Santa's Sleigh Revisited: What Would the Old Bearded Man Drive?

We've also decorated our souls with all kinds of rides this past year, some more exciting than others, and since all of us are young at heart, we cannot stop at one particular model. No, sir, as cars have different purposes. From the comfortable daily to that fun weekend car we're all dreaming of to a proper SUV/truck to get us through every snow blizzard imaginable, no perfect garage is made of a single machine.

From here on, we could debate for hours, days, or way more on what gets our hearts racing for each category, sprinkling the discussion with all kinds of powertrains, preferably V8s, regardless of whether they're naturally aspirated, supercharged, or feature forced induction. V10s also have a spot on the list, and so do V12s, obviously. We also have to declare our love publicly for several straight-six and flat-six mills, and the V6 is still a great engine if given the right amount of power.

Since this is the 2020s and the whole car industry is heading towards a battery-electric future, certain zero-emission powertrains would also make it to the list. However, since this story isn't part of a democracy, they wouldn't make the podium. But as I wouldn't want to upset anyone with a soft spot for machines that sound like fridges (wait a minute, I just did that), they would be in the top 20, or 30, or 40 – hey, I already said this isn't a democracy, didn't I?

Self-charging hybrids and plug-in hybrids offer the best of both worlds, and despite having lost the battle to battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered cars mustn't be ignored either. Race and biofuels deserved mentioning, too, and depending on what the future holds for the automotive world, maybe so do the sun, wind, water, and who knows what else lies beyond the "EV revolution." You may want to ignore the quotation marks, but they're there to serve a purpose that, if brought up, would take this story to a completely different territory. And no one wants that, not here, anyway.

Now, let's get back to today's go-fast machines with a question that's been popped at least once a year by most outlets: what would Santa Claus drive if he were to give up on his iconic sleigh and left the reindeer to rest for his most important night? Well, it would need to be very fast to help him visit all the children on the planet. It would also need to refuel quickly, hence why it wouldn't be an EV. And it would need to be very spacious to accommodate all the gifts. Thus, it would probably need to be a highrider of some sort. And since 6x6 machines tick all boxes, why not use a six-wheel drive G-Wagen? Preferably, one with a red finish.

Since it is a fundamental model, the Lamborghini Urus would also make it to the list, and since the old bearded man would need some comfort and luxury, so would the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Some might argue that the Ram 1500 TRX needs to be among the contenders for Santa's modern sleigh, though, as cool as it may be to have a Hellcat-powered pickup, we don't think it would fit in the North Pole. Then again, neither would supercars, hypercars, sports cars, and any other machine that doesn't have a high ground clearance, lots of traction, and a punchy motor under the hood in a climate that would leave its toll on the battery packs of EVs (here I go again…).

Then again, Santa's sleigh is all about magic, and we are confident that a modern take on it would be sprinkled with all the abracadabra needed to help him get around the world in one night. Therefore, any vehicle could become his sleigh, and from a petrolhead perspective, it is impossible to put my finger on one exact model and say that this is the only one that would cut it. Consider yourself in a democracy again, and feel free to speak your mind about what machine could successfully replace the magic sleigh and reindeer in the comments section below. It can be anything you want, from a basic tractor to a high-end exotic, a pickup, an EV, and even a tiny city car.

For some inspiration, we attached a few renderings that were posted on Christmas by carnewsnetwork on Instagram, which comprise quite a few interesting proposals. Yet, none of them was born in 2023. Could that indicate that cars were more exciting a few years back? Is the entire industry heading in the wrong direction? Are pure EVs not the future? Hey, snap out of it; everything's about magic here!