GM kills two of its own birds with one Buick
Posted: August 7, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: ATS, Buick, Cadillac, fail, General, GM, GS, Market, marketing, Mind, motor, Motors, obsolete, Over, Regal, turbo, Verano 6 Comments »
When the Buick Verano Turbo was announced, Jalopnik proclaimed “The Buick Verano Turbo just slapped your grandmother in the face.” While that was my favorite headline of the day by far, it is more accurate to say that GM is really slapping themselves. The Verano Turbo looks promising in every way, with 250hp, a manual transmission, a price likely to range from around 26k to 32k, all a little too promising for the likes of the Buick Regal GS and Cadillac ATS 2.5.
Test Driven: Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track
Posted: July 5, 2012 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, 3.8, 6, brakes, Brembo, Car, Coupe, Drive, Genesis, Hyundai, Luxury, manual, Market, Mind, motor, Nick, Over, rear, review, RWD, speed, Test, Track, Used, V6, Walker, wheel 1 Comment »
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track
Ten years ago if someone had told me that Hyundai would soon be making sports and luxury cars I would have laughed in their face. Hyundai was basically the poster child for offensively cheap cars that people would only buy because they couldn’t afford a Honda or Toyota. Over the next decade though, Hyundai would make one hell of an effort toward improvement, becoming one of the best real values on the market. I have been a huge fan of Hyundai in recent years, applauding their innovation and commitment to quality in their drive up market. The Genesis Coupe you see here is one of the cars that helped vastly step their game up, a fast sports car from a company with little racing history. It couldn’t possibly be that good, could it? 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 »
BMW and Saab, a match made in Heaven
Posted: February 27, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 1, 9-3, 9-5, 900, all, automotive, bankrupt, BMW, brand, Buying, combi, Coupe, Drive, Europe, front, German, Market, Mazda, Mind, Mini, motor, Niche, Nick, Over, purchase, rear, rebuild, resurge, Saab, series, Subaru, Swedish, turbo, Viggen, Walker, wheel, Z2 1 Comment »
BMW and Saab
Recently it was reported that BMW had expressed interest in purchasing Saab Automobiles. After hearing this news I found myself constantly pondering the possibilities of this acquisition and how BMW could make Saab work in the market where GM had failed. BMW will of course be in contention with numerous other bidders, however after much thought I see BMW as the most perfect match possible for the Saab brand and its resurgence.
The business of renting your dream car: Part 2
Posted: November 9, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: area, Aston, attraction, Car, Cars, Classic, Dream, Exotic, Exotics, Ferrari, for, future, Gotham, hire, instruction, Jersey, Lamborghini, Las, Luxury, Market, Martin, Mclaren, Mind, motor, Motorsports, Muscle, Nevada, new, NJMP, NV, Over, Park, Porsche, race, racing, rent, Rental, review, school, Speedway, Sports, state, Superleggera, to, Track, tri, Vegas, where, York, your 1 Comment »
The Mercedes SLS AMG, you can have one for a day if you call up Gotham Dream Cars
After discussing some of the current realities in the exotic rental industry it is now time to consider what needs to be done in the industry and where it could be headed. Having experienced what two of the leading companies have to offer, I have thought for a while about this subject. These two companies, Exotics Racing and Gotham Dream Cars, are almost opposites in a few regards of their operations, and a lot of me believes that the best answer to the problems of this industry lie in between them. Read the rest of this entry »
The new Toyota Supra
Posted: September 28, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2013, 2014, 2015, 6, Car, cylinder, engine, FT-86, Lexus, LFA, Market, Mind, motor, new, Over, planned, possible, rumored, RWD, Sports, supra, Toyota, turbo, Upcoming 2 Comments »
Unofficial rendering as seen on Jalopnik, boy does it look good though
Toyota seems to maybe be on the verge of ending their tasteless vow of mediocrity. There is much talk about the possibility of a new Supra that is brewing, some say it will be a hybrid, others say it will be a supercar like the Nissan GTR, and some even would say both. Toyota will be on thin ice with this project though, they have vastly disappointed enthusiasts all over the world with their modern “beige” attitude, and the quality of their cars has greatly suffered for it. A new Supra would grant them the chance to hop back in the ring with the big boys, and hopefully get their engineering back on track because it is performance and racing programs that drive technological progress over all else. Toyota must get it right, let’s see what that would mean. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Infiniti G35
Posted: September 20, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 3.5L, 35, 350Z, buy, comfort, G35, great, Infiniti, info, Luxury, manual, Market, Mind, Modded, Modified, motor, Nissan, Over, saint, secondhand, Sport, Transmission, Used, V6, VQ, Z Leave a comment »
G35 Coupe
The G35 pretty much saved the Infiniti brand when it came out. It offered an extremely solid package for a very good price offering better performance than its German competition for less money. The G35 shared its platform with the Nissan 350Z, making the sedan a four door sports car and the coupe a more comfortable Z. It was a rock solid lineup and they sold like hotcakes to executives and enthusiasts alike. Now they are among the best used cars you can buy if you’re looking for something that’s got everything. Read the rest of this entry »
Why does GM think Americans don’t want the best?
Posted: September 9, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 325, all, AWD, bad, Buick, Drive, fail, GM, GS, hp, Idea, Insignia, Market, Mind, motor, Over, problems, Regal, turbo, Twin, V6, Vauxhall, VXR, wheel 2 Comments »
Buick Regal GS
The Buick Regal GS will be coming out soon, and I have to say it is terrible. You see, the Regal is based on the same chassis as the Vauxhall/Opel Insignia in Europe. The problem is that in Europe GM went all out with the VXR version of the Insignia, where as it has been half assed for us here in the states. Read the rest of this entry »
Explaining the Death and Rebirth of the Wagon
Posted: September 8, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Acura, Automotive Insights, Cadillac, Chrysler, Cool, Crossover, Death, Enthusiasts, Ford, GM, Market, Mind over motor, Minivan, Rebirth, Segment, SUV, USA, Wagon Leave a comment »
The CTS-V wagon, or the ultimate way of getting the kids to school.
Wagons have a pretty colored history here in America. For ages and ages, they were the ride of choice for the American mom, with long wheelbases, huge interior room, smooth styling, and excellent visibility. However, starting before the beginning of the SUV craze, wagons somehow became uncool among America’s mainstream car buyers. Read the rest of this entry »
What to do with the upcoming Porsche Cajun
Posted: July 10, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2012, 2013, 2014, Boxster, Cajun, Car, Cayenne 911, Cayman, Crossover, driving, Industry Talk, Macan, Market, Midsize, Mind over motor, Offering, Porsche, Prices, Purists, Small, Sport, SUV, turbo Leave a comment »
Porsche Cajun Rendering from topspeed.com
The Cajun is the much-rumored “baby” Cayenne Porsche plans to bring out sometime soon. When I consider the prospect of such a car, I have to consider how it will fit into the market and if it will even work overall. Based on the success of the Cayenne and Panamera, I would definitely say that this car has a very real ability to succeed once in production if properly executed. All of you scoffing purists out there just need to realize: it is cars like these, from which Porsche makes most of their money, that allow them to make all of the pure or wild Porsches that you lust after–so embrace it. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Subaru WRX and STi (GD Chassis 2002-2007)
Posted: June 27, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints | Tags: 4, all, AWD, boxer, Car, Drift, Drive, engine, Flat, four, horizontally, Impreza, Market, Mind over motor, motor, opposed, overview, Perrin, pistons, Rally, review, Rims, Snow, STi, Subaru, turbo, Turbo XS, Used, Volk, wheel, wheels, WRX Leave a comment »
Me hooning it up in the snow in my beloved STi, and to think most people are scared to go out in such conditions....
If you are someone who has practical needs but also desires some serious performance, then you should look no further. Subaru’s WRX line offers everything you could want from a car. It offers all of the practicality, affordability, and reliability of any normal Japanese sedan but also with outstanding performance and handling that is sure to make your driving experience less about getting from point A to B and more about the area in between. Being an owner of an 04 STi I can attest to just how much fun these cars are. Also, if you live somewhere that has varying weather, no need to worry because Subaru’s all wheel drive system will handle even the worst conditions with ease. In a WRX snow is something to be excited for, not something to be feared or dreaded. I would even go so far as to say that if you don’t go hooning around in the snow in your WRX it is the same as if you never walked your dog, it’s just not fair. Read the rest of this entry »
