View Photos of Lightning Lap 2025
Now in its 18th year, Car and Driver's Lightning Lap establishes benchmark lap times for the top performance cars across all price categories. VIR's grueling 4.1-mile Grand Course functions as America's Nürburging, and the lap times here provide the ultimate measure of a vehicle's overall performance.
2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
2024 Hyundai Elantra N
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
2024 Lamborghini Revuelto
2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club
2025 McLaren Artura Spider
2024 Mercedes-AMG GT63 Coupe
2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Manthey Racing
2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
2024 Subaru BRZ tS
2025 Subaru WRX tS
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Car and Driver
a day ago
- Car and Driver
2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Is Our New EV Fast-Charging Champion
The 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is the new champion of our DC fast-charge test. When charging from 10 to 90 percent, the Taycan Turbo GT averaged 213 kW, which means it dethrones the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV (198 kW). Porsche's electric sedan also peaked at 317 kW and needed just 24 minutes for its 97-kWh battery's state of charge to go from 10 to 90 percent. Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). Charging an electric car is simple. Park, plug in, and pay, which sometimes happens automatically. Unlike a gas station, there's no difference in octane, no risk of accidentally adding the incorrect type of electricity. In theory, the whole experience can be as thoughtless as recharging your cellphone. But, when it comes to how long it takes to reach a "full tank," things can get a little complicated. That's why we've added the DC fast-charge test to our Honey Do List for electric vehicles. And in the case of the 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT we recently unplugged, it illustrates just how wildly better some cars do it. Our test is between 10 and 90 percent state of charge, and we record average charge rate, time, and cost—actual results from actual chargers, not whatever best-case scenario the marketing department cooked up. We precondition the battery (if possible) and avoid DC fast-charging tests in extreme temperatures that may have an ill effect on maximum performance. View Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Turns out, the 1019-hp Porsche Taycan Turbo GT that reached 60 mph in just 1.9 seconds at the test track is just as rapid when it comes to putting energy into its 97-kWh battery pack. Porsche says as part of its 2025 overhaul, the Taycan charges much more quickly than before and is capable of fast-charging speeds of as high as 320 kW. Six minutes into the charging test, it had hit 317. In fact, in the first 10 minutes of charging, the Taycan Turbo GT averaged a charging rate of 307 kW, increasing its state of charge to 65 percent, from just 10. A Chevy Bolt EV owner, parked a few plugs over, asked us, "The numbers go up that high?" Not for you, silly goose. As with every EV, the peak charging rate begins to taper off at around 70 to 80 percent. For the Taycan, the drop in speed during that window falls to 102 kW from 210, which is still plenty fast. There are endless metaphors to describe why the rate of charging falls as the state of charge increases, but my favorite uses the parking lot at Costco. View Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Imagine you're energy; yes, you (there is no age limit to imagination, folks). You're trying to find a parking spot during the weekend, but of course, the lot is packed. An empty space is tough to see, and finding one requires you to slow down amongst the crowd. If it were empty, you could zoom to the row nearest the entrance. That's similar to how chemical reactions work, as energy attempts to reach every cell in the battery's pack. The busier the parking lot, or in this case, the more energy already in the pack, the harder it is to find an empty spot, or cell. Additionally, the EV's software limits energy speed to prevent heat issues or damage to the pack's lifespan. It took the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT just 24 minutes to go from 10 to 90 percent state of charge, a tie with the Genesis Electrified GV70 for the quickest-ever recharge in our testing (although the GV70 has a much smaller battery pack with a net capacity of 77 kWh). The Electrify America station pumped out 85.152 kWh at the cost of $47.82. Using the current national average of premium fuel (we use 93 octane in every gas-powered test vehicle), that's the equivalent price of pumping nearly 12 gallons of gas. Which would only take 24 minutes to do if the person ahead of you in line is buying Swisher Sweets and lotto tickets. However, in the world of electric vehicles, that's ridiculously quick. View Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver That means the average charging rate of the Taycan Turbo GT is 213 kW, which is more than the peak rate of any other EV we've tested, such as the BMW i4, Mercedes-Benz EQS, or Polestar 4. As the Taycan hit 90 percent battery at the 24-minute mark, the charging rate was still 64 kW, or nearly 10 kW higher than the peak rate of the Bolt. Okay, I promise I'm done taking cheap shots at that precious and affordable little guy. Previously, the Chevy Silverado EV held the record for highest average, with a DC fast-charging rate of 198 kW. But the 8800-pound pickup carries a massive 205-kWh battery pack, more than double the capacity of the sportiest Taycan, and it predictably took much longer to charge (58 minutes) and required more than double the cost ($107). While the Taycan Turbo GT's DC fast-charging and acceleration are both fantastic, from a full 100 percent charge, it completed 270 miles during our 75-mph highway range test. A minor inconvenience of producing over 1000 horsepower. Austin Irwin Technical Editor Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He's steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Here's An Electric Family SUV That's Faster Than A Corvette Z06
The Lucid Gravity is supercar-fast over the quarter-mile. (Photo by) Startup Lucid's electric family minivan can blow a Chevy Corvette Z06 away in a quarter mile sprint while still offering more room than a Ford Explorer. Could the Lucid Gravity be the family cruiser you've been waiting for? The Gravity is very fast, and boasts range of 450 miles The cabin and exterior of the Gravity are redefining the SUV class. The supercar-equivalent performing Lucid boasts 450 miles of driving range, and lightning-fast charging—200 miles in less than 11 minutes. And its 120 cubic feet of storage space easily surpasses something comparable like the Ford Explorer's 87.8 cubic foot. It's also quick. With up to 845 horsepower, the Grand Touring trim can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, but the Dream Edition takes things to another dimension. With 1,070 horsepower, the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition is powered by two electric motors and four-wheel-drive to get the power down quicker. To see how the Gravity compared to its rivals, Car and Driver took Lucid's minivan for some quick tests. According to Car and driver, the Lucid outperformed a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to 150 mph by almost three seconds on the test track, covering the quarter-mile in just 10.6 seconds. The magazine claims the Gravity "was a beast in every acceleration metric," not just in the quarter-mile. It took Lucid's SUV 1.4 seconds to reach 30 mph, 3.7 seconds to reach 70 mph, and 5.9 seconds to reach 100 mph. Boasting a quarter-mile time of 10.6 seconds, Car and Driver said that the Gravity was the quickest SUV they had ever tested over the quarter-mile, outperforming the Rivian Tri-Motor Max (11.1 seconds) and the BMW iX M60 (11.5 seconds). Lucid's SUV took the lead over the quarter-mile, going almost 20 mph quicker, even though the Rivian's 850 horsepower R1S Tri-Motor beat the Gravity to 60 mph. As you'd expect, the Gravity also crushed gas-powered super SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (11.2 seconds) and Lamborghini Urus Performante (11.2 seconds). They did say however, that the Tesla Model X Plaid, which they have not tested yet, would give the Lucid a real run for its money. In a drag race dubbed the '1000+ hp Mom Missiles,' popular YouTube channel Hagerty paired the Gravity Dream Edition with the Audi RS Q8 Performance, Range Rover Sport SV, Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Rivian R1S Quad and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. Not surprisingly, two electric SUVs—namely the Lucid Gravity and the Rivian R1S Quad—ended up in a 10-5 second three-way tie over the quarter-mile with a Porsche Panamera Turbo. If the Gravity is for you and your family, then you can pick one up for as little as $94,900. And if that's a little to rich for you, then wait for the $79,900 Touring grade expected out later this year.
Car and Driver
3 days ago
- Car and Driver
1977 BMW 320i Test: Never Dull
From the December 1976 issue of Car and Driver. To begin with, it's a splendid little car. The new 320i is not just a successor to the great 1600/2002 legend; it's a whole new level of sophistication and style in the 20-year evolution of BMW from bankrupt-builder-of-kitschy-sedans to personal and public darling of the West German Economic Miracle. You might be a little stunned by the price (about $8000) at first, but the car's undeniable charm makes it seem more reasonable every time you fire it up. Our test car was a glorious sort of restrained dayglo red. Maybe the reddest red on the road. A color you would prefer to be if lost at sea or marooned on the wrong side of Annapurna. At first, it also seemed like a color guaranteed to get you arrested, but in these days of radar and Vascar, old-fashioned visual observation isn't so much a part of the policeman's portfolio. The wheels were good-looking, argent-painted steel cosmetic racers with a lot of offset; there was some discreet black-and-chrome trim laid on the here and there; and the whole thing reeked of understated wedge-shaped go-fast. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver Open the door, and the vinyl interior is just about perfect. Ours was what the British used to call "biscuit," and the seats were—like the first exterior impression—an open invitation to drive somewhere very nice very quickly. Our test car had a sunroof mit crank that worked very smoothly and seemed quieter than most at speed. The white-on-black instruments were neatly clustered in a semicircle framed by the top half of the steering wheel, right where the driver can see them, and at night they're indirectly illuminated by a red glow that reminds you of war movies shot in submarines. The wheel itself is a thing of beauty—small in diameter, slightly dished, and raked at exactly the correct angle for serious pleasure. Lights, turn signals, windshield wipers and washers are all controlled by wands on either side of the steering column, and the shift lever for the four-speed transmission is on the floor, exactly where you'd have put it yourself. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The front seats are firm and very German in the way they position you relative to the business at hand. The rake adjustment is controlled by a handy lever that you push to release, and the range of adjustment goes anywhere from puritan vertical to profligate horizontal. The front seat backs are folded forward by means of a release lever on either side of each seat—making it possible tor the driver to fold the passenger's seat forward without either getting out or lying down across the compartment. Fore and aft adjustment is both smooth and vast—you can even get too far away from the wheel. The rear seats are roomy and comfortable. Real people really can ride there, largely because the rear wheels are set so far back on the chassis. Our first drive in the 320i was a little more than 500 miles from New York City to New Pittsburgh, Ohio. We drove through some awful rain squalls in Eastern Ohio, averaged just about 55 mph for the trip (including a stop for lunch) and achieved a not-to-be-sneezed-at 22.7 mpg for the trip, cruising at 75 most of the time. The car was superb. It ran like a train, hour after hour, and the absence of features like a radio or air-conditioning or power steering was never noticed. It's surprising how inconsequential such things become when you're in a car that works. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver Our photographer, Humphrey Sutton, drove the BMW back from Detroit a few days later after photographing the new Ford Thunderbird. His reaction was like ours. "It's a wonderful car, that," he said. "It's very comfortable, quite nippy, really perfect for that sort of long drive. It gives you the feeling that people who really cared actually sat down and thought seriously about all the things that went into the design. Everything works the way you'd want it to. I'd swear that it's bigger inside than the Thunderbird and it goes faster. It'd be hard to come up with a reason for buying anything else." Once we got going, we tried to catalog our initial impressions. First, it's a much more sophisticated car than the 2002, the design of which was getting a little long in the tooth, no matter how much we loved it. Second, the smoothness and quiet in no way detract from the car's overall sportiness. Third, it's a long-legged car-while waiting to pass somebody at 55 or 60, you can preselect third and cruise along indefinitely without any feeling that the engine is straining or that the noise level is becoming intolerable. All the frequencies seem to be tuned for blissful cruising somewhere between 60 and 80 mph. It isn't one of those Europeans that simply rebels at the 55-mph limit, but it does feel best going a little faster. It's possible that the car would settle down at 55 a little more enthusiastically if you ordered it with the optional ZF three-speed automatic transmission (our test car had the standard four-speed). View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The heater/fresh-air system has been improved and will now move 89 percent more fresh outside air or 42 percent more heated air through the passenger compartment than its predecessor. We tried both. For the first 400 miles of our westward journey, we ran with the sunroof open, the heater controls in the maximum fresh-air "Vent" mode and the swing-out rear windows open, because it was hot and muggy. We never felt too warm, and neither the fan nor the sunroof noise was in any way obtrusive. We could still talk without shouting. Near Youngstown, Ohio, the temperature had dropped considerably and the rain reached cloudburst proportions. With the BMW all buttoned up, the windshield suddenly fogged over at about 70 and we needed defrosting fast. Slam the vents closed, open the defrost lever, push the temperature-control lever about a half-inch toward the red and, voila, a clear windshield again. Not many European cars could have done so well under those circumstances. Our second set of impressions were more those of the traditional road-tester and a bit less those of the blown-away car fancier. The gear spacing in the transmission was a little hard to get used to. First is a fairly short starting gear, with a longish gap between it and second. Then second, third, and fourth ratios are spaced logically and predictably. Unless we wound the engine pretty tight, the first-second upshift never sounded or felt quite the way we wanted it to. Also, we found the engine a little rough and hesitant below 3000 rpm. It never actually balked or spit back at you, but it did seem to vibrate and stumble a little when trying to cruise at lower rpm. We avoided this by simply changing down to a lower gear whenever the revs dropped below 2800, but less-keen drivers might find the phenomenon disquieting. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver As our experience with the car grew, we came to appreciate how large and commodious the luggage compartment turned out to be. Initially, we threw in a rather heavy load of luggage, which was no problem. Then there was a side-trip in Ohio for a little antique shopping and several more parcels disappeared into the well-appointed cavity. Then two framed prints we'd promised to pick up for Bruce McCall and, finally, a framed painting—a wedding gift—that measured about 30 by 40 inches and simply slid into place on top of everything else without any danger of compression or damage from the hinges. And as a sort of luggage-compartment tour de force, we peered under the open deck lid and discovered a neat little fitted tool kit, offering exactly those six or eight implements without which one should never leave one's driveway. In the cold hard light of testing, the brakes are a delight, pulling this new BMW down straight and sure from 70 in 218 feet. The 2002's arrangement of a power-assisted front disc/rear drum system has been carried over, but front brakes are now ventilated. On the skidpad, the adhesion is impressive at 0.71 g, but the combination of slow steering (4.0 turns lock-to-lock), softened ride and rather upright body is tough to keep track of. At the limit, the semi-trailing arm rear suspension occasionally kicks wide, and retrieving it takes great flinging of elbows. However, none of these aberrations occurred on the road, under any circumstance, so we're inclined to ignore them. It would appear, however, based upon this road test and on conversations with BMW personnel here in the States, that the new 500-series and 300-series products do represent a deliberate move away from the racer-you-can-drive-to-work concept and toward a sophisticated road machine. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The 300-series BMWs have a great deal to live up to. The 1600/2000 series enjoyed amazing success over a decade or so, and were in many ways the cornerstone of BMW's new-found preeminence in the upper atmosphere of enthusiast automobiles. The new cars seem to be worthy successors to that critical responsibility. They are undeniably better and more contemporary cars in every way. All of the basic pieces are recognizable to anyone familiar with the older car, but they've all been reshaped, honed and upgraded, then assembled in more sophisticated ways. Brakes are bigger, cooling capacity is greater, the structure has become far more crashworthy, noise and vibration are sharply reduced, the heater/ventilation system is a paragon of thermal virtue, and the car looks right for the next 10 years. View Photos Ben Humphrey | Car and Driver The BMW 320i stands as eloquent rebuttal to all those who'd have us believe that small economical cars that conform to the U.S. safety and emissions standards must be, by definition, slow and dull, or that automotive performance for the late 1970s is best achieved with decals and trick names. This car is good-looking, sublimely comfortable, fast, safe, economical, and exciting. It is also expensive, but then what isn't? To drive through any major city in North America and check its inventory of Mercedes, Jags, BMWs, Porsches, Cadillacs, and Lincolns is to come face to face with the fact that there is apparently no top on the market for truly expensive cars anymore. The BMW 320i is real value-for-money, no matter how much it costs, because it's beautifully engineered and it's not boring. If that isn't reason enough to buy a car, then we'll transfer our allegiance to mass transit. Specifications Specifications 1977 BMW 320i Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door sedan PRICE As Tested: N/A ENGINE SOHCinline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection Displacement: 121 in3, 1990 cm3 Power: 110 hp @ 5800 rpm Torque: 112 lb-ft @ 3750 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/trailing arms Brakes, F/R: 10.0-in vented disc/9.8-in drum Tires: Continental TS771 185/70HR-13 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 100.9 in Length: 177.5 in Width: 63.4 in Height: 54.3 in Curb Weight: 2606 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 10.5 sec 1/4-Mile: 17.3 sec @ 77 mph 90 mph: 29.8 sec Top Speed (observed): 108 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 218 ft Roadholding: 0.75 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY City/Highway: 21/24 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
