As gas-burning cars become increasingly unwelcome in a warming world, BMW is furiously investing in electric vehicles. After a rocky start with the i3, BMW is back on stride and rolling out its iX, i4 and i7 EVs. To me, the most interesting is the iX, as it’s electric-only; it can’t be bought with a… Continue reading Test Drive: 2023 BMW iX M60 is a Rocket in Pig’s Clothing
Let’s talk numbers, okay? Name this BMW: ~$70k MSRP, over 500 hp, four drive wheels, and a neck-snapping 3.7s to 60 mph. Oh, and it seats four passengers (five in a pinch) behind one horrendously-oversized kidney grill. Sounds like the G80 M3, right? Wrong. Because this five-door BMW has just one gear, a gob-stopping 586… Continue reading Test Drive: 2022 BMW i4 M50 is the Almost M
Some say that in 200 feet of driving, you can feel the spirit of a car. Let’s hope that is true because at today’s Lexus Experience Amazing event, I hardly went much further in the IS 350, LC 500, RC F, or GX 460! Regardless, here is what I learned about Lexus’s modern soul in… Continue reading Test Drive: 2021 Lexus IS 350, LC 500, RC F and GX 460
The Mercedes EQS asks me to check my testosterone at the door. “Relax,” it says, “your presentation to the board is done. Let’s mosey home, and I’ll pamper you with aromatherapy and a massage.” It would offer to pour me a drink, but Level 4 autonomy is still far away in the future… This is… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 Mercedes EQS 580 is a Calming Conveyance
In the mid-2010s, a new wave of Mercedes-AMGs was swelling on the horizon. Mercedes had realized that its AMG brand had mass-market appeal and was ready to spread its high-dollar muscle-magic far and wide. Knowing it had tapped-out the market for its V8 skid machines, Mercedes introduced twin-turbo V6 engines and AWD for a more… Continue reading Test Drive: 2016 Mercedes C450 AMG is Luxury-First Fun
The car is beat up. Its headlights have gone hazy, the black paint has lost its gloss, and the interior is ragged, with the door panels and console nicked and peeling. It seems someone loved this car and used it hard. Actually, did they love it at all? I twist the key, and the 2011… Continue reading Test Drive: 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S vs 2011 BMW M3
Two weeks ago, I theorized the spec of my perfect 981 Cayman. For analog driving fun, I'd take the bigger 3.4L engine from the Cayman S or GTS and the 6-speed manual transmission. For hoonability, I'd want the LSD from the Porsche Torque Vectoring package. Finally, for daily comfort, I'd fit the softer PASM suspension… Continue reading Test Drive: 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS PDK and 6MT
This is the cheapest Porsche 911 GT3 on Autotrader. Its $73k asking price is commensurate to its 85k miles clocked. The price also reflects an off-road excursion that managed to damage three sides of the car in one incident! What did the previous owner do? Spin the car into a tire barrier? With curiosity—and suspicion—I… Continue reading Test Drive: 2007 Porsche 911 GT3
Mercedes-AMG models arrive in waves on the used-car market, appearing in large batches precisely three years after the model’s introduction. The phenomenon is no mystery: a new model is introduced, loyal Mercedes customers flock to the dealerships, turn in their old leases, and sign up for new 36-month commitments. Last year, dealerships were swamped with… Continue reading Test Drive: 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT
What’s that sound? That four-cylinder lub-lub-lub? Oh, that’s the sound of Porsche flushing Boxster and Cayman sales down the toilet. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and I’m sitting astonished in an idling $85k Porsche 718 Cayman GTS. Long-forgotten memories of my grandmother’s Kubota tractor are stirred by the 718’s four-pot putt-putt-putt exhaust note. I love my… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS
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