I love old Porsches for a couple of reasons.
One, they’re the only Porsches I’ll ever be able to afford without winning the Powerball. And two, they’re so wonderfully raw and mechanically sensual that they feel alive — like a steel extension of your own body. They represent the epitome of what a sports car should be.
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Cadillac’s Monster Hit Goes Platinum
Cadillac says with the Escalade ESV Platinum they have created the ultimate full-size luxury SUV. For the time being, they’re right. If you thought a garden-variety Escalade was over-the-top in substance and style, prepare to recalibrate your substance and style meter. The ESV takes everything on the standard Escalade and makes it bigger and/or better. The most obvious modification being the Chevrolet Suburban chassis that underpins the ESV in place of the standard-length Tahoe chassis found on lesser Escalades. That modification gives the ESV an extra 22-inches of sheetmetal and 20-inches of interior length, providing substantially increased room for you and your 6-member posse. The ESV is bigger than other Escalades, no doubt, but is it good enough to warrant a $70,675 asking price? We borrowed one for a week to find out. Read more…
When it came time to design a new Pathfinder, Nissan had to satisfy two camps.
On one side were the loyalists who surely wanted the Pathfinder to be a Japanese Jeep, the kind of truck that’s reliable, affordable, rugged and capable of driving just about anywhere. They’re the kind of buyers who don’t give a rip about comfort, so long as they can traverse Death Valley without breaking a sweat. Read more…
Chevy Finally Gets On The Small Car Radar
It’s news to no one that Chevy’s Cavalier hasn’t been a class leader since, well, never. It’s always been rough, underpowered, uncomfortable and devoid of style. The only way Chevy was able to move so many was to keep its sticker price low and fuel economy high. But times change and now even the most basic new cars offer comfortable seats and decent stereos. Some, like the Mazda3, are even great looking. Bob Lutz and the leadership of Chevrolet knew their next small car had to offer more than the Cavalier ever could if they wanted buyers back in GM showrooms without baiting them with thousands of dollars in incentives. To that end, a new platform, dubbed Delta, was used and lofty goals were set for the Cobalt. We recently spent time in both the sedan and coupe versions and are happy to report that the Cobalt is no Cavalier. Read more…
Before I write about how much I love this car, I’ve got to get one thing off my chest.
I think it’s ugly.
No, make that dang ugly. Michael Moore ugly. Pontiac Aztek ugly. Roseanne Barr naked and covered in zits ugly. Read more…
American Muscle With German Training
Excitement builds as I clamber up the hill to the CTS-V parked on the crest. So docile this Caddy looks, resting on muscular haunches, flanks gleaming in the autumn afternoon sun. My pulse quickens as I stretch out my hand to the driver’s door. Heart racing I slide into the seat and twist the key, the LS6 V8 wakes from its slumber. A deep mellow pulse reverberates from the tailpipes. Buckle up; it’s time to ride! Read more…
You know you drive a big SUV when it comes standard with a rear-view camera.
Infiniti’s yacht-size luxury SUV, the QX56, comes from the factory with a fish-eye camera mounted above the license plate on the rear bumper to eliminate a big blind spot when backing up. Read more…
Cross Sport Mini Something-Or-Other
You know it’s bad when even the minivans don’t want to be known as minivans. GM is calling these latest renditions, crossover sport vans. No, the minivan segment is seeing nowhere near the booming growth it was in the early 90’s. However, this practical method of mobility still has many great functionality purposes. Like it or not, the minivan is still the more economical and practical way for getting the kids to and from soccer practice, much more so than dad’s full-size V8 SUV. Read more…
With so many variations of the Envoy available, it seems GMC is trying to make an SUV for everybody.
After starting with the basic Envoy in 2002 — a solid, midsize SUV with a nice ride and quiet cabin — the honchos at General Motors decided it wasn’t big enough. So a longer version was created and dubbed the Envoy XL. Read more…
Good Medicine
There are certain things people should experience in life. Things so utterly enjoyable that they will temporarily mask the deepest worry and eliminate all stress. Driving a new Corvette convertible is among these things. In fact, the new C6 and its 400hp can work wonders for almost any ailment. Read more…
