Test Drive: A Trio of Cars with Presence
On the road in the Jaguar F-Type, Mercedes-Benz E450 4MATIC All-Terrain and BMW i5 M60 xDrive
In many places, cars—even the boring ones—have been replaced with SUVs. The latter tends to be easier to get into and out of, and offers ample storage for both humans and cargo. But here at COOL HUNTING, this reduced attention on cars has stirred the desire to share our love of low-slung, two- and-four-door vehicles. We continue to celebrate their diversity of design; their lighter weights and smaller footprints; and greater degrees of sportiness and handling. In many ways, cars are more fun. We spent much of the summer and early fall driving some of our favorite non-SUV cars to remind ourselves what drivers miss when only driving big vehicles. Here are three that stood out.
The Joyous Roadster: Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar is justifiably famous for its E-Type coupes and roadsters of the 1960s. While those outrageous, sensuous and slinky designs may never be replicated in the modern age, the F-Type coupe and convertible are spiritual successors. Yet, the F-Type is already passing into history, as the 2024 model year is its final year of production, along with all of Jaguar’s other gas cars. The brand is transitioning to all-EV models.
Our F-Type came as a convertible in classic British racing green, rear wheel drive, and a very old-school 5.0-liter supercharged V-8. Top down, it is a superb open-air experience, with the wind tunneling over your scalp as you hurtle down asphalt ribbons of road, accompanied by the very authentic burble of the big, gasoline-gulping engine.
When the F-Type first came out, we initially didn’t feel it was as sharp and nuanced as many sports car competitors like the Corvette C7 Stingray. Now, however, the intersection of power channeled to the rear wheels via a gloriously revving gas engine is a throwback to simpler times. It is essentially a European muscle car, aimed at alighting all of your senses. All joy, and very little utility.
The Chic European Wagon: Mercedes-Benz E450 4MATIC All-Terrain
A sports wagon has always been a hard sell in America, and the odds are stacked against them in this era. But a road trip from New York City to the mountain roads of rural Vermont on a camping trip brought out the breadth of practicality of Mercedes’ fantastic wagon. The E450 is long, with the wheels placed as far forward and back as possible, maximizing its wheelbase. This means a smooth, planted ride on freeways, where even high-speed lane changes feel confident and effortless.
That elongated, low silhouette also translates into a sense of solidity and elegance. This is a handsome car—you don’t see anything else like it on the road. With rounded edges and cladding around the wheel arches, it speaks of subtle muscle. The optional 20-inch AMG multispoke wheels give it even more presence.
Mercedes has always been at the apex of interior technologies, and the MBUX “Superscreen” package lends an extra digital screen that extends to the right seat, with access to a variety of apps and vehicle information. It’s a fun gizmo that entertained our passenger without distracting us from driving. The rear cargo area, meanwhile, swallowed all our hiking and camping gear, and made for a fine place to sit on the rear bed as we changed out of muddy hiking boots.
We spent hours in Vermont’s Green Mountains, simply wandering. Random turns led us onto dirt roads, where we engaged the air supsenesion’s Off-Road mode, giving a full seven inches of clearance from rocks and credibility to the wagon’s “all terrain” moniker. Make no mistake that this is no Jeep Wrangler, but it handles gravel and rutted paths easily.
It is even more home on-road. Skyline Drive is a five mile private toll road that travels up Mount Equinox, rising some 3,000 feet over five miles. We made sure we were first in line early in the morning, and eked every last bit of go from the E450’s inline-six engine. We made it up in record time. Mark down the E450 Wagon as a car we’d happily own.
The electric sports sedan: BMW i5 M60 xDrive
The M5 has always been the pick of a certain kind of car connoisseur: the lover of four doors, comfort and Autobahn-annihilating speed. BMW still makes the M5, but the new, all-electric i5 M60 is even more interesting given that we think of it as the sports sedan of the future.
BMW’s modern design language has its share of detractors, but the i5 threads the needle between the M5’s overt aggression and a car that makes pains to announce itself as an EV. The closed front grille and the absence of a phalanx of rear tailpipes brings down the volume overall, and signals its electric heart.
The differences are far more apparent in the driving behavior. The battery packs run along the floorboards, so the vehicle’s center of gravity is low. Coupled with 21-inch tires, the i5 flows through twisty roads. The ride and acceleration is unerringly smooth. At one point we were stuck on a two-lane road behind an erratic driver in an old camper van: we zipped past in a flash of an instant—the kind of sudden, addicting acceleration that is a hallmark of electric motors.
At a dead stop, the driver can engage launch control mode, summoning all of the snap from the batteries, before it hurtles toward 60 miles per hour in just over 3 seconds. Before this happens, though, the seatbelts give a short, taut tug on the passengers torsos—a visceral preview of what’s to come. Playful.
The range here is rated at an EPA of 240 miles, but we quickly saw those estimates dwindle after any amount of aggressive accelerations. Nonetheless, on a level 3 charger we found, the batteries recharged up to 80 percent in less time than it took to order and scarf down food. The electric version of the 5 Series takes a slight bit more planning, especially on extended road trips but the silent treatment is totally worth it.
What are your thoughts?