Test Driven: 2012 Mazda Mazdaspeed3
Posted: August 30, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.3, 240, 263, 3, 4, 5, back, Car, compare, cylinder, door, Drive, driving, dynamics, Evo, Fast, four, front, fun, FWD, Hatch, hp, Japanese, Liter, manual, Mazda, MazdaSpeed, Mazdaspeed3, Mind, moded, Modified, motor, new, Nick, Over, pleasure, practical, Ralliart, space, speed, Sport, STi, stock, Transmission, tune, tuning, turbo, Used, vs, Walker, wheel, whp, WRX 1 Comment »
I have yet to meet an owner of a Mazdaspeed3 (MS3) who didn’t legitimately love their car. Something about the car seems to inspire people, they always have that “I know something you don’t” smirk on their face. Mazdas have always had a good sporting dynamic to them, but the enthusiasm that owners seem to have about this car goes beyond that. I have always known about the MS3, but somehow, while I’ve been out driving all sorts of fun cars over the years, it has eluded me. So recently, I decided it was time I take one out for a spin to see what these owners are so smug about. 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: Scion FRS Automatic, Nick’s Impressions
Posted: June 21, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 200, 4, Automatic, boxer, BRZ, cylinder, Drive, engine, FRS, handling, hp, Mind, motor, Over, review, RWD, Scion, sharp, Subaru, Test, Toyota, Transmission 4 Comments »
I was able to take a short drive in an Automatic Scion FRS recently. The drive was kept brief because I had asked for a manual, and was “just getting a feel for it so I could see if I wanted to order a manual”. Obviously this was not an ideal situation for a review but it did get me some seat time in this hot new car that is selling off the shelves, so I took what I could get for the time being. What follows are my first impressions on the Scion FRS, expect a full fledged review once I am able to get my hands on one with a clutch pedal for a decent amount of time. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo
Posted: May 11, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.4, 1.8, Abarth, back, Chevrolet, Chevy, Compact, Cooper, Drive, Fiat, four, front, General, GM, Hatch, Hot, Inline, LTZ, manual, Mind, Mini, motor, Motors, Over, review, RS, S, SONIC, Test, Transmission, turbo, wheel 1 Comment »
Chevy Sonic LTZ Turbo
The Chevy Sonic comes from a line of shamelessly terrible econo-boxes. The first generation Aveo made car lovers cringe every time they saw one, and the Sonic is its replacement. So, things don’t look good for the Sonic if its family tree is anything to go by, but thankfully it seems the Sonic was adopted. Up front I will tell you that this car is a vast improvement, and tangible evidence of GM’s improvement over the last few years. I had seen the Sonic at a few car shows, and I thought it was pretty cool for what it was, but other than that I never gave it too much consideration. Then I recently started seeing comparison tests in magazines pitting the Sonic against the Fiat 500 Abarth and the Mini Cooper S, which peaked my interest big time. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: BMW M6 (E63)
Posted: November 30, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 200mph, 5.0L, 500hp, Amazing, bargain, BMW, button, buyer, Car, consumer, Coupe, Drive, E63, German, Gran, grand, GT, info, Luxury, M, M6, manual, Mind, motor, Over, owned, paddle, Pre, rear, saint, secondhand, sexy, shift, Showcase, sound, touring, Transmission, Turismo, Used, V10, wheel Leave a comment »
BMW M6
The BMW M6 is a legitimately proper Grand Touring car by all modern standards. There is no compromise, or sense of it being outdated because it was only discontinued in 2010. It also did not change much at all over it’s lifespan so the ones from 2006 are just as good as the ones from 2010. Because of this, M6s did not hold their value well at all, and they are becoming more and more affordable for normal people. 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 »
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 »
Test Driven: 2006 Mazda RX8
Posted: August 4, 2011 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 1.3L, 10000, 13B, 9000, 9500, Car, Coupe, doors, Drive, engine, manual, Mazda, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, oblong, Over, piston, rear, Rotary, rpm, RX8, Sport, suicide, Transmission, wankel, wheel Leave a comment »
Mazda RX8
I have always been a bit hot and cold on the RX8. I always saw it as a downgrade from the FD generation RX7, and I thought it was underpowered, especially when compared to the likes of its competition. I had also heard it had no torque at all and needed to be pushed hard if you wanted to go anywhere at all. Everyone I had ever met who owned one loved it and swore by it as a proper driver’s car, and of course on Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson loved it as well. So, there are a lot of people who like it, but I was left wondering why. I realized the only way I could really finalize my opinion was to go out and drive an RX8, so I did. Read the rest of this entry »
The Clutch Pedal’s Decline
Posted: August 2, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 5, 6, 7, an, automotive, Balboni, box, clutch, decline, Drive, driving, DSG, end, era, Evo, evolution, F1, Ferrari, fun, gear, Lamborghini, Lancer, manual, Mazda, Miata, Mitsubishi, MX5, of, paddle, pedal, purist, sequential, shift, skill, SMG, speed, technology, to, Transmission 1 Comment »
For the entire existence of the automobile, the manual transmission has been the choice for maximum performance and efficiency. It was the enthusiast’s choice because it gave the driver much more control over a car than did an automatic. The manual transmission has served the same function for around a century, but now things are changing big time. 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
Secondhand Saint: Cadillac CTS-V (2004-2007)
Posted: July 27, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints | Tags: 400hp, 5.7, 6.0, BMW, Caddy, Cadillac, CTS, CTS-V, E39, GM, High, LS2, LS6, Luxury, M5, manual, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, Nurburgring, Over, Performance, Sedan, Sport, Transmission, V, V8 Leave a comment »
Cadillac CTS-V
When the CTS-V first came out on 2004 it was quite literally a four door Corvette Z06 with some more luxury appointments of course. With its 400hp 5.7L (or 6.0L in ‘06 and ‘07) V8 it was certainly impressive back then and it remains so today, although the newer CTS-V with its 556hp has eclipsed the true greatness of the original. I aim to change that here by showing how the first gen CTS-V is one of the more solid performance sedan bargains out there. Read the rest of this entry »
Evo Magazine’s 100 Greatest Driver’s Cars
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: MEDIA RESPONSE | Tags: 100, 340R, 4, 6, Article, BMW, British, Cars, Caterham, clutch, Driver, Driver's, driving, Elan, Evo, F, F50, Ferrari, Flat, H4, Hatch, Hot, Lamborghini, Lotus, Magazine, manual, Mazda, Mercedes, MF5, Miata, Mind, Mind over motor, Mitsubishi, motor, MX5, of, Over, Pagani, pedal, pleasure, Porsche, Rally, Roadster, Seven, STi, Subaru, Supercars, thrill, top, Transmission, turbo, UK, V10, V12, V6, V8, Wiesmann, Zonda Leave a comment »
Top 4 on their list
Evo Magazine, a British publication focused on the thrills and pleasures of driving, has been my favorite automotive medium ever since I picked up my first issue. They have a special sense about them of truly genuine enthusiasm for automobiles and driving. It is a magazine that focuses on how a car makes you feel rather than how many cup holders it has or how many centimeters of legroom you get in the back seat. I have basically grown up reading Evo, and I am perfectly in line with how they see cars as things to be experienced rather than just used in a mundane fashion. They also have some of the best photography seen in any automotive publication which just adds even more to their appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
