Car Reviews and Ratings

2008 Audi R8 Long Term Test

By Jay Shoemaker
July 5, 2008 -

I've been pining for the Audi R8 since I first laid eyes on the "Le Mans" show car five years ago. Last February, I test drove Audi's 911 redo in Vegas (baby). Although I found the R8 lacked some of the the Porsche Turbo's user-friendly OMG WTFitiude, Audi gave their everyday supercar a far more appealing wrapper than the ass-engined Nazi slot car (thank you P.J. O'Rourke). Although I knew the movie Ironman would define R8 ownership for non-owners, I was willing to take the risk of being associated with an actor who's spent more time in rehab than any five celebutantes you can name. So I placed an order and arranged for delivery of my R8 at the Neckarsulm factory.

2008 Audi R8 Long Term Test continued »

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 11 comments

1997 General Motors EV-1 Review

By Michael Posner
July 4, 2008 -

Ten years ago, my local electric company invited me to participate in a two-week test of the then-new General Motors EV-1 electric car. After some detailed vetting, including a ten page questionnaire and a long focus group (with the de rigueur one-way mirror), I was selected to receive an electric-powered GM two-seater. For those of you who wonder who killed the electric car, it was me. 

1997 General Motors EV-1 Review continued »

Posted in Electric Cars | Car Reviews | 74 comments

2008 Mustang Bullitt Review: Take Two

By Jonny Lieberman
July 2, 2008 -

I've driven a lot of new Mustangs. Specifically, the V6 Convertible, GT, GT Convertible, GT California Special, Hertz GT-H, Shelby GT and the Shelby GT500 (coupe and convertible). The only ones I've missed are the V6 hard top (I'll pass) and the Shelby GT500KR. After last week, I can check the 2008 Bullitt Mustang off my pony car to-do list. Limited to "just" 7700 examples, the Bullitt follows the path laid down by its cinematic inspiration: green paint, black wheels, limited badging and more power. As a veteran ‘Stang wrangler, let me tell you how the latest iteration stacks up against the other stallions…

2008 Mustang Bullitt Review: Take Two continued »

2008 Mustang Bullitt rating summary and performance review: Take Two

Posted in Ford | Car Reviews | 37 comments

2008 Audi TT 2.0T Convertible Review

By P.J. McCombs
June 30, 2008 -

I drove the Audi TT 2.0T Convertible prepared to hate it. Its wrong-wheel-drive, mandatory two-pedal transmission, extra-chunky-style curb weight and econobox-based platform violates all that I hold sacred in a two-seat drop top. Similar formulas have belched forth such embarrassments as Mercury’s legendary (for all the wrong reasons) Capri. But the topless TT is no Capri. And thank Gott for that.

2008 Audi TT 2.0T Convertible Review continued »

2008 Audi TT 2.0T Convertible rating summary and performance review

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 25 comments

2008 Mazda6i Review

By Sajeev Mehta
June 27, 2008 -

We hear reports that Mazda is fueling its growth by stocking American rental companies with product. Normally, this sales strategy is a sure way to run a brand into the ground; to ensure that factories build The Least Objectionable Automobile rather than something inherently worthwhile. Not in this case. In fact, you could say that Ford's Japanese partner has created the world largest, perhaps best demo fleet for the four-cylinder Mazda6i. If you have a choice, make it your default option.

2008 Mazda6i Review continued »

2008 Mazda6i rating summary and performance review

Posted in Mazda | Car Reviews | 93 comments

2009 Acura TSX Review

By Justin Berkowitz
June 25, 2008 -

You may not know this, but Acura has only two executives. One of them oversees the design and build of fantastic, fun, reliable, affordable cars. This suit was responsible for all the Integras, the NSX, the Legend and the original TSX. The other executive has the reverse Midas touch. He botched the RSX, let the NSX stagnate for a decade, and shot the Legend in the head and gave us the RL. And now, that sonofabitch got his hands on the new TSX. To say the result is disappointing is to say that gas is becoming a bit dear. Advance? I don't think so.

2009 Acura TSX Review continued »

2009 Acura TSX rating summary and performance review

Posted in Acura | Car Reviews | 126 comments

2008 Ford Mustang V6 Convertible Review

By Samir Syed
June 23, 2008 -

July's Car and Driver pits a new Ford Mustang against a new Dodge Challenger and joyfully proclaims "it's 1970 again!" Wrong. It's 1973 again, the year of the Arab Oil Embargo. This time there's plenty of gas at the pumps, but its price has thrown the U.S. car market into the same chaos/doldrums that afflicted it the year FedEx was born. Back then, the Mustang's pony car competition rolled over and died. Today, the Mustang faces new challengers with a convertible that gets 17/26 mpg. How great is that?

2008 Ford Mustang V6 Convertible Review continued »

2008 Ford Mustang V6 Convertible rating summary and performance review

Posted in Ford | Car Reviews | 66 comments

2008 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI Review

By Jonny Lieberman
June 20, 2008 -

The VW Phaeton was the answer to a question no one asked: who wants to buy a $70k Volkswagen? Marketing mishegos aside, "Piech's folly" is a superb car: relatively quick, preposterously quiet and completely comfortable. Lest we forget, VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech is something of a master engineer. He was directly responsible for Porsche's 917; a race car so dominant they canceled the entire race series. Piech also willed the Bugatti Veyron into existence. The Touareg V10 TDI was born from the same world-crushing crucible as the Phaeton and the Veyron. So, how does the uber-oil burner measure up?

2008 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI Review continued »

2008 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI rating summary and performance review

Posted in Volkswagen | Car Reviews | 76 comments

2007 Chevrolet Express 3500 Review

By Mike Solowiow
June 18, 2008 -

I greeted my temporary assignment to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada with joyful anticipation. After numerous hours in an E-3 looking for simulated bogeys over the Mojave Desert, the proximity to Sin City was a welcome reprieve. Stepping down from my jet, Technical Sgt. Peters handed me a set of keys and pointed to the terminal's parking lot. Examining the plate number on the tag, and seeing a Chevy emblem on the key, I expected a minivan. Instead, a ginormous Express 3500 15-Passenger van assaulted my vision. For this I defend my country?

2007 Chevrolet Express 3500 Review continued »

2007 Chevrolet Express 3500 rating summary and performance review

Posted in Chevrolet | Car Reviews | 102 comments

2009 Toyota Matrix S AWD vs. 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 5-Door

By Edward Niedermeyer
June 16, 2008 -

At some point in our recent automotive history, all wheel-drive (AWD) replaced front wheel-drive as the paranoid consumer's drivetrain of choice. The safety advantages of high quality snow tires (as needed) and a low center of gravity (in all cases) got lost in translation. Ready to capitalize on the AWD's popularity: the economy-oriented Toyota Matrix and the Subaru Impreza. Both diminutive scramblers aren't nearly as cheap or efficient as their front-wheel-drive cousins, and they won't off-road, tow a boat or carry seven passengers. Still, both cars offer a [potential] extra safety margin and [potentially] better handling. So if you had to choose one...

2009 Toyota Matrix S AWD vs. 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 5-Door continued »

Posted in Toyota | Subaru | Car Reviews | 53 comments