I’m at a red light on a misty stretch of Highway 1 somewhere between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay when I spot a first-generation Rivian truck pulling up on my right. And I am behind the wheel of the 2025 Rivian Tri-Motor R1S SUV, so naturally I give my fellow Rivian driver a nod and gesture for him to roll down his window.
“Yo, man! How do you like your car?” I shout. He looks me and the vehicle up and down, then hollers back. “I don’t like it!” He pauses and locks eyes with me. “I love it.”
People who drive Rivians absolutely adore their cars. And after spending a week in the Tri-Motor R1S, I can see why.
You spot a Rivian SUV on the street and its distinctive shape—a friendly rectangular slab that’s rounded in just the right places—is eye-catching but not over-the-top. The exterior styling of the Tri-Motor R1S is largely unchanged from previous Rivians, but it’s the evolutionary interior design and revolutionary powertrain engineering that earned the Tri-Motor R1S the honor of being named Esquire’s Car of the Year.
Sitting inside the cabin, you’re surrounded by quiet luxury—the ride is nearly silent, save for some faint wind noise at high speeds. There are almost no physical buttons anywhere; virtually every control—even the direction of the air vents—is managed through the easily navigable 15.6-inch central display. The roomy interior feels big enough to host a tennis match. One of my tallest friends (six-foot-five, cartoonishly long legs) comfortably sat in the rear seats.
Despite a staggering 371-mile range, the Tri-Motor variant delivers an equally staggering 850 horsepower and launches the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. That’s almost as fast as a Corvette Z06 (2.6 seconds) and faster than a BMW M5 (3.4 seconds) and even a Lamborghini Urus SE (just over 3 seconds). Fast? Obviously! But it never feels overpowered or out of control.
These days, many new trucks and SUVs project a large, menacing presence, as if they could run you off the road at any moment. The Rivian Tri-Motor R1S sends a completely different message. It shows the world you’re not afraid to get a little rough, a little dirty, but you also appreciate expertly engineered, beautiful things. It doesn’t scream for attention, but it makes a bold statement all the same. —D.D.
Price: from $105,900
rivian.com
11 MORE OF THE BEST CARS ON THE ROAD
If the Rivian isn’t the right ride for you, don’t fret. We found nearly a dozen other vehicles worth celebrating—from an absurdly stacked Aston Martin SUV to an extraordinarily practical electric Hyundai to what is possibly the smartest RV ever produced on planet Earth. Is there a lot of variance between these cars? Of course! But driving any one of them announces the same thing: I am a person of impeccable taste who isn’t fearful of what the world has to offer.
SPORTS CAR OF THE YEAR
Lamborghini Revuelto
In Italian, the word revuelto refers to a rebellious bull. In Spanish, it can mean scrambled or mixed-up. Fitting! This is a car that straddles two worlds and is at home in both. It’s gas powered with a 6.5-liter, naturally aspirated V12, and it fronts three additional electric motors that boost the output up to a stupefying 1,001 horsepower. It can hit 60 mph in 2.5 seconds from a standstill. It has scissor doors. It garners attention every place you drive it. The grip it has on the road is brain melting—my primitive ape mind could barely comprehend how tenaciously the Revuelto adhered to the pavement, even when pushing it (and I mean really pushing it) through damp twisties on Highway 1.
The Revuelto is a true sports car, one that takes the bond between man and machine to new, exciting, and somewhat scary levels. It’s also Lamborghini’s first attempt at a plug-in hybrid supercar, but you’d assume it’s been developing this technology for years. The electric motors provide near-instantaneous torque, and the enhanced power never feels overwrought. So many supercars feel ’roided out, with automotive engineers juicing horsepower and torque stats just because they can. Not the Revuelto. It is dual in nature: petroleum and electric, aggressive yet measured, a technological achievement from an automotive company that reveres tradition. In other words, a sports car that is in perfect balance. —D.D.
Price: $542,165
lamborghini.com
FAMILY CAR OF THE YEAR
Volvo XC90
You’ll have to sit tight until spring 2025 to get behind the wheel of this one, the first redesign of the Swedish automaker’s iconic three-row SUV in ten years. It’s worth the wait. The XC90’s exterior is sexier and more contemporary, with “Thor’s Hammer” T-shaped headlights and the redesigned criss-cross grille brought over from Volvo’s EX electric car line. The refreshed interior feels like a cozy and practical Scandinavian living room, with a killer Bowers & Wilkins sound system and a simplified UX on the 11.2-inch center touch screen to keep your tapping and swiping to a minimum. Improved sound insulation keeps the outside world out, and the air suspension on all four wheels keeps the ride smooth. I drove this baby around rural Sweden earlier this month, and when I stopped in the small town of Klockaretorpet for fika (the traditional Swedish pastry-and-coffee break), I had to look at the ground to know I’d been driving on cobblestones. Start planning your summer 2025 vacation now, because this is the ultimate family-road-trip machine. —D.H.
Price: $66,950 as tested
volvo.com
LUXURY CAR OF THE YEAR
Bentley Continental GT Speed
I drove my very first Continental GT Speed back in 2009 when it had a massive twin-turbo W12 engine that churned out 600 horsepower and was the first Bentley ever produced that was capable of exceeding 200 mph. With my best friend riding shotgun, I drove that car from L.A. to San Francisco—stopping once at a Taco Bell on Highway 5, live más—in a shade under four hours. I was blown away not only by the effortless velocity but just how velvety smooth the ride was. (More than one person likened it to a rolling day spa.)
When I heard Bentley was ditching the W12 in favor of a hybrid V8, I was, erm, a little skeptical. How could you forgo so many cylinders and still expect blistering speed along with unparalleled comfort? After ripping around in the 2024 Continental GT Speed, I am skeptical no longer. That hybrid engine generates 771 horsepower and 738 ft-lb of torque, sending the 5,000-pound vehicle from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. The 25.9kWh battery offers up to 50 miles of electric-only driving range, and the top speed is more than 200 mph (208 mph, baby).
But those are just stats. The important thing to remember with the Continental GT Speed is the feel. It still feels like a rolling day spa. You often can’t tell how fast you’re going—what feels like 65 is actually 95. (Hi, officer!) Are there quicker cars? Oh yes. (See the Revuelto.) Are there more luxuriant ones? Of course! (See the Spectre.) But is there a car out there that so expertly combines comfort and performance? No. The Continental GT Speed is the pinnacle, and there is no competition, no better choice. —D.D.
Price: $272,325
bentley.com
AFFORDABLE EV OF THE YEAR
Hyundai Ioniq 6
For my money, this is the first electric sedan that has really felt like fun. It’s right there in the Nintendo-8-bit-esque headlights, and it carries inside to the state-of-the-art infotainment system. The Ioniq 6 has real pickup—0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds in its 320-hp all-wheel-drive option—and a respectable driving range of up to 342 miles. The battery can handle ultrafast chargers and get from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes, so you’ll be ready when that infrastructure really gets built out.
Its curves are as sleek and sexy as the Cybertruck’s sharp, jarring angles are clunky. She’s environmentally friendly, but put her in sport mode and step on the accelerator and you’ll feel like you’re getting away with something naughty. —D.H.
Price: $46,615 as tested
hyundai.com
OPULENT EV OF THE YEAR
Rolls-Royce Spectre
After closing the rear-hinged suicide doors on the Spectre (Rolls-Royce likes to call them coach doors for obvious reasons), I felt like I might have been in a sensory-deprivation tank. Every single sound from the outside world—in this case, a particularly busy street in San Francisco—was completely silenced. I have never felt more serene inside an automobile in my life.
Part of that is due to Rolls-Royce’s unwavering dedication to craft—every inch of the vehicle is fashioned at the highest possible quality, from the starlight doors and headliner (literally more than 4,000 individual “stars” that give the cabin an ethereal glow) to the hand-stitched leather to the lambswool carpets that are so unbelievably plush they feel decadent. If you look past the veneer and polished-wood interior, you’ll also find some pretty impressive engineering.
The Spectre is Rolls’s very first all-electric vehicle with a dual-motor power plant developed by BMW (Rolls-Royce’s parent company) that delivers 584 horsepower with 664 ft-lb of torque. Range is touted at 329 miles but is really only about 200 miles. This is not exactly the kind of car you’re taking on a long road trip. It’s flashy and sexy—the kind of ride you’d roll up to Nobu Malibu in. Rolls-Royce has stated it will become entirely electric by the year 2030, and if the Spectre is any indication, the transition will be as smooth as the Spectre’s self-leveling suspension. —D.D.
Price: $420,000
rolls-roycemotorcars.com
EXTREME SUV OF THE YEAR
BMW XM Red Label
I hate the way this SUV looks but love the way it drives. The front end of BMW’s humongous hybrid looks like it was designed in Minecraft, with weird, boxy angles and chunky lines. (The rest of the car, thankfully, is a little more sleek.) That fits because nearly everything else about the XM is extreme. It tips the scales at an absurd 6,000 pounds. There’s a stupefying combined 738 horsepower. The fuel economy—even with the hybrid powertrain—hovers around 12 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. And despite weighing as much as a large adult male white rhino, the XM can hit 0-60 in four seconds. The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 bellows with an exhaust note that sounds like the rapture. More than one review has said the M in XM stands for monstrous.
After driving it, I’m reminded of another M word: monumental. The XM is a monument to extreme engineering, pushing the limits of what an SUV can do—from weight to thrust to price to design. It’s also a vehicle with an uncertain future—sales of the XM are rumored to be lagging, and BMW will likely cease production in 2028. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. In the ensuing years, XMs will likely be available to a small group of dedicated enthusiasts on places like Bring a Trailer. Which is why you should give one a test drive now—you might end up being one of them. —D.D.
Price: $185,000
bmw.com
CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR
Acura ZDX
Acura’s very first all-electric model is a crossover SUV that you don’t immediately clock as a crossover SUV. First of all, its low-slung lines and boxy rear end give it a subtle and stylish appearance. The interior is a lot roomier than what the outside suggests, especially with a cargo area that’s 28.7 cubic feet. Maybe most important, this is an EV that’s also a hoot to drive.
The regenerative braking system—which enables one-pedal driving and never feels herky-jerky even at the highest setting—is easy on the battery, giving the ZDX a fairly impressive 300-mile range. I whipped around the Santa Barbara coast in the 499-horsepower Type S variant and was impressed by the relative lack of road noise and the Hands-Free Cruise system, Acura’s version of GM’s Super Cruise.
But what really made the ZDX stand out—and perhaps this is me being completely superficial—is the plentiful amount of physical controls in the cabin. (In some models, like the Rivian, a lack of buttons makes sense, but most of the time it feels like a cop-out.) Every knob, switch, and button has a pleasing, tactile feel and is a reminder of old-school driving, even in a car bursting with so much advanced technology. —D.D.
Price: $70,000
acura.com
BIG SUV OF THE YEAR
Lexus GX550
This is the fanciest, most refined SUV I’ve ever had the pleasure of beating the hell out of. The Lexus GX line is as elegant as anything the luxury carmaker is known for, but these babies can handle some adventure. The Overtrail model gives you 33-inch tires, higher ground clearance, and a host of features to optimize your off-roading. (I took it out deep into some Canadian national parks recently, with professional stunt drivers, and to be honest, it was more up to the challenge than I was.)
If you choose to remain sensibly on-road, the Dynamic Cruise Control, Lane Assist, and Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection keep you safe without making you feel like the robots are taking over. Either way, both the 3.4-liter V6 twin-turbo engine and the Mark Levinson surround-sound system have impressive power. The overwhelming majority of drivers will keep it in the city and the suburbs, but if you’re craving an escape to where the streets have no name, this one will get you there in comfort and style. —D.H.
Price: $71,400
lexus.com
SPORTS CAR DISGUISED AS AN SUV OF THE YEAR
Aston Martin DBX707
The DBX707 truly blurs the line between sports car and SUV. This is a vehicle that can launch itself from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds. This is a vehicle with a 697-horsepower petrol-fueled power plant that grumbles and rumbles with an exhaust note that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. This is also a vehicle that has 22.3 cubic feet of cargo space, a 6,000-pound towing capacity, and a 7.5-inch (adjustable up to 9.3-inch) vertical clearance. It has all-wheel drive and can corner like its tires are coated in superglue. Like, what the hell is it?
It’s the best of both, engineered as an SUV but with the heart of a high-performance sports car. Aston knew they had a fairly flawless vehicle here, and that’s why the latest edition makes only one improvement: the infotainment system. Aston ditched a touchpad-controlled system, rightly maligned for being clunky in previous models, for a larger, more elegant touch screen. Graphics are better; responsiveness is faster. There’s Apple CarPlay integration, for God’s sake. It’s a move that takes the DBX707 from near-great into damn-flawless territory. —D.D.
Price: $239,086
astonmartin.com
ROAD-TRIP CAR OF THE YEAR
Lincoln Nautilus
The thing I love most about the Nautilus is not the spacious rear seats. It’s not the massive 48-inch panoramic display (that somehow never feels overwhelming). It isn’t the optional silky, hybrid powertrain or even the supple, comfy interior. Nay, the thing I love most about the Nautilus is the steering wheel. Reminiscent of an airplane yoke, the oval controller does indeed make you feel like you’re piloting a jumbo jet on a transatlantic flight.
That makes sense, because this car is at its best on long trips. The hybrid powertrain delivers 310 horsepower yet also delivers 31 mpg on the highway. The aforementioned spacious rear seats accommodate adults—even the stupendously tall—with ease, and there’s plenty of cargo space for six medium-sized bags in the rear, too.
In the past few years, Lincoln has made some giant leaps with its design, build quality, and attitude. (Lincoln is kinda cool now!) The Nautilus is the culmination of those efforts, a vehicle that punches well above its weight class. It’s a midsize SUV that feels anything but mid. —D.D.
Price: $78,000
lincoln.com
RV OF THE YEAR
Pebble Flow Smart RV
The Pebble Flow is what happens when you get a bunch of engineers, execs, and builders from places like Apple, Volvo, and Lucid Motors together and tell them to build the best-looking, most technologically advanced travel trailer on earth.
First off, it contains a massive 45kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, allowing for a week of off-grid power. There are also integrated 1kW solar panels, which means you’ll never really have to plug the thing in. The Active Tow Assist system aids in propulsion, so your car literally won’t have to work as hard to pull the trailer. Also brilliant: the Magic Hitch, a feature that automatically positions the hitch to the tow vehicle. Can all these things be controlled through a very slick smartphone app? Absolutely.
Inside, the Pebble looks and feels more like a nicely appointed hotel or a luxurious ADU (indeed, you can absolutely use the Pebble as an ADU) with a queen-size Murphy bed that folds up to make way for an office desk, a front dining area (that can convert into an additional bed), and a full-size shower that features electrochromic glass (no peeking!). The Pebble Flow isn’t just the coolest, most technologically advanced RV we’ve ever found. It’s the most useful, too. —D.D.
Price: $109,000
pebblelife.com
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