… we’re not building static experiences. We’re building ecosystems that respond to the cultural moment, whether we’re at Art Basel Miami, Frieze L.A. or in Montauk with Platform and Joe Henry Baker.”

Offering an artist’s perspective, Chiara Rossetti—founder of Rossetti Art—stresses that COVID proved that a real market could exist outside the traditional Gallery District model: “That’s exactly the kind of thing that’s helped independent, direct-to-collector artists like me. Some of that energy in the Hamptons has cooled since 2021, but it left behind more legitimacy for art transactions happening outside Chelsea/Uptown. It drove private studio visits; direct sales; and artists building their own collector relationships rather than routing everything through a gallery. That’s the part of the story that outlasted the pop-ups themselves.”

Rossetti sees the Hamptons seasonal set-ups still around today treating the region as a priority second market worthy of consistent programming and ongoing relationships, instead of a seasonal overflow space for whatever a Chelsea space can’t fit.

Though the trend of city galleries and art spaces heading east in the warmer months naturally slowed once the pandemic abated, Nowak insists that there’s still sufficient Hamptons collector demand to sustain the satellite spaces. As a result, while the Hamptons is no longer the emergency alternative made necessary by COVID, it remains an important art destination forever evolved by the struggles of five years ago.

More importantly, Nowak says, the concept of decamping galleries took root and is now a strategy available to dealers chasing business. “After the pandemic, galleries around the world are more willing to meet collectors wherever they are geographically.”

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The expectation that artificial intelligence will soon invade every aspect of modern life is cliché by now, but that world-altering technology found its way into the automotive world ahead of schedule. From voice recognition to satellite navigation, more rudimentary forms of A.I. became part of the driving experience more than a decade ago. Those functions are programmed responses to instructions or other human input. Such systems understand commands and do as ordered. This era’s developing A.I. thinks and seeks to understand, inform, predict and enhance human functioning.

To that end, the A.I. being incorporated into the vehicles of 2026 is evolving faster than it can be applied, inspiring a variety of opinions on where it’s all headed and how the technology can be used. From an automaker’s perspective, McLaren’s production of elite supercars and its management of a globally competitive Formula 1 racing team demand the inclusion of the most cutting-edge A.I. abilities. According to Christoph Meyer, the automaker’s chief programme officer, McLaren’s A.I. story is focused on the huge efficiencies it can create in the design and engineering stage, which they refer to as ‘A.I. enhanced engineering.’ “As for our use of A.I. in engineering and design, McLaren Automotive is transforming its future product development by embedding true end-to-end agentic A.I. across the entire engineering lifecycle,” he told Observer.

For the uninitiated, agentic A.I. can follow elaborate instructions without supervision, set its own goals, create detailed plans and execute any related tasks using its own chosen external tools or systems. “McLaren applies a ‘perfect fit’ A.I. stack to bring rapid speed and scale throughout the design and engineering development process,” Meyer added. “The team can now explore more design space, run complex tests and simulations at an incredible pace, tune every component with greater precision and reduce manual, repetitive tasks through leveraging engineering agents.”

Meyer insists the resulting environment allows teams to focus on high-value design and engineering thinking, while leaving process-level tasks to the A.I.

Sam Abuelsamid is vice president of market research for the telemetry firm’s Transportation and Mobility Research and Advisory Practice. Focusing on assisted and automated driving and mobility services, he believes A.I.’s most profound effect in the near future will be the continued removal of human beings from the driving process: “The biggest consumer facing application of A.I. is Advanced Driver Assisted Systems—especially the latest hands-free systems like Super Cruise (from General Motors). It’s still relatively new for most automakers, but Tesla has really shifted their entire ADAS stack to be based on A.I. models. Mercedes Benz is using Nvidia’s Alpamayo end-to-end AI ADAS starting with the new CLA. Lucid and Jaguar Land Rover are adopting it, too. Nissan and Stellantis have also announced plans to roll out next-generation ADAS based on Wayve’s AI system in the next couple of years.”

Abuelsamid predicts the market will see increasing use of A.I. in areas such as powertrain and chassis control, and “an A.I. model could potentially manage aspects like motor control and battery charging and discharging to improve efficiency for better range. In order for that to work, the AI models need to run in real time on the vehicle rather than in the cloud.”

According to Dr. Liucheng Guo, chief technical officer and co-founder of TGO, a London-based company working on sensing technology for automotive interiors, current A.I. is increasingly about understanding the real-time state of the driver, passengers and vehicle environment. “That includes driver assistance, occupant monitoring, safety intervention, predictive maintenance and more adaptive human-machine interfaces,” Guo told Observer. “We see a major opportunity in pressure-mapping and material-integrated sensing. A seat, armrest, steering wheel or interior surface can become an intelligent sensing layer.”

As an example, Guo explained that a camera can be used during development to train an A.I. model to understand posture, body position and user intention—but the production vehicle does not need to rely on a camera. “The system can infer posture and occupant state from pressure and touch data alone. That creates a more privacy-preserving, non-invasive way for the car to understand what is happening inside the cabin.”

Guo rejected the idea that A.I. thinks like a human mind, but he stresses it can react much faster in safety-related situations, processing more data or taking over tasks that people either cannot do consistently or do not want to do repeatedly. “Useful AI in a vehicle is not necessarily trying to imitate a person,” he said. “Its value is in recognizing signals that humans may miss, such as a change in posture, an unfastened child seat, an out-of-position passenger, a driver shifting weight before reaching for a control or someone becoming unstable or uncomfortable.”

Guo doesn’t see the human being getting replaced by the car thinking on his or her behalf, but rather supporting the user quietly and naturally: “A passenger should simply sit down, move naturally, and the car should understand enough to adapt. This is especially important for age-friendly and accessibility-focused design where the best interface may be no visible interface at all in intention-aware, safety-aware and personalized cabins.”

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The echoes of British influence around the globe encompass tea time, stiff upper lips, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and Sunday roasts, but the U.K. also has a beloved and enduring automotive culture, having produced some of the most desired and collectible machines in four-wheeled history. While some of the automakers involved have since sold to foreign interests or faded from active business altogether, multiple generations of gearheads will go on honoring the legends their workmen left behind.

No medium drives a car into hallowed history faster than the movies, and 007 deserves the credit for making the Aston Martin DB5 world famous (RM Sotheby’s has called it the “most iconic and recognizable Aston Martin ever built”). Produced between 1963 and 1965, not every DB5 rolled off the line with machine guns and rotating number plates, but James Bond’s gorgeous coupe tore through several of his movies, from 1964’s Goldfinger to the most recent entry, No Time to Die. The most coveted versions still in circulation recreate the improvements Q Branch built in for the big screen, but any DB5 is precious. A pristine example built for the promotion of Thunderball—complete with Ken Adam and John Stears’s special-effects modifications—sold at RM Sotheby’s for $6,385,000 in 2019, setting a new record for the most valuable DB5 at auction.

Ian Fleming’s literary Bond was a Bentley man and drove another period classic for his Whitehall commute. The Cold War MI6 agent chose a racing pedigree with his “Blower Bentley,” the “4.5 Litre Supercharged” model built for racing duty between 1927 and 1931.

The only real rival to the DB5 in cultural footprint is the Jaguar E-Type. Enzo Ferrari admitted he thought it was the most beautiful car ever built, and owners from Steve McQueen to George Harrison agreed. Deserving of its spot on any automotive Mount Rushmore, the E-Type had a longer production life than the DB5 (1961 to 1974) before Jaguar unveiled a short-lived EV resurrection in 2017. With its long wheelbase, sleek bonnet and cockpit pushed back toward the rear wheels, the E-Type’s lines remain forever unmistakable.

Yet even as the E-Type gets countless accolades, it can’t be called the most coveted Jaguar. The 1955 Jaguar D-Type that won the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans claimed a then-record $21,780,000 at the 2016 Pebble Beach Sotheby’s sale to become the most expensive British car ever sold at auction. It remains the only intact D-Type to have won the annual marathon race.

Because central London built its streets for horse-drawn Hansom cabs and country towns have roads only wide enough for ox carts, the British car industry once led the world in the design of small cars. From 1962 to 1980, the British Motor Corporation and British Leyland produced a sporty little ride that became the globally recognized symbol of its compact category. It never sold nearly as many units as the Mazda MX-5 Miata or commanded the price of a Ferrari Scaglietti, but for even the casual automotive eye, a classic MG MGB is the definitive roadster.

(The MG tradition is now owned by a Chinese firm that produces EVs, because life is cruel and the economic realities of the business world care not for automotive tradition.)

Staying with tiny U.K. cars, only one has its size in its name. Like the MGB, the Mini came out of the British Motor Corporation and British Leyland from 1959 to 1986, with Rover Group continuing production until BMW bought the model in 2000 and kept it on the road to the present day. Essentially a tiny box with wheels at its corners, the Mini placed its engine all the way forward alongside the driver’s knees, leaving most of the car’s surface space for passengers and their modest cargo.

Today’s German-built Minis are significantly larger than their ancestors—you could almost drop an original Mini inside a BMW version. Still, the original hatchback remains one of the most influential cars in the history of design engineering. Without the Mini kicking down the garage door, today’s endless proliferation of hatchbacks and crossovers simply doesn’t exist.

To avoid lingering in the hazy, nostalgic and slightly damp ’50s, ’60s and ’70s: British automotive innovation didn’t end with the arrival of color television. While global economic and manufacturing pressures put the U.K. out of the mass automotive production business, smaller operations capable of creating elite cars in limited batches began to dominate the scene. The model that set the global pace most aggressively was the McLaren F1.

Built from 1993 to 1998 out of Woking in Surrey, the F1 immediately set the world record for the fastest consumer production car at 240 mph and held that title until the Bugattis knocked it off its perch. McLaren’s F1 still holds the record as the fastest naturally aspirated production car in the world, a claim it will likely keep indefinitely as engine technology moves toward electrification.

Ranking auction sales by total price, a 1995 version sold by Gooding and Company in 2021 drew $20,465,000, breaking the record for the most valuable McLaren ever sold at auction previously held by an F1 LM Specification McLaren that achieved $19,805,000 at Sotheby’s in 2019. Prior to that, Bonhams moved a 1995 unit in 2017 for $15,620,000 and RM Auctions sold a 1998 LM Specification at $13,750,000. More recently, a 1994 McLaren F1 refitted with an Iris White livery and the High-Downforce Kit and signed by ex-McLaren driver Sir Lewis Hamilton achieved $25.3 million in Sotheby’s inaugural Collectors’ Week sales in Abu Dhabi. No post-war British car consistently commands prices like that.

While the U.S., Germany, Japan and Korea continue to mass-produce cars by the hundreds of thousands, the U.K. has settled comfortably into its current identity as a niche, cutting-edge automotive force with brands too numerous to mention here. From the ultra-advanced models still emerging from Lotus to the mad speed machines sneaking out of Ariel, the world may look farther afield for its daily drives—but thoughts return to England’s green hills when it’s time to show a little more style.

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The U.S. did not invent the automobile, but it perfected a deep cultural love of cars. Since Henry Ford fired up his assembly lines, before Route 66 was a glimmer in the eye, Americans looked on cars as more than mere transportation. An assemblage of steel and rubber could become desired objects of precious history, cultural identity and self-expression.

In the 21st Century, anything rare becomes a commodity. That means American cars relegated to limited supplies by history and advancing engineering can emerge as more than highly desired stars of nostalgia, transforming into investment metal on the auction circuit. While going under the gavel isn’t the only way to determine a car’s emotional appeal, secondary market prices remain the most useful method to track the value of something precious.

American cars rarely draw the same kinds of vault-shattering prices the European favorites from Italy and Germany demand. For example, the 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut Coupe” is universally recognized as the most expensive car ever auctioned, selling in 2022 via RM Sotheby’s for $142 million. The 1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GTOs remain hot with Bonhams bringing the hammer down on a 250 for $38,115,000 in 2014, and Sotheby’s selling another in 2023 for $51,705,000.

The American enthusiast looks to push stratospheric German and Italian prices aside and get a more down home “bargain” with a proper, patriotic muscle car. For the red, white and blue gearhead looking to spend the green, mention of a Shelby Cobra will always draw attention. Conceived as a road-going racer by Carroll Shelby and produced in starts and stops from 1962 to 1967, several Cobra builds pulled in north of $10 million over the years. The very first 1962 Shelby 260 Cobra (chassis CSX 2000) went for $13,750,000 at Sotheby’s in 2016, while Mecum moved a 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe in 2009 for $7,865,000.

The other most sought after auction target in the muscle car realm is any of the 20 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 run. Built expressly for the track, each version carried a rare Chevy big block V8 capable of well more than 500 horsepower (a startling number in 1967 and not exactly slow for 2026). One of the 20 Corvettes moved for $3.85 million in 2014, before heading up for auction again in 2024 and claiming $3.2 million.

Lesser known in popular culture than a Cobra or a Corvette, the Plymouth Hemi Barracuda is widely considered the purest incarnation of the American muscle machine. Each vehicle carried the 7-liter “Elephant” V8 developed for NASCAR, an engine capable of 425 horsepower. Plymouth produced 780 Hemi ‘Cudas between 1970 and 1971, and collectible car wisdom says that’s potentially too many to drive up seven figure prices. However, the automaker only rolled out 26 convertibles in those years. Mecum sold off just such a 1971 soft top in 2014 for $3.5 million.

It’s unjust to talk about muscle cars in demand without picking out an original pony car. The 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350R took the common man’s sports car and amped it up into a racing star. The same man behind the desirable Cobra headed up development of the GT350R, with Shelby making it into a purely track-spec coupe with reduced weight and a 360 horsepower V8.

Often seen in original white with Ford blue racing stripes, Shelby GT350Rs don’t stick around long on the auction block. Only 34 were ever built, and the first one off the line claimed $4.07 million at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee Event in 2022.

A controversial entrant in the American collectible scene is the Ford GT40. Made famous in the Matt Damon film Ford v. Ferrari, the Dearborn automaker developed the 24 Hours of LeMans racing machine in the 1960s specifically to knock Enzo Ferrari off the podium. The GT40 did just that, dominating LeMans from 1966 to 1969, with 105 cars emerging as racers or high-end consumer sports cars before total production ended.

The highest auction sale for GT40 fell in 2025 when a 1966 MK II cruised out of RM Sotheby’s Miami for $13,205,000. That should easily qualify a GT40 as a holy grail of U.S. collector cars. The trouble is, while Ford paid the bills, the machines were engineered and built in Slough outside London—leaving the debate open as to how much British blood and sweat went into this American racing star.

The hardcore collectors looking to reach beyond trendy 1960s relics most often turn back to the 1930s and the Duesenbergs. The automaker died out in 1937, but not before building the era’s most sought after luxury coupes. Duesenbergs often drive off as yearly champions on the Concours d’Elegance circuit, and their king remains the 1935 SSJ. The company only built two of them, and the very same version Hollywood legend Gary Cooper owned sold for $22 million in 2018, setting a new record for a Duesenberg.

Finally, jumping ahead to one of the fresher faces in the American supercar world, the Hennessey Venom F5 goes for about $3 million brand new, so its auction prices for models just hitting the market now can top out around $3.5 million. The only strikes against the 1,817 horsepower hypercar are its too new a player to earn the charm of nostalgia—and, like the GT40, it was developed for the American company by Delta Motorsport in the U.K.

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There’s an assumption among aspirational buyers shopping for Toyotas, Chevrolets, Hyundais and so on that a Mercedes-Benz is just a little out of their reach. In previous incarnations, the automaker’s C-Class existed to challenge that perception. A car shopper could just as easily slip into Mercedes’ pocket and grab what German luxury lovers would consider an entry-level C-Class for the price of a maxed-out non-luxury ride.

But don’t confuse the newer CLE class with the more wallet-friendly C-Class. The $84,000-plus CLE coupe sits above both the popular C and stalwart E-Class sedans and further sweetens its standing in the line with AMG badging. For the uninitiated, that AMG designation means the dedicated Mercedes-Benz tuning shop takes an already well-engineered Mercedes and tightens and adjusts it in an unmistakably German manner until it’s hotter, faster and generally more thrilling to drive.

Honoring those three magic letters, the AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet harnesses an enhanced and sport-tuned 3.0-liter, inline-six turbocharged engine. In keeping with Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to electrification across its models, the Cabriolet is a mild hybrid (not a plug-in with a dedicated, separate electric motor). The 48-volt mild-hybrid system throws in EQ Boost tech and an electric auxiliary compressor.

Put it all together, with the six cylinders standing in for what would have been eight before this age of ever-present turbocharging, and the total powerplant provides 443 horsepower, 413 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds. An AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT nine-speed automatic transmission with sport shifters sends power to a fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. The result is urgent, yet smoothly applied acceleration on demand. If the driver chooses Sport or Sport+ from the AMG Dynamic Elect driving mode menu (instead of Comfort, Slippery or Individual), the Mercedes engineers add a little extra exhaust-note rumble to simulate the presence of a classic V8.

Driving the CLE 53 reintroduces the senses to that unique and reassuring Mercedes-Benz heaviness. That adjective can conjure sensations of unresponsive clumsiness, but that’s never the case with any three-pointed star build. The weight of handling in a “Merc” is confident and correct, like a golf swing falling into the slot for pure contact. The CLE 53 feels completely grounded, even at higher speeds, thanks to its advanced steering system.

That AMG-dialed technology uses Three-Stage AMG Parameter Steering to put the car dead on where the driver wants it. Delving too deeply into how it all works parks the reader in a maze of jargon. Put simply, the electromechanical setup adjusts the amount of onboard power assistance needed based on the driver’s input and driving conditions. At slower speeds, the car offers a little extra boost to the wheel. When moving with alacrity, the assistance steps aside so the driver can feel the turns. Finally, if in a Sport or Sport+ mode for enthusiastic or track operation, the smart steering bites down a little harder for maximum accuracy.

That’s just the front wheels. AMG’s Active Rear-Axle Steering allows the rear wheels to turn by up to 2.5 degrees to help shift the vehicle’s weight and momentum. When the car moves less than 37 mph, the back wheels turn in the opposite direction of the front wheels. At speeds above 37 mph, the back tires will turn in the same direction as the front wheels to smooth the feel of the on-road rubber’s adjustments. To increase the aggressive stance of this AMG CLE 53, the aesthetic designers added widened rear haunches, flared wheel arches and a signature AMG grille that eagle-eyed gearheads will spot a Prussian mile away.

Of course, the Cabriolet designation says “convertible,” and this soft-top two-door tourer builds many of its other features around having the roof down. The cloth crown will open or close within 20 seconds, provided the operator doesn’t exceed 37 mph. The MBUX infotainment system uses a self-adjusting power screen that tilts 40 degrees to dive out of the sun’s glare when the roof folds up behind the driver’s head.

That same head enjoys the Mercedes AIRSCARF that warms the back and neck of both front passengers against the chills of a convertible’s wind shear. Simultaneously, the AIRCAP system draws on aerodynamic science to create a bubble of air over the cabin to further reduce buffeting.

The only snag with the 2026 Mercedes AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet is its size relative to nearby sedans on the automaker’s trim chart. The car’s description positions it as a sporty touring ride, but the limited trunk space that comes with a coupe can limit how long a tour is feasible and how many goodies can come along. Still, while tearing up streets or gliding down highways, the AMG CLE 53 is more about driving pleasure than utility on tours of any length.

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The 2026 Lincoln Navigator Black Label is big—monumentally big for a consumer market SUV. That’s half of its identity in the automotive world. The other half is proving it’s as comfortable and technologically advanced in the luxury space as any full-size SUV can possibly manage.

The Black Label badging occupies the top of the Navigator trim tree with maxed-out bangs and whistles—with pricing to match at around $120,000. Seating up to eight people, depending on how the owner sets up the cargo space, this Lincoln amps up the aesthetic, infotainment, safety and comfort catalog, setting up this top-line SUV up for battle against the equally sprawling Cadillac Escalade or the GMC Yukon Denali in the domestic market.

While you might think such a moving fortress would require a beefy V8 for proper motivation, the Ford philosophy that flows toward Lincoln looks to reduce fuel consumption by employing a smaller, turbo-aided engine. In keeping, this Navigator uses a twin-turbo V6 putting out 440 horsepower. A V8 might provide more immediate acceleration in a pinch, but a massive SUV isn’t built for speed. The six cylinders create the smooth power a luxury people carrier requires without a sense of sluggishness. The V6 also manages a reported 8,700 lb. towing capacity with the right hookup in place.

A 10-speed automatic transmission puts the power down, and an elaborate braking design brings the bulk to a stop. A power four-wheel disc, anti-lock brake system adds Lincoln’s AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control to grab the machine and reduce side-to-side inertia. Onboard computer assistance kicks in for Automatic Emergency Braking to avoid collisions in case of distracted driving. Finally, Reverse Brake Assist uses radar to watch the back bumper in any case of overly aggressive backtracking.

One ding in this Navigator’s otherwise impenetrable mechanical armor is the steering and the feel behind the wheel. Lincoln lives in the Ford family as one of its partner brands, and Ford specializes in making larger vehicles easy to handle. The Ford F-150 pickup—the fastest-selling commercial vehicle in the world, with one selling every 50-plus seconds—is as manageable to maneuver as any hatchback or crossover.

The 2026 Navigator surprisingly doesn’t have that F-150 feel, as it requires more muscular effort than the Ford trucks due to a sensation of heaviness behind the rounded oval steering wheel. That must be credited to its curbside weight of just over 6,000 lbs. Even with cutting-edge electric power-assisted steering, the Lincoln works a bit to turn that three-ton heft. That poundage will also create a sense of understeer should the Lincoln navigate a turn too quickly.

The nuts and bolts noted, the identity of the Navigator Black Label lives most vibrantly through its luxury features. The most obvious attraction is the unique, cinematic infotainment screen. Situated just under the windshield and stretching 48 inches across the cockpit from driver to passenger, the screen’s adjustable display options include a mix of selected driving information, weather conditions, sports scores, environmental effects and more.

Beyond a screen that tests the limits of peripheral vision, the Navigator builds up a relentless suite of comfort, safety and entertainment functions. The Lincoln “Rejuvenate” seats offer heating and cooling through the first two rows. The front driver and passenger seats include multi-setting massage capability. A 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio system fills the vehicle with music via Lincoln Connect and its 5G Wi-Fi, Google integration, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Those aforementioned environmental features are enhanced with a bespoke scented interior. When the redesigned Navigator emerged last year, Lincoln offered seven Digital Scent Cartridges—including Mystic Forest, Ozonic Azure, Violet Cashmere, Cloud Balsam, Serene Seashore, Twilight Embers and Sunlight Retreat—to make that new car smell seem pedestrian by comparison. Lincoln continues to roll out new themes and scents to keep the whole gimmick fresh.

For any average-size vehicle, that pile of attractions between the driver and passenger seats would suffice, but there are several miles of SUV behind even the rear-most humans. The payload area gives the Navigator Black Label the opportunity to toss more goodies into the mix. Its modular functions adapt to roadside needs and events as seats can stay in place or give way to tables that fold out for picnics, glamping or tailgating. All elements can also pack up out of the way for maximum cargo space.

Lincoln unveiled new BlueCruise self-driving technology in its 2025 SUVs, and it remains in place. The smart driving tech announces it’s ready to take control of the vehicle when moving at free-flowing highway speeds in traffic—while still relying on constant attention and input from the driver. If the operator takes their hands off the wheel or fails to fix a gaze downrange, BlueCruise will detect it and nudge the driver into playing by the rules.

The minutiae of it all still feels more stressful than actual driving. To sense the car controlling itself while the driver is still paying maximum attention simply fuels the desire to turn BlueCruise off and take back the wheel.

Tossing BlueCruise aside, the driving experience is grounded and stately on the road. While its mass would allow the 2026 Lincoln Navigator Black Label to handle reasonable off-road duty, that’s an assignment best left to a Defender or Range Rover Sport in this price class. Shoppers put down six figures for this Lincoln to have maximized comfort for maximized passenger counts demanding maximized features en route and on arrival. It’s all about avoiding the dirt and dents of the highway so driver and crew can arrive happy and refreshed—for a price.

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In the latest Chevrolet Traverse High Country, we’re finally getting a proper, full-size SUV. There’s none of that crossover nonsense in play with its three-row seating for seven (eight if Ozempic gets involved). Even so, the Traverse doesn’t feel as bulky or as heavy as a Lincoln Navigator or a Yukon Denali from behind the wheel. The latter machines get their own zip codes coming off the assembly line—the driver needs an intercom system to call passengers in the rearmost seats. The Traverse, by contrast, is a more reasonably scaled people carrier.

However, its engine is a big bowtie question mark. The powerplant functions up to par, and Chevy has put its capable engineering and reliable build quality into it, but it’s undeniably small for a vehicle in its SUV class. Like the other versions in its trim line, the Traverse High Country has a 2.5-liter, turbocharged inline 4-cylinder heart. While it will put out 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque with its tied-in 8-speed automatic transmission, those numbers have to serve for a 121-inch wheelbase vehicle weighing more than two tons.

Considering that the High Country AWD is meant as the brawny tough kid in the Traverse family for the off-roading enthusiast, the SUV is also expected to tow an additional 5,000 lbs. As tested, the Chevy seems adequately powered for road, freeway and moderate off-road duty, but there didn’t seem to be much to spare in the acceleration department.

As for engine durability, that all comes down to how this generation of turbochargers stand up as the miles roll along. There’s a number buzzing around gearheads these days as they shop the used car market. Whether it’s a domestic or import consumer make, if the model in play relies on a smaller high compression engine boosted by turbochargers, some experts say watch out for that 100,000-mile mark. That’s when the rubber may (or, in this case, may not) meet the road—when the car buyers discover if their turbocharged power plants hold up with advancing age.

The fossil fuel engines of decades past relied solely on cylinders, pistons, camshafts, etc. The idea of using turbochargers to boost engine power made its way from high performance engines down into consumer cars, allowing engineers to remove cylinders without sacrificing too much horsepower. Fewer cylinders then allowed for smaller overall engine sizes and less weight under the hood, often boosting fuel efficiency.

“Eco” types of all breeds are happy as turbocharged engines promise ecological and economic benefits. Still, those turbochargers are an essential engine component shouldering a lot of the strain of V6s behaving like V8s—and inline 4s driving 4,500 lbs of 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country AWD while it tows up to another 2.5 tons. The turbo-boosted engines would sweat a lot less pushing a sporty hatchback or crossover down the road.

Setting concerns over engine size on the back burner for a moment, the overall feature package of the $59,095 Traverse High Country remains competitive with much more expensive vehicles in its class. There’s almost 23 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row of seats, and an auto-sense power lift gate that knows when you need to load your supplies. Outside are LED headlamps, a chrome luggage rack and high-clearance 22-inch wheels for presumed off-road operation. Interior features include a panoramic sunroof, perforated heated and cooled leather seating, heated steering wheel, a 17.7-inch touchscreen and Bose premium audio.

On the safety side, the driver snuggles down with computer assisted adaptive cruise control, blind zone steering assist, Chevy Safety Assist, collision mitigation and lane keeping assistance to monitor driver alertness. Obviously, those features aid road conditions as the High Country (despite the aforementioned off-roading ambitions) is more of a family truckster than a likely forder of streams, even with its all-wheel-drive.

Piling up all of those features and options inside and out, the Traverse High Country AWD packs most of what European SUVs of similar mass offer with price tags north of $70,000. That added value takes some of the sting out of the engine size concerns.

The driving experience is satisfactory, but there are times when you’ll find yourself longing for a couple of extra cylinders. Regardless, the Traverse handles with ease. In fact, it’s a tribute to how Chevy’s engineers (and those at other automakers putting out full-size SUVs and pickup trucks) implement electronic assisted power steering to make larger machines as easy to drive as cars half their size.

Obviously, the operator must be aware of the additional bulk, but the Traverse turns or parallel parks with no more effort than any other daily drive. And the MPG numbers are attractive for a full-size, non-electrified SUV at 20 city, 24 highway and 21 combined. All tallied, there’s much to recommend in the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse High Country AWD, potentially making it a showroom value. The only ding in its fender is that decision to ride or die with four cylinders in a full-size SUV.

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That old maxim on wisdom “…from the mouths of babes…” might not apply to my 21-year-old nephew. Still, we’ll give the kid credit for succinctly summing up the 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD in a handful of words. During a weeklong test drive of Ford’s latest performance, all-electric SUV, I picked up the savvy young man for our regular dinner in which we enjoy an adventurous meal and solve all of the world’s problems. As he settled into the passenger seat, he noted the tasteful interior soaked in that new car smell hewn from recycled materials.

His initial judgment? “I like it. It’s cool.” As we zipped into the night, he commented that the EV moved well and was plenty comfortable. He’s somewhat less than an enthusiastic gearhead, so it cam as no surprise when he asked what vehicle had carried him to his Indian supper that night. I tapped on the center of the steering wheel and the iconic emblem of the galloping horse. He looked from that emblem around the car and back to me: “No. This isn’t a Mustang. Is it?”

There we have the encapsulated dilemma of the Mustang Mach-E since its arrival in 2020 amidst the COVID pandemic, when saving the world was on everyone’s mind. The ecology-centric plug-in EV is a good-looking, reasonably sporty crossover/small SUV with respectable range. All the while, it carries legendary branding that should be reserved for automotive Mount Rushmore and not forcibly spot-welded to a vehicle Ford wanted to soak in industry buzz.

I’ve owned four Mustangs over the years. My first ride at the foolish age of 16 was a very used but wonderfully spirited 1975 Mustang Mach I V8 with all of its 122 horsepower. After I wrecked it while driving between summer jobs (I still have the ball off of the gear shifter), I downgraded to an underpowered but handsome 1977 Mustang II Inline-Four. When Ford redesigned the entire look of the Mustang in 1996, I could afford a brand new V6 version with my first job out of grad school. Finally, my 2011 Mustang GT 5.0L V8 made a lot of noise as I made my way out of my Mustang phase.

The common element binding all four of those cars to the Mustangs of today is the simple fact that they were and are all coupes. A classic model’s vehicle type is forever wed to its identity. Ford wouldn’t make an F-150 hatchback, and Lincoln doesn’t sell a scooter and call it a Navigator Lite. It doesn’t sit right that the automaker would take easily the most famous car it ever built and transplant its badge onto a crossover.

Still, judged on what it is over what it’s called, the Mach-E Premium AWD is a very competitive EV. It employs dual-permanent magnet synchronous AC motors over the axles producing 370 hp in its extended range trim. Physics and the nature of torque from an electric motor lend exceptional acceleration to performance EVs, and the Mach-E Premium packs 500 lb-ft of said torque, forging a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds.

The range maxes out just a tick north of 300 miles, while the battery charges from 10 percent to 80 percent in 36 to 40 minutes on a DC fast charger. The vehicle arrives with an adapter that will juice up the car off any standard garage or outdoor outlet, but that operation requires eight to 12 hours of uninterrupted charge time.

Inside the passenger compartment, there’s a 15.5-inch vertical infotainment screen mounted somewhat awkwardly on the center of the dash. Regardless, the screen grants carefree access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in addition to the standard suite of Ford apps the company lays into all of its 2026 machines.

The exterior aesthetics are as graceful as a crossover can be. The vehicle class amounts to little more than oversized hatchbacks. Still, the Mustang Mach-E’s designers gave it a pleasant flowing line head to tail and a fairly athletic stance. The only detail that harks back to the proper Mustangs of old besides the hijacked running stallion symbol is the three-across rectangular taillights.

The driving experience is pleasant and effective. The suddenness of the ride’s acceleration comes in handy in traffic, and the range is adequate for any commuter’s needs. That nephew of mine liked the 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD, and the fact that it’s an EV is appealing to the social justice and climate change-minded young man as he settles into his first job.

However, he made it clear that, despite the vehicle catching his eye at first glance, the marketing stunt of calling the Mach-E Premium AWD a Mustang struck him as disingenuous. When it comes to an automotive industry fixture like the original pony car, authenticity matters.

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There are few automakers whose racing history and pedigree are as closely wed to their production cars as McLaren. A longtime fixture in the ultimate technological and engineering competition that is Formula 1 racing, the Woking, U.K.-based operation pours what it learns on the world’s greatest grand prix courses into the supercars it sells to well-heeled buyers.

The 2026 McLaren 750S Spider puts that competitive acumen to better use than any other car in its current line (and better than all but a tiny handful of cars worldwide). A mid-engined two-seater, the 750S offers otherworldly speed and handling built for the track.

McLaren dropped a precisely tuned, 4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 capable of 740 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque into this Spider. Those numbers might not seem overly ambitious as Bugatti, Ferrari, Aston Martin and other McLaren rivals are building V16s or V12s, driving more than 1,000 horses out of their barns. But the 750S makes the most of its equine capability by staying Grade A lean. Putting racing material science to good use, McLaren stripped 30 kilograms of weight out of the 2025 750S. Converted to imperial numbers, the 2026 version weighs only about 3,170 lbs.

With the V8 pushing a lighter chassis with the help of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, this rear-wheel-drive rocket ship will do 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. It joins a very small club of entirely fossil fuel-driven vehicles on the consumer market capable of that kind of acceleration without the aid of any electric motor. Turning back to the McLaren weight advantage briefly, one way to make any car lighter is to avoid putting a layer of lithium-ion batteries along its belly.

In terms of straight-line speed, the 750S will do a reported 206 mph. It’s safe to say McLaren limits its output to that already considerable figure because it once engaged in international rivalries with other stratospheric automakers over who could build the fastest cars in the world year to year. The 750S could no doubt climb north of 210 in the hands of mentally imbalanced men and women if its engineers allowed it to do so.

Such scientifically honed power requires precise steering and handling to keep it pointed in the right direction. McLaren uses a power-assisted rack-and-pinion system with double wishbone suspension front and rear to ease at least some of the road’s bumps at speed. The car can raise its front end on demand with the press of a button to survive speed bumps and other inconveniences.

The driver should expect—require, really—extra sensitivity and connection to the road surface as this McLaren honors its intention as an ultimate performance car. The machine wants to connect and communicate with its operator through that racing-cut steering wheel, and that means it’ll react more sensitively to driving conditions that a luxury car might float above in its quest for comfort.

Still, the 750S is by no means an uncomfortable endurance test for driver and passenger. Though it rides very low to the ground for ideal aerodynamics, the ergonomics of the carbon fiber racing seats cup the occupants with adequate support. While the car’s thirsty fuel consumption numbers (15 mpg on a good day) make this McLaren a less-than-ideal tourer, it doesn’t make human bodies pay for its sportiness.

When considering a $386,000+ car with performance capabilities like the 750S’s, an envious question leaves the lips of those who don’t dwell in the realm of automotive enthusiasm. It always goes something like: “What use is all that speed? You can’t do anything with it.” If the driver expected to answer that query owns a McLaren 750S, the best response is to activate its launch control and silence any further nonsense with the machine’s violent, Valkyrie shriek of engine noise. Short of such a dramatic departure, there are more practical ways to shush the killjoy.

All of that power proves a wonderful gift when it comes time to pull out onto a busy street or to escape wolf packs on the freeway. The supreme and immediate speed of the McLaren throws wide open even the tiniest windows in the traffic flow.

Admittedly, the 750S is an entirely impractical vehicle. Yes, the car holds a “frunk” large enough for a briefcase or a modest suitcase. Its cockpit can hold two backsides in adequate comfort inside those contoured racing seats. In keeping with its “Spider” ancestors, the roof opens to the outside air in only 11 seconds and closes again at speeds up to about 30 m.p.h. It has all of the necessary safety features; a modest, but effective 8-inch touchscreen; and a Bowers & Wilkins stereo system.

But truthfully, the McLaren 750S Spider exists to transport irresponsible, adrenaline-addicted humans at extreme, perhaps immature speeds. The car’s lack of sensible applications is the entire point of this track beast turned road car. McLaren’s designers and engineers slave away in Surrey to create a top-down tribute to driving enjoyment for owners who aren’t afraid to peacock a bit out on the road.

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