Tag Archives: Luxury Cars

Mercedes’ New Bro-Chariot Has Arrived, And It’s Called The GLE

December 12, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

Let’s begin with a story…

A few years ago, BMW created an all-new segment. They looked at the idea behind Mercedes’ beautiful CLS 4-door coupe, and then BMW thought… “what if we did that with an SUV?”, And the BMW X6 was born!

Now, unlike the Mercedes CLS, which is essentially just a sleeker, more beautiful Mercedes E-Class with no tangible drawbacks, the X6 didn’t turn out so well. The tapered roofline that makes a car look sleek wound up looking really awkward on the X6’s larger SUV proportions. It also compromised the size of the trunk. So a sleeker, more beautiful BMW X5 the X6 was not, not by a long shot. In fact, it really only served to remove the “utility” from “Sport Utility Vehicle.”

So why, then, would you buy a BMW X6? If you wanted an SUV for all of the reasons anyone wants an SUV, then you’d buy the X5. If you wanted a stylish coupe for all of the reasons people generally want a stylish coupe, then you’d buy a 6 Series. Where is the market for something that looks like a sad humpback whale on wheels?

Well, Mercedes-Benz has clearly been watching closely, and whatever the market may be, they want a peice of it! So, with that, they decided to take their M-Class SUV, break its back like Bane did Batman, and boom!… the Mercedes GLE is here.

Continue reading Mercedes’ New Bro-Chariot Has Arrived, And It’s Called The GLE →

Cars We've Seen

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon spotted in Carmel, CA

December 4, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

When it comes to wagons, the faster they are, the more interesting they become. I was born into a wagon-owning family. It wasn’t so flashy, just a 1989 Pontiac 6000 in blue–but it was gone in a flash when a few lowlifes stole it in Jersey City. Since then, I’ve been a fan of station wagons, for their practicality and better handling characteristics (usually) than SUVs and crossovers. Mercedes-Benz’s slowest selling car happens to be the one you see here–the E63 AMG Wagon. This wagon packs a twin-turbocharged 5.5L V8, packing over 580 horsepower and all-wheel-drive standard. Last I checked, they don’t sell more than about a thousand per year of these, and with good reason–it’s a small market. That said, here at Mind Over Motor, we are glad they see the need for them. When this black one pulled up, Nick yelled to me from across the Ocean Avenue junction to turn around, and I found myself face to face with it. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon spotted in Carmel, CA →

Automotive Lifestyle, Car Games

Our Picks, the $40,000 question

November 17, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

In today’s market, $40,000 marks a sort of barrier between “normal” cars and “luxury” cars. You can basically find any sort of car for under $40 grand, so it can be argued that nobody needs to spend more than that unless they’re interested in fluff. It is a realistic budget for many middle class Americans, and that is why we have chosen to kick off our new “Our Picks” segment with it.

We will give our picks for two $40,000 budget scenarios, one as an only car, and the other as a second car. We will also give our second choices for each. Keep in mind, this is how we would spend our own money, with our rather discerning tastes in cars, and not necessarily our recommendations for more average buyers.

Continue reading Our Picks, the $40,000 question →

Opinions

Why would you buy a new Porsche 911?

November 14, 2014 ndubs77 3 Comments

In every segment there seems to be one car that sets the bar, the standard by which every other car like it is judged. For the white-collar sports car enthusiast it has long been the Porsche 911. For thinking buyers, however, that may no longer be the case.

I’m not going to complain about the 911 in the way most Porsche purists do, I’m fine with the electric steering, I’m fine with it being water cooled, and I’m even fine with it gaining some size. My gripe really only concerns what buyers get for the price. The car itself is fantastic, but now you’re paying a lot more money for something that really hasn’t changed all that much over the years.

Frankly, the Porsche 911 has become boring and cliche. They don’t even turn too many heads anymore because it feels like there’s a 911 everywhere you look. Maybe it’s the fault of the Cayenne and Panamera for making the Porsche brand more commonplace, or maybe it’s the fact that so many people have bought 911s because it is such a great car. Either way, though, the basic 911 just doesn’t seem worth the kind of money Porsche is asking these days.

Continue reading Why would you buy a new Porsche 911? →

Cars We've Seen

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti spotted in Carmel, CA

October 13, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

We saw this blacked-out Ferrari 612 Scaglietti looking seriously sinister in Carmel, California during the festivities of Monterey Car Week. Ferrari GT cars are always classy, but those wheels made this one look especially sharp. Enjoy!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry

Matt Farah drives the Audi RS5 Cabriolet

October 8, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

Sweet sounding machine with no roof to quiet it down. Enjoy!

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Alex Roy’s Citroen SM and Michael Musto’s Dodge Charger spotted in Carmel, CA

August 21, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

This past week, Nick and I became familiar with how certain cars will show up almost everywhere. Alex Roy, the owner of a Citroen SM, and as a result a man with impeccable taste, was in Monterey all weekend, and we first saw his car parked in the parking lot at The Quail on Friday evening. The next day, Nick and I were looking for a parking spot after spending the entire day at Laguna Seca. We spotted Roy’s SM once again before coming across Michael Musto’s (of /DRIVE’s Big Muscle series) slick black 1968 Dodge Charger, in all of its glory with chrome rims and red Bumble Bee stripes. After taking photos until the sun came down, Nick and I walked down the street and ran into Mike Musto, who we began talking to, until Alex Roy sprinted up the sidewalk at breakneck speeds. When Alex returned and told the two of us possibly the most hilarious pair of stories I’ve ever heard, we spoke to the two of them and found that these two chaps are incomparably hilarious car guys with plenty to say and great taste in automobiles. Enjoy the photos of the Charger and the SM. Continue reading Alex Roy’s Citroen SM and Michael Musto’s Dodge Charger spotted in Carmel, CA →

Cars We've Seen

A purple Jaguar F-Type R Roadster spotted in Pebble Beach?

August 20, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

We’re not sure if this is for real or not, but if there were any place to see a pre-production version of a car out and about Pebble Beach is it. Officially Jaguar does not make a roadster version of their F-Type R yet, and they also haven’t released this ultra-shagadelic purple paint job on any of their other models. The high quality of the paint and the common sense that Jaguar would produce a topless version of their 550hp F-Type R both point to the possibility that this is indeed a pre-production car that one of their executives brought along to troll spotters like us.

Then again, it could just be some poseur F-Type V8S owner who got themselves a fancy paint job and a couple of R badges on Ebay…. who knows!

Let us know what you think!

Continue reading A purple Jaguar F-Type R Roadster spotted in Pebble Beach? →

Automotive Lifestyle, Car Games

What would you buy for the price of a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster? Well, this is what Al thinks of that.

August 7, 2014 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

Nick’s gotten his posts up, so I’m going to show you what I think. Four and a half million dollars. I”m going to say that again. FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. I can’t even imagine that amount of cash fitting in a standard sized suitcase. The Veneno’s nice and all, and it is a tantalizing machine…but I can’t justify that price. It’s got the Aventador’s engine and a body kit (I know I’m oversimplifying things here). That’s enough for a house and a good number of very nice cars. However, this is about just cars, and the 24 cars listed below will do the trick perfectly for me. There’s a lot of overlap and a few of these cars are probably better off as trailer queens, but I plan on driving what I picked, whether it be to the grocery store, the track, or to work. There’s 24 cars here, and I’ve got a reason for choosing each of them. Here we go! Continue reading What would you buy for the price of a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster? Well, this is what Al thinks of that. →

Automotive Lifestyle, Car Games

What would you buy for the price of a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster?

August 4, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

The Lamborghini Veneno Roadster is a spectacular machine to be sure. In addition to the fact that it looks like a space-fighter only 9 examples will ever be made, making it one of the most exotic cars on the planet. I guess that’s why Lamborghini wants a hefty $4.5 Million to snag one of these bad boys.

But is it really worth that kind of money? I mean, if we’re totally honest here, the Veneno Roadster is really just a slightly upgraded Aventador Roadster underneath. It doesn’t have a ton of fancy technology or an obscene amount of horsepower like many of today’s hypercars that cost only a fraction of the $4.5 Million. I mean an Aventador Roadster costs less than $600,000, even if you load it up with all the crap, so what you’re spending the extra $3.9 Million on is just a body kit… an epic, change your trousers sort of body kit, but a body kit nonetheless.

That got us thinking of a question: For $4.5 Million dollars, would you have the Veneno Roadster? Or would you have other things that add up to that amount? And if you’d choose to forgo the Veneno, just what could be had for the same amount of money?

Continue reading What would you buy for the price of a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster? →

Car Shows

Slammed Audi Allroad at Waterfest 20

July 28, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

This demonic-looking Audi Allroad demanded my attention at Waterfest 20 last week. Just something about it’s aura, and the fact that it was stanced just right (none of that froggy-look in the back). The Allroad comes standard with those fender flares, just begging to be filled with some nice wheels, so it seems a prime candidate to be slammed. That said, I haven’t personally seen too many slammed Allroads around, as they are pretty pricy, so this was really cool.

Enjoy the photos!

Continue reading Slammed Audi Allroad at Waterfest 20 →

Cars We've Driven, Everyday Normal Cars, Exotic Supercars

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Reviewed (10/10)

July 25, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

Everyone, meet Porsche’s Prius! The new Panamera S E-Hybrid, like the Prius, is a 4-door hatchback, and it uses an electric motor to help out its gas engine in a similar way. Furthermore, the Panamera S E-Hybrid has shown in real world tests that it can top 50 mpg, also just like the Prius! Yes, the similarities between the two cars go surprisingly far, much further than most might expect, but they couldn’t be more different in their fundamental purpose.

The Toyota Prius is an economy car for people who want to spend as little money as possible on a car. The Panamera, on the other hand, is a high-end luxury machine for people who are comfortable writing a six figure check for a single car. You can buy four Toyota Priuses for the starting price of this Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, and that’s before adding any expensive options. However, playing Devil’s advocate, the Panamera does have nearly the horsepower of all four of those Priuses combined. The Panamera may cost as much as four Priuses, but you could also argue that it’s also four times the car.

I remember being amazed when Al Gore’s son got caught going 100mph in his Prius, not because of his behavior, but because he actually got a Prius to top 100mph. If he buys one of these Porsches, then maybe next time he can be pushing 170mph.

Okay, it’s time to acknowledge the elephant in the room here: The Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid will not be competing for buyers with the Toyota Prius (sorry to disappoint). No, it will be going head-to-head against the almighty Tesla Model S, and Elon Musk’s trendy “King Innovator” brand image. It is a massive challenge, one that basically killed Fisker, but I think this Porsche is up to it, and I will explain why.

Continue reading Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Reviewed (10/10) →