If money were no object

I think a lot about vehicles I'd like to own some day. The biggest stumbling block of course is money. So I thought to myself, "What would I get if money were no object?" Here we go....

I'm no longer into sedans as I'm much more interested in getting in and out of a vehicle without having to bend much. So I guess SUV or crossover (CUV) is where it's at for me now. Here are the vehicles I would consider buying:

Gas
I'm still impressed with what Mercedes Benz has been able to coax out of their turbocharged engines. I love my B250, but it's missing some things a higher end model would solve. Heated steering wheel (becoming a must now), power tailgate, heads up display, semi-autonomous cruise control. Mercedes is also a front runner when it comes to the evolution of autonomous driving, so I'd be in good hands.

So I'd consider a GLC 300. 241 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque? Out of a 4 cylinder? Yeah, that would probably do. And it has all the things I mention above. All the things!!

For added fun, but also the added annoyance of having much higher gas bills and probably bruises on the arm facing my darling wife (from punches), I'd give the GLC 63 S 4Matic+ a try for sheer lunacy. Hello bi-turbo V8 with 503 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Like I said, sheer lunacy. But fun. I'd be sneaking up on everyone in ECO mode and then just before the light turns green I'd quickly switch to Sport+ mode and let the exhaust growl and pop. All the things plus noises!! I'm such a guy.

Electric
I am tremendously excited about the evolution of all-electric cars. Tesla forced everyone to change their game and came out with some great cars in the process. But the Model S and X are just way too big for me. The Model 3 is quite nice, but I have my hopes pinned on the still to be released Model Y. A scaled down Model X is just what the world needs, is more practical, and will have even more tech goodies that the Model 3 has now and maybe more. Plus, Tesla has a habit of future-proofing their cars by upgrading features and capabilities through software, with the necessary hardware already installed. That's smart.

But Tesla is no longer the only electric game in town. I am very curious what the new Mercedes EQC will be like. Could Mercedes beat Tesla to market with a modest SUV before the Model Y is released? Watch this space.

Volkswagen is busy readying their lineup of electric cars too. But the one that looks the absolute coolest of them all, maybe even cooler than Tesla, is the new ID Buzz, the latest incarnation of the old vee-dub microbus.

Now, you're probably thinking, "Would you really be happy in an electric vehicle considering that you just said you'd like to own a 503+ hp Mercedes?" Yeah, I think I would. These electric vehicles, especially the Teslas, have insane instant torque and that's all the fun really. It's not the steady speed most people are interested in, it's the acceleration.

The key will be charging options. Here, Tesla has an edge due to their global 'supercharger' network of chargers. I know I'd be able to drive a Tesla Canada-wide and to my favourite US destination (San Diego) and always be in range of a supercharger. Plus my destination hotel of choice there has a Tesla charger right in the garage.