7 Cars That Believe More Is More

An as-yet-untitled category of vehicles has been born recently that reminds us of decathletes or Jennifer Lopez—they’re good at damn near everything. They combine luxury, speed, sexiness, safety, space, and enough rarity to keep from ever fading into the background in a Whole Foods parking lot. Basically, they can do it all. So let's call them More-is-More rides. And their emergence is not exactly a surprise.

Alexander Edwards, president of southern California-based automotive research and consulting firm Strategic Vision, saw them coming. He and Strategic Vision have called more than a few shots. “Back in 1999 we introduced to the auto industry a concept called the STAR—an acronym for a mix of attributes from a SUV, Truck, Automobile, and Recreational Vehicle,” he says. “We suggested that something called a cross-over vehicle would likely come along and start taking sales from every product segment because it was a vehicle of no compromises, offering enhanced capability at a similar price.” Now, sedans are withering and crossovers are exploding. (In sales.)

What we're talking about here, the More-is-More ride, goes even further. If a crossover is everything you need, the More-is-More delivers everything you need plus everything you want. They fit the dog, the luggage, and your ego—and do 0-60 faster than you can say "I'll drive one off the lot today." You could see this evolution happen in real time as utilitarian trucks became supercharged leather-bound CEO showcases (hey there, Range Rover Sport) and as supercar manufacturers discovered that they could make vehicles with four doors fly down the street and off the lot (see: the arrival of super-SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga). “It’s gotten to the point where some carmakers have asked us if luxury sedans will even exist in ten years,” Edwards says. “There is just too much good stuff you can get without having to compromise.”

And that's really the reason for these More-is-More rides: if you've got the money, you want it all, now. A stable of supercars for the weekend, a cush SUV for the family, and an S-Class for being driven to the office is nice—but nicer? All of it, now, at once, in a single set of wheels. If your accountant costs as much as most people's cars, these vehicles—by no means cheap—almost make economic sense. “This will be especially true during the next election year, as everyone will be concerned about their economic future and will likely desire vehicles that can serve multiple purposes,” says Edwards.

If that's true for you, here are six of our favorite More-is-More rides:

Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe

Price: from $131,350

Through the twin miracles of engineering savvy and technology, Porsche's SUVs—which outsell its sports cars—maintain Porsche-worthy driving goodness while also offering Teutonic luxury and space. The Cayenne Coupe Turbo, brand new for this fall, challenges that last bit slightly because its handsome fastback shape meant the rear seats could no longer slide back for extra legroom and that the rear cargo area shrunk by five cubic feet. Small concessions to a prettier profile. The Turbo, which is radically more expensive than the next-step-down version (the $89,850 Cayenne S Coupe), comes with everything: The Sport Chrono package (a track-lap timer stopwatch built into the dash), launch control (a.k.a., "watch this" mode), a crossword's worth of speed-enhancing acronyms, and 18-way adjustable seats. There's one option we'd suggest: the $11,570 Lightweight Sport package. Yes, the carbon fiber roof and featherweight alloy 22" wheels are spiffy, but it also comes with houndstooth seats—a nod to vintage 911 interiors.

Audi RS5 Sportback

Price: from $75,195

Mercedes may have pioneered the oxymoronic "four-door coupe" category with its first-generation CLS, but Audi perfected the form with its RS7 five-door hatchback. The RS5 is the sporty, smaller, tauter version, with a little extra rear headroom (that's the Sportback part). Packing a 444hp twin-turbocharged V-6 and all-wheel drive, the Audi will hustle from 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, while carting four passengers in teched-out luxury. Your call whether to opt for its signature insectoid (or as Audi calls it, Sonoma) green.

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Price: from $81,105

Jaguar was late to the SUV game, but its F-Pace is one of the loveliest entries in a segment crowded with amorphous refrigerator boxes. The SVR package adds much-needed menace, with a yowling 550-hp supercharged V-8 borrowed from Jag's F-Type sports car. The sound of the engine is as addictive as a Juul, and as publicly obnoxious. Still, just try not to punch the Sport button every time you get inside. It lets the F-Pace SVR hit 60 mph in just over 4 seconds and cranks up the volume on the engine sound so that every stoplight is a burbling concerto and every heavy-footed indulgence in speed leads to a machine gun pop-pop-pop.

Lamborghini Urus

Price: from $203,995

Lamborghini’s first SUV was the LM002, a four-door, 80s-born Hummer-type ride with the V-12 engine from the Countach. This modern interpretation also includes some of the most unique sport utility styling in recent memory, with more cuts and bulges than the back room scene in Cruising. It's also a Lamborghini, which explains the 641-hp twin-turbo V-8 and a 0-60 time of just over three seconds. And the quilted leather interior. And the toggling switchgear inspired by a fighter jet. Point is, you will be that person picking up the kids in a Lamborghini. Own it.

Mercedes-AMG GT 63S 4-Door Coupe

Price: from $159,000 The name's too damn long, and from a few angles, the styling's actually a little bit bland. And the downside of a 630-horsepower twin-turbo V-8 that can get you to 60 in a little over three seconds arrives when you pull into the gas station. But there is no arguing with the "ooh, that's nice"factor of the GT 4-Door's cabin. Mercedes is at the top of its interior game these days, layering leathers, woods, and perforated metal in the world's most hedonistic mosaic. It has an option for heated front armrests and door panels, because your arms deserve the best, and an optional fragrance atomizer—built into the glove compartment—because your nose deserves the best, too.

Tesla Model S Performance

Price: from $115,200

Porsche, Volvo, and Audi are hot on the heels of Tesla's all-electric supremacy, but even though its Model S is seven years old—and car years are basically equivalent to dog years—it still delivers. The airy hatchback in its Performance version can be had with a battery pack that's good for 315 miles on a single charge; good luck finding better. And that's before you factor in a 0-60 run in a ludicrous 2.4 seconds—which will get factor once Elon Musk Incorporate drops the now-testing Ludicrous version of the S. Teslas have never quite matched the luxury of the Germans, but what it lacks in swoon-worthy leather it makes up for with tech, all powered by that giant touch screen in the dash.

Volvo V60 T8 Polestar Wagon

Price: from $67,300

Volvo wagons are historically known for being safe, stolid, and voted Most Likely to be Driven by Someone Whose Kink is Tweed. But the brand has a long history of hot-rodding their family haulers, dating back to the turbocharged 240 wagons of the '80s. This handsome, restrained wagon is souped up by Volvo’s go-fast subsidiary Polestar, which explains a 415-hp powertrain that pairs a supercharged and turbocharged engine with a plug-in-capable battery and electric motor. It's the definition of having it all: use pure electric mode for 22 miles of around-town roaming, hybrid mode for everyday driving, and Polestar Engineered mode when you have a date with the passing lane. Inside, things are less complex, because Volvo's interiors are what would happen if IKEA built a spa: simple, supple, peaceful. Order your V60 T8 Polestar Wagon in a subtle color like gunmetal, and enjoy the twin pleasures of electric peace and stealth speed.

Cars

With stories from Jay Leno and Don Johnson, plus glorious photos of the best rides from the golden age of auto design.

Originally Appeared on GQ