Jaguar has been known for building luxurious cars with plenty of grunt and scads of English class for decades, but the XKR-S represents somewhat uncharted territory for them at this point. The XKR is already a very good luxury sports car, but the boys at Coventry spared no expense in making this hardcore version a delightful, yet still very scary, piece of machinery. If the XJ I drove before I left for Pebble Beach was similar to Dr. Jekyll, this new XKR-S was Mr. Hyde–wide, scary, and aching to cause me personal injury. So, I gladly grabbed the keys and hopped in. Continue reading Test Driven: Jaguar XKR-S, Al’s Take→
The 3-Series has been BMW’s best-known and most well-respected model since it caught on in the United States back in the 1980s. The formula has changed somewhat and the models available are far more extensive than its launch decades back, but the basic idea hasn’t changed–a compact sports sedan with enough appeal and value to draw in the masses and show them how a car is supposed to perform. The E90 design, first introduced back in 2006, is nearing the end of its life on this planet, and as of now, I am unsure that this model, the station wagon, will continue in the United States. With that in mind, I took the wheel of the white estate car seen here. Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 BMW 328i xDrive Sportwagon→
Audi is all over the news right now because they have been extremely active in producing new models and technologies. While much of this is all new stuff not seen before, Audi seems to have not lost touch with the models that make up their backbone. The A6 is has been revamped for 2012 and may be the best A6 yet. Continue reading Test Driven: 2012 Audi A6 3.0T (10/10)→
Acura seems to have a very different approach to the luxury car market than its Japanese luxury car kin, and it’s paid dividends for them over the years. While Lexus and Infiniti chase the big boys in Germany, Acura goes after the lower priced market and does a good job of offering a slick alternative to the norm. The TSX, while in every other part of the world a Honda Accord, is Acura’s entry-level model, but this is no bad thing. Since I wanted to try the wagon out for the sake of a family member who may need one in the near future, I got a set of keys and took a black TSX Tech Sport Wagon for a drive. Continue reading Test Driven: Acura TSX Wagon→
Mercedes may be the last word in the common man’s luxury car, but the Maybach is the last word in understated luxury and elegance. This summer, at the Pebble Beach Golf Links during Concours Weekend, Nick and I had the opportunity to drive quite a few cars, and the Maybach 57S was one of them. Continue reading Test Driven: Maybach 57S, Al’s Take→
Jeep has the reputation that a good many other brands dream of–durability, reliability, and timeless appeal. The Wrangler is probably their best-known product, and having never driven one before, I took a chance and grabbed the keys to a brand-new, 2011 Sport model, in red. While the Wrangler isn’t for everyone, I’ve been appreciative of it for a long time now, and its appeal has not dropped that much even in these times of higher fuel economy and a high demand for safer cars. Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 Jeep Wrangler Sport→
There are many an oxymoron in the automotive market. Some of them include the “car-based pickup” (Honda Ridgeline, Subaru Baja), “sports-activity vehicle” (BMW’s SUVs), and the strangest one of all, the so-called “four-door coupe.” Mercedes-Benz virtually invented the latter back in 2004 with the new CLS model, a four-door sedan designed to moonlight as an exclusive, stylish personal coupe. It was a hit with buyers, and Mercedes saw fit to redesign the car for the 2011 model year. Mercedes-Benz had the top-dog, $100K CLS63 AMG for test drives at Pebble Beach this year, and I was only happy to oblige. Continue reading Test Driven: Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, Al’s Take→
It’s a shark with wheels. I always loved how this car looked when I was little.
It isn’t every day that you find a car in your area that’s one of only 801 like it in the country. Yet, that is exactly what happened to me, when I was surfing the Internet, an opportunity landed in my lap faster than a hot bowl of soup. Just around the bend was a 1997 BMW 840Ci—with less than 90K miles under its belt, I decided it deserved a drive. Continue reading Test Driven: 1997 BMW 840Ci→
This is a car that often goes overlooked by those looking for fast, practical fun. The allure of such cars as the rally bred Subarus and Mitsubishis or the German engineered Audis and BMWs seems not to leave much room for other competition in this segment. Maybe that is why Mazda produced the MS6 for only two model years. Despite its short lived production run the MS6 does offer many of the same things that make the aforementioned cars so great, including all wheel drive, a turbocharged engine, a manual gearbox, sporting dynamics, and quite a fair bit of comfort and refinement. As a package it is very intriguing so I decided to take one out for a spin and see how it drove first hand. Continue reading Test Driven: Mazda Mazdaspeed6 (7.5/10)→
Range Rover has been probably one of the best-known names in the world for the past quarter of a century. Their products have been described as a luxury sedan capable of going off-road. So, with that in mind, I took a drive of their newest offering, the Evoque, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Continue reading Test Driven: 2012 Range Rover Evoque 2-Door, Al’s Take→
The rims just don’t quite fill up the fenders like they’re supposed to. Not sure if it’s the rims themselves or the rest of the car.
During the summertime, I decided to embark on a quest of station wagons in the United States. Audi’s seen success with the little A4 Avant, and it’s the only wagon they’re still selling here as of this year, as the new A6 Avant will not make landfall here. So, I decided to take one out to see how it was in today’s world. Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 Audi A4 Avant→
It's not the most pretty of convertibles, but it is certainly quite imposing. This car screams, "I'm rich. Get out of the way."
Rolls-Royce has been the last word in high-end luxury automobiles since its inception before World War I. I’ve always gone beserk upon laying eyes on anything they’ve made, from the breathtaking Silver Cloud to the modern, yet still classic Phantom sedan. But, I never knew that I would have an opportunity to drive one, let alone two, until I went to Monterey for the Concours last month. I have seen the light, and it is bright and shining. Continue reading Test Driven: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, Al’s Take→
Mind Over Motor 