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
Five crisply-stamped Acura NSXs sit waiting in the test drive paddock. Their angular stealth-fighter shapes are beautifully rendered in Acura’s bright blues, reds and oranges. To my eyes, the NSX is perfectly proportioned and fresh-looking, even though its design dates from 2012. (It helps that I rarely see an NSX on the road.) Its ground-hugging… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Acura NSX
2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i Last year I theorized that the 2018 BMW X5 was so wonderfully serene and spacious that BMW should make it the brand’s flagship vehicle. To me, the X5 was the perfect platform to bestow with all of the cutting-edge technology and luxury features that typically debut in the 7-series. Well, the… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i and X3 M40i
After a 20-year hiatus, the 8-series has returned to BMW’s lineup. Its most hairy-chested rendition—at least until an M8 arrives—is the M850i xDrive. To afford it, you’ll need a gold chain swinging from your chest, as this big coupe—why doesn’t BMW call this a gran coupe?—starts at $112k and quickly climbs with options. Is this… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 BMW M850i xDrive
BMW’s new (G20) 3-series promises a return to the goodness that made the 3-series the segment benchmark for years. But my sample of the base 2019 330i suggested that BMW has under-delivered on sporting credentials in the baby 3er; the 330i angered all parties by riding too firmly in town while being too soft for… Continue reading Test Drive: 2020 BMW M340i
Mike's Steering Column 