2020 Comes Early With These Sleek Rides

Get ready to celebrate!…
 
By Casey Williams
 
While 2020 won’t officially roll in for many more months, it has already thrown confetti on the automotive world. From a cache of crossovers to a track-ready luxury coupe, flamboyant American sedan and all-road wagon, these are rides that will have you waiting for the New Year with champagne in hand.
 
2020 Lincoln Corsair
Lincoln’s return to proper names continues with a compact crossover that flaunts muscular style channelled from the larger Aviator and a focus on silent travel with its posh interior protected by active noise cancellation. Owners can use their phones as customizable smart keys that automatically configure the car to their preferences. Delight in the Revel audio, head-up display, wireless phone charging, standard Wi-Fi, and 24-way adjustable seats with massagers. Choose a 250- or 280-horsepower turbo-four engine. Five drive modes will suit everybody.
 
2020 Subaru Outback
Subaru’s icon gets a makeover via crisper lines and XT Onyx off-road edition with blacked-out grille and wheels. Interiors are dominated by a tablet-style touch screen, Harman Kardon audio, head-up display, and Wi-Fi. Beneath the hood is a new 260-horsepower 2.4-litre turbo-four. Subaru’s EyeSight crash avoidance system, with forward collision avoidance and active lane centring, is standard. It will even monitor your face and sound an alert if you are not paying attention to the road ahead. All-wheel drive is, of course, standard.
 
2020 Toyota Highlander
Beyond the bold, chiselled new design is much substance. The available 240-horsepower hybrid system is 17 per cent more efficient than the previous version and employs electric rear motors for all-wheel drive. Drivers can use the shifter for battery charging on demand. There’s also a 295-horsepower V6 on the menu. A futuristic three-row interior is graced with a large info screen, Amazon Alexa capability, Wi-Fi, JBL audio and head-up display. Safety is enhanced by a crash avoidance tech that includes lane tracing, pedestrian detection and radar cruise.
 
2020 Cadillac CT5
Sexy Caddy swagger is repackaged in an all-new sport sedan with rakish design language inspired by the recent Escala concept. Notice the fastback roofline, edgy lines and finlike vertical tail lights with horizontal elements. Cabins are awash in layered leather, wood, Bose audio and large screen with rotary controller. Safety is enhanced by a full suite of crash avoidance tools and Cadillac’s highway focused Super Cruise hands-off automated driving system. Putting it down-road is 237-horsepower turbo-four or 335-horsepower twin-turbo V6. All-wheel drive is optional.
 
2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition
A limited-production model for hardcore enthusiasts, developed with help from Lexus race teams, this fast coupe harbors a 472-horsepower V8 to rocket it from 0-100 km/h in under four seconds and to 270 km/h. Carbon ceramic brakes, BBS wheels and titanium muffler further enhance performance – as do a lightweight carbon fibre hood and roof. Visual intoxication comes from red brake calipers, front splitter with canards, and carbon fibre wing. The interior is luxuriously sporty with red leather seats, sueded accents and carbon trim. Drive until it hurts!
 
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CASEY WILLIAMS is a contributing writer for Gaywheels.com. He contributes to the New York-based LGBT magazine Metrosource and the Chicago Tribune. He and his husband live in Indianapolis, where Williams contributes videos and reviews to wfyi.org, the area’s PBS/NPR station.