Test Driven: 1998 Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6….Slammed
Posted: October 26, 2012 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1998, Canibeat, coilovers, Corvette, Cruise, Drive, Fitment, Golf, GTI, low and slow, Lowrider, manual, Mind, Mk3, motor, neo, Nick Walker, Over, poke, reality, review, slammed, Stance, Stance Works, Test, V-Dub, V6, Volkswagen, VR6, VW, wheels 2 Comments »
The Stance Movement has become quite a big thing in recent years. For those unfamiliar with the trend it is sort of like a neo-lowrider thing. People have been taking cars of all sorts and dropping them down as low as they can go, all in the name of “Stance”. Nowhere is this fad bigger than in the Volkswagen crowd, as can be seen at a host of water themed events that take place all over the country. My friend Justin spent months scouring the forums to find a slammed VW of his own, and he finally found the clean ’98 GTI you see here. He was nice enough to let me take it out recently so I could see what a slammed car is all about from the driver seat. What followed was a very interesting experience. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Pony Package
Posted: October 24, 2012 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Cheap Fun! | Tags: Mind over motor, Ford, American, Coupe, Mustang, 2013, fun, review, V6, Pony Car, USA, Test Driven, Leather, Rental, Fastback, April, Black Mustang, 3.7L, 305hp, Pony Package, Chrome Wheels, Live Axle 3 Comments »
The Ford Mustang is a true American icon. There isn’t much else to say about it. However, the Mustang has not always been a perfect car (nor will it ever be). Over the years, it has gone from an affordable sporty car, to a pathetic little economy car posing as a sports coupe, to a small, boxy, yet rather quick little ponycar, to a retro-styled sports coupe which has plenty going for it. The base model, however, has always been the one that most enthusiasts tend to laugh off as a rental car special and a fake sporty car. That all changed a few years ago when Ford put a new engine into the V6 model, something enthusiasts pined for. Read the rest of this entry »
The Jaguar F-Type–Keeping Calm and Carrying On.
Posted: October 19, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2014, Automotive Insights, Classy, curves, F-Type, Flash, Future Vehicles, Industry Talk, Jaguar, Mind over motor, modern, Roadster, sexy, Supercharged, V6, V8 1 Comment »
Jaguar’s been one of the few companies in the past couple of years that hasn’t made a huge mistake with the models they sell. Yes, their product line isn’t as diverse as the competition, but what they have invested in is paying dividends, and the new F-Type is proof that their current focus is one I’m going to keep a close eye on in the near future. From the styling to the engine options revealed recently, I’m unashamed to say that I love this car even before I’ve seen it in the flesh.
Test Driven: Cadillac ATS-4 3.6
Posted: October 19, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3, 3.6, all, American, ATS, ATS-4, Automatic, beats, BMW, Brembo, Cadillac, chassis, Comparison, Drive, fun, German, handling, Leather, Luxury, Mind, motor, Nurburgring, Over, Sedan, speed, Sport, tuned, V6, vs, wheel 2 Comments »
This is a big moment for American auto industry, one that can mark a turning point toward success or a continued trend of let downs in the luxury market. Obviously the big comparison is with the BMW 3 series, and I have been very unimpressed with the comparisons done by large publications so far (favoritism and bias run rampant over objectivism and sense). So, I went out and drove the ATS and BMW 3 series back to back to see what I thought from the driver seat. I’m not going to string you along, I liked the Cadillac better, and I will explain why in the paragraphs that follow. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2013 Cadillac XTS-4 Platinum
Posted: September 13, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2013, 3.6, All-Wheel Drive, Cadillac, CUE, Drive, GM, Limo, Luxury, Mind, motor, Over, review, Test, V6, XTS, XTS-4 1 Comment »
Cadillac hasn’t really been the “Cadillac of cars” since the mid 1960s. Even though their tag line is “The Standard Of The World”, anyone who’s been paying attention knows that they are really going through a renaissance after around 30 years of terrible products. The triumphant V16 cruisers, which made Cadillac’s name, are distant memories of the past, and even the classic finned cars are now over half a century old. The 2013 XTS is Cadillac’s new flagship model, replacing both the STS and DTS in the lineup. There has obviously been lots of talk about Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system because the XTS is the first to feature it, but my purposes going into this drive were focused on one thing: has Cadillac made a world-class luxury car, or is the XTS more of the same?
Concours d’ Elegance of America: Lancia Stratos HF
Posted: August 21, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 2012, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, America, Championship, Concours, d', Detroit, Dino, Elegance, HF, Italian, Lancia, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, of, Over, Plymouth, Rally, Stratos, V6, World Leave a comment »
Lancia Stratos at the Concours d’ Elegance of America outside Detroit. The Stratos is a rare Italian rally homologation from the 1970s.. Its striking design was penned by Bertone, and its power came from the same 2.4L Ferrari V6 found in the 246 Dino. Weighing just 2100lbs it made the most of its 192hp, with racing versions winning the World Rally Champioship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. A total of 492 Stratos’ were produced in total. This is only the 2nd one I have ever seen in person, enjoy the pics.
Motor Trend: Lexus LFA and Acura NSX Head 2 Head
Posted: August 1, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2, Acura, Comparison, Head, Honda, Lexus, LFA, Mind, motor, NSX, Over, sound, Tec, to, Trend, V, V10, V6, video, VTEC 1 Comment »Some great insights and some truly epic sounds. Awesome video, enjoy.
-Nick
Spotted! Audi RS5, C6 RS6, and B5 RS4, Zurich Switzerland
Posted: July 17, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, Modded, SPOTTED! | Tags: 375, 450, 571, all, Audi, B5, C6, Coupe, Drive, German, GMBH, hp, Mind, motor, Over, Quattro, RS, RS4, RS5, RS6, spotted, Switzerland, turbo, Twin, V10, V6, V8, VR6, wheel, Zurich Leave a comment »
Audi RS5
While in Zurich it seemed as if the Swiss did not buy any non-RS Audi models, they were literally everywhere. I know many of our European viewers may find these cars a bit normal, but we don’t get these RS models in America so it was quite a thrill to see them for me. Hopefully Audi will wake up and realize they could sell double the number of RS models if they would just offer the full line of them on the US market. Either way it was cool to finally see the V10 RS6 up close, as well as the RS5, and B5 RS4; epic cars. Enjoy the pics.
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: 2012 Audi A7
Posted: June 20, 2012 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2+2, 3.0T, 4 Place, A7, Audi, AWD, Classy, Fastback, Four Door Coupe, Mind over motor, Quattro, Supercharged, Test Driven, V6 Leave a comment »
Four-door coupes are one of the fastest-growing segments in this country. Mercedes started the ball rolling with the CLS, and as of now, the other two German luxury brands have answered the call with interpretations of their own. BMW recently launched the 6-Series Gran Coupe, while Audi started selling their entry last year, the A7. Towards the end of December 2011, my father and I stopped by the local dealer and drove this stunning white example to find out how good the A7 is. Read the rest of this entry »
GM: Greatness is just a few good decisions away
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 3.6, 6.2, America, Australia, Caprice, Car, Charger, Chevrolet, Chevy, come, Commodore, Dodge, G8, General, GM, Holden, HSV, Impala, LSA, Maloo, Mind, motor, Motors, Muscle, new, Nick, Over, Pontiac, Supercharged, to, USA, Ute, V6, V8, Walker 3 Comments »
It's a Pontiac G8, but with a Chevy badge
Ever since Pontiac was killed off as a result of the financial crisis, GM has not had a proper American sedan to compete with the successful Dodge Charger. The Pontiac G8 had been in this segment, but it came out right as many people became wary of buying GM products, due to their economic uncertainty at the time. A replacement for it has not yet been seen, although there has been talk of it coming back as the Chevrolet Caprice. I think this would be a great seller now, if GM’s lineup were structured properly, because they have basically recovered at this point and have been doing great things. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 Lexus RX 350 FWD
Posted: March 15, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3.5, 350, Arizona, AWD, Cross, Drive, FWD, Leather, Lexus, Luxury, Mind, motor, Nick, Over, review, RX, smooth, soft, SUV, Test, V6, Walker, wood 1 Comment »
Lexus RX 350
The Lexus RX has been a solid seller in the luxury crossover segment since its debut in 1998. The current model seems to be the best RX yet in many ways. My grandparents, out in Arizona, got an RX 350 in 2010, and they loved it so much that they went and bought an additional one in 2011. During a recent visit they were kind enough to let me take their 2011 out for a spin to see why they loved the car so much. Read the rest of this entry »
