Category Archives: Cars We’ve Driven

This is our road test section. We use whatever means we can to get whatever cars we can.

Toyota RAV4 XLE 2WD Review: More Ground Clearance With Less Compromise

August 5, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Last weekend my girlfriend, Gabrielle, and I travelled deep into the lake country of Minnesota for a family gathering of sorts. I don’t get up there as often as I’d like to, and I always feel like the visit is too short when I do. This trip was different in a few ways, though. My Grandma Ann’s health had been declining, to the point where I knew we needed to get out to try and see her. I wanted her, and the rest of the family, to meet Gab, and I knew time was becoming a factor. Unfortunately, as it happened, our visit came a few weeks too late.

Our trip to Minnesota became about finding solace as as a family, and showing support for my Grandpa Don in this most trying time in life. On the lighter side, Gab got to meet everyone, many of whom had been anxiously waiting to see if she was real for some time. We really had a great time, and it was beautiful just being together with everyone as a family. It was a short trip, but it was extremely valuable.

Now, me being me, I don’t like to rent a car without doing an article on it. Gab likes crossovers and she loves bright blue, so this particular Toyota RAV4 seemed to check all of the right boxes in the car park. It’s not the sort of car I usually review either, so I figured it might add some relevancy for this site in areas other than expensive sports cars.

A few years back, my parents and I had a RAV4 in Sedona, Arizona, and we were thrilled with how well it did with some rather intense surprise off-roading. That one was 4WD, though, and this one was 2WD, so I guess it’s more of a “RAV2”. Even still, rural Minnesota has some off road areas, so I figured the ground clearance may come in handy, along with that legendary Toyota dependability.

Continue reading Toyota RAV4 XLE 2WD Review: More Ground Clearance With Less Compromise →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, SUVs and Crossovers, Uncategorized

Infiniti QX80 Limited Review: The Plush Utility Vehicle

July 29, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

I believe the term is “Land Yacht.” A massive, expensive way of getting from place to place for people who like to take up their slightly-more-than-fair share of space in the world. It also works great if you have a large family, although, most forms of birth control are a lot cheaper than this $90,000 behemoth.

Either way, if this is the way you want to get around in the world, then the Infiniti QX80 Limited will do a lot to float your boat. Maybe a Cadillac Escalade is too “Tony Soprano” for you. Maybe you’d like a Mercedes GLS, but, unfortunately, your local dealer just sold their last one to another real estate agent who’s drowning themselves in payments trying to “project an image of success” to their clients. Have no fear, the QX80 is here to save the day, and you just might be glad you didn’t get the others.

Continue reading Infiniti QX80 Limited Review: The Plush Utility Vehicle →

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars, Uncategorized

Cadillac ATS-V Review: Still GM, for better and worse

June 22, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

This is the Cadillac ATS-V. The master form of the highly acclaimed, yet highly criticized ATS sedan. It was born to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG, and it looks like a pretty damn good bet in that fight.

You know what’s weird, though? After driving it, I feel the exact same way about the ATS-V that I did about each other Cadillac ATS I’ve driven. Sure, the ATS-V exists at a much higher level, but it’s relative strengths and shortcomings all fall in the same areas.

I’m amazed at how consistent the ATS lineup is, with some areas near perfection and others, well, not.

Continue reading Cadillac ATS-V Review: Still GM, for better and worse →

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars, SUVs and Crossovers

Cadillac XT5 Review: The Cadillac of Toasters

June 10, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

The market for luxury crossovers is a heated contest between slightly different flavors of vanilla. I mean, for all intents and purposes they are all pretty much the same exact car with an inch of difference here and there. They each look a little different, but really just a little, and they all seem to have the same general checklist of features.

So how does one go about reviewing the newest crossover offering from GM’s flagship luxury brand, the Cadillac XT5?

I’m not going to waste much time blowing smoke up your ass nit-picking this and that about this car. The bottom line is its very good at being very acceptable. It’s not going to reinvent the Cadillac brand, but then again, it isn’t the car that is supposed to do that. The XT5 is a volume seller for a large market segment, one that is targeted at people who don’t really care about their cars much past their basic functionality.

Let’s be real here, crossovers aren’t cars so much as they are “transportation appliances” for people who just want to get from A to B safely and comfortably. Crossovers are exceedingly practical for all of the needs of the average person, and their larger size and higher stance makes people feel safer behind the wheel. These vehicles are tailor made for the average driver, who will be very happy with all they get from a car like this.

Naturally, social class does come into play, and that’s why the Cadillac XT5 exists for middle-upper class people who feel they’ve managed to claw their way above a plebeian Chevy Equinox.

Continue reading Cadillac XT5 Review: The Cadillac of Toasters →

Cars We've Driven, Dynamic Duels

Ford Taurus SHO vs Chevrolet SS, Head To Head

June 9, 2016 Albert S. Davis 6 Comments

A couple of months ago, I had way too much time on my hands, a stomach full of Mexican omelet, and a full tank of fuel. Central NJ, where I happen to live, has a lot of car dealerships within a 20 mile radius, but the selection can be a bit thin for some reason. Luckily, I had a fifty dollar gift card to redeem from Ford for the LA Auto Show, and a local dealer down the street had a new Taurus SHO in stock. Then, my buddy Chris, who was accompanying me around town (and was my taller stand-in for interior room, for once), suggested I find something to compare it to. Not wanting to haul myself to the local Dodge dealers, we then descended on one of the local Chevrolet dealers, where a lightly used SS was sitting out front. I drove them both–and the results turned into a bare-fisted, old fashioned American street fight. May the best flag-flying American machine win. Continue reading Ford Taurus SHO vs Chevrolet SS, Head To Head →

Cars We've Driven, Cheap Fun Cars, Luxury Cars, Road Review

So I made another purchase this weekend…

May 23, 2016 ndubs77 4 Comments

Wait, didn’t he just buy an old red Miata? Why the hell would he buy a new red Miata now?

That is the question everyone around me has been asking all weekend. Yes, I went and bought this beautiful 2014 Mazda MX5 Miata Club Edition this weekend, and no I’m not crazy, although it may seem that way to many people around me right now.

Here’s why I went and bought this car, as best as I can explain it right now.

Continue reading So I made another purchase this weekend… →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Porsche 991.2 Carrera S Review: Do Turbos Make a Better 911?

May 4, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Everyone sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches! Porsche has gone and changed the 911 again, and this time we’re gonna burn Stuttgart to the ground! They won’t get a way with it this time!

Wait, what? What’s that you say? Porsche has turbocharged all of the 911 Carrera models, and now they’re actually improved? You say Porsche has secretly answered our purist prayers and we don’t even know it? How can that be?!!!!

Well it’s true, folks, all of it. Porsche has made all of their 911s into 911 Turbos, although they’ll surely hate me for saying it that way. The way Porsche would want me to say it is, “911 Carrera and Targa models all now have a 3.0L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine, but they are not “911 Turbos” because the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S each have a 3.8L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine.” See what I mean?

There are a few ways to look at this new 991.2 generation Porsche 911. I’m going to go through the way I see the car now, after taking it for a spin recently.

I’m not going to waste our time talking much about the aspects of the 911 that haven’t changed much. Just know that it’s still a wonderful handling car, it still has the best electric power steering in the business, it’s still of top-notch build quality, and PDK is still among the best dual-clutch trannies around.

Alright, now let’s talk about that new turbocharged engine, and what it does for the 911 as a car…

Continue reading Porsche 991.2 Carrera S Review: Do Turbos Make a Better 911? →

Automotive Lifestyle, Cars We've Driven, Road Review

My 1993 Mazda Miata: Saying Goodbye To “Sara”

April 19, 2016 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

Dear Grandma,

As you know, I took home a 1993 Mazda Miata on January 14, 2015. Everyone in the family loved the car, and I was a happy man, learning the tricks to the trade of owning an older car and learning how to some small work on a car instead of relying on the dealers and mechanics around the area. On April 16, 2016, that came to an end when I sold it to Nick, who you never met but knew as someone who was a mirror image of your car-addicted grandson. But this is not the end of my letter. It is merely the beginning. Continue reading My 1993 Mazda Miata: Saying Goodbye To “Sara” →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Review: A Recipe Perfected

April 6, 2016 ndubs77 10 Comments

There is absolutely no substitute for seat time when judging a car. I thought Alfa Romeo had sold themselves out when they built the 4C without the option of a manual gearbox. I mean, who on earth would want a light little sports car without a clutch pedal and a gear lever? But the truth is, building a good car is a lot like cooking a good meal. Each ingredient must be executed well in its own right, but then the most important thing is how it all comes together as a whole.

The Italians are known for treating their cars exactly as they treat their food, as works of art. Alfa Romeos, in particular, have always had a sense of living soul, even if, at times, there wasn’t much else good about them. My friend, Evan, had an old Alfa Spider that only ever worked properly when he was taking a girl out on a date in it – now, isn’t that the most Italian thing you’ve ever heard?

Alfa Romeos are cars built on an ideology of passion and emotion first, and everything else second. Sure, in the past that has sometimes meant questionable dependability, but at least they never committed the atrocity of making life boring or mundane. Life is worth more than just living, it’s worth enjoying, and that is what Alfa Romeos are all about.

This white 4C Spider is actually the first Alfa Romeo I’ve ever driven. It marks the return of Alfa Romeo production cars to the USA, and will be soon followed by the new Giulia sedan. Being my first Alfa, I admit that I had underestimated the way they can make the ingredients of a car come together into one delicious masterpiece of a machine.

I quickly realized that the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider has something very special about it. I drove 8 very cool cars in the same weekend, including a Ferrari and some Porsches, but this Alfa 4C was the one I just couldn’t stop thinking about. Here’s why…

Continue reading Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Review: A Recipe Perfected →

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars, Uncategorized

Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review: Turbocharged For Your Pleasure!

March 16, 2016 ndubs77 8 Comments

I’ve been waiting for the Japanese luxury brands to go turbo for a long time now. They’ve been keeping their cars pretty simple for years, and that’s great for reliability, but in the end, the turbo European cars were faster, a lot faster. Well now it seems the tables have turned. Infiniti has finally joined the turbo game, and they’ve brought a ringer.

Their new 3.0L twin turbo V6 comes in two flavors, one with 300hp and one with 400hp. The first will compete directly with the existing sport sedan pack, and the second will blow them away. Even with the German’s conservative horsepower claims, none of their offerings reach the 400hp mark. That means the high-output Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 I drove here is some very serious business.

Continue reading Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review: Turbocharged For Your Pleasure! →

Cars We've Driven, Everyday Normal Cars

BMW i3 Review: Expectations are Everything

February 24, 2016 ndubs77 3 Comments

The BMW i3 is just a car in the same way that an iPhone is just a phone. It does the job, but it’s really about so much more than basic functionality. It is a techy gadget on wheels, and it’s as much a personal brand statement as it is a mode of transportation.

As a new age city car, a Toyota Prius C will do the exact same functional job as the BMW i3 for less than half the price. But you could say the same for any other BMW as well, compared to a normal car. BMWs are pure luxury items, just like an Apple products, so we need to look at the car in that way.

As a car reviewer, I have my experience driving the car for a few minutes, hours or days, and then I give the car back. Owners have to live with the car, day-in and day-out for extended time. Consequently, our two experiences can often wind up pretty different.

The BMW i3 is one such car. I had my experience driving it, and I developed my initial opinion based on that. But then I looked around online to see what actual customers were saying, and I found much more I needed to consider before rendering my verdict. I think a lot comes down to how you approach the BMW i3, and how you intend to use the car.

Here is my take from both my drive in the car as well as from further research I’ve done.

Continue reading BMW i3 Review: Expectations are Everything →

Cars We've Driven, Cheap Fun Cars

2015 Ford Focus ST Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A)

February 4, 2016 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

The Ford Focus has been on my radar for longer than we’ve been running this website. Back in 2011, the first car I drove to review for the website was a 2011 Focus SE sedan and I thought it was a massive step in the right direction for Ford’s compact entry. A few short years later, the ST launched–and we all rejoiced that Ford had thrown its hat into the hot-hatch ring, creating yet another choice for less than 30 grand. It’s taken some time for me to get around to it, but a few weeks ago, I took this 2015 model for a spin around Old Bridge–and learned a lot about what Ford’s doing to stay relevant in this super-competitive market. Continue reading 2015 Ford Focus ST Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A) →