“Would you like me to chauffeur you so you can enjoy the executive rear seat?” asks the friendly Mercedes-Maybach S680 chaperone. “No thanks, I’ll drive,” I respond. But on second thought, I may have made the wrong choice, as I’ve just turned down a chance to experience life living like a royal. Ah, dear reader,… Continue reading Test Drive: 2025 Mercedes-Maybach S680 Poses a Tough Question
How much is an hour worth to you? Specifically, an hour in a stuffy, 95°F airport rental car office with a dozen impatient customers and your two travel-weary children? My wife would gladly pay an extra €500 ($589) to escape this hour of hell. Frankly, €500 is too much for me—double the cost of our… Continue reading Review: 2024 Mercedes CLA 180d Shooting Brake is More Capable than Compact
(Dear reader: This piece is my travel journal from my Wild West road trip across California, Nevada, and Utah. I hope you enjoy hearing about my eight days on the road and the memories I made.) Day 1: Climbing Out of California It's a midday start to my road trip. My 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S's… Continue reading Long Term: 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S is the UFO in the Wild West
They say beggars can’t be choosers, but I’m going to put that to the test. I’m at my local Mercedes-Benz dealership, with the goal of snagging a new Mercedes to review. “I’d love to try the new GLC if you have one to loan,” I tell my service advisor. He checks what is available. “We’ve… Continue reading Review: 2024 Mercedes GLB 250 4Matic and the Choosy Beggar
Valuable life advice can come at you from unexpected places. For example, I was driving through Oakland and spotted a bumper sticker on a Dodge Charger that said, "F*** around and find out." What sage advice! I applied this helpful nugget to my time with the Mercedes C300, f***ing around to find out why Mercedes offers… Continue reading Review: 2024 Mercedes C300 4MATIC Chill or Smash?
Now, here’s a perfect car for a cruise on 17 Mile Drive. The SL63 is Mercedes’ finest drop-top luxury convertible, and I’m on one of the world’s finest coasts with la crème de la crème of automobilia. It is, of course, Monterey Car Week. (Call me unappreciative, but I didn’t actually want to drive an… Continue reading Test Drive: 2024 Mercedes-AMG SL63 Cruises a Perfect Coast
“Eeny meenie miney mo, catch a tiger by its toe…” I look over the Mercedes, Maybachs and AMGs at the test drive pavilion, considering what to drive first. I’m strongly attracted to a bright red AMG GT 63 coupe, but I recently drove the sister GT 55 coupe and would prefer a completely new experience. … Continue reading Test Drive: 2024 Mercedes AMG S63 E Performance Wows with New Tech
There's a lot I love about my 2016 AMG GT S. It buzzes with feedback and excitement, it's an absolute joy to hoon through the corners, and it has exotic curb appeal. But it's not flawless, and I'm curious to see how AMG has remade the AMG GT coupe for 2024. What are the faults… Continue reading Comparison: 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 55 is a Massive Improvement over the GT S
The friendly Mercedes service advisor takes the keys to my 2016 AMG GT S and hands me the fob to a 2023 EQE 350 4MATIC SUV. It hardly seems like a fair trade to swap—an AMG halo sports car for a jelly bean EV SUV—but it’s what it will take to get me home during… Continue reading Review: 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4MATIC SUV
Beep!...Beep!...Beep! Click. Ugh. You turn off your alarm clock and grope around on the bedside table for your glasses and phone. Getting up this early seemed like a good idea yesterday, but your kids woke you up twice overnight, and now you are wishing for more sleep. You roll out of bed and groggily start… Continue reading Long Term: CTS-V, GT S, M3 or Model 3—Choose Your Own Adventure
Mike's Steering Column 