RideLust

The problem with most car reviews these days is that they’re filmed on public roads, where the type of behavior that gets a video hits will also get your license suspended. Even on the rare occasion when manufacturers bring their latest wares to a racetrack for some spirited driving, journos are generally told to preserve the tires and brakes; in other words, long, lurid burnouts and smoky drifts through corners are discouraged, as is lapping at anything near a car’s limits of handling. Read More…

The Mark VI Volkswagen GTI was released in 2010, and the car upped the ante for Volkswagen’s entry into the hot hatchback class. Sure, cars like the Subaru WRX and the Mazdaspeed 3 were “faster,” but the GTI brought a level of sophistication with it that the others lacked. If going fast is your only concern, then either the Subie or the Mazda are better choices; if you live in the real world, where occasional track days are punctuated with daily commuting, then the GTI really starts to shine. Read More…

It doesn’t share any parts with any of its siblings. It’s powered by a 700 bhp naturally aspirated V12, and it’s one of the most technologically advanced road cars ever built. The Lamborghini Aventador was not built to be just another super car, but moreover, it was built to redefine what the super car is. With major competition from the likes of the Ferrari 599 Fiorano, McLaren’s MP4-12C and the Lexus LF-A, Lamborghini had no choice but to pull out all the stops for their newest bull. Where the Murciélago overcame any deficiencies it may have had with brute force, the Aventador employs technology to aid their owners in the driving experience. EVO Magazine recently had a chance to flog the new Lambo at the Vallelunga Circuit in Italy and came away with a much different opinion of what a V12 Lamborghini can now do on a racetrack.

Source: EVO Magazine
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Thumbs Up: Good looks and practicality

Thumbs Down: No diesel version In US

Buy This Car If: You can afford the price of admission

The 2012 Audi A7 may be the Swiss Army Knife of luxury sedans. It’s speed and handling definitely put it in the “sport sedan” column, its quattro AWD gives it all-weather confidence and it’s cavernous hatchback makes it nearly as versatile as an SUV or crossover. It’s drop-dead gorgeous, too, especially when you view it from the rear three-quarter perspective. Read More…

One is $54,470 and the other $121,120. One goes 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds, the other in 4.6 seconds. Lastly, one has a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V8 making 470 hp and the other a twin-turbocharged V8 making 500 hp. These are the numbers for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and to say these figures are impressive would be an understatement. You see what these big four wheel drive behemoths are capable of is something that is quite astonishing, for on any given day they have the ability to put the hurt on 98% of the road going sports cars out there. These are giggle machines. They’re linebackers with the ability to also run the hurdles and or sprint the 100 meters with ease. Sure one is American and the other German, but quite honestly, who cares as either one of these pack mules will have you smiling from the moment you get in them, to the moment you get out. Click through for the full review.
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Ever since the reincarnated BMW 6-series debuted in 2003 I just can’t seem to wrap my hands around it. It looked like a turtle, wasn’t particularly good at anything, and even though it was quite large it was still too small for four adults. The original 6-series debuted in 1976 and has styling that has held up remarkably well over the last 35 years. More importantly though, the original car was a drivers car. It was meant to evoke passion and get the driver excited about blasting down the autobahn or their favorite back country road. The new one though… not so much. It’s now 2011 and even though BMW has just revised the 6-series again, it still doesn’t do anything for me. Yes it has power, and yes it has all the bells and whistles, but is it exciting? Um… no. Inside Line recently put the new 650i through its paces and while it posted impressive numbers it just wasn’t exciting to watch. Sorry BMW…
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It’s got three wheels, a tweaked Harley engine up front and it’s made of wood. It’s the Morgan Three Wheeler and it looks to be one helluva lot of fun. The original Three Wheeler first saw the light of day way back in 1911 when Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan was looking for a way to get around. It was an oddball vehicle no doubt, but because of its unconventional design it was thus classified as a motorcycle thereby skirting the British tax on automobiles. The original cars were made up until 1952 when Morgan finally introduced a traditional four wheel car, the 4–4. It’s now 59 years later and the British car maker has now seen fit to reintroduce the Three-Wheeler with a modern V-twin engine, Mazda transmission, and a few other bells and whistles that are sure to bring nostalgia back in fashion. Fifth Gear recently took the new Morgan out for a test ride and although it’s a bit loud, it sure does look like a blast to drive.
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Thumbs Up: A comfortable and entertaining sedan that stands out from the crowd.

Thumbs Down: Limited dealer network, a lot of parts-bin GM components, fake wood trim.

Buy This Car If: You want an alternative to luxury sedans from Buick, Acura and others.

Sometimes, the whole of a product is better than the sum of its parts. There are many examples of this in the automotive world, and chief among them is the 2011 Saab 9-5. On paper, it’s easy to break it down to it’s component elements: the platform is GM’s Epsilon II, shared with the Opel Insignia, Buick Regal and Chevy Malibu. It’s engine is a E85-ready variant of the GM Ecotec 2.0-liter, inline-four turbo, shared with the Buick Regal CXL Turbo and dubbed “BioPower” for it’s ability to digest fuel that’s 85 percent ethanol. The switchgear is straight from the GM parts bin, which seems just a bit out of place in a luxury sedan that crosses the $50k barrier. Read More…

Thumbs Up: More power and more aggressive looks than the outgoing model.

Thumbs Down: Low roofline makes entry challenging.

Buy This Car If: You want a Mercedes coupe, but need the practicality of a sedan.

By the manufacturer’s description, the Mercedes-Benz CLS550 is a full-size, four door coupe. That may seem like an oxymoron, since coupes tend to be diminutive in size, with only two-door accommodations. The appeal of a coupe is it’s styling, which tends to be both more muscular and more elegant than a full size sedan. Still, many want the lines of a coupe with the practicality of the additional two doors for rear-seat passenger accommodation. Mercedes-Benz understands this, so they created the CLS coupe in 2004. Read More…

Having flogged the BMW 1-Series M Coupe around the track at Monitcello Motor Club I can tell you without hesitation that this car will be one of my favorites for 2011. During my test I also ran it back to back against the vaunted M3, a car that is pretty much the benchmark for every sports sedan on the market today. So when I heard that the guys at Automobile Magazine did a similar test, I became very curious about their impressions. Initially they rip on the fact that anyone who buys an M3 with an automatic transmission is a poser, something that I don’t necessarily agree with. However when it comes to the 1M, they dish out nothing but praise, even though most of its parts have been borrowed from its older brother. In short, the 1M is the car for the guy or gal who appreciates the raw driving experience of smoking the tires and rowing through the gears on a pure unadulterated sports car.
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