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Editors' Picks February 2022 | GMC Yukon, CT4-V Blackwing and Lexus NX 450h+

The shortest month of the year spawned a few Editors' Picks choices, and they come from a variety of categories amongst the car world. One comes with a particular caveat, the Lexus NX. Specifically, the new NX that gets our nod is the 450h plug-in hybrid model. We can heartily recommend an NX in this guise for its superb electrified powertrain, but the other versions fail to stir us in the same way. Beyond this, it's some of the latest from GM cleaning up, and they sure are some good ones. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in January that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2022 GMC Yukon Quick take: The Yukon is a big, comfortable and versatile SUV that has a little something for everybody, so long as you can stomach the fuel economy. It's an excellent middle ground between the Tahoe and Escalade. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Ford Expedition, Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, Lincoln Navigator, Chevrolet Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade Pros: Tons of space, comfy ride, great trim variety, powerful engine options Cons: V8 Fuel economy, infotainment can be laggy, unexciting base interiors From the editors Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer — "GM's full-size SUVs are fantastic this time around, especially if you opt for the magnetic shocks and air suspension. The availability of a diesel engine that vastly improves fuel economy is huge, and the Denali trim is more special than ever with its unique interior design. I personally prefer the Yukon's styling over the Tahoe's, too." In-depth analysis: 2022 GMC Yukon Review | AT4 and Denali make the strongest case   2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Quick take: Cadillac is at the top of the mountain with its performance sedans, and the CT4-V Blackwing is no exception. One drive in this magnificent creation will have any enthusiast convinced that it's a top-tier sport sedan.

Lexus, Mazda and Subaru top Consumer Reports Brand Report Cards

A revised methodology in devising its annual Car Brand Report Cards has seen Consumer Reports award Lexus its top overall ranking for 2013. For the first time ever, the institute broke out individual brands from their larger corporate umbrellas, meaning car makers like Lexus and Scion were judged independently from parent company Toyota. That strategy worked out well for Lexus, as the luxury brand earned a top report card score of 79 for the 2013 model year.
The institute has recommended every one of the Lexus models it has tested to date, and said that the company's products won out thanks to "a foundation of plush and very reliable vehicles."
Meanwhile, Mazda and Subaru tied for the second-highest scoring report cars, with scores of 76. Subaru earned praised for sporting models like the BRZ, which CR testers apparently had a lot of fun driving (naturally), while the Mazda products were lauded for their blend of practicality, sportiness and efficiency. Both of the Japanese brands offered good handling, fuel economy and versatility, said Consumer Reports.

Check out this awesome Lexus manga art with exploding cities and dragons galore

Lexus just did something a bit different, and it has to do with manga art. The headliner piece is the Lexus LC 500 with the masked warrior crouching on top of it, seen above. We think it's objectively awesome, as the car autonomously races away from an exploding city. The LC 500 was drawn by Bulgarian artist Daniel Atanasov. He says it's "heavily influenced by Japanese culture. The main character is wearing an oni mask, which in Japan are worn at festivals to protect from evil spirits. He is holding a nodachi sword (a type of Samurai sword), and the pose of the character has been influenced by martial arts." Atanasov says the LC 500 is self-driving, controlled by the character on top of the car. Next up is a drawing of a Lexus ES driving amongst dragons. We're not so sure how long the car will last in that landscape ... perhaps an LX 570 would be the more prudent choice for bombing through a rocky desert. This one blends manga with classical paintings from the west, making it more of a hybrid. It was drawn by Tim Kong — he says he chose to draw dragons in order to "highlight the brave design of Lexus cars." Lexus' last commission is of the UX. This one is much simpler, with fewer things going on in the background. There is simply a girl and her Lexus UX in the dunes as the sun sets. It's rather calming and warm in nature compared to the first two drawings. The artist, Yishan Li, says she drew the UX like this because this is where she envisions taking it if she owned one.