Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled the latest member of the Black Badge permanent Bespoke Family, Black Badge Cullinan. 

One-in-five Rolls-Royce commissions are done as Black Badge with a darker image that defines the taste of a younger generation of luxury consumer.

“Black Badge reflects the desires of a distinct group of Rolls-Royce clients: men and women who take risks, break rules and build success on their own terms. The time has come for Rolls-Royce’s boldest and darkest expression of Black Badge yet. The King of the Night, Black Badge Cullinan,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. 

This Rolls-Royce alter ego is marked with the mathematical symbol representing a potential infinity placed discreetly throughout the motor car. This marking was first applied to Sir Malcolm Campbell’s record-breaking Rolls-Royce-powered Blue Bird K3 hydroplane.

While it’s important to be practical with your vehicle choices, if you have the means it’s also nice to have some fun — and there are quite a few vehicles out there that will let you do exactly that.

One such ride is the 2019 Lexus RC350 F Sport, a luxury sport coupe that offers no shortage of thrills. Read on for a full report.

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One look at the RC350 and you know it’s a hot rod.

From the aggressive front grille to its low-to-the-ground status, it gives off racy vibes. The exterior design is a work of art, with a beautiful, sleek design — a contender for best look in the class.

Point blank: THe RC350 is designed for speed and a fun driving experience.
It’s not set up for driver comfort, especially on longer drives (this isn’t a cushy SUV). The sport-style seating hugs the driver tight into the seat.

The back seat is strictly for storage, not people. Unless perhaps it’s a small child, and the people sitting up front are very short. Realistically, think of this vehicle as a 2-seater.

The seats are very low to the ground, and you really sink into the vehicle. This is a Lexus, so you’re going to have high-end materials inside. You’ll be greeted by quality leather seating and other high-end materials.

Options include triple-beam LED headlamps (a $1,160 option); Power moonroof ($1.1K) and heated steering wheel ($150).

As the automotive world becomes electrified more each year, there is a race to get people further and further on electric power only. But it’s not all pure EVs.

The market for plug-in hybrids is still out there, with the potential to get people great fuel mileage with a bit of an electric boost. 

One such entry is the 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid, which I recently got a chance to test. Here’s a full report on how it stacks up in the hybrid arms race.

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First introduced in 2017, the Ioniq features a standout design compared to other plug-in hybrids, including a shark-fin style antenna on top. 

Unlike some other vehicles in this class, you wouldn’t know it’s a plug-in hybrid if nobody told you. It blends in quite well.

There are 16-inch alloy wheels, plus LEDs all around on its headlights, daytime running lights and taillights. 

The inside of the Ioniq is roomy for the class and well-designed, but not fancy. This isn’t a luxury model — but it doesn’t look or feel cheap either..

My test vehicle was a high-end Limited trim level and featured leather seating and heated front seats. It also had a leather-wrapped tilt and telescopic steering.