The Camaro SS 1LE may be the car I should’ve bought. In fact, after failed attempts to buy used AMG GT Ss, 911 GT3s or Evora 400s, I nearly purchased an SS 1LE. It wasn’t really a compromise pick: the SS was the best blend of a kid-friendly, comfortable daily and track-ready sports car. But… Continue reading Review: 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE 2SS Drive It Like You Stole It
V6 up front, rear wheels driven and seating for two. Sounds like the makings of a driver's car, right? Well, the curious thing is that even though the Ford Transit 250 cargo van is nearly 20 feet long and over 8 feet tall, it did satisfy my love for driving! The van was a means to an… Continue reading Review: 2020 Ford Transit 250 Delivers the Goods
I'm attending the BMW Performance Driving School at Thermal for a private driving lesson. This isn't my first visit; I took lessons here in 2019 as a contestant for BMW's Ultimate Driver Competition. The experience was a blast, so I'm back for more! During the competition, my weak spot was finding speed out of the… Continue reading The BMW Performance Driving School Deserves More than a Quick Visit
When I splurged and paid an extra $1 per day for the Enterprise "Manager's Special" instead of the cheapest sub-compact rental, I hoped I'd get a Toyota Corolla or a Chevy Malibu for the price of a Chevy Spark. Nope! A 2020 Chevy Spark LT was exactly what the manager pulled out for my rental.… Continue reading Review: 2020 Chevrolet Spark LT is the Essence of Automobile
What do you expect out of a Mercedes? Cutting-edge technology wrapped in big badge bling-bling? A rip-snorting V8 pushing a luxury-boat chassis? How about incredible practicality in an unassuming package? Because the latter is what I was surprised—and intrigued—to find in the 2020 Mercedes GLB 250 4Matic. The reason for my surprise is that GLB… Continue reading Review: 2020 Mercedes GLB 250 4Matic is Practically Luxurious
The 2021 XT4 FWD Premium Luxury is not your grandfather's old Cadillac. But since he's retiring his full-sized luxury sedans and adopting CUVs, it could be his new Cadillac. Cadillac has made strides in its build quality, and it shows the 2021 XT4: This SUV feels solid. Its doors close with a Mercedes-like thunk. The cabin… Continue reading Review: The 2021 Cadillac XT4 is Gramps’ New Caddy
Gloaming. The night’s inky sky starts to wash clear as I summit Hayward’s Pass and Livermore Valley spreads before me. I’ve entered the hour of silhouettes. The gradually lightening sky gives contrast to the world around me. The receding hills draw gentle curves in front of the building indigo. Human-scale is given to the Rorschach… Continue reading Review: 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S
Seeing is believing. Or, when it comes to cars, driving is believing. I bring this up because the 2014 Porsche Cayman S is precisely as the journalists describe it: the most amazingly balanced, infallibly-agile Porsche that sings God’s own music but needs another 75 hp or a close-ratio gearbox. Yet, I had to drive it… Continue reading Review: 2014 Porsche Cayman S
When I reserved my airport rental, the tiny GIF showed a Porsche 911 Carrera of the 991.2 generation. While not the latest-and-greatest, seat time in the base 991.2 Carrera sounded fun. I’d get my first taste of the 911’s electric steering and turbocharged engine, try to fit my 4-year-old’s car seat in the 991’s enlarged… Continue reading Review: 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S
No one buys a sports car because they need one. Such purchases are emotional. Equally true is that no one needs a V8 sedan or a Baja-ready truck for the commute and daily errands. Yet, so many people buy extreme vehicles for mundane duties. Case in point: My brother-in-law uses his 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor… Continue reading Review: 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
Mike's Steering Column 