“We need to run your numbers before you can drive the GT S,” the courteous salesman tells me. I hesitate. “Oh.” Do I trade my personal information for a test drive in the Mercedes-AMG GT S? Yes, yes I do. “Alright, what do you need to know?” I’ve had a crush on Mercedes-AMG’s GT line since I… Continue reading Test Drive: 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S
My 911 love has been inconsistent. I fell head-over-heels for the sonorous and soulful 2005 (997.1) Carrera S, but that lusty flame was extinguished four years later when I drove a 2011 (997.2) Carrera S and found it to be too imprecise and understeer-prone for my sports car cravings. The 2015 (991.1) Carrera S was… Continue reading Test Drive: 2017 Porsche Carrera
Disappointed with the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S’s discordant rear-engine dynamics, I book a test drive of a 2014 Porsche Cayman S. I’ve sampled 987, 981 and 982 generation Caymans on prior occasions and found them dynamically excellent. Perhaps I’m a mid-engine man? Sadly, my 981 Cayman S test drive starts out on the wrong… Continue reading Test Drive: 2014 Porsche Cayman S
“The R is for Race,” I’m told. I’m sitting deep in a 2019 Mercedes AMG GT R, painted in striking Green Hell Magno matte green, and staring out over one of the longest hoods I’ve ever seen. Mercedes-AMG developed the GT line to go toe-to-toe with the Porsche 911, and the $163k GT R is… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT R
Today I am on the hunt for Mercedes-AMG built 4.0L twin-turbo V8s. And I’ve found one in the Aston Martin Vantage stuffed as far behind the front axle as the firewall will allow. I’m at an Aston Martin customer event in Carmel. The Aston Martin marketing team is talking my ear off about the company’s… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Aston Martin Vantage
This is the class of car I shop and buy. Compact sports sedans are big enough to haul around my family and friends, yet sufficiently compact to fling down a mountain road and whip around a racetrack. I’ve owned the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, Ford Focus RS, BMW M3 and Cadillac CTS-V. But, of the… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63 S
Big, powerful, and mature, the BMW M5 has long been the silverback of sports sedans. The newest rendition of the M5, the F90, carries on the tradition. More power, more driven wheels, more space and more luxury. While nobody needs a 617 hp executive sedan, the question remains: Do I want one? My test drive… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 BMW M5 Competition
As I settle into the black and mustard yellow driver’s seat of the 2020 BMW X3 M Competition, I recognize how much of a BMW aficionado I’ve become. Six years of BMW M3 ownership, countless dealership loaner vehicles, BMW drive events, Turo rentals and BMW Performance School classes have all made the brand as familiar… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 BMW X3 M Competition
I’m back at Alfa Romeo’s test drive experience in Carmel Valley. Three times I’ve enjoyed Alfa’s hospitality during Monterey Car Week, and this time there is new metal to try. Let’s go drive the 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Stelvio Quadrifoglio I’m excited! The Stelvio Quadrifoglio has been high on my list of hot family… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia Quadrifoglio
Goddamn, Porsche has won my heart again. Here I was, being a complete snob about the 718 Cayman because of its unsightly—unsoundly?—four-cylinder engine, and then I drove one. It turns out it drives so right! Who knew the 718 Cayman chassis was my soulmate! (Too bad I can’t say the same about the engine.) Porsche crafts cars… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS
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