Jaguar Type 00 pre-production drive
No-one in Jaguar had the faintest idea that its ‘woke’ rebrand was going to melt the internet to the extent that even such august figures as Elon Musk and Nigel Farage would enter the fray. But we can cast more light on the car at the heart of the storm because GQ has actually driven it. A disguised pre-production version, admittedly, but enough to silence the detractors. The Type 00 – or whatever it’ll be called – feels absolutely mighty, an imposing four-door super coupe that surfs along the road with the sort of supreme self-confidence and dynamic style that Laird Hamilton summoned while conquering Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Its all-electric powertrain makes 1000bhp – give or take, Jaguar is still deciding – a mammoth 120kWh battery feeding three motors, with the electronic drive units cleverly packaged so that the car preserves the concept’s epic, low-slung silhouette. The driver sits deep in the cockpit, for an intimate but purposeful atmosphere, and a compelling sensation on the move. Clever software delivers positive and negative torque on either side of the vehicle in the blink of an eye for intuitive handling. It rides and steers beautifully, too, and feels genuinely futuristic in motion while channelling all the stuff that once made Jaguar a paragon. A reformational car for the company, then, but not suitable for Nigel.

Rivian R2
EV start-ups have a shimmer and shine that attracts VCs and tech bros but doesn’t always translate to reality. American newcomer Rivian is gaining traction, though, its R1 SUV and pick-up hitting the sweet spot with high rollers in the Hamptons and other fashion-forward American zip codes. The R2 is the one that’ll really secure things, a physically smaller multi-purpose vehicle that builds out on the brand’s ‘adventure forever’ mantra. It’ll also spearhead Rivian’s arrival in Europe. Similar in size to the Tesla Model Y, it looks chunkier in the flesh than its main rival, and maximises the benefits to be had from its simple but effective ‘two-box’ shape. The dual motor version we tried makes 656bhp, a faintly silly amount of power in a car like this. But the chassis has been smartly engineered, and is more than capable of dealing with it. It rides nicely, too. There’s a clever interior, dominated by a touchscreen that’s simple to use, aided by the arrival of what Rivian’s designers call ‘haptic halo wheels’ on the steering wheel for climate and audio, to serve up a more physical interaction. Then there’s the Rivian Assistant, an in-house developed voice activated assistant that uses ‘large language models’ to take AI to the next level in a car. Simply say “I’m cold”, and your invisible butler will turn up the heat. Or make a restaurant reservation. Or manage your calendar… Much of what you ask can be handled by the LLM in a nano-second; trickier philosophical enquiries mean connecting with the Cloud. It really works, as does the car itself – on and off road. Prepare to want one when it arrives later this year.

Bentley Bentayga X Concept
Bentley is having fun. Having recently hired top-flight celebrity photographer Greg Williams and designer and modern-day renaissance woman Mai Ikuzawa as creative directors, any lingering formality is jettisoned by the Bentayga X Concept. Debuted at the FAT ice race in Salzburg, Austria, it’s 55mm higher and 40mm wider than the regular car, with a track width stretched to 120mm. Ground clearance and wading depth are also improved. The wheels are from LA-based specialist Brixton Forged, which uses aerospace grade forged aluminium as well as magnesium and carbon fibre to create something suitably monolithic. Note also the quad spotlights on the roof, which is also carrying an electric go-kart. Nothing says fun like one of them. Bentley insists the Concept X is a teaser, but it follows the Gemballa Marsien, Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, and Porsche 911 Dakar in scoping out the feasibility of an off-grid, post-apocalyptic supercar.