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These were our favorite cars of 2022

Favorite cars is different than best cars. The idea of "best" can speak to value and overall competitiveness in a given vehicle segment. There's lots of objectivity involved and to do a "best" list right, one really must be very thorough and as scientific as possible. This is not that list. This is about our favorites, so objectivity be damned. If we liked a Challenger Hellcat because it made loud noises or a Honda Odyssey because it made for a particularly special family vacation, fair game. These were the cars that most spoke to our collection of editors and the ones that stayed in our minds and hung in our hearts long after they left our driveway. — Senior Editor James Riswick 2022 GMC Hummer EV Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I didn't particularly expect to like the new Hummer. I wasn't a fan of the Hummer H2 or H3, so I wasn't automatically enthusiastic about this electric reboot. Fast EVs aren't hard to come by — and, in fact, may be too easy to come by — so its performance specs weren't enough to win me over. Despite videos to the contrary, pickups aren't my favorite vehicular format. And its excessive size and weight turned me off ... until I finally got behind the wheel.  This thing is wildly entertaining to drive. Watts to Freedom launch control is a neat party trick, sure, but the novelty wears off quickly. The novelty of Crab Walk, however, has staying power. The rear-wheel steering makes this behemoth feel much smaller than it is — the maneuverability is incredible, and useful. The air suspension provides tons of clearance, including a ridiculously high-riding Extract mode. I can't wait for lesser versions of the Hummer to make their way to market. Give me less power (for less money), but keep the off-road tricks onboard, and I'll be a happy camper. Senior Editor, Consumer, Jeremy Korzeniewski: If I could afford to put one of these in my driveway, I would. Sadly, I can't, so I won't (What's that, Janet? I got the lyric wrong?). Still, I love the dumb thing. Thankfully, I have another choice down below. 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Associate Editor Byron Hurd: Yeah, duh, Porsches are good. But there's good, and then there's GT3. This is the feeling every performance-oriented RWD tuner is trying to replicate. This is hard, precise, surgical and immensely satisfying. To begin to explore this car on a public road is by itself an admission that you believe yourself to be above the rules as they apply to normal drivers.

Lamborghini Jumpacan built to race The Mint 400 hits the dirt

Lamborghini's cars keep finding their way off the boulevards and into the barrens. Officially, Lamborghini whipped out the rally-happy Huracan Sterrato concept in 2019, preceded by the Gallardo Parcour concept in 2013. Unofficially, an unnamed builder sold their off-road Gallardo complete with light bars and rear-mounted spare in 2019, the same year Alex Choi showed off his Huracan V3 Unicorn with an external roll cage, and in 2017 some audacious owner got his Lamborghini Jarama bouncing through stages of the DWA Coastal Range Rally in California. Let us now add the Lamborghini Jumpacan to the roster. Fabbed up by the YouTubers at B is for Build, the Jumpacan's been in the works for 18 months with the intention to race it at The Mint 400 this December. The man behind B is for Build, Chris Steinbacher, recently got the Jumpacan out to the desert plains for its first test over 40 miles per hour.  The mashup started as a Huracan that had been mangled in a big accident. The Build team 3D-scanned the chassis and got it straight, then performed a similar surgery to one they'd carried out on their SEMA Huracan in 2019: They put an LS V8 in back and paired it with a Graziano six-speed manual, leaving off the 1,500-horsepower SEMA car's two turbos. The Jumpacan's been fitted with a long-travel suspension designed by SEM Dirt, the 35-inch tires hung up front and 37-inchers in the back contributing to the 12 inches of ground clearance. Other bits include Holley electronics managing the engine, a radiator mounted just behind the cockpit and fed by a roof scoop, Ford Shelby GT500 brakes tucked into Rotiform wheels, a roll cage and racing fuel cell, and the obligatory torso-hugging racing seats. The Jumpacan conversion has stretched the Huracan's width from 76.1 inches stock to 102 inches.  True, it's barely a Lamborghini anymore. But it might be the coolest thing that was once a Lamborghini to ever line up at The Mint. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

If VW defaults on loans it may sell Bentley or Lamborghini

If something goes catastrophically wrong with Volkswagen Group's recent $21 billion loan, brands like Bentley or Lamborghini could hit the auction block. According to two insiders to Reuters, the beleaguered German automaker agrees with its creditors to sell assets if the company somehow can't pay back the debt in a year. One of these anonymous people claimed the company hasn't yet deliberated over what to sell. However, the sources were willing to speculate that the power engineering portion of Man could be among the first to go. "Volkswagen may also consider divesting luxury car brands Bentley and Lamborghini or motor bike brand Ducati, although these units don't really move the needle," an insider said to Reuters. VW Group negotiated with the banks earlier this week to get the massive loan. The cash is necessary as a buffer in case the automaker doesn't have enough money on hand to repair vehicles or settle upcoming fines. VW would reportedly issue bonds in the spring to begin paying the debt. The company's bills will start racking up quickly in the new year. German authorities mandate a recall there in early 2016, and repair campaigns in the US for the 2.0- and 3.0-liter diesel engines are inevitable. There are also hundreds of class-action lawsuits to settle. The company needs to resolve its CO2 emissions scandal in Europe, too. In response to these financial threats, VW management created a cost-cutting plan to slash the research and development budget by $1.1 billion next year.