Test Driven: 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye, Al’s Take
Posted: October 16, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.4T, Best In Class, C-Segment, Citrus Peel, Dart, Dart Rallye, DCT, Dodge, Dodge Dartre, Dual Clutch Transmission, Excellent, green, Mind over motor, Multiair, Test Driven, turbo, value, Yellow Leave a comment »
Lately, Dodge has shown a bold initiative not seen in a few years. Since Fiat bought a piece of Chrysler, they’ve taken their time in bringing the best of what they have to America. But, the work has paid off. You are looking at a Citrus Peel 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye, and it’s by far the best compact I’ve driven. The Caliber is dead, and this is its replacement. Dodge took a laughing stock of a car off the market and replaced it with one that demands our attention on the street nearly as much as its spokesman (who I can’t stand), Tom Brady, demands on the gridiron. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Posted: June 28, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.0, 237, 270, 275, 280, 4B11, baby, clutch, cylinder, DCT, different, Drive, Dual, Evo, evolution, four, How, hp, Japanese, Lancer, Liter, Market, Mind, Mitsubishi, motor, Nick, Over, owned, Pre, Ralliart, review, SST, Test, Transmission, turbo, Used, Walker, whp, x Leave a comment »
The Lancer Ralliart is the second born of the Mitsubishi clan, overshadowed in many ways by its older brother the Lancer Evolution. The Evo has made a huge name for itself in automotive performance over the years, and the Ralliart is clearly riding that wave in the market. It is placed to compete with Subaru’s WRX, but Mitsubishi waited 3 model generations into the US market before they finally produced a true, turbocharged competitor for the highly successful Subaru. What you see here is that car, the supposed “baby Evo”, but I will tell you right up front, that the Ralliart is far from that. It is something all its own, and it should be more widely recognized as such. This Ralliart belongs to my friend Josh, and he agreed to let me take the wheel for an afternoon to discover what it’s all about. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2012 BMW 135i
Posted: April 24, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1-Series Coupe, 135i, 2012, 7-Speed, Black Coupe, BMW, Compact, DCT, Mind over motor, premium, review, Sports Coupe, Straight 6, Test Driven, turbo, Twin Clutch, twin turbo 1 Comment »
BMW has made its fortune on being a performance brand, and the 135i is the cheapest way to get the N55B30 engine in BMW’s lineup. The 1-Series has been around since 2008 in America, and has been reasonably successful in the USA. Since I felt like seeing what the turbocharged inline six felt like in BMW’s lightest 4-place car, the 1-Series was a natural fit. I was not disappointed. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2012 Hyundai Veloster
Posted: February 10, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.6, 2012, 3, 4, cheap, CRX, cylinder, DCT, door, Drive, economy, four, fun, FWD, GDI, handling, Hatch, Hatchback, Hot, Hyundai, Mind, motor, Nick, Over, reliable, review, Test, three, Veloster, Walker Leave a comment »
Hyundai Veloster
In the world of small, economical cars it is hard to find something that is remarkable. Most cars offer basically the same package as all of their competitors, making any differentiating factors superficial at best. Hyundai has changed this game with the Veloster dramatically. Everything from its design, to its features, to the driving experience, the Veloster has charged into the market with a new and unique package, and it is selling like hotcakes. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2012 VW Beetle Turbo vs 2012 VW GTI
Posted: December 23, 2011 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.0T, 200, 2012, 210, advice, Beetle, Comparison, consumer, DCT, difference, Drive, DSG, fun, German, GTI, handling, Hatch, Hot, hp, manual, Mind, motor, Over, practical, Retro, review, Sport, Test, turbo, Volkswagen, vs, VW 4 Comments »
Beetle Turbo vs GTI
I first saw the new VW Beetle up close at the New York International Autoshow this past year. I was very excited to see that the new version had become more of a sporting machine and less of a decorated flowerpot. On the surface the Beetle is on the same chassis as the Golf, and the one I was interested in, the Beetle Turbo, basically has the same mechanics as the famed GTI. This made me wonder how similar they really were to each other because I know VW would not want to steal sales from themselves. I decided to go try them both out back to back and compare. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
Posted: October 27, 2011 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 10, 4, 4B11, aftermarket, all, Car, charged, cornering, cylinder, DCT, Drive, evolution, four, Inline, Lancer, Mind, Mitsubishi, modifications, motor, MR, Over, paddle, Rally, review, Sedan, shift, Test, turbo, wheel, x 3 Comments »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
The great Evo in all of its glory, is not a car most dealers will let people test drive. I however lucked out and played the situation to my advantage and was able to get behind the wheel of a gorgeous dark gray Evo X MR equipped with the Dual Clutch SS-T transmission. This particular Evo also had some light mods including a gutted cats and a chip, but was otherwise stock. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32
Posted: October 13, 2011 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 250hp, 3.2, all, AWD, back, bucket, DCT, Drive, Golf, GTI, Hatch, Hot, Mind, motor, Over, R32, review, seats, SMG, Test, Transmission, V6, Volkswagen, VR6, VW, wheel Leave a comment »
VW R32
The R32 was the hottest Golf you could buy back in 08. It offered a more comfortable, grown up alternative to the Japanese rally cars, but wasn’t quite on their level of performance on paper. Today good R32s can be found for on either side of the $20k mark and they still offer the same mix of practicality, comfort, and performance as they did three years ago when compared with current brand new models. Read the rest of this entry »
The Ferrari FF
Posted: July 27, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK, USER SUBMITTED | Tags: brake, DCT, F1, Ferrari, FF, horse, Italian, Italy, Mind over motor, paddle, Prancing, shift, shooting, Transmission, V12 Leave a comment »
Ferrari FF
