After a short and troubled stint with a 2016 Mercedes C450 AMG, my brother has punted on his silver-star sedan and picked up a 2018 Audi S4 Premium Plus. The move from Stuttgart's stormy skies to Ingolstadt's greener grass trades one luxury ride for another, and I'm curious to see Audi's take on the sports… Continue reading Review: 2018 Audi S4 is a Quiet Stunner
I find myself behind the wheel of Diego’s 2019 Audi SQ5. Ahead of me are 30 miles of twisting coastal roads, starting with the scenic—and potholed—Pierce Point Road and ending with California’s famed Hwy 1. It is a route fit for a sports car, albeit one with a compliant suspension, yet here I am in… Continue reading Review: 2019 Audi SQ5
Our rental car for our trip from the Frankfurt airport to the Nürburgring is a 2019 Audi A5 Sportback 40 with the S package. Decoded, this means our Audi is a four-door hatchback with a gasoline 2.0L turbo engine, FWD and Audi’s sports suspension. It is a good-looking car, and reasonably spacious too. The S… Continue reading Review: 2019 Audi A5 Sportback 40
Quick! Name four BMW M3 competitors! Umm, umm, Mercedes-AMG C63, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Cadillac ATS-V, and...Lexus RC-F? Who is missing? The Audi RS coupes and sedans. At least for me, the RS line gets forgotten, a victim of infrequent media attention and lost comparison tests. And as a Sunbelt resident, I spend my time… Continue reading Test Drive: 2019 Audi RS5 Sportback
My personal expectations for new BMW sedans are not very high. BMW’s chase of luxury comes with fresh designs and the latest technology, but also with increasing isolation from the driving experience. Each updated Bimmer seems to take a step away from the driving involvement I love. My ideal rides are full of feel, spunky,… Continue reading Test Drive: 2018 BMW X3 M40i
I doubt anyone at Mercedes intended the E63S wagon and GLC 43 SUV to be cross-shopped, but here I am hopping back-to-back between this pair of oddballs. It is because of the wonder of depreciation that there is a reason to compare these cars. An E63S wagon has an MSRP of $100k, which is a… Continue reading Test Drive: 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43
The BMW X3 revealed to me that my automotive passion extends to light off-roading, and ever since, I’ve been looking curiously at a sector of the automotive marketplace that I’ve long ignored. I’ve been pacing around Mazda CX-5s, swiveling my head at passing Mercedes GLCs, lusting after Porsche Macans, and I’ve been more generally aware… Continue reading Review: 2017 Audi Q5
Mike's Steering Column 