All the Cars We’d Buy Now Before the New Luxury Tax of 2022
In case you haven’t heard, the just-announced federal budget includes a new luxury tax on yachts, planes, and cars.
As far as cars are concerned, the details are this: Any passenger vehicle intended for personal use with a retail sale price over $100,000 will be subject to a tax of either 10 per cent of its full value or 20 per cent of its value above that threshold, whichever amount is less.
Here are some of our favourite cars priced over $100,000 that you could buy before the tax comes into effect on January 1, 2022.
Aston Martin DBX
It’s Aston Martin’s first ever SUV, and so it is therefore entirely predictable that the DBX is also the best-looking SUV money can buy at the moment. Under the hood is a twin-turbo V8, courtesy of AMG, which makes a healthy 542 hp.
Price: $210,000 (approx.)
Porsche Taycan Turbo S
The Taycan raised the bar for all electric vehicles. It was the first EV from Porsche, and they hit it out of the park. Not only will it tear around a racetrack with ease, but it’s smooth, quiet and extremely refined on the road. The top-of-the-line Turbos S is frighteningly quick too, as Bill Nye recently explained.
Price: $215,000
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon
There are so many excellent machines from M-B to choose from here, like the high-tech all-new S-Class or the timeless G-Wagon. But if we could only have one, it’d have to be the E 63 wagon because there’s nothing else like it. It’s a class act, speaking softly and carrying a monster V8 motor. It may look like a family hauler, but it’ll embarrass many a sports car.
Price: $127,900
Lamborghini Huracan EVO RWD
As it turns out, the best Lambo sports cars is also the most affordable one. This Huracan is as pure as supercars come; its naturally-aspirated V10 powers only the rear wheels. Not a great choice for winter, but we imagine that won’t be an issue.
Price: $244,028
BMW M3 Competition
Hear us out on this one. While the all-new M3 starts at a very reasonable $84,300, if you choose the Competition model and then go wild with the options list – adding carbon-ceramic brakes, two-tone leather trim, carbon-fibre and all the rest – you can quickly wind up with a pretty spectacular $110,000 M3.
Price: $84,300
McLaren 765LT
This car is angry. The LT (read: Longtail) version of the 720S is lighter, faster and more powerful. It’s a hardcore track-day weapon for discerning drivers. It won’t flatter fools, but you’ll never get bored of pushing this thing to its, and your, limit.
Price: $400,000 (estimated)
Land Rover Defender 90 V8
Yes, the new Defender can be priced up and over $100,000. The recently announced Defender V8 turns this rugged, go-anywhere off-roader into a proper luxury machine. By the time you add a few options like a bigger touchscreen and 22-inch wheels, it adds up to well over $120k.
Price: $116,800
Audi e-tron GT
This is Audi’s first electric sedan, and you’ve really got to see it in person to appreciate just how low and wide it really is. Inside it’s like a car from the future. The e-tron’s officially estimated range is 383 km, but if it’s anything like its corporate stablemate, the Porsche Taycan, that’s a conservative estimate.
Price: $129,900
Lincoln Navigator Long Wheelbase
By the time you tick a few option boxes on Lincoln’s palatial new Navigator SUVs, the price tag climbs into six-figure territory. The Long Wheelbase model is about as big as modern SUVs get. If you’re taking a take a trip with many people and maybe a boat in tow, the Navigator is what you want.
Price: $102,000
Bentley Flying Spur
Bentley’s new Flying Spur is a well-kept secret. It’s an exceeding rare sight, but it has probably the best cabin in the entire automotive universe right now. It strikes the ideal balance between comfort and sportiness for daily driving too.
Price: $285,000 (approx.)
Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Edition 5
The LC 500 coupe is an outlier. It looks like a concept car that just drove off an autoshow plinth. It’s a naturally-aspirated V8-powered, 471-horsepower grand tourer shaped like a missile. The latest Inspiration Series car is the best yet, and there’ll only be 10 of them.
Price: $120,100
Acura NSX
Acura has been refining its groundbreaking hybrid supercar since its launch a few years ago. The cabin is a little nicer now, but really, the reason you buy an NSX is to have a comfortable, daily-drivable supercar – and that hasn’t changed.
Price: $189,900
Rolls-Royce Dawn
If you’re looking to get away on a road trip with your plus 1 in the summer of 2021, this is the car we’d recommend. Driving the Dawn is like floating on a cloud. It’s an effortless way to travel.
Price: $500,000 (approx.)
