Koenigsegg, maker of Swedish Hypercars, is also working to revolutionize the internal combustion engine. Engineering Explained explains…
-Nick
Tag Archives: Everyday Cars
Check Out This Sweet n’ Low Honda Element
The Honda Element actually looks pretty good lowered. We caught this thing on the street in Scarsdale, NY outside the Concours.
-Nick
Engineering Explained: 5 Things You Should Never Do In A Brand New Car
Literally everyone asks car enthusiasts about how to break-in a brand new car. Here’s a great answer from Engineering Explained.
-Nick
A BMW 528i is a Superior Rental Car That Will Spoil You
Rental cars, they’re usually total crap that you’re only willing to put up with for a few days because they serve a purpose. Some trips can really use a bright spot, though, and for us gearheads a car can be just the thing to brighten up life.
I lost both of my grandmothers this summer, within a month and a half of each other. What can I say, it hasn’t been ideal. It was just my mom and I going on the trip, out to Tucson, Arizona last weekend. My dad was away singing in China, and my girlfriend had her busiest work weekend of the year. We were flying out to Phoenix, and then driving 100 miles, or so, down to Tucson. While we were definitely looking forward to seeing my mom’s side of the family and catch up with everyone, it was still a trip meant for saying goodbye to my grandma, Jody, who we all hold very dear in our hearts.
This trip was definitely one that needed as many bright spots as we could give it. So, when the rental car lady told us we could have a BMW 528i for only $20/day more than the Chevy Malibu we had booked, we were like, “Oh hell yes!” If we were going to be cruising through the desert at high speed, we might as well aim to be as comfortable as possible.
I hadn’t even planned to do an article on this trip, but when life hands you a Bimmer….
Continue reading A BMW 528i is a Superior Rental Car That Will Spoil You
1991 Dodge Spirit R/T at the Radnor Hunt Car Corral
A Dodge Spirit does not belong in a Concours. It belongs in a Cars and Coffee if and only if Grandma Mildred or Grandpa Irving need to make a morning run to the local Pathmark to get fresh bread before the grandchildren show up. However, what you’re staring at today is not a normal Dodge Spirit. Carroll Shelby (may he rest in peace) got ahold of this one, and managed to turn a pereniall snore-mobile into one of Chrysler’s more eclectic fast sedans. Continue reading 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T at the Radnor Hunt Car Corral
FWD vs RWD vs AWD: Know How to Handle Your Junk! – The Racing Line
Fast into the night at the first taste of Fall
I’ve said before that most of the best drives come spur of the moment. That makes it somewhat challenging for me as a blogger to bring the experience to you, my readers, but my God, is it enjoyable in the moment. Many times those drives become fond memories for years.
I got out of work late on Monday. It was one of those days where you’re up to your ears in all sorts of stuff all day, and you only start really getting things done after most everyone has gone home. The crisp air that hit me when I walked out, though, that instantly cleared my head, and brushed off the stress of the day like it was nothing.
The first taste of Fall is one of the sweetest sensations in the life of a gearhead. It means the treacherous summer heat is nearing its end, and that many fun times are ahead in the best season of the year.
Feeling rejuvenated, I called my buddies Shane and Pat (Shat for short), and we agreed it would be a sin not to take the Miatas out for a blast in this perfect weather.
We met up for dinner at a local diner. Ace, my NC Mazda Miata Club Edition was parked next to Shane’s NA Miata R-Package out front, waiting eagerly for us to eat. Then, just after the sun had fallen off the horizon, we set off, fast, into the night.
Continue reading Fast into the night at the first taste of Fall
When the condoms all broke, but #Stance is life, this Toyota Sienna is your Shaggin’ Wagon
This is what will happen increasingly as the stance people reproduce. Minivans are usually seen as lame, but with a little trendy inspiration, this one has become pretty “bitchin.”
I gotta hand it to whoever built this Sienna, they did a great job with it. That is one good thing about the stance culture, you can participate with any car. That means, unlike us sports car enthusiasts, that when you have kids, you won’t be completely and utterly screwed.
Either way, I just hope they at least open the windows when they vape with the kids in the car.
Toyota RAV4 XLE 2WD Review: More Ground Clearance With Less Compromise
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
A Day I Hoped Would Never Happen: Reacting To My First Accident
I saw a white flash out of the corner of my eye, and the next thing I knew I was facing sideways and had taken the impact of an airbag to my face. It took a moment, but then it hit me, I had just crashed.
That realization made me spring into action. I looked over at the woman in the other car, who was freaking the hell out, but thankfully awake. I lifted myself right up out of my seat and hopped out over the passenger door (perks of a convertible). I ran over, opened the door and helped the woman out of her car. We were both seemingly uninjured, thank God.
At that point, though, I realized she was pregnant, like very pregnant, and the concern for both of us turned to her baby. Luckily the paramedics cleared her when they arrived.
After I knew we were all okay, I looked back over at my gleaming read Miata. I had just signed the papers on it 4 days prior, and now here it was, smashed up good in the middle of the street. I didn’t have time for emotions, though, I knew I had to take document the scene, and take photos from every angle.
As I did so, I called my parents to come pick me up, my boss to let him know I wouldn’t be in today, and my girlfriend to let her know what had happened and that I was alright.
I was riding the massive wave adrenaline, but I was feeling very cloudy in my head. There was just so much I had to do, so many bases I knew I had to cover. I never took even a second to stop and catch my breath, I never allowed myself a brief moment to calm myself down after taking a hard hit to the head. Finally it caught up with me. As we were all exchanging our insurance information, I realized I had been doing way too much, and I turned and vomited all over the ground.
At that point, the officers at the scene told me I should really get to the hospital. I knew vomiting wasn’t a good sign, and luckily my parents were almost there by then. I gave my statement to the police, watched my buddy, Ace (the Miata) get dragged onto a flatbed, and went off to the hospital.
Continue reading A Day I Hoped Would Never Happen: Reacting To My First Accident
Ford Taurus SHO vs Chevrolet SS, Head To Head
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
The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept
I was sold on the electric car the second I experienced 0-84mph in a Tesla Model S P85D. It’s not just brutal acceleration, it’s brutal acceleration you can actually use from any speed, available immediately. Even just squirting from 0-30mph off a city stop light is a total riot. It is the kind of enjoyment you can only have in an electric car. There is no engine, no gears, and no delay. Thrills come simply at a push of the button, or pedal, in this case.
I thought Elon Musk summed up Tesla’s path brilliantly. Prove electric can be fun with the Tesla Roadster, then prove them practical and desirable with the Model S and Model X. But now comes the make or break moment for Tesla Motors, a truly affordable, mass-production car, the Tesla Model 3. It must be practical, it must be dependable, and it must be quite desirable to out-compete fierce competition.
Only time will tell for dependability, an issue that Tesla has been working on. Any new car company should expect some bumps in the road, it’s how they deal with them that counts. This factor gets greatly amplified as you move into the mass-market realm.
What we did find out last night in the short part one of the Tesla Model 3 reveal is that the car will be quite desirable and quite practical… so long as Musk’s promises are kept.
Continue reading The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept
Mind Over Motor 