Given a choice between a Dacia Logan and a Renault Clio, I chose the Dacia. There are few logical reasons for you to do the same, but the Avis clerk assured me that the Dacia had the wider back seat, and I needed to move four adults and a toddler in a car seat around… Continue reading Review: 2016 Dacia Logan
Found at CarMax is the most outlandishly optioned car I’ve ever seen. It is nautically themed—fit for the yacht club—with blue leather on the dash and steering wheel, wood accent trim, white leather seats and white carpet. Is this automotive equivalent of a sports coat and khakis? Whatever it is, I admire the original owner’s… Continue reading Test Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S
I’ve got a Porsche crush after my 911 drive, but since the (997) 911 seems a stretch as far as practicality is concerned, I have been exploring Porsche’s five-door models. The Macan has always appeared to me to be too small to be family practical, but I thought I’d give it a closer look anyway.… Continue reading Test Drive: 2015 Porsche Macan S
I have been thinking about selling the Focus RS for nearly a year. In April 2017, I got a quote from CarMax to purchase the vehicle. They offered $33k, and I thought I could do a little better. But life intervened, and I did not post my car for sale until April 2018. My car… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Ford Focus RS
The 2018 Ford Mustang GT received its mid-cycle refresh, and judging by its face, it’s not too happy about it. Its once handsome visage now wears a droopy pout. The 2018 GT is supposed to be renewed and ready to stand toe-to-toe with the rival Camaro SS, so is the car just sad about its… Continue reading Review: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
I doubt anyone at Mercedes intended the E63S wagon and GLC 43 SUV to be cross-shopped, but here I am hopping back-to-back between this pair of oddballs. It is because of the wonder of depreciation that there is a reason to compare these cars. An E63S wagon has an MSRP of $100k, which is a… Continue reading Test Drive: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43
In the last five years, there have been just two gonzo wagons sold in the USA. As a used wagon shopper that limits my searches to the Mercedes Benz E63S and the Cadillac CTS-V. Today on deck is the E63. The salesman swears that this E63 was literally driven by a little old lady from… Continue reading Test Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model 4Matic Wagon
A wave of new and refreshed consumer electric vehicles is arriving on American shores in 2017. Among others, fresh off the boat is Hyundai’s new Ioniq Electric. As Hyundai’s first pure electric vehicle for the United States, it competes at the $30,000 price point with other 125-mile-range EVs like the updated Nissan Leaf and refreshed… Continue reading Test Drive: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric
The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon was the first car I ever reviewed and I still remember it fondly to this day. Brutally fast, surprisingly agile, and comfortable too, the V wagon was a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too proposition, so long as your cake was perpetually dosed by a waterfall of premium fuel. The CTS-V wagon made such an… Continue reading Test Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
What do you expect of a Dodge Challenger? A loutish muscle car in the mold of muscle cars of yor? A machine for mulleted, knuckle draggers? These are some of the things I expected of the Dodge Challenger. Frankly, the Challenger is a car I overlook. My admiration goes to the Mustang and Camaro, muscle… Continue reading Review: 2017 Dodge Challenger R/T
Mike's Steering Column 