Once you’re cinched into the five-point harness and turn the ignition key, the sensory hit is immediate. The 5.4-liter V-8 erupts, the air redolent with the unmistakable scent of combustion. There’s a flicker of nerves before deploying the Tremec five-speed manual gearshift and the dread of stalling out at pit lane in front of a gallery of onlookers. One moment you’re piloting this reimagined 1965 fastback Mustang—no power steering, no filters—a glorious ode to analog driving and the golden age of American motorsport, made by the people who built its legacy. The next, you’re cocooned in an all-electric Rolls-Royce, an immaculate tour de force of silence and bleeding-edge tech, adorned by the Spirit of Ecstasy. Mentioned as a standout comparison by one of our judges, it’s a study in contrasts at the highest level of automotive expression and the type of juxtaposition that has become commonplace at Robb Report’s Car of the Year (COTY).
For the 23rd edition, the 10 entries represented a sweeping cross section of categories and power trains that define today’s performance landscape. And while the broader new-vehicle market drifts toward uniformity, this field of contenders distinguished itself with varying degrees of design and innovation. Those qualities have guided the contest since its event-based creation in 2003, when the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG beat out the Ferrari 575M for bragging rights.
Both marques returned to the competition this year in new guises. Mercedes-Maybach entered with the V-8 powered SL 680 Monogram Series, the luxury division’s first two-seat model, and Ferrari fielded the V-12 Purosangue, the brand’s first four-door production car. Bentley’s latest Bentayga Speed brought eight-cylinder force, while Aston Martin’s new Vanquish carried the time-honored and tenacious 12-cylinder. Our zero-emissions contingent included the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre, the Audi RS e-tron GT performance, and the polarizing Dodge Charger Daytona, a muscle car reborn as an E.V. Finally, hybrids made their case via Lamborghini’s Urus SE, while Maserati’s MC20 Cielo proved that a compact V-6 can still deliver outsize drama.
As in 2025, there was also an outlier: The 460 hp OVC Grand Touring-LM Mustang became the first-ever restomod to compete at COTY, a decided counterpoint to last year’s 1,900 hp Pininfarina Battista.
Testing unfolded on the private racetrack at the Concours Club in Opa-locka, Fla., where each vehicle was repeatedly put through the same series of standardized drills. Judges were asked to set aside any preconceptions or biases and evaluate how successfully each car executed its mission. Sure, personal preferences inevitably surfaced, but the process favored balanced analysis by potential owners for potential owners in the same luxury-market space. This year, though, the competition played out differently. There was little jockeying among front-runners, as the first-place finisher took a commanding lead early on and never let off the gas. Here’s how the final leaderboard looked:
- Bentley Bentayga Speed
- Audi RS e-tron GT performance
- Rolls-Royce Black Badge Spectre
- Maserati MC20 Cielo
- Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram Series
- OVC Grand Touring–LM Mustang
- Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack
Third Place: Ferrari Purosangue
The Purosangue breaks from every other production-line Prancing Horse in history with a simple twist: rear doors. It’s the first four-door Ferrari that has made it to market, and while it has been sold stateside since 2023, the 2026 model arrives with a new steering-wheel design that brings back mechanical buttons. The essentials stay the same—a V-12 engine, all-wheel drive, and a sporting superstition that wowed judges enough to take third place in this year’s Car of the Year competition.
Lee Oleinick summed it up: “You expect perfection when you buy a Ferrari, and the Purosangue doesn’t disappoint. A sculptured exterior surrounds one of the finest interiors, without [design] overkill. And the performance? You have to keep reminding yourself you’re in an S.U.V. It’s that good.” Ryan Branning agreed, saying, “It’s less an S.U.V. and more a Ferrari that happens to seat four. The engine is a masterpiece.” And Sam Herzfeld called the Purosangue “all-around, a really great car. Amazing to be able to have a quintessential Ferrari in a four-door daily driver. Love the dual-cockpit feel.”
“You expect perfection when you buy a Ferrari, and the Purosangue doesn’t disappoint.”
Not everyone was convinced. A few drivers—including longtime Ferrari owners—had mixed opinions about how the mid-front-mounted naturally aspirated V-12 handled the Purosangue’s 4,481-pound (dry weight) mass. “The drive did not live up to typical Ferrari standards,” said Thomas Mantione. Carlos Fuente III wasn’t impressed, either: “The Purosangue was one of the cars I was most excited to drive, but unfortunately, it was underwhelming. It fails to deliver the thrill you expect from a Ferrari. It’s luxurious and well-built, just missing that raw excitement.” Matthew Dicken offered a broader perspective. He “expected a bit more performance from the V-12, but as the owner of four Ferraris currently, it’s the only one I’ve driven that I could drive every day.” Others were all in. Brian Davis called the Purosangue “my clear favorite,” while John Graff was even more succinct, referring to it simply as “my fave.”
Engine: 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V-12
Power: 715 hp
0-60 MPH: 3.3 sec
Top Speed: More than 193 mph
Base Price: $423,636
As Tested: $514,286
Runner-up: Lamborghini Urus SE
When it was named Robb Report’s Car of the Year in 2018, the original Lamborghini Urus rewrote the S.U.V. rulebook with an all-terrain Raging Bull that, at the time, was in a ring all its own. Since then, the Urus has become the Italian-supercar maker’s best-selling model, one that continues to set benchmarks as competition intensifies.
The SE variant lives up to that challenge as the brand’s first hybrid iteration of the Urus and its most powerful to date. “A sports car hidden under an S.U.V. body” is how James Hefelfinger viewed it. Claudia Falero went a step further, calling it a “sports car on steroids.”
The increased brawn is owed to a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 mated to an electric motor—housed within the eight-speed transmission—that combines for 789 hp and nearly 701 ft lbs of torque. “I knew it would be loud, and it was,” said Joshua Slater, “but it delivered.” Michael McMillan was so taken with the soundtrack that he joked, “Someone needs to turn that engine growl into a men’s cologne.” Ryan Branning found deeper meaning in the drive experience. “The Urus SE proves that adding voltage doesn’t subtract soul,” lauding its combination of “sheer ferocity and room for the whole family.” Chris Stout was stunned by the acceleration and said that “the hybrid makes an amazing difference.” Similarly, Julio Cantillo noted that the “hybrid supplement creates a sense of immediacy.” Michael Garber admired the “exciting, dramatic cockpit” but found the handling to be “a bit soft.” Even less bullish on the latest variant were John Graff, who “didn’t see much change from the old model,” and Carlos Fuente III, who asserted that it “feels like a downgrade from the previous model.”
“Someone needs to turn that engine growl into a men’s cologne.”
The broader consensus, however, aligned with Fabricia Azevedo, who said, “Some chase the thrill of flying fighter jets; others find it behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Urus SE.” That perspective explains its second-place finish in our contest—along with Andrew Shantz’s ringing endorsement: “It’s just awesome.”
Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8
Power: 789 hp
0-60 MPH: 3.4 sec
Top Speed: 194 mph
Base Price: $258,636
As Tested: $358,332
Car of the Year: Aston Martin Vanquish
For decades, Aston Martin felt like a not-so-gracefully aging Hollywood star living off the glory of a few great performances. In recent years, the proud British marque has staged a persuasive comeback. Striking design, innovative tech, and meaningful gains in craftsmanship have returned Aston to form, earning the DB12 a 2024 Robb Report Car of the Year title and delivering a second-place finish to the Vantage last year. This year’s Vanquish arrived as a front-runner from day one. With 824 hp and a top speed of 214 mph, it ranks as one of the fastest production cars ever to come from the automaker. Add an interior executed with genuine artisanship, and it’s little wonder the judges overwhelmingly chose it for the top spot on the podium.
“A beast beautifully wrapped in all things lovely,” is how Roger Cary described it. Chris Stout saw it more as a milestone. “The Vanquish is a game changer for Aston Martin,” he said. “Gone are the days of chintzy plastic interiors. This interior’s fit and finish was impeccable. The trick carbon-fiber cross post where the back seats would be is amazing and helps to manage torsional control of the body.” Brian Schwalbe noticed that the “user interfaces are intuitive, with analog buttons and switches for the most frequently used functions,” while also admiring how “the engine, drivetrain, and suspension are smooth and well-tuned, giving just the right amount of drama when wanted.” Michael Branning loved the “immediate thrust, telepathic steering, and sure-footed chassis,” and Paul Lukianov deemed it an “absolute marvel in engineering. Unlike anything I’ve ever driven.”
“A beast beautifully wrapped in all things lovely.”
There were almost no dissenting opinions, save for John Graff, who cryptically concluded that it was “too British” and had “too much isolation.” Not so for Cjay Joseph, who noted it was “definitely 11 out of 10.” Joshua Woods agreed, calling the Vanquish an “instant classic.” It was also clear how Robert Cossaboon voted. “If I hadn’t just bought a [Porsche] GT3, I’d be in the showroom tomorrow,” he said. “Outstanding in every way.” But Mark Newman may have distilled the consensus best of all: “If you could have one sports car, this would be it.”
Engine: 5.2-liter twin-turbo V-12
Power: 824 hp
0-60 MPH: 3.3 sec
Top Speed: 214 mph
Base Price: $429,000
As Tested: $552,600
To accurately evaluate remarkable vehicles requires a crucible of the same caliber, which is why the private racetrack at the Concours Club in Opa-locka, Fla., has been our testing ground on the East Coast for the past several years. With the motorsport enclave’s two-story Pininfarina-designed event campus as home base for five days, our collective team of 117 judges set about the task of determining which of the 10 contenders was worthy of the Car of the Year title.
Each vehicle was repeatedly piloted along the two-plus-mile track, which had been divided into specific zones for exercises such as standing-start sprints, a slalom run, and an emergency-lane-change maneuver, among others—all intended to cumulatively reveal the overarching motoring experience presented by every model. Not all the boxes to be checked, though, were based on drive dynamics, as part of what makes a model memorable are its emotive touchpoints. With this in mind, our drivers were asked to consider all of the following:
Looks: interior and exterior
Luxury and Comfort: ergonomics, materials, and noise, vibration, and harshness
Performance: acceleration, handling, and braking
Utility: capacity and practicality
Intangibles: collectibility and “wow” factor
It’s through this prism that our judges were able to critique—as impartially as they could—such a multifaceted field. And while some walked away with a few biases confirmed, others found themselves drawn to unexpected entries, with the sleeper model for many being the Audi RS e-tron GT performance. But then it’s difficult not to be impressed with a sedan that delivers more horsepower than a Pagani Utopia or a McLaren Senna and that arcs through a double-apex corner with aplomb.
In the end, though, the winning trifecta comprises examples from automakers willing to adapt yet still holding fast to their legacies. Yes, Ferrari’s all-electric car looms on the horizon, but its four-door Purosangue, while an acquiescence to the performance market’s demand for sport utility, celebrates the beloved V-12 in a way that we imagine even Enzo himself would have embraced. As for the Lamborghini Urus SE, its hybrid prowess and extreme versatility demonstrate why the Raging Bull is more relevant than ever. But the vote count wasn’t remotely close when it came to the victor: Aston Martin’s Vanquish enthralled both the majority of judges and Robb Report’s own editorial team. The latter viewed the Vanquish as not only a renaissance for the marque but also this year’s unparalleled combination of breathtaking beauty and unapologetic brawn—always a winning combination.
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