Despite the uncertain state of fuel prices and overall economy, there are still a few who place “fun” above “sensible” when making a new car purchase. We recently got to test a pair of German imports aimed at that extreme side of the “fun” factor: a BMW M3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan.
UPDATED WITH REVIEWS: Special Wednesday Walkaround: Two new models coming from American Suzuki – the all-new 2009 Equator pickup and the refreshed 2009 Grand Vitara. Suzuki hosted this press launch in the Texas Hill Country at the historic Knibbe Ranch. Click on image for video.
There has been a host of activity (and anxiety) over at Jaguar during the past year. A new “entry level” model was introduced, replacing a pair of, shall we say, leftover Fords.
UPDATED: Reviews after the jump! This week’s Wednesday Walkaround is a double feature: We get first drives of the 2009 Hummer H3T pickup and the 2009 Hyundai Genesisi luxury sport sedan. Enjoy!
This week’s Wednesday Walkaround takes a look at the hot little Evolution GSR from Mitsubishi, one of my favorite cars to drive. Here is my review: Some weeks it is difficult for me to determine just how well the latest automotive entry will be received by the general public. Other weeks I just count how many people stop by the house to see what is sitting in the driveway. The latter has been one of those weeks as I tested the newest Evolution rally racer from Mitsubishi. Built on the next-generation Lancer platform (of which we also drove the new…
This week we look at the 2008 Audi S8 luxury sport sedan in the backyard. Here is the full review: Audi S8 swimming in luxury, performance To best understand the Audi S8 luxury performance sedan, think Olympian Michael Phelps in a tuxedo. And despite the corporate logo having one fewer ring than the current quadrennial activities in Beijing, Audi is as fierce a German competitor as that female freestyle swimmer who took Dara Torres’ gold medal. S8 is the sport version of Audi’s flagship A8 luxury liner, a vehicle that offers the maximum performance and refinement in a large European…
There are vehicles that are easy to drive and there are vehicles that are fun to drive, but so many times we see these two concepts fail to come together in one particular model. And then there is the Nissan Rogue.
UPDATED: Words added after the walkaround! Grinding Gears editor, David Goodspeed, with this week’s Wednesday Walkaround of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550.
In part one of my review of Celio’s REDFLY, I covered the REDFLY’s physical attributes. For part two I will cover the functionality of the device. First, it is important to remember that the REDFLY will only work with Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6 Professional (PocketPC) and Standard (Smartphone) devices and currently only a small subset of the total number of devices available. For a complete list of what devices are supported visit . Having said that, I did test the REDFLY with a number of devices including several that were not on the Celio website. All of them worked…
Despite building a very good midsize sedan, Mazda knew it needed to undertake a significant model makeover in order to keep up with the “Joneses” of the CD-segment, namely Accord and Camry. With the new 2009 Mazda6 it has done that and more. Their mantra? Zoom-zoom evolution. From the beginning Mazda knew it had three key areas to improve on before it would be ready to release a new model: Quality, power and size. These were areas where midsize buyers had been rejecting the current Mazda6 in favor of the competition. And Mazda is so proud of its accomplishments in…
The tide has turned on large, mobile real estate-hogging vehicles here in the U.S. and the new trend is small – even tiny. We recently tested a couple of tiny cars – the MINI Cooper and the smart fortwo passion coupe – and one of the most common comments was relating to accidents, something along the lines of “I sure wouldn’t want to be in a wreck in one of those.” Well, I wouldn’t want to be in a wreck in anything, but I certainly concede their point after driving these little passenger vehicles in traffic next to one-ton duallies…
GM is rolling out the third two-mode hybrid fullsize SUV later this summer. We got a first drive in the new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid recently as the automaker visited with members of the automotive media at the Flight Museum at Love Field in Dallas. In addition to the new hybrid model, Cadillac representatives also showed their newest Platinum Escalade sporting one of the best-looking grilles of any fullsize SUV on the road today. The hybrid models use the same powertrain we first saw in the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids. It features a 6.0-liter gasoline V-8 engine mated…
One of the challenges with using Windows Mobile devices, as with most mobile devices, is the size of the screen. It is great having Office Mobile on the latest and greatest device but doing a significant edit of a document on a 3.5″ QVGA screen is, well… fun? Granted, on bigger devices that have VGA screens, the HTC Advantage comes to mind, it is a bit easier but you still end up doing a lot of side-to-side scrolling. Couple this with either a soft keyboard on the device or a small thumboard to type with and once again, doing big…
When we first got our hands on a new 2008 Chevy Malibu for review, this is some of what I wrote: “I had been so skeptical about the new Malibu since seeing the earliest concepts and artists’ renditions that once I finally got to drive it, I spent most of my week behind the wheel trying to find fault with the car instead of focusing on the positives.” My conclusions? Those import models that have been cannibalizing midsize sedan sales over the past couple of decades had better be worried.
Over the past week, Grinding Gears editor David Goodspeed has been privileged to drive a pair of all-new vehicles from Ford and Lincoln, both of which will arrive in dealerships this summer. The first stop was Washington, D.C., for the 2009 Lincoln MKS. That was the trip whose highlights included a visit to a winery, a sneak peek at a future Lincoln, outrunning tornados, a dead turtle and not quite making it back to our starting point. All-in-all a very memorable trip. And a great new Lincoln. Next stop: LA – Santa Monica to be precise – for the launch…
Lincoln promised us a memorable time for our drive experience of the all-new 2009 MKS luxury sedan – and they weren’t lying.
… Like Steve McQueen All I need’s a fast machine And I’m gonna make it all right … Sheryl Crow Four decades after hitting the big screen and redefining the on-screen car chase, the Ford Mustang Bullitt returns to the streets in 2008, blending the best Mustang ever with the latest Ford Racing technology. Not only did we spend a week with the Bullitt, but we also got our hands on the Shelby GT500 Mustang, an icon of true American musclecar partnered with a legendary American racing spirit.
In recent months I’ve been looking at getting a new car. Actually, at first, I was looking at used cars, but, eventually, I ended up looking at new hatchbacks. I was replacing a sports car and the point of the exercise was to get a vehicle that would save me gas, and be a little more utilitarian without totally giving up the fun factor. After doing tons of research on the Internet, I ended up buying a special edition of the 2008 Scion xB – the Gold Rush Mica Release 5.0.
Another SS model from Chevy? What’s so special about this one? Given the vehicles with the SS badge slapped on the fender in recent years, our less-than-overwhelming enthusiasm is deserved. And the lack of fanfare over the release of the SS edition HHR should be punishable by law (and just might be in some states).
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is based on the iconic FJ40 that was sold here in the U.S. between 1960 and 1983. Designer Jin Kim took on the daunting task of creating an exciting vehicle poised between RAV4 and 4Runner that appealed to a younger, more active consumer. Kim’s approach is described as “industrial modern” meaning a tool-like combination of ruggedness and functionality with an honest look and modern surfaces.
All I can say about the new 2008 LS 600h L luxury hybrid sedan from Lexus is, “Wow!” But, I still have to fill the rest of this review so I will elaborate a bit.