BEST OF THE BEST - Wheels

In a category defined by superlatives, the Battista (from US$2.5 million) still defies apt descriptors when it comes to acceleration, agility, and design.

- Alvin Wong, Lawrence Ulrich, Robert Ross, Viju Mathew, and Weixian Low

HYPERCAR

Pininfarina Battista

The most powerful vehicle ever offered in the more than two decades of Robb Report’s Car of the Year contest, the 1,900hp hypercar was the editorial team’s pick for 2025’s top honour—and is now our choice to be named Best of the Best in this bleeding-edge segment. The zero-emissions projectile, limited to no more than 150 examples, is propelled by four electric motors (one at each wheel) paired with a 120kWh battery pack that delivers a claimed maximum range of 476km, depending on which of the five drive modes is selected. As for performance metrics, the 2,380kg Battista—with a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis as its foundation— dispatches zero to 100km/h in 1.86 seconds on its way to a top speed of over 350km/h, all while the pilot is ensconced in a customised cockpit. More eye-catching is the elegantly sculpted exterior, an aerodynamic study in fluid lines and graceful yet muscular curves— an aesthetic that, like the car itself, lives at the crossroads of balletic and ballistic.

SUV

Mercedes-Benz G 580

What began as a military concept proposed to Mercedes-Benz by the Shah of Iran, the Geländewagen (German for ‘off-road vehicle’) has become a utilitarian status symbol, more often enlisted for shopping forays than four-wheeling. Yet those willing to test its mettle will discover a highly capable explorer that, with the new G 580 (from US$161,500), takes battery power to the backcountry.