My recent experience with the 2016 BMW X3 has piqued my interest in vehicle cargo capacity. The X3 had a spacious and easy to load truck which easily swallowed my family’s weekend luggage. Just how much of that gear would have fit into my M3 or Focus RS’s hold? Determined to find out, I filled… Continue reading Long Term Update: 2011 BMW M3 and 2016 Ford Focus RS
The utility of the M3 sedan has been questioned by the one person who has the ability to force a change in our family garage. “Buy an SUV!” is the refrain frequently whispered, recently with more emphasis, by my wife. After recent back-to-back trips to the far corners of SoCal and SoSoCal, I’m ready to… Continue reading Review: 2016 BMW X3 xDrive28i
Some of my happiest days have been those at driving events where amateurs like me burn fuel and rubber on the racetrack as we imagine screaming down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Hang out at enough of these events, and you’ll soon realize that the Porsche 911 GT3 is the top dog of track… Continue reading Review: 2015 Porsche 911 GT3
The current generation Mercedes AMG C63 S is a car for which I have very high expectations. It’s been heralded by Jonny Lieberman of Motor Trend as the best vehicle in the super-sedan set. It mixes the modern formula for power—turbocharging!—with the classic V8 formula. It’s learned to dance through the corners while still being… Continue reading Test Drive: 2017 Mercedes AMG C63 S
I've never been a muscle car guy, preferring sports cars and exotics—cars that turn—to Mustangs and Camaros that seemed myopically focused on quarter-mile runs. It may have been the childhood trips to Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway) to watch race cars hustle around the twelve historic turns that convinced me that a fast car turned… Continue reading Review: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS
There has been much internet talk regarding whether or not Ford sufficiently differentiated the Focus RS from its little brother, the Focus ST, to justify the $11,345 MSRP price premium. Today I had a few fresh hours in the Focus ST, so I’ll try to compare and contrast these hot-hatch siblings and then consider the… Continue reading Review: 2016 Ford Focus ST
Have you ever tried to take a meaningful test drive in the heart of a major city? It’s not easy to accomplish, what with block-by-block stop signs, cyclists sharing the road, pedestrians at every crosswalk, and the general pervasive congestion that comes with dense, urban living. Still, plan carefully, and it is possible to get… Continue reading Test Drive: 2011 BMW 1M
This weekend I'm making good on my promise to take the Focus RS to the racetrack. I already have an intimate sense of how the RS drives on the street, yet the car's limits continue to elude me. The circuit is the best place to approach those limits. Thus, early on a cool and cloudy… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Focus RS on Track
I now have two German cars in my garage. My sleek gray 2011 BMW M3 sedan has been joined by a raucously blue 2016 Ford Focus RS hatchback. If you are scratching your head and thinking that Ford is an American nameplate, you are, of course, right. But the Focus RS is manufactured in Germany… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Ford Focus RS
If there is one silver lining to the fact that my 2011 E90 M3 throws check-engine lights three times a year, it is that my repair shop McKenna BMW has a varied and enticing fleet of loaner cars. This week my M3's increased emissions check-engine light granted me access to a $58,000 BMW 435i Gran… Continue reading Review: 2016 BMW 435i Gran Coupe
Mike's Steering Column 