What’s a bigger automotive flex than buying a luxury car to drive around? Plunking down upwards of $300K and never sitting behind the wheel. Enter the 2023 Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase—the kind of vehicle that’ll make your chauffeur the envy of every other driver on billionaires’ row.
At a preview in London in late February, we had the chance to inspect the new Bentayga up-close. Our first impression: The EWB is going to be an instant must for those hyper-affluent types who either hate driving or just want even more space.
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The Lap of Luxury
As a “spiritual” replacement to Bentley’s Mulsanne (the brand’s now discontinued, limo-like sedan), the good folks in Crewe have taken their most popular model and stretched it a little over seven inches to give the rear seats more room. The aim here is to create the poshest rear cabin experience found on four wheels.
Customers can choose between two and three rear seats or the optional “airline” configuration that affords passengers an experience akin to flying in a private jet—with which we are sure much of the brand’s clientele is familiar.
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These seats feature 22-way adjustment, and recline to 40 degrees in relax mode. A foot rest emerges from the passenger seat for added comfort. The configuration also offer a “business” mode for those who want to get some work done on the go.
Bentley has also incorporated a suite of wellness features which includes technology that detects the temperature of the passenger and the seat’s surface humidity, and then figures out whether it should add heat, ventilation or both to achieve “optimum thermal well-being.” If that weren’t enough (and one with the means can never have enough luxury), the massaging seats also deploy a postural adjustment system that automatically alters the seating position using 177 pressure modifications to minimize the impact of lengthy trips on the body.
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On the Outside
To the unfamiliar eye, the extra length is barely perceptible as the EWB’s exterior is quite similar to a standard Bentayga, but there are some key differences. The EWB gets a new front grille and polished 22” 10-spoke wheels to help distinguish it from its little sibling.
Luxury is in the Details
From handcrafted wood paneling and inlays, the finest seating surfaces and colors, plus paints that can be matched to nearly any sample one could provide, Bentley offers an almost unfathomable 24 billion trim combinations alone. So buyers should have no problem customizing a highly personalized Bentayga EWB.
The rear seating area features “waterfall illumination” to subtly light the cabin as well as LED lights that shine through perforations in the door panels in a hallmark diamond pattern. It’s the sort of next-level attention to detail that leaves you marveling at both the imagination and the craftsmanship.
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When the EWB goes on sale (around Q4 of 2022), Bentley will offer two even further elevated specs. The classically styled Azure gets unique 22-inch, ten-spoke wheels, bright lower bumper grilles, as well as Azure embroidery and badging. Rounding out the spec, Bentley has included quilted seats specific to the spec, mood lighting, a heated steering wheel, and an enhanced driver’s assistance package.
The First Edition, which will be available for the first year of production, kicks up the opulence one more notch. This package comes with metal overlays in the veneer, First Edition specific embroidery, inlays and badging, as well as a Naim for the Bentley Premium Audio system (one of the finest we’ve ever experienced)—plus LED welcome lamps.
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Power and Performance
For a vehicle designed around a lavish passenger experience, the Bentayga EWB can still move. The 542-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission will get the behemoth from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 180mph—though going that fast probably diminishes the comfort level. Standard electric all-wheel steering should minimize the impact of the increase in size at both high speeds and when maneuvering in a driveway or parking lot.
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The Extravagance is the Point
Bentley estimates the EWB will represent 45% of all Bentaygas sold when it hits markets late this year. That’s an incredible amount of demand for a vehicle that has yet to launch, but we have no doubt Bentley understands its customers. They simply want the best.
Pricing has yet to be announced but the Mulsanne it’s replacing had a sticker over $300,000. It’s probably a safe guess the Bentayga EWB will land somewhere in this rather exclusive ballpark. Bottom line: This isn’t a vehicle for regular folks; it’s for the one percent of the one percent.
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For most of his career, eight-time Formula 1 winner Daniel Ricciardo was a bit of a dark horse for all but the most passionate Formula 1 devotees. But as one of the central figures in Netflix’s Drive to Survive documentary series, his happy-go-lucky persona has charmed a wider audience and a multitude of new fans around the globe.
We caught up with the Aussie at the beginning of F1 testing in Spain to talk about this year’s season, the elevation of his celebrity, and his dream on-track battle.
Men’s Journal: What are your expectations for the 2022 season?
Daniel Ricciardo: I’m hopeful we can obviously be competitive, podium, try to win a few races, but we haven’t seen these rule changes in such a long time that we don’t really know what to expect. I really hope the field bunches up, like from first to last there’s only a second between the cars, as opposed to two or three seconds. Close to harder racing, I think that would be awesome. I mean, I’m prepared, but obviously the car is a big factor in this sport, so I couldn’t tell you today where I expect to finish.
Can you tell me what success looks like for this season?
A handful of podiums, top three in the teams championship. I’d love to obviously get another win, if not 10. But how I rate my success is how I feel leaving a race. If I know I’ve done everything I can that weekend and left it all out on the track, then that’s success.
Who do you view as your main rival this season?
I definitely expect Mercedes and Red Bull to be strong again. So, Lewis [Hamilton], Max [Verstappen], the usual contenders. But I think it’s a year that Ferrari could step up again and really fight for wins. Lewis also has a new teammate this year, George Russell. He’s a very young, fast driver, so he could be a threat as well—a real competitor.
Aston Martin looks like they’ve designed a pretty different car to everyone else at this stage, with a different philosophy, so they might be onto something.
Courtesy of McLaren F1
After two years with no Aussie GP, I imagine you’re excited to get home to race?
Yeah! Having a home race is a real privilege because you’ve got so much support and love. The sport’s grown in the last 24 months, quite significantly, and I expect it to be pretty wild. It’ll be a nice entrance.
What do you think Drive to Survive’s impact has been on F1?
Putting it simply and very basically, it’s been massive! I know there are statistics that the growth has been immense from it, but personally I’ve felt it. Europe’s known about F1 since the start of time, really, so it’s grown in Europe, but it’s more the markets that didn’t really know anything about F1—particularly the States. Three, four years ago I’ll holiday there and not get stopped once. Now it’s a regular occurrence and people enjoy it. So it’s not just that you’re recognized, it’s that they really are taking a liking to the sport, and that’s what makes me most happy. You can share the sport now with more of the world, and it’s getting more appreciated.
Do you think it’s because of the accessibility—that the series lends a lens into what happens day to day, race to race?
Yeah, absolutely. For years it was such a doors-closed, private sport. It was only a few years ago we were allowed to take videos with our camera phones in the paddock and the pits. They’ve opened up a lot more, and obviously Netflix has come in full steam. It’s also a sport where not only did it used to be very private but, unless the driver’s on the podium, you never really see the driver with the helmet off. So there’s probably a period of time where no one really knew what drivers looked like as well.
Has the show made it easier for the previously loyal F1 fans to get a little deeper into the sport?
If you’ve been a fan of F1 for 10, 20 years, it’s probably what you always craved or wished for, all this access. So now getting it, it’s probably pretty huge for someone who’s followed it for so long.
In the show you come across as a happy-go-lucky warrior, which is a bit atypical for an F1 driver. Do you feel like that’s accurate?
Yeah, it’s definitely me. I think when I first got into F1, people thought ‘Oh, okay, this kid’s too happy-go-lucky, and he’s not hard enough and he doesn’t want it enough because he’s just bouncing around, smiling and joking a lot.’ But I think once I proved that I can deliver on the track and I do have that other side to me, then it was cool. It encouraged me to still be me, because I was able to make the transition from Daniel to driver.
How do you keep that vibe even when things aren’t going so great?
That vibe is challenged for sure, it’s not unconditional. I’ll credit perspective, and I definitely have the ability to find perspective in things. I remember one bad race, I got taken out on lap one, which is like worst case scenario. You build up all day to race, then in 30 seconds your race is over. Obviously, I was upset and pissed, but I was still like, ‘You know what? My friends would kill to have this job.’ I want to appreciate that if a bad day for me is still being at a racetrack somewhere and having a chance to perform, then it’s not all bad. And I knew I had another chance the following week. As long as you get a chance for redemption, then I think there’s always a good way to look at things. And having people around you, whether it’s family, friends—they can help pick you up when things don’t go as planned.
Courtesy of McLaren F1
So with the chaos of the finish in Abu Dhabi, do you feel like there’s an asterisk on the last season?
I don’t. I think it was definitely a moment in time that was obviously quite dramatic. I guess for the whole race, everyone was thinking Hamilton was probably going to win, and then obviously that changed. So yeah, the outcome and everything was a big moment in time, but I don’t think it tarnishes the season. Of course, that race was what it was, and some people agreed. Some people didn’t. So it was quite polarizing. But to show my respect to Lewis and Max, what they did all season was pretty immense. So I think that will be appreciated and respected much more than that last lap.
Do you think that was the right decision?
I think with hindsight you’d probably say maybe a red flag would’ve been best, then everyone can restart on, say, the same tires. But it’s obviously easier said than done. And I’ve never sat in race control, so I would hate to know how hard those decisions can be. In hindsight, yeah, I guess they would’ve probably changed a bit.
How do you evaluate risk behind the wheel?
A lot of it is on feeling. It’s kind of two parts. It’s the literal feeling of do I think the car can do what I want it to do. But then the other part of the feeling is how will this make me feel if I take this risk. So my example is overtaking. There’s always a risk overtaking someone. But, you kind of go, ‘How will this make me feel if I don’t take the risk and I just finish wherever I am and play it safe?’ The answer normally is that won’t make me feel good because I didn’t try.
What does speed feel like to you when you’re on the edge?
It’s fun and scary. Speed is something you become conditioned to as well. Driving F1 the first time I was like, ‘Oh man, I don’t think I can do this. This is so fast.’ But the more you do it, the more you’re like, ‘Oh, actually this isn’t fast enough.’
The feeling it gives me is freedom. I guess if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle, you know you’ve got the wind blowing in your hair and that sort of stuff, and you feel like you’re going fast, and you feel like you’re free and you’re untouchable. So, they’re kind of the feelings I get from speed. But yeah, ultimately, it’s an adrenaline rush, and that’s what I love about it, probably more than anything.
From Instagram, you seem more like a truck guy. What’s your daily driver right now?
I love bikes, mountain biking or dirt biking, so I’ve always had a truck of some sort so I can put a bike in the back. My favorite truck I’ve had is a Raptor; that’s kind of my happy truck. And then if I’m obviously doing any kind of Sunday drive, where I want to have a bit of fun, then the good people of McLaren assist me wherever I am in the world.
Courtesy of McLaren F1
You’ve got a few tattoos. Any new ink?
My last one actually was in Spa (Belgium Grand Prix)—the race that got rained out last year. My friend was there at the race and he’s a tattoo artist, and he’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve got my gun with me.’ So, he tattooed me in a Belgium hotel room, and yeah, that was that. It says “Of love and life,” and it’s the title of a song for the band I love, Caamp. I don’t know, it just kind of rings, and I just love it. The song as well, it’s quite deep, and it actually makes me think of the things that I do love and care for, like family, especially when I’m away from home for a long time.
Do you have any guilty pleasures on the road? Tattoos not withstanding.
I love trying to find a good burger, especially a Buffalo chicken burger or something. So yeah. Mostly if I’m in the States, I feel like they do it well. I normally try and eat something naughty.
I spent quite a bit of time in LA, and one of the first fried chicken burgers I had was in Santa Monica at this restaurant called The Misfit, and they do wicked fried chicken. I think they even call it a fried chicken sandwich, but it’s a fried chicken burger, and that was one of the first I had, and it opened my eyes to how good fried chicken can really be.
If you could only race one more race, any series, any car, anything, against whom would you race, and where would you do it?
Look, I’ve never done it and it would be cool, so Daytona 500 and, yeah, if I could race against Dale Earnhardt Jr. that would be really cool.
Is Dale Earnhardt a hero?
Massively! I was a big NASCAR fan growing up. In Austin last year, at the race, I did a Dale Earnhardt kind of tribute helmet, because it was 20 years since his passing. That was cool.
Drive to Survive Season 4 debuts March 11.
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You’re looking at a unicorn. You might guess I’m talking about the price of the Bentley Continental GT Speed: $274,900. That already puts the two-plus-two British supercar far out of reach of the average Mini purchaser. Nope. The Bentley Continental GT Speed has genetic rarity under the bonnet (read: hood). The beast quaking this Bentley is a 12-cylinder, fire-breathing, gasoline-fueled jewel that blasts 650hp and 664 ft. lbs. of torque. And for obvious reasons this form of propulsion is no longer in fashion, even in the eff-everyone-else baller realm of supercars.
Bentley’s not stupid: Even their customer base is quickly switching channels to Bentley’s hybrid offerings and the brand has committed to a plan where, beginning in 2.5 years, they’ll drop a new EV every year through 2030. They’re also committing to all their manufacturing becoming carbon neutral. These goals happen to be business-savvy. Nobody would likely say it out loud at Bentley’s HQ in Crewe, England, but if Tesla proved its Model S could supplant Ferraris in the garages of Silicon Valley titans and Lucid’s Air is proving a possible successor (and without a doubt, so will Rivian’s R1T and the new EV Hummer, etc.) then the Bentleys of the world must evolve as well.
But…there’s a tails side to every coin. Imagine a world 20 years from now when something that runs on gasoline is increasingly unusual. You might have to pay a hefty luxury tax to even wield such a machine, and likely, in that rare atmosphere, the only place to drive such a car would be a members-only track. Cars like one of the last 12-cylinders made may be verboten on urban streets—but they’ll very likely be excellent investments even if they rarely run.
With that buy-and-hold context in mind, here are three facets that stand out on a car that’s not even trying that hard to be “stealth.”
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More Than the Sum of Its Cylinders
The twin-turbocharged W-12 configuration of this engine is unusual, even in the realm of twelve-cylinder motors. And as mentioned, it’s not likely to stick around, yet the reality is that even for all its prowess (0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a 208 mph top speed are no joke), the joy of this Bentley isn’t found in sprinting. It’s in slaloming.
Bentley’s air-adaptive suspension, as well as electronic active anti-roll bars prevent the Conti from wallowing even as you bang 5,011 pounds of mass around turns. It’s an experience that can’t help but make you giggle. It’s absurd that a car this comfortable and plush (and hush!) on the interstate wants to dance around every sinew of double-yellow country lane.
Now, this isn’t quite magic. All Continental GTs get all-wheel drive, but the Speed version also adds four-wheel steering, so it’s quicker to turn into a corner under throttle—and that helpful tuck-in provided by the rear wheels makes the Bentley dart like a much smaller, much lighter vehicle. It helps that Bentley’s reformulated the power split of that all-wheel-drive system to bias torque to 90 percent rear most of the time. The car feels sportier at every apex, like it wants to wag its tail, then power shifts forward to pull the steering back straight. Grab a big fistful of paddle to downshift the manumatic eight-speed gearbox just before a bend and the whole recipe gets even tastier.
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The Devil Is in the Details
Test-driving a car like this is an exercise in envy. And even if you’re quite wealthy, the sheer perfection of a cabin so well executed will have you calling your personal architect and grilling them to copy every last thread and fitment to the interior of your mansion.
Not that it’s all precisely everyone’s cup of Earl Grey. The thing to copy is the quality of execution, not necessarily the specific aesthetic choices.
On our loaner, the carbon fiber dashboard and lacquer-everywhere along with diamond-in-diamond quilting on the seats had a rented jet-set quality that was distinctly over the top. Not to worry. Bentleys are seldom bought “off the rack.” You can choose from 26 fabric and hide options for seating and interior panels, and there are myriad hard-surface materials to mull over. This doesn’t even begin to touch the customization potential either, since Bentley’s goal is that no two cars are alike. And why not? If you’re in for nearly $300,000, why not use the canvas they’re offering to paint your own masterpiece?
Regardless of material choice, you’ll have seats outfitted with massage and heating/cooling functionality. They’re so comfortable, it’s difficult to pry yourself away even after hours behind the wheel. It doesn’t hurt that the 2200-watt, 20-speaker/subwoofer audio system will darn near make you cry at its astonishing sonic clarity.
Also, for all those who might instead choose a super-cramped sports car, go ahead. What the Continental GT Speed offers isn’t just pace, but genuine comfort. The backseats might be small, but they exist, as does a reasonably sized trunk. This is a gran-tourer in the classic sense, so you’re never deafened by a droning exhaust, bellowing engine, or beating-you-to-submission suspension. Get away for a weekend in this supercar and you’ll arrive fresher than when you left.
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Weight-ing for the Future
One revelation that’s arrived at the rear of any EV owner is that all that weight in the basement corners better. Fast-twitch has a place, no doubt, but what’s been more appealing recently is making the most of…assets. Even though an EV has to be heavy, putting batteries in the floor can give even a softly sprung machine a planted feeling that lends the driver sharper control.
Welcome to the club, all you newcomers.
While the GT Speed is entirely gas-powered, driving this car is like looking through a wormhole. You’re gazing back in time at everything Bentley knows what to do with weight—and simultaneously seeing a road map to the company’s EV future. Because if they can achieve this much poise with a car with this much weight on the front axle, just imagine what they might do with a perfectly even balance of power and bulk.
If you have the means, plunk down your Black Card for the Continental GT Speed, pronto. But there’s hope, too, that a car like this heralds even more creativity for what Bentley can turn out come 2025.
Somewhere high up on the Angeles Crest Highway, Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” plays on the Porsche 911 GT3’s sound system, searing through its 12 Bose speakers.
It’s an appropriate track. Not because I’m about to wreck the car—I’m not. The car is wrecking me. Drive enough vehicles and every once in a while one will thunk you in the cerebral cortex, forcing you to appreciate how invigorating driving—not simply piloting—a car can be.
The 911 GT3 Touring is a dying breed, a highly adept sports car powered by a naturally aspirated engine, a four-liter, 502-horsepower, six-cylinder boxer. There are cheaper machines that put out bigger numbers. We’re in an era where sports cars pile on more power, via superchargers or battery-electric powertrain technology. Yet they’re not piling on any more fun.
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The GT3 forces you to feel. When driving at speed into corners, the car almost seems to lean in, eerily—the result of a double-wishbone front axle suspension derived from one of the brand’s Le Mans race cars, paired with four-wheel steering. During high-speed mountain descents the GT3’s Michelins maintain absurd grip up front, thanks to the aforementioned suspension. You feel you’re in a spaceship returning to earth. With your hand on the oversized cue ball of its six-speed transmission, you realize with every not-quite-nailed shift you’re the only imperfect element in the composition. The machine could do it better, of course. But with far fewer thrills.
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The Touring model GT3 is for the guy who likes to drive one of the most exclusive 911 variants around yet doesn’t need to advertise it. You lose the script “911 GT3” badge and the GT3’s massive, look-at-me rear wing gets expunged in favor of an automatically deploying rear spoiler. You lose a smidge of downforce, but unless you’re dying to shave milliseconds off a lap time, you won’t care. Bonus: The slightly subtler nature of the Touring model means fewer conversations with car geeks at gas stations.
Our test car cost $182,700 with $20,000 in options, from the Gentian Blue Metallic paint job ($840) to LED matrix headlights ($3,270) to carbon fiber bucket seats ($5,900). Pricey, yes. Yet it’s already beat the brand’s wild, near-million-dollar 918 Spyder around the Nürburgring. The GT3 is essentially a race car with a sweet radio.
It’s not the first thing you notice, but when you drive the 2021 Lamborghini Urus around town, you smile a lot. You grin at just how good it feels to drive, the ridiculousness of the thing itself, but mostly you find yourself greeting ogling strangers with a knowing smile.
The Urus is the Italian supercar-maker’s answer to our culture’s unwavering demand for sport utility vehicles. With room for five and a solid amount of cargo space, it’s certainly Lambo’s most utilitarian offering. But despite its “practicality,” the Urus still has the soul and fiery personality of a supercar that’ll give your facial muscles a nice workout every time you take it out for a spin.
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Staggering Power
The twin-turbo four-liter V8 cranks out a jaw-clenching 641 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough power to get the Urus from 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds, and the driver hauled off to jail in about six. Of course, when you put your foot down, the engine screams. But at lower RPMs, the V8 grunts and snarls, seemingly wondering why you’re not giving it more gas.
The eight-speed automatic transmission flicks through gears so quickly and efficiently most drivers won’t want to use the manual paddle shifters much, though we did. Through corners and twisty roads, the Urus feels poised and easy to control, especially in the firmer, more responsive “sport” and “corsa” driving modes.
In the more subdued “strada” mode, the air suspension lightens up and makes it a comfortable daily driver. Though for a grocery-getter it’s a bit thirsty, with an estimated fuel economy of 12 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. It is a Lambo after all.
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On the Inside
The interior of the Urus is sleek with more than a few lux flourishes. Heated bucket seats with the option to add ventilation and massage up front make for a posh ride when you’re not carving corners. A digital instrument cluster for the driver provides a wealth of information that changes with the driving mode. Two other haptic-enabled touch screens control the infotainment system and the car’s settings respectively.
Generally most driver inputs in the Urus are easy and intuitive, but we did find a few things rather quirky. The red flip cover over the start-stop button is annoyingly pointless, as is having to cycle all the way through driving modes to engage the previous one. Another slight nitpick, the window switches are the same ones used in Volkswagen and Audi’s current lineups, which seems like an easy upgrade in a car that costs nearly a quarter of a million dollars. But most Lambo owners probably haven’t been inside of a common VW, so they likely won’t notice.
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In the Back
Buyers can configure the interior to either five seats or just four, which is certainly more comfortable for adult passengers. For those who need to do some hauling, the Urus offers 22 cubic feet of space in the five passenger setup and 20 with four seats—more than ample for a week’s worth of luggage or a few sets of golf clubs.
On the Outside
The aesthetic can be a bit polarizing, but the Urus looks like nothing else on the road. Loud and flamboyant is Lamborghini’s hallmark and the design takes the iconic Lambo lines and translates them into a look that suits the overall package. It’s not just Huracán with a lift kit. It’s a sophisticated interpretation and a work of art in its own right.
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Lambo to the Core
The Urus is an eye-catching, exhilarating, ear-shattering, blisteringly fast supercar. It’s also one of the best SUVs on the road—while rightfully ticking all of the boxes anyone in the market for a Lambo could want. Is it ostentatious? Absolutely! That’s another box checked off. Being over the top is baked into the Lamborghini DNA and the reason they can put a smile on even the most casual car lover’s face.
Back in the 80s, when Volkswagen first introduced the Golf GTI to American buyers, they ran print ads calling that first “hot hatch” a “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.” It was a cool premise: Who wouldn’t want a sporty five-door that could ace turns like a 911 Porsche, but still cart the kids to school come Monday morning? Those were simpler times. Today, carmakers have mostly folded their tents and decided to cave to American demands of bloated SUVs. Yes, we (thankfully) still get sports cars, too, but those seldom have the practicality of a hatchback and four doors. Thankfully, there’s the Golf R, a 315hp “wolf” with AWD clawing its way forward to a 0-60mph sprint in 4.4 seconds.
That’s a full second slower than a Porsche Cayman GT4—but you could buy two Golf Rs for the price of that one Porsche, and have more than $10K left over. But this latest VW is more than just a steal. It’s a brilliant package that more enthusiast car shoppers should understand exists. Here are three reasons why the Golf R is the new reigning champ of stealth performance.
2022 Volkswagen Golf R Is the ‘Hot Hatch’ You’ve Been Waiting For
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AWD That’s Not About Snow
Prior Golf R’s had all-wheel drive. But so what? That old system wasn’t nearly this versatile. While all-wheel drive typically only matters as a means of getting un-stuck in snow (or in a 4×4, rock crawling) the new 4Motion in the Golf R can send full power to either rear wheel.
By reading the steering angle and positioning of the car in a corner, Golf R can send up to 100 percent of all power to the outside rear wheel. That has the effect of tightening the radius of a turn, which is really handy when you’re powering the car just past the apex of a corner.
We found this out the fun way, by driving the R at 9/10ths through the hills of Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina—on wet asphalt. There, even though we were racing around on summer rubber, which doesn’t grip all that great at near-freezing temps, the 235/35 R19s held fast enough just because of all that over-driven juice from the AWD 4Motion system. Every time we feared overcooking a corner, subtle braking and, yep, getting back on the gas, pushed us through.
There’s a Setting Just for Drifting—And You Can Turn Off Stability Control
To properly drift a car not only takes serious skill, it demands the right tools. Sure, a race car with all stability and traction controls excised does the job fine—save that you probably want that tech for daily driving safety. VW’s drift mode (which has a warning that says you have to be off public roads to deploy it), recalibrates throttle inputs so it’s easier to keep the engine at higher revs, and tells the gearbox to hold those revs for the same function. Then, the aforementioned 4Motion function powers that outside rear wheel as you crank the steering inputs in a circle. Bingo! You’re drifting like a pro!
If you plan to race, the driver can turn off all stability and traction control functions (they’ll re-awaken in a full slide), and sub-menus let you specifically dial in more precise combinations. For instance, if you like a heavier steering feel closer to a race mode, but softer suspension because you live in ‘Merica, where the roads are beat to hell, that’s entirely up to you. We love this, because even in cars with “sport” etc., modes, it’s too rare that they let you mix and match to this degree.
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An Engine That’s Mellow, Not Hyper
Yep, Volkswagen’s yanking 315 horses from a relatively tiny, 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and a whopping 280 pound-feet of torque, too. (You’ll get 295 pound-feet from the DSG automatic.) Peak torque hits just around 2,000 RPM and hangs on to just about 5,000 RPM, and that lets you upshift earlier, so you’re not flogging the engine for all it’s worth to get the R flying. Both second and third gears are plenty tall, too, with the 6,500 RPM redline not hitting in second gear until you’ve tagged 70mph.
You can bang from gear to gear gunning for the moon—but you don’t have to. The R’s joys can be be found just tootling around, and that more flexible torque curve offers power more broadly, so keeping the turbocharged engine on the boil isn’t a chore. It’s fun. Oh, and should you want the six-speed manual gearbox instead of that automated DSG seven-speed, it’s not a pain to own, even in traffic. Shift lazily. The R won’t shudder because you’re pulling uphill at 35mph in third gear.
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Great Steering and Manual Modes
Okay, say you do want the DSG because you live where traffic stinks—DSG lets you just roll in “Drive” when you’re slogging through stop-and-go highway clots.
Fortunately, when (if?) the road ever does open up, VW now allows the driver to customize how DSG performs. Start using the manual paddles that halo the steering wheel and, should you choose, DSG won’t shift itself back to automatic mode. If you don’t shift, the car won’t shift for you. This, by the way, is what Porsche offers, too, and it’s great to see Volkswagen follow suit.
Speaking of which, few brands have managed to make electronic steering feel as analogue as Porsche. But VW’s R is getting close, via a clever trick. They bunched the teeth of the steering gear tighter right at the center of the rack, then spaced them more widely at the far ends. Think of this as leverage: You don’t want to apply a ton of brute force just steering off center, when small inputs to initiate a high-speed turn should be all about finesse. You need just the opposite response when you have to crank the wheel right to the end of its limit, like when you’re parallel parking, and those wider-spaced teeth allow more leverage per input for those slow-speed efforts. So the steering feels precise when you want it, but not heavy when you don’t. Pretty sweet, in other words.
You’re waiting for something we don’t dig? Okay, here’s one. The cheaper GTI can be had with cloth seats, but the R only comes with Nappa leather. We favor the fabric, even though, yes, the R’s chairs are dang comfortable, too.
With only three rounds remaining in the 2021 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship, the title chase is heating up as we head toward the Final round in Irwindale, CA, at the end of October.
Round 6: Crossroads brings the teams to familiar territory at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, IL—a mere six miles from the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
With 100 points available for the winner of each round, 32 of the 33 FD PRO drivers have a mathematical chance of winning. But in reality, the 2021 FD PRO Champion will almost certainly emerge from the top six drivers, who are all within 105 points of current leader Chelsea DeNofa (USA) in the BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D.
Despite three wins from five rounds, DeNofa is only one point clear of second place Matt Field (USA) in the Falken Tire / Drift Cave Chevrolet Corvette. Both drivers have been incredibly consistent this season, managing to deliver blistering acceleration from their circa 1000hp missiles, while drifting with controlled aggression between unforgiving walls.
Four of the top six drivers have yet to claim an FD PRO Championship title, making them especially hungry, willing to put everything on the line. But let’s not discount the experience of 2015 FD Champion Fredric Aasbo (Norway) and his potent Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra. The Norwegian is currently third, always a threat, and has to be respected.
The same applies to sixth place Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA). As the team leader to DeNofa, Gittin’s Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D is more powerful than the majority of his competitors, and with two titles under his belt from 2010 and 2020, the reigning champ loves to ruin the day for his rivals.
For all the top drivers, success and failure are a whisker away as they attempt to run fast, hard, and uncomfortably close to each other, risking everything for the win. And as the pressure mounts, small mistakes can be brutally punished by the walls expectantly waiting to wreck aspirations in a fraction of a second.
PROSPEC
For the 2021 Formula DRIFT PROSPEC Championship, Round 3 in St. Louis represents the start of the second half of the four-round season. The teams had a six-week summer break to fix, fettle, and fine-tune their vehicles. As the feeder series for the PRO Championship, PROSPEC cars tend to be less powerful, averaging around 600hp. The drivers tend to be less experienced, cutting their teeth on concrete walls before moving up to FD PRO. However, less horsepower and experience doesn’t mean a lack of excitement or commitment. If anything, the PROSPEC drivers have more to prove and will do what it takes to catch the eye of the bigger teams and sponsors.
The Championship currently has two drivers on the same 180 points, led by reigning Champion, Dmitriy Brutskiy (Belarus) who drives the Essa Autosport / ISC Suspension BMW E46. As the 2020 title winner, Brutskiy had the opportunity to join the PRO Championship but decided to remain in PROSPEC and develop his skills. That decision has paid off but he needs to remain consistent to rise above joint leader, Nick Noback (USA) in the KoruWorks BMW E46. However, Noback fully intends to win the title himself, meaning both men need to score points this weekend to take the fight to the Final round in Irwindale.
With two Championship rounds taking place this weekend, fans can satisfy their drift craving as the competition runs late into the night. Visit formulad.com for ticket sales to join what will be a capacity crowd, if the previous 2021 rounds are any indicator of the popularity of the series.
Fans unable to attend can log onto the free-to-view Formula DRIFT livestream. Broadcasts are available for both qualifying and competition heats at every round, and are available via the Formula DRIFT website, the FD YouTube page, or FD Facebook page. Visit the website for the event schedule.
Formula DRIFT is an all-weather, high-horsepower, high-speed sport. Drivers qualify in cars that typically have more than 1000hp, for a position in the Top 32 elimination heats. Drivers drift the course in pairs during competition, with points awarded for angle, line, and style, where proximity and speed are the key ingredients. Teams from around the globe compete in Formula DRIFT, which is the premier drift series in the world.
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If you’ve never been to a Formula DRIFT event, the 2021 season would be a great time to start—either in-person at one of the remaining rounds, or on the free-to-view livestream available for both qualifying and competition heats at every round.
At the previous three rounds, spectators have turned out in record numbers to enjoy the fast and frantic action, which was punctuated by a visit to a brand new track facility last month. If you missed it, visit formulad.com to catch up on the action at the purpose-built drift arena built around what was an NHRA drag strip in Englishtown, NJ.
Round 4 of the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship takes place at another new track—Lake Erie Speedway—marking the first time the nation’s top drifting series has visited Erie, PA, and the Great Lakes region.
Hardcore drift fans will know Lake Erie Speedway has been holding grassroots drifting for a number of years, but this is the first time the world’s best drifting series will set up camp in the pits and paddock area.
Not only is Lake Erie Speedway within driving distance of many large cities in the area, but it’s also a great travel destination at this time of year. So pack a bag for the weekend and experience the inaugural event at what will become a regular fixture of Formula DRIFT for years to come.
With three rounds under their belts, the FD PRO Championship couldn’t be closer. In fact, the top 12 drivers are within 100 points of Championship leader, Matt Field (USA), who grabbed his first round win since 2016 in New Jersey. It also represented his first win with the Falken Tire / Drift Cave Chevrolet Corvette, which he’s been developing since 2018. With more than 1,000hp under his right foot, Matt had to work hard to cope with changing conditions on a wet track but proved to be the rain master and took away the maximum 100 points for the win, catapulting himself to the top of the driver’s table.
He wrestled the position from Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis (Lithuania), who led the FD PRO Championship since the opening round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, driving his V8-powered Falken Tires / Feal Suspension Nissan S15. Thanks to consistent performances, Odi sits in second place, with both drivers overdue a Championship title. Perhaps 2021 will finally be their year.
Neither driver should forget there are three former FD PRO Champions in the Top 12, who have a habit of mounting a sustained attack throughout the year. This includes 2015 FD Champion Fredric Aasbo (Norway) in the Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra, who currently sits in third place.
Currently in ninth is 2010 and reigning FD Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) in 1,200hp Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D. While three-time Champion Chris Forsberg (USA) is currently 10th in the NOS Energy / GT Radial Nissan 370Z, he finished second in Round 3.
Regardless of current form, Lake Erie Speedway will be new to all the FD PRO teams, so look for some new names to possibly climb the leaderboard before the end of the weekend.
If you want to attend the inaugural FD PA event at Lake Erie Speedway, we recommend you visit the Formula DRIFT website as soon as possible for event details, ticket purchases, and more.
If you can’t attend in person, hardcore Formula DRIFT fans and newbies can catch all the action on the popular free-to-view livestream broadcast. Available for both Friday qualifying and Saturday elimination heats, the livestream can be viewed via the Formula DRIFT website, the FD YouTube page or FD Facebook page.
Formula DRIFT is an all-weather event—rain or shine we send it! A wet track, as experienced in New Jersey, won’t stop the drivers and adds a challenging variable to keep everybody on their toes.
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Formula DRIFT—America’s fastest-growing motorsport—heads to Orlando Speed World on May 21-22 for the second round of the premier PRO Championship and the first round of the PROSPEC Championship.
Many of the PRO teams didn’t get to return home after a punishing opening round at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on May 7-8. With almost six months elapsing since the end of the 2021 season, Round 1 saw some teams overcome technical issues, as the drivers were thrown in the deep end with the challenging Road Atlanta drift course, making it an extremely exciting weekend.
The event was won by fan favorite, Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis (Lithuania), driving his V8-powered Falken Tires/Feal Suspension Nissan S15. Second place went to Matt Field (USA) in the Falken Tire/Drift Cave Chevrolet Corvette in an incredibly hard fought Final, which saw these close friends repeat their runs before the judges could separate them.
With Nitto Tire dominating the 2020 season, it was interesting to see the two Falken Tire competitors rise to the top. However, third place went to 2010 reigning FD PRO Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA). The title defense began in his Nitto-shod 1200hp Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D, and with all five of the Formula DRIFT tire suppliers represented by the Top 16 drivers, rubber will continue to play an important part in the sport.
The uninitiated might assume tire performance isn’t that important in a motorsport series defined by wheel spin and smoking tires, but they couldn’t be more wrong. The drivers need consistently high levels of grip to perform the maneuvers, particularly when they transition from one direction to another. With higher steering angles than conventional race cars, Formula DRIFT drivers depend on front grip to tackle the course and massive horsepower to overcome the rear grip, getting the wheels spinning in order to slide through the turns.
With most Formula DRIFT cars developing more than 1000hp, every qualifying run and competition heat is an assault on the senses—screaming engines, cars sliding door-to-door, smoke filling the air. This is what attracted a capacity crowd to Road Atlanta for the opening round after fans had been heavily restricted throughout the 2020 season. And fans will next flock to Orlando Speed World on May 21-22, where attendees will not only witness the PRO teams dance with the devil, but witness the opening round of the 2021 FD Link ECU PROSPEC Championship.
PROSPEC is a feeder series for the PRO Championship, allowing up-and-coming drivers to learn the skills to compete at the highest level. Most PROSPEC cars have slightly less power but are no less spectacular to watch. And for the new drivers in both categories, Orlando will be their first experience of a banked track. The banking creates a unique challenge, as drivers have to apply more power to climb the bank, then control the speed as they accelerate off it, all while maintaining a consistent drift inches from the door of another car.
The banked Orlando track gives the best drivers the chance to shine, so we’ll see which of the FD ATL teams continue their momentum, and who rises to the top.
Visit the Formula DRIFT website for event details, ticket purchases, COVID requirements, and more. If you can’t attend in person but want to catch the action, Formula DRIFT has an extremely popular free-to-view livestream broadcast. Available for both Friday qualifying and Saturday elimination heats, the livestream is available via the Formula DRIFT website, the FD YouTube page, or FD Facebook page.
Formula DRIFT is an all-weather event: A wet track won’t stop the drivers and adds another variable to keep everybody guessing who will win. Rain or shine, we send it!
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
