After the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance wrapped up I remember thinking that it might be my last one for at least a few years. I’m glad that didn’t up being the case because this year’s edition went a long way to restoring my interest in what is arguably the world’s most iconic concours. More odd cars, race cars, unrestored cars and 4x4s in years to come please. No disrespect to the early autos and pre-war era crowds, or the “paid the most for making it right” crowd either. It’s just that, well, it’s time for new blood if this thing is going to stay relevant. This year’s Pebble could be the start of something good or just an aberration, we’ll see.
We’ve often said vehicles that offer a singular experience are the ones that stand out as truly exceptional. Well, the same goes for motorsports events and Miami F1 is most definitely a singular experience.
Thank you @pirelliusa for being such wonderful hosts!
B&W Review
Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot
First off, this isn’t a review of the 2023 Mercedes EQS. I’ve already covered both the standard and AMG variants of Mercedes’ full size electric sedan in The Motoring Journal. Instead of writing about what it’s like to drive this car, I’m writing about what it’s like to NOT drive it, we’ll, at least at 40mph or below anyway.
Drive Pilot is Mercedes’ SAE Level 3 conditionally automated drive system, which as of this Fall will be offered on S-Class and EQS models sold in Nevada and California. Drive Pilot allows for hands-free and eyes-wherever-you-damn-well-please driving in traffic jam situations up to 40mph. So, to re-iterate, in two states you can take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, up to 40mph, provided you’re on a highway that’s part of the more than 100,000 miles of road that Mercedes has mapped in the state of California. The future of driving is here people! Bow down before our robot overlords!
All joking aside, Drive Pilot is pretty damn impressive and does make sitting in chronically congested traffic more tolerable. It’s a big leap forward from a Level 2 system, like Tesla’s Autopilot with “Full Self Driving”. Unlike those BS-mobiles, a Mercedes with Drive Pilot actually does make the driver a true passenger when the ODD (operational design demand) is met. Watch YouTube, browse the internet, play any number of games that come built into the 17.7 inch central display, it’s up to you where to direct your attention. What’s that dripping sound you hear? Brands and agencies salivating over the opportunity to finally reach a captive audience in a new setting. Once these floodgates open wide (and they will) huge swaths of data will flow to outfits that totally have our best interests at heart, so don’t worry, it’s not like you’ll get targeted ads for Chik-Fil-A while watching YouTube in the dash right as you’re coming up to the exit for Chik-Fil-A.
If it sounds like I’m no fan of Drive Pilot or any autonomous system, that’s hardly the case. I’m all for it. I use Level 2 systems anytime they’re available and it makes sense. I trust them, I think they’re useful.
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B&W Review:
2023 BMW 330e
It may shock you to hear this, but BMW is doing a lot of things right these days. Much to the chagrin of long time enthusiasts, the brand has positioned itself as a leader in the EV space with excellent vehicles like the iX, i7 and i4, while simultaneously producing great internal combustion cars and hybrids. Brand traditionalists bemoan the look of the former, (ignoring the staggering performance capabilities at their own loss) and are all too quick to dismiss the latter. While some mild hybrid and PHEV vehicles are indeed stop-gap garbage produced on the way to a brand’s EV future, BMW’s hybrids are not among them.
The 330e is one of those vehicles that you don’t see coming, in the best possible way. Even with the sport appearance package it’s not overly aggressive looking, though it does somewhat suffer an identity crisis on its face. Were BMW to get rid of the mass of black plastic below the matte chrome kidney grilles I suspect the car would look far better. That aside, the 330e is a cohesive effort that operates as intended and fulfills its purpose of being a traditional efficient daily driver, with just enough spark to qualify for spirited moments of joy. In that sense it is much closer to the ethos of what BMW was back-in-the-day than any of the ultra powerful M badged vehicles.
What has stuck with me in the days and weeks since driving the 330e is just how good a regular ‘ol sedan can be. Even with a loss of some trunk space due to the EV motor and battery pack, it still fits a set of golf clubs and a few overnight bags without folding down the rear seats. It’s more than enough car for the majority of drivers in both capacity and capability. It’s a sensible choice, one that I suspect a lot of people will sadly overlook in favor of a crossover they don’t need or a performance car they won’t ever get the most out of.
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B&W Review
2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge
Of the many outdated sayings still floating around the automotive enthusiast lexicon, “you want to drive a Bentley and be driven in a Rolls-Royce” is among the dumbest. True enough that in the days of “The Bentley Boys” you would indeed rather be behind the wheel of a 4 1/2 litre “Blower” than behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce Phantom II, if it was driving thrills that you were looking for anyway.
All of that changed in 2003 when the messy breakup of Bentley and Rolls-Royce was complete after 72 years of Rolls owning Bentley. Under the stewardship of BMW for the past 20 years, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited has released some of the most impressive cars of the 21st century. To think they are better to ride in than to drive is foolish considering the history of their parent company and this is best illustrated not by one of their cars, but by their lone SUV, the Cullinan. CONTINUES BELOW ->
B&W Review:
2023 Ferrari Roma
I didn’t really give a shit about Ferrari until the past couple of years. I enjoyed my 1:18 scale models of the F40, F50, 550 Maranello and F355 when I was a kid, but apart from those and the occasional “damn that sounds good”, either in a movie or on the street, I didn’t give Ferrari any thought.
A shift began in 2016 at Chantilly Arts & Elegance when I encountered Ferrari rally cars for the first time. Something about a 512 BB with mud flaps and a killer racing livery just spoke to my soul. About 2 months later I drove a Ferrari for the first time, a 1967 365 GT 2+2. At that moment I truly understood the classic exchange between Nic Cage’s Memphis Raines and the Ferrari salesman in “Gone In 60 Seconds”. Behind the wheel I did not feel like a self-indulgent wiener, I felt like a connoisseur and visions of champagne falling from the heavens, doors opening and velvet ropes parting danced in my head.
I then sought out opportunities to drive more classic models whenever possible and was quickly disappointed by their ‘80s offerings. I got in a handful of early to mid-aughts models, many of them special variants, they didn’t do it for me either. I drove a brand new California Spyder in ‘17, did nothing for me. I finally got my first press car in December ‘21, a Portofino M. Readers of The Motoring Journal know how I felt about that one. Once again I gave very little thought to Ferrari.
Then came the Roma, and with it a number of my most trusted peers telling me I had to drive it. So I did and good god, what a great fucking car. I was sold on the looks from the day I saw a photo of it, so we can put that aside. The drive experience, that’s where it separates itself. Superb feel in the wheel and in the seat. Lovely view over the sculpted hood and fenders. Power, power and more power. And when you’re done caning it on some winding road, it’s perfectly happy to cruise around town. I’m convinced that once you go beyond the 911 Turbo S, this is the sports GT to have. It’s emotional in the way an Italian car should be, easily the most beautiful Ferrari since the ‘90s.
It’s a new Ferrari for connoisseurs, not self-indulgent wieners.
B&W Review
‘23 Ford Raptor R
The first thing you have to understand about high performance pickups is nobody needs them. Most people don’t even need a regular pickup, let alone one that could drive right up to the start line of the Baja 1000 and be highly competitive in its stock form. No, most people would be just fine with a station wagon or a van, but those don’t do much in the way of personality enhancement, at least not in this country.
So that’s how we end up with pickups like the Raptor R, a highly modified version of America’s best selling pickup with every off-road feature the pickiest desert dweller could possibly want. Front and rear lockers, sway-bar disconnect, live valve Fox shocks, 37” tires, 360 camera views. It’s everything the regular Raptor is, but with an engine that actually stirs the soul. The supercharged 5.2L V8 that Ford finally had the good sense to stick under the hood motivates the 6,077lb truck with serious urgency. The sound it emits when doing so is so good it tricks your brain into thinking that dropping six-figures on a pickup isn’t a terrible use of funds.
Then again, use the Raptor R to the fullest of its capabilities and one could argue that there’s actually a decent value proposition to be made here. It’s a totally irrational purchase, but one I’d absolutely make if I had the money and the time to enjoy it regularly. The latter is really the key here. If you don’t have easy and frequent access to wide open spaces, the Raptor R is not for you. Sure, it’ll handle just about any trail with ease, provided the trail is wide enough, but if “crawlin” is your thing, get a Bronco, Wrangler or Defender.
The Raptor R can only be called a pickup because it has a bed behind the cavernous cabin, in spirit it’s the worlds most badass sport sedan modified for desert driving. The appeal is undeniable, but so are the shortcomings. Width, visibility, fuel economy, all aspects of the truck that make it tough to justify for regular use in the majority of environments.
Nobody in a dense urban area should drive one, but they do, because they can. Nonsensical in every sense of the word, that’s the Raptor R. I want one so fucking bad.
Black & White Review
‘23 Land Rover Defender 90 V8
Having now driven all variants of the Defender (save for the 3-row 130) I can confidently say the D90 V8 is the most fun of the whole lot and by far the most nonsensical.
With 222 more hp than the 2.0 i4 engine found in the base model, the V8 scoots the 101.9” wheelbase D90 along with ease. No matter what suspension setting you’ve selected, mashing the throttle leads to a comical experience that encompasses a good dose of nose lift, rear squat and torque steer. It’s way more engine than the D90 requires, as proved by how much I enjoyed the base i4 turbo relative to the mid-range i6 turbo, but damn if it’s not the one I want.
Vehicles like the D90 V8 aren’t long for this world and in a marketplace where nearly everything is powered by a boring 4 or 6 cyl turbo, you’d do well to seek out the unique option, provided of course that you have the means to do so. On road driving is at a high-water mark for the D90 thanks to retuned adaptive dampers, firmer air springs, stiffer front/rear anti-roll bars and suspension-link bushings. Where the other D90 models become tiring on even moderately curvy roads, the V8 keeps the driver engaged. I’m not suggesting that it’s well suited to dedicated canyon runs, but if you were to encounter twisties on your way to a trail, it certainly doesn’t suck at handling them.
It goes, it tows, it looks cool, has a surprisingly spacious cabin, so what are the drawbacks? Well, it’s expensive, even if you manage to negotiate for one at MSRP. The Defender interior, especially the bottom cushions and bolstering of the seats leave a-lot to be desired.
Over the $100k mark I expect a lot more, especially if I’m spending a considerable amount of time in the vehicle. However, I get it, this is a hot-rod Defender and sticking better seats in there doesn’t jive with maximizing margins.
Seeing as a new 2-door G-Wagen doesn’t exist, nor a Wrangler 392 or Bronco Raptor, the D90 V8 has no direct competitor, making it a wholly unique offering. I hope Land Rover sees the value in that and leans into developing more singular products for which there’s clearly an audience, even if it’s small.
Black & White Review
2024 BMW M2
The new BMW M2 is the most exciting car I’ve driven this year.
Both the 8 speed automatic and 6 speed manual transmission models are embedded in my mind, bubbling up every time I think about a fun drive.
Nearly every issue I had with the previous M2 has been fixed, chief among them, the quality of the ride. The F87 M2 was overly rigid, even in “Comfort” mode and as such it felt one dimensional. With each mode now feeling distinct, the G87 M2 is legitimately a more premium offering.
Inside there’s a new horizontal piece of glass stretched across the dash, housing a 14.9-inch infotainment screen, and a 12.3-inch driver information display. In the ongoing war between horizontal and vertical screens, I’m on the side of horizontal and BMW is certainly among the leaders of the pack. Horizontal screens put info and controls where you actually want them, integrate into the cockpit cleanly and look more upscale than vertical screens. Sorry everyone who went the Tesla route, that shit is played out.
What’s not played out? Pairing a 6 speed manual with a turbocharged 3.0L inline-6. From the bottom to the top of the rev range, the M2 is always ready to let it rip. Passing and merging is done on the driver’s terms as the capability to make a move at a moments notice is ever present. Again and again I found myself dropping a gear (or two) for no other reason than just to feel the shove when you mash the throttle.
Sprinting between corners is great entertainment, but fortunately going around them is equally thrilling. Over past 6-7 years I’ve found BMW’s steering feel and suspension tunes to be inconsistent across their model range. When it’s good, it’s really good and when it’s not, it’s frustrating as hell.
I was delighted to find that they got so much right with the new M2. I felt legitimately connected to it, understanding what it was doing every step of the way vs. just trusting the computers and tires to do their jobs. Feedback from the road is what makes a great sports car and the M2 offers up plenty of it. The fact that BMW got the pricing right as well just solidifies that this is the driver’s car to beat right now.
