Enlarge / The third-generation Porsche Macan drops the internal combustion engine—this one is only available as a battery electric vehicle. (credit: Porsche)

Porsche provided flights from London to Nice and accommodation so Ars could drive the Macan. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Porsche's Taycan has been a nice electric vehicle for the German brand, and the recently updated model is supposed to offer more of the good stuff and less of the bad. The sedan is on the expensive side, and it doesn't scream "family lugger," which is where the new electric Macan comes in. Porsche's volume-selling entry-level SUV is now electric, and it might be just the car to convince skeptics and non-Porsche people alike that EV is the way to go. Maybe.

At launch, you'll be able to pick up a Macan 4 or Macan Turbo. Peak power sits at 402 hp (300 k) and 630 hp (470 kW) respectively, but that's just when you use the car's overboost. Most of the time, you'll have to make do with an adequate 382 hp (285 kW) and 576 hp (430 kW). Torque for both is a healthy 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) and 833 lb-ft (1,130 Nm). With all that grunt on board, Porsche reckons you'll be able to hit 62 mph from rest in 4.9 and 3.1 seconds, respectively (0–100 km/h takes 5.2 and 3.3 seconds, respectively), as well as topping out at 137 mph (220 km/h) and 162 mph (260 km/h). Not having a gas motor under the hood isn't a penalty when it comes to performance.

The electric Macan sits on the all-new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) architecture. Shared with Audi and its upcoming Q6 e-tron , PPE was built with electricity in mind. Its party piece is a hefty 100 kWh battery (95 kWh usable) that sits under the cabin, giving the Macan 4 381 miles (613 km) of range and the Turbo 367 miles (590 km), although that's according to the less-accurate WLTP testing scheme used in Europe—EPA range estimates will be available closer to the Macan's arrival in the US in the second half of this year.

Enlarge / The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the brand's workhorse, covering millions of km a year ferrying German taxi passengers around. (credit: Peter Nelson)

Mercedes-Benz's E Class badge possesses a lot of canon. When asked to picture a '90s-or-newer Mercedes full-size sedan, it's hard not to conjure up mental snapshots of W124-and-up generations schlepping around well-heeled suburban communities. I bet a lot of folks also picture the taxi lineup outside any German train station, too.

Well, at least I do. But I'm not talking about envisioning surly Munich cabbies but rather the faithful four-doors they putter around in. A lot of them are E Classes, which further proves that the cars have always been quintessential Mercedes luxury workhorses.

The brand-new 2024 E 350 4Matic, with its thrifty turbo-four powerplant, might have the most direct lineage in the US market to those cream-colored rickety diesels. It's easy on fuel for its size and ready to soak up all the miles across both traffic-ridden cityscapes and high-speed stretches of highway. And with its expansive suite of tech and mild hybrid propulsion, it's an overall great next chapter for the badge.

Enlarge / For now, Fiat's sole US offering is the (RED) 500e, but future versions will arrive in "drops." (credit: Stephen Edelstein)

Fiat provided flights from New York to Miami and accommodation so Ars could drive the 500e. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

It's cliché to describe an Italian automaker as operating on a slower, more laid-back timetable than its rivals, but that seems to be the case with Fiat's North American product planning.

The outgoing Fiat 500 brought the brand back to the United States in 2011, but it had been on sale in Europe since 2007. An electric 500e arrived after the gasoline models, but as then-CEO Sergio Marchionne was quick to point out, that was only to satisfy California's zero-emission vehicle mandate.

Now the 500e is back, once again later than the European version (which was first shown in 2020), but this time, Fiat is skipping the gasoline engines for the line. The 2024 Fiat 500e is no compliance car—it's now the only version of this retro hatchback you can get and the only Fiat model available in the US—nor is it a mass-market item.

Enlarge / BMW's M2 might be the last M car it builds with three pedals and a stick shift. (credit: Peter Nelson)

We're at an interesting crossroads in the high-performance enthusiast car market. Running east to west is the adoption of electric vehicles and a slow reduction in internal combustion engine car production. North to south is the progression of ICE horsepower from the factory over the years, and it's unclear how far it continues from here. Coming in diagonally is the weakening demand for manual transmissions—this is sadly where they end.

In the middle of this intersection is the 2024 BMW M2 six-speed manual, hanging its tail out in a massive controlled drift around the edges, expressing one last hurrah as BMW's final object of internal-combustion M car affection.

I recently had the opportunity to pilot BMW's latest, smallest M car through some of Southern California's most fun mountain roads, plus Willow Springs International Raceway's Streets of Willow circuit. When it comes to quickly figuring out this kind of car's powertrain and chassis, I can't think of a better mix of pavement. Here's what makes the latest—and last—six-speed-manual-equipped M2 generation an overall excellent enthusiast coupe.

Enlarge / We like the interior styling, and it rides well and is rather efficient. But the interior build quality needs work. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

It probably hasn't escaped notice that electric vehicles, having captured everyone's attention, are having a bit of a slide into what Gartner calls " the trough of depression ." But as skeptics push back on battery EVs, another style of electrified car looks set to travel back up the slope of enlightenment. Plug-in hybrids are finding their second wind, as automakers and regulators look to PHEVs as a way to reduce transport-related carbon emissions.

Lincoln's Corsair Grand Touring is not a particularly new PHEV, but since we hadn't tested one yet and there was an example on the local press fleet, it seemed prudent to schedule a week with this compact crossover from one of America's luxury brands.

The first thing to note is that, despite the way it might look in photos, this is not a huge land barge. The Corsair is 181.4 inches (4,608 mm) long, 76.4 inches (1,941 mm) wide, and 64.1 inches (1,628 mm) tall, so about the same size as a Toyota RAV4, or six inches shorter than a Tesla Model Y. The shape uses plenty of curved edges, dominated by the large Lincoln grille up front, with a hint of late-teens Audi SUV to it.

Enlarge / The Lincoln Nautilus is now in its fourth generation. (credit: Lincoln)

Lincoln provided accommodation so Ars could drive the new Nautlius. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Lincoln is one of those car companies that will seem like the people in charge are asleep at the proverbial wheel for years and then all of a sudden, it’ll debut a total knockout. It’s happened a few times throughout the brand’s long history, most recently with the fourth-generation Navigator. The introduction of the 2018 Navigator also sparked a huge overhaul in design and technology for the brand that catapulted from “decent free rental car upgrade” to a maker of luxury SUVs that people might want to buy. The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is just such an SUV.

In the hierarchy of Lincoln models, the Nautilus sits neatly between the Aviator and the smaller Corsair. It’s arguably one of the best looking of the current crop of Lincolns and it’s positioned to compete with the likes of the Lexus RX, the Cadillac XT6 and Volvo’s XC60, among others, but does it actually compete? Or is it simply another car for the Enterprises and Hertzes of the world?

The 2024 Nautilus is available in two flavors: a purely internal combustion-powered version with a 250 hp (186 kW) turbocharged inline-four that also puts out 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a much more interesting hybrid version which offers up 310 combined hp (231 kW) and which is paired with a CVT transmission. The Nautilus is only available with all-wheel drive.

Enlarge / BIgger air intakes, steeper headlights, and more pronounced fenders are the visual hallmarks of the 3rd-generation Porsche Panamera. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Porsche provided flights from Washington to Seville and accommodation so Ars could drive the new Panamera. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

SEVILLE, Spain—Once upon a time, Porsche just made two-door sports cars . Then the 21st century happened. People started to get fickle and demand things like practicality and comfort as well as good handling and soild engineering. Preferring to stay in business, Porsche recognized this market shift and since 2003 has bolstered its lineup, first with SUVs, then in 2009 with the Panamera sedan.

That sedan is now in its third generation, and late last year, we visited its factory in Leipzig to get a sneak preview of the prototype . Now, the new Panamera has gone into production, and we spent a day driving a pair of models on the road and track ahead of the car's arrival in the US this summer.

Looks-wise, the third-gen Panamera closely resembles the outgoing model to the extent that it has the exact same exterior measurements: 198.8 inches (5,052 mm) long, 76.3 inches (1,937 mm) wide, and 56 inches (1,423 mm) tall. However, it will only be offered as a five-door hatchback— the Sport Turismo variant is no more, we're told.

Enlarge / Mini has made a fully electric version of its Countryman compact crossover, replacing the outgoing plug-in hybrid Countryman. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

BMW provided flights from Washington to Lisbon, Portugal, and accommodation so Ars could drive the new Mini Countryman. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've brought you test drives of a pair of related small cars, the 2024 BMW X2 M35i and the 2025 Mini JCW Countryman . Today it's time for the third member of the family destined for US sales, and the one that we think Ars readers will be most interested in—the fully electric Mini Countryman SE ALL4.

This is the third-generation Mini Countryman, replacing the plug-in hybrid version we last tested in 2017 . It's a little larger now, although not by much: at 174.5 inches (4,433 mm) long, 72.6 inches (1,843 mm) wide, and 65.2 inches (1,656 mm) tall, it is still a pretty small car by most standards. It's also a pretty aero-efficient one; the drag coefficient is just 0.26.

As the ALL4 name might suggest, this is an all-wheel drive electric vehicle, with a combined 313 hp (230 kW) and 365 lb-ft (494 Nm), fed by a 66.5 kWh lithium ion traction battery. That makes it nearly as peppy off the line as a Ferrari Testarossa, capable of reaching 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standing start in 5.6 seconds. (The Ferrari took 5.2 seconds to reach 60 mph.) Top speed is limited to 112 mph (180 km/h).

Enlarge / I wouldn't blame you if you lost track of all the different variations on the Porsche 911. This is the latest, and currently, the most desirable. (credit: Bradley Iger)

Although Porsche is in the midst of taking its BEV technology mainstream , the company hasn't lost sight of the fact that its high-performance reputation was built on the 911.

Over the past few years, the automaker has developed a myriad of different versions of the iconic sports car, resulting in offerings that currently range from plush open-top cruisers to hardcore track monsters, along with special edition models like the off-road-tuned Dakar and heritage-inspired Sport Classic . You might be wondering, then, if there's really an opportunity for a new performance-focused model to stand out in the 911 lineup.

On the surface, the S/T seems to tread much of the same ground already occupied by the GT3 Touring, an iteration of the track-ready GT3 that ditches the large fixed rear wing for the smaller, aesthetically subtler active rear spoiler found on Carrera models. But as lovely to drive as the GT3 Touring is, it feels like a conceptual afterthought.