It's Thursday at Motor1.com, and that means The Test Car Happy Hour is happening at 2:30 PM Eastern (11:30 AM Pacific). We have editors living across the United States, and all of them love talking about what we're driving. This show gives us a chance to have a face-to-face digital car meet every week. Plus, you can be our guest by chatting on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. Your comments automatically go into our streaming feed where we can see, share, and respond to them.
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Gallery: 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre: First Drive
This week we have Managing Editor Brandon Turkus, Senior Editor Brett T. Evans, and Senior Editor Jeff Perez.
Going alphabetically by automaker, Perez recently traveled to France to drive the Aston Martin DB12. He loved the car and wrote, "The design is exceptional, the performance is thrilling, and the new infotainment goes toe-to-toe with any other modern system."
Brett has the new Land Rover Defender 130. It's the biggest model in the family by offering seating for up to eight people across three rows. In the US, the SUV is available with a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder mild-hybrid powerplant making 296 horsepower and 347 pound-feet or a version producing 395 hp and 406 lb-ft.
Jeff has also been driving the Lexus RZ – a very different vehicle from the DB12. The electric crossover shares a platform with the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra. This one is more powerful by producing 308 total horsepower rather than 215 hp for the more mainstream pair. Prices for the Lexus start at $59,650.
Brandon also recently went on a trip to drive a British car, but he was in California to take the Rolls-Royce Spectre for a spin. The model is the brand's long-awaited EV. It features two electric motors making a total of 584 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. He liked the new Rolls a lot, including writing: "The Rolls-Royce Spectre is a triumph. And more than that, it's further proof that the move to electrification will have no bearing on the artistry and passion and attention to detail that come from the world's finest automakers."
We hope you join the conversation and share your thoughts about these models. And, be ready to ask lots of questions to our hosts.