Two vehicles I have driven and given high marks recently include Dodge’s Charger Hellcat Redeye, which to me is the perfect family car for an enthusiast with 797 eye-popping horses under the hood. Then again, its bigger sibling the Durango Hellcat can tow 8,700 pounds; I discovered last summer that’s plenty to haul a 33-foot RV into northern Michigan for vacation. Clearly, I’m a sucker for a loud, monster gas-guzzling beast.
I’m not immune to the charms of luxury vehicles like the BMW X5 xDrive 45e, which is a ridiculous mouthful of alphabet soup for a name. The X5 checks the boxes for many attributes I appreciate, like generous tech, a hybrid powertrain, and good looks. Maybe I’d buy a Mercedes-Benz’ E 450 coupe because it’s lovely, a giant Cadillac Escalade because I like to ride in a moving living room, or a zippy manual transmission Honda Civic Type R. Or one of my perennial favorites, a Lexus LC 500h; unfortunately, it’s is not a practical option if you need to haul anything at all. If I had to choose just one of these to drive for the next 20 years, I’d struggle with the decision. Others have a much clearer idea of what they would do, so I’m wondering: which would you pick?
Nobody knows what twenty years from now looks like (except for maybe the local palm reader and they don’t specialize in automotive) so buying a car for the next 20 (or even 10) years is a bit of a guess. While it appears that EVs are taking over, there are some significant factors that will play into that, not the least of which is the power grid itself. Companies like Toyota and Lexus have been churning out high-quality hybrids that would see you through an apocalypse, and looking backward 20 years reveals that many cars that were built in 2001 are still on the road. Heck, I have a 2000 Range Rover in the garage and it still runs.
What’s going to take you into 2041? In the comments section below, tell me your pick and why, and let’s compare notes.
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