RideLust

Thumbs Up: Drives a thousand pounds lighter than it is

Thumbs Down: Transmission is still just a five speed

Buy This Car If: You’re looking for America’s best blue-collar muscle sedan

Let’s say you enjoy road trips, the kind of which occasionally take you to a different time zone, just for a weekend getaway. You probably want a car that’s roomy, with enough space for four adults plus luggage. You want a car that’s fast, since the faster you get from point A to point B, the sooner you can enjoy some downtime. You want a car that’s good on gas, since time spent refueling is time not spent driving. Finally, you want a car with some entertainment value, just in case you decide to occasionally take the scenic route. Read More…

Thumbs Up: May be the perfect American muscle sedan.

Thumbs Down: Thirsty when driven hard (as you’d expect).

Buy This Car If: Your idea of a weekend get away involves multiple time zones.

There are very few perfect things in life. Take enough pictures, and maybe you’ll eventually snag the perfect shot (hey, it worked for Ansel Adams). Try hard enough and you may concoct the perfect breakfast sandwich, to unseat McDonald’s Egg McMuffin (although we doubt that very much). Drive a particular track long enough in the same car, and you may eventually find the perfect line. Read More…

I’m not a Mercedes-Benz guy, and I never have been. Sure, its cars can be nice to look at and comfortable to be driven in, but very few of the tri-pointed star’s automobiles make my hormones sit up and beg. The exception to this rule has always been the Mercedes-Benz Black Series. Read More…

If someone asked me to describe the difference between Audi’s TT and the TT-RS, I’d do my best to explain that one is a sporty luxury car, while the other is a sports car that happens to have luxury appointments. Stephan Reil, Audi’s head of development at quattro GmbH, can tell you the difference between the two cars down to the slightest detail, which he does in the video below.

Here’s all you need to know: the Audi TT-RS is impressively fast, and at a base price of $57,725, is expensive but attainable. That money buys you an all-wheel-drive coupe with a turbocharged, 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that puts out 360 horsepower and 343 lb.-ft. of torque. It’ll run from zero to sixty in 4.6 seconds, and to ensure that only true enthusiasts need apply, comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The TT-RS pushes all the right buttons for me, and could quite possibly top my list of “if I win the lottery” cars. For now, at least.

It’s taken me a while to realize it, but deep down inside I’m an Audi guy. No other brand does it for me the way Audi does, and (generally speaking) I’d grab the keys to an Audi over most other luxury brands. While Audi doesn’t compete in all segments (they really don’t have a Porsche 911 competitor, for example), they do what they do very well. 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…

The 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport. Image: Honda

In a recent statement to the automotive press, Honda seems to be channeling Mark Twain. In regards to the Ridgeline pickup, Honda’s release essentially translates to “rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” In fact, Honda wants the world to know that the Ridgeline will soldier on well beyond the current 2012 refresh.

For the coming year, a Ridgeline Sport joins the product line, and the Ridgeline gets a boost in fuel economy. That’s a good thing, since the current Ridgeline’s 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway aren’t exactly “class leading.” In fact, Honda has struggled to move Ridgeline pickups in 2011, selling just 6,476 units year-to-date through September. To put that in perspective, Ford sold 7,154 Ranger pickups in September alone (and 49,788 YTD), and the current Ranger model really hasn’t been updated since 1998. Read More…

Ford's Mustang Customizer website. Image: Ford Motor Company

If you’re a Mustang fan, don’t click on Ford’s absurdly addicting Mustang Customizer Website unless you have some serious time to kill. The site lets you build your own Mustang, in V6, GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500 trims, changing a surprising number of external appearance items. Want a custom color, not in the Ford catalog? No problem, just mix your own. Want a Mustang GT with a Boss 302 grill and Shelby wheels? it’s just a click of the mouse away. Read More…

The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302. Image: Ford Motor Company

If you missed out on your chance to buy a Boss 302 in 2011 (although rumor has it that there are still some base models in the pipeline), we’ve got good news for you: Mustangs Daily is reporting that the Boss 302 will return for 2013, and will deliver more content for the same money. First up is Ford’s Sync infotainment system, which will allegedly be an available option for 2013 Boss 302 Mustangs. Don’t expect a giant 8-inch display, since the Boss is about going fast, not watching DVDs while parked. Opt for the Sync system and it comes with a 4.2 inch touchscreen LCD display. Read More…

If you want to buy a Mustang to use on track days, the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 won’t disappoint. In fact, if you can get your hands on a (sold out) Laguna Seca edition of the Boss 302, even better: the car’s stiffer suspension generates a surprising amount of grip in the corners, but hanging the back end out is as simple as mashing the gas and turning the wheel. Not only is the Boss 302 Mustang entertaining to drive, it’s also surprisingly capable on the race track. Read More…