When I green-light a car review for InsideHook, it’s usually before the writer has driven the vehicle in question. I assign the story not because I know the SUV or sports car will be good or bad, but because it has the potential for greatness — a potential I know our experts will be able to discern with clarity. I don’t have to worry about them being dazzled by automotive jargon; when they get in the seat for a test drive, all the talking points fall away and the vehicle has to speak for itself.
In short, I’m usually just as surprised as you. I desperately wanted to love the retro Volkswagen ID. Buzz, but Benjamin Hunting’s report was one of a major missed opportunity. I also had high hopes for the most powerful (read: most expensive) Land Rover Defender ever, and Basem Wasef mostly confirmed them, though with a few important caveats.
Today, we’re not here to talk about the rides with asterisks. We’re here to fawn over the SUVs, EVs, sports cars and even station wagons that stood out amongst the dozens and dozens of vehicles that our two most trusted automotive experts drove in 2025 — with Benjamin and Basem’s picks each organized in ascending order of starting price. Unfortunately, as you’ll see in those prices, this roundup doesn’t do anything to discount our earlier reporting that buying a new car has become a luxury. — Alex Lauer, Features Editor
Benjamin Hunting’s Best Vehicles
Cadillac Optiq
Starting price: $50,900
As a rule, entry-level luxury crossovers have a tough time capturing the same opulence as their larger, more expensive counterparts. The Cadillac Optiq flipped the script by upgrading the standard Ultium EV package with a longer wheelbase than its more pedestrian platform-mates, a cabin that feels legitimately high-end despite its affordable price tag, and of course class-leading Super Cruise driver assistance tech. Then there’s the fact that its styling perfectly captures the balance between sporty and distinguished that Cadillac has been going for with its electrified lineup. It’s a home run for the automaker that undercuts many of its rivals without forcing buyers to compromise.
Genesis Electrified GV70
Starting price: $64,380
How does the Electrified GV70 stay in my good graces, year after year? Somehow, trading this SUV’s gas engine for an electric power train has improved what was already a formidable package, and while it might not boast the same driving range as its dedicated, ground-up EV counterparts, few can match its extreme attention to detail and quality throughout the cabin. If you were led inside the Electrified GV70 with a blindfold and asked to guess the starting price by feel alone, you’d no doubt be off by tens of thousands of dollars. If you were then to drive it — after taking the blindfold off, of course — you’d likely head straight to the dealership to put down a deposit.
Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter
Starting price: $67,700
I wasn’t sure how the redesigned Toyota 4Runner would come across in its most hardcore edition, but the Trailhunter was a pleasant surprise. Not only did the new 4Runner banish the rough-and-tumble memories of the older model’s dated interior and positively ancient drivetrain, but it managed to balance incredible off-road acumen with a daily driving experience so comfortable I had to double-check that I was really driving a lifted 4×4 on pontoon tires. All that, and it’s a hybrid, too. Just ask at the dealership if you can remove the incredibly noisy passenger-side snorkel before driving it home.
BMW M5 Touring
Starting price: $123,900
My most perplexing drive of 2025 came in Anglesey green. BMW finally gave in to the pressure from that 0.1% of us motorists obsessed with station wagons and imported the touring edition of its M5 super-executive rocket ship to North America. What would have in any other circumstance been viewed as a resounding victory for enthusiasts was tempered by the fact that the big-bone M car is now a plug-in hybrid that weighs 200 pounds more than the X5 M SUV. Intensely complicated, and incredibly quick (but not more so than the sedan it replaces), the new M5 looks fantastic, has out-sold its four-door counterpart, and has absolutely no idea who its ideal customer truly is, proving that there’s still a place for vibes-based performance machinery.
Enthusiasts Clamored for the BMW M5 Wagon. Was It Worth the Wait?
The M5 Touring is finally available in the States. We spent a week with the long-roof to see what the hype was all about.
Cadillac Escalade iQ
Starting price: $127,405
It could be argued that the Cadillac Escalade makes a similar splash as the following G550 when it arrives in any social setting, and the electric edition of GM’s most prestigious SUV — the Escalade iQ — seriously ups the ante as compared to its gas-powered namesake. Bigger and heavier than the standard Escalade, the iQ is the shock-and-awe arm of Cadillac’s electrification strategy, but one that pairs its hulking dimensions with an incredible interior, as well as exterior lighting and angles that further distance itself from the standard Escalade. Fundamentally a gigantic battery with wheels (you won’t find anything bigger than its 205-kWh power pack), the iQ is versatile enough to tackle nearly any task thrown its way with your entire family in tow. Just check that the bridge you’re about to trundle over can handle the load.
Mercedes-Benz G550
Starting price: $153,900
There are two ways to look at the Mercedes-Benz G550. The first is as the ultimate expression of an iconic design that has managed to brave the currents of time and emerge in our modern day nearly unchanged from its original late-‘70s brick-like profile. When I drove it this past summer, I referred to it as the anti-Cybertruck in terms of its visual and cultural endurance. Having the road presence of a Star Destroyer also alerts those around you that an economic Darth Vader may be behind the wheel, however, which feeds into the G-Class’s knock-on effect of broadcasting your net worth (or at the very least, your credit score). A thoroughly excellent ride, but not for those who want their portfolio to fly under the radar.
Basem Wasef’s Best Vehicles
Stark Varg EX
Starting price: $12,990
The first I heard of this oddly-named electric dirt bike was from Porsche’s GT car guru Andy Preuninger, who raved about his personal Stark’s trail-gobbling capabilities. It wasn’t until I rode one in the Berkshires that I realized what an achievement this electrified beast actually is. Despite its beautifully tapered body and bespoke, polished aluminum bits, the EX’s outrageous combination of 80 horsepower and mere 264 pounds make it a two-wheeled wheelie machine that begs for wide-open spaces.
Porsche 911 Turbo S
Starting price: $270,300
Zuffenhausen’s flagship Turbo model is one of those predictable overachievers that always hits its mark. This time is no exception: now imbued with electric assistance that boots power to 701 hp, the 911 Turbo S proved remarkable because it can slingshot to 60 mph in 2.4 clicks while being civilized enough to cannonball across the country in comfort. All sports cars should have such mind-blowing capability.
What It’s Like Driving the World’s First Sports Car
My tour in the priceless 1910 Benz & Cie “Prinz Heinrich” during the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance became thrilling for all the wrong reasons
Lamborghini 400 GT
Starting price: $278,000 to $390,000 for a good condition model, per Hagerty
Although I can claim the 1,001-horsepower Lamborghini Revuelto and the shrieking 10,000-rpm Temerario among this year’s automotive conquests, a milder, kinder raging bull in fact stole the show: the late ‘60s-era 400 GT. Also powered by a V12, this painfully elegant front-engine 2+2 evolved from the 350 GT, which was the car Ferruccio Lamborghini built to one-up Ferrari. I was fortunate enough to pilot a 400 GT through the hills outside Bologna on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Polo Storico, Lamborghini’s in-house classic department. It may not be the quickest or flashiest Lambo in history, but this period-correct throwback stole my heart.
Ford Mustang GTD
Starting price: $327,960
If you could time travel to 1964, nothing would seem more ludicrous than a $328,000 Ford Mustang. Originally more of a “secretary’s car” (Carroll Shelby’s words, not mine) than a serious sports car, the Mustang’s everyman status has been alleviated over the years through higher performance spinoffs. The GTD is the spinoff to end all Mustang spinoffs, Ford’s low-volume/high-dollar antidote to the middle of the road. Executed by Canadian racecar builder Multimatic, this ‘Stang slams the transmission to the rear axle for balance, leverages a trick inboard suspension system, and manages to tie its supercharged 815-horsepower V8 to the chassis in ways that defy natural logic. My track time at the Thermal Club circuit in the California desert verified the notion that all-American horsepower hero Carroll Shelby would have approved, even if this American supercar is built in Canada.
Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider
Starting price: $464,000
It’s easy to shrug at Ferrari’s curiously unpronounceable open-air model name — dodee-chee chileendri — but there are a dozen glorious reasons to love this al fresco machine. While the $3.9 million F80 resorts to a V6 hybrid and the 849 Testarossa features a plug-in hybrid V8, the long-nosed 12Cilindri boasts the same front-engine V12 configuration first introduced by Enzo Ferrari in 1948. It may not be the quickest or most agile modern model to hail from the Maranello carmaker, but it is among the most evocative.
Theon Design Porsche 911
Starting price: Case by case, but in the six figures
Singer Vehicle Design usually gets all the love for their intricately executed 964-based builds, but this summer I drove a British-built alternative that brings its own brand of outlaw swagger. A tour of the builder’s facility in the British Midlands revealed the painstaking attention to detail that goes into these handmade creations, and the brappy blast past idyllic hedgerows reminded me of the simple pleasures of piloting a tastefully hot-rodded air-cooled machine. While they’re no bargains — brace for well-equipped models to reach the $800,000 mark — these bespoke creations are reminders of why the 911 is such an elementally satisfying platform.
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