It's no secret that the Focus RS ships with a slew of drive modes that promise to transform the car from a lightly-sporty family hauler to a hair-on-fire drift mobile (and everything in between). Does the Focus make good on its promise? After logging more than 2,000 miles on California's excellent back roads, I've come… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Ford Focus RS
During Monterey Car Week, numerous high-end manufacturers were offering test drives of their newest cars. The Acura NSX, Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman (as well as the rest of the Porsche lineup), Lamborghini Huracan, Alfa Romeo 4C Spyder and McLaren 570S/GT were all buzzing up and down Carmel Valley wooing potential customers. Enticed by the… Continue reading Test Drive: 2016 McLaren 570GT
Today and tomorrow, I am a fly-on-the-wall at an Everyday Driver video shoot. It's a comparison test the co-hosts Todd and Paul have been excitedly planning for months: the new Focus RS versus its USDM rivals, the Mitsubishi Evo X, Subaru STI, VW Golf R. Luckily for me, the "wall" from which I'll be observing… Continue reading Comparison: 2016 Ford Focus RS, 2016 VW Golf R, 2016 Subaru WRX STI and 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
I now have two German cars in my garage. My sleek gray 2011 BMW M3 sedan has been joined by a raucously blue 2016 Ford Focus RS hatchback. If you are scratching your head and thinking that Ford is an American nameplate, you are, of course, right. But the Focus RS is manufactured in Germany… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Ford Focus RS
If there is one silver lining to the fact that my 2011 E90 M3 throws check-engine lights three times a year, it is that my repair shop McKenna BMW has a varied and enticing fleet of loaner cars. This week my M3's increased emissions check-engine light granted me access to a $58,000 BMW 435i Gran… Continue reading Review: 2016 BMW 435i Gran Coupe
To paraphrase Nino Karotta, I’ve just driven the Fiesta ST quite hard. I get it now; I understand why the media is goo-goo over this red hot hatch. But I haven’t run home and bookmarked Craigslist or Autotrader searches for the cleanest, prettiest example in a 500-mile radius; no, the Fiesta ST has not captured… Continue reading Review: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST
Sometimes it feels like BMW just has just one sedan design that it sells in Small, Medium, Large and X-Large sizes to fill its model range. I suppose this model similarity is a result of having a strong corporate design language that governs the appearance of its cars and makes it possible to pick out… Continue reading Review: 2016 BMW 535i M Sport
It is 9:45am, and I am raising my day's first cup of black tea to my lips to clear the grogginess from my mind. Three sips in, I laugh at my own stupidity—I don't need caffeine, the Lotus Elise that is about to arrive in my driveway will shake me awake! As you know, the… Continue reading Test Drive: 2006 Lotus Elise
I just requested an hour test drive of the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG courtesy of the internet startup dealership SHIFT. I am shopping for a fun runabout for my in-town errands, and the Mercedes AMG's mini-small SUV is actually the closest approximation to a hot hatch that the company offers in America. (Europe gets a… Continue reading Test Drive: 2015 Mercedes GLA 45 AMG
I picked up my 2014 Corvette Stingray rental on a cold and dark night in the far-flung suburbs of Los Angeles. Oodles of glowing reviews for the Corvette over the last few years made me very interested in driving Chevy’s finest. This car had been rented to me by a pair of car-enthusiast brothers, who… Continue reading Review: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Z51
Mike's Steering Column 