2014 Spyker C8 Review

    Recently, I reviewed the Morgan Three-Wheeler, which is made by a small England-based company that has been around since the 1920's. And some of you might think that all of the small, 3-5 car companies are all British, but that's where you're wrong. Spyker, a small Dutch company founded in 1880, has been producing car almost as long as Mercedes-Benz, which is pretty impressive. Their first contribution to the world of transportation was the Golden Carriage, an impressive carriage which is golden (obviously). About a year later, they created the Spyker 60 HP, which is the first ever  four-wheel-drive car with a single engine. But now, their main car is called the C8, which is a relatively expensive sports car. Keeping the sports-car theme, it uses an Audi-derived 4.2 liter V8 that produces 400 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 in that car takes 4.5 seconds, which isn't exactly groundbreaking, but is still faster than a Subaru WRX STI, which I reviewed yesterday. But, if you are crazy about speed and power, there is a more performance-oriented GT2R version, which uses a 3.8 liter engine that produces 450 hp and a slightly lower 310 pound-feet of torque. That does 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, which is as fast as a Chevrolet Corvette. The interior is beautiful. I can't think of another car in its class with a more stylish interior. But in reality, this $225,000 car is a little too showy and a little down on performance and focus on driving. 

BTW: Love the doors

2015 Subaru WRX STI Review

    I find Japanese cars to be a safe choice when buying any type of car. What I mean by that is you know that any car you pick from a brand like Mazda or Toyota is going to be reliable, safe, comfortable, and get relatively good mpg. But one thing is true about four out of the five brands: they all have a flagship car. Mazda has the Miata, Nissan has the GT-R, and Honda has the Accord (rather boringly), and Toyota has the Prius. But Subaru hasn't had a real showroom car until now. Even though it's been around for a while, it has never been so cool or impressive that is has been worthy of being a flagship. And for good reason, because it has a 305-hp, 2.5 liter turbocharged four-cylinder that is capable of doing 0-60 in an astonishing 5.1 seconds. The interior is all-business, with good ergonomics and designed to be as functional as possible. I am glad that Subaru now has a flagship, but I think it should be a little more iconic, and maybe try to convey Subaru's rally image better.

2014 Porsche 918 Spyder Review

   Over the years, Porsche has created a reputation for having extremely pricey cars and extremely pricey options lists. For example, carbon-ceramic brakes on a Cayenne Turbo S cost $8,840. That is ridiculous. For four performance brake calipers, you pay about 200% of what you should pay for them. But their latest high-performance supercar is even more ridiculous. It is called the 918 spyder, and with a base price of $845,000, it is about double the cost of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, which is arguably the best luxury car in the world. Another crazy number: 887 hp. Thanks to the hybrid engine setup, the Porsche newbie does 0-60 takes 2.5 seconds. Lastly, it did a lap around the Nurburgring with a time of 6 minutes and 57 seconds, which breaks several records. But it is a shame that this incredible performance comes at such a high price. But guess what? There's another new performance-oriented Porsche out, and it may be slower, but it is about a twelfth of the 918's price. It's called the Cayman GTS.

2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 Review

    If I had to choose one car to drive on a day-to-day basis, I would probably choose some sort of small luxury sport sedan, like the Ghibli. The reason I would take this type of car is because if you drive it 1-3 hours a day, you would want something fun to drive, but something that is practical and comfortable at the same time. And the the Italians know how to make this fusion of luxury and sport so well. Over the years, the Quattroporte has built a reputation for being incredibly upscale and executive, yet still essentially remaining a four-door Ferrari. Some say the new generation of the Quattroporte isn't as great as the first, but honestly, I don't care. And the new Ghibli does such a good job of being a smaller and more affordable version of the Quattroporte. Part of its amazing personality is thanks to its twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter V6 that produces a respectable 404 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque. 0-60 takes an impressive 4.5 seconds, which is in the same area as the main competition, such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the BMW 650i Gran Coupe, and the Audi A7. But what's most important is if it sells. Car&Driver said "why isn't it beautiful?" but I think it is extraordinary. And that's what's wrong with a lot of cars: they are too hit-or-miss.

2014 Morgan 3-Wheeler Review

    Most of you are probably used to the typical carbon-fiber supercar with some crazy 6.0 liter V12 and a sub-3.0 second 0-60 time being the best driver's car out there. But there is one car that is just as incredible to drive, but is a little out of the ordinary. It doesn't even have four wheels. It is called the Morgan 3-Wheeler. Founded in 1909, the British company Morgan has been making the 3-wheeler for a good amount of time. Production started in 1919, and ended in 1950. Then, in 2012, the car made a worldwide reappearance and since then, it has taken the car world's heart. It has a 116-hp 4-valve V2 engine, which is about the biggest engine they could fit in the tiny "bonnet." 0-60 takes 6.9 seconds, which isn't exactly ground-breaking, but is better than a Mitsubishi Mirage, which is something. The top speed is limited to 100mph, which I find disappointing, but yet reassuring, because the idea of going 190 miles an hour seems really unsafe. Morgan has actually been really clever with the placement of the 3rd wheel, because if they put it in the front (as displayed on Top Gear with the Reliant Robin hatchback failure), you would flip over on even the smallest turns. 

Tuning Firms/Companies

    Until about a month or two ago, I didn't know that tuned cars are getting increasingly popular. For example, companies like Brabus take cars from mainstream brands like Mercedes-Benz or Maybach, and then make modifications to the given car to make it faster, nicer, and plain cooler. There is a good number of tuning companies out there, such as Brabus, Mansory, Singer, Carlsson, and Hamann. In most cases, the firm just makes modifications to things like the bodywork, the engine displacement, and handling/performance. In other cases, the company's focus will be on the interior, or even stretching the car to make a limousine. Usually with custom coach-builders, the car is armored, mainly because the customer is a celebrity or political figure. One major company that does this is Carat Security Group, which is globally known to do an incredible job of tanking cars such as the Rolls-Royce Phantom or the Maybach 62, and armoring and/or stretching the specific vehicle.

2015 Cadillac Escalade Review

    Some people might call Cadillac an incredible brand, and others might call it an abomination. But one thing is true: their Escalade SUV has done incredibly well in the market, wether the customer was looking for a comfortable mom-car or a blingy tank-like thing of a car. After a 7-year production period, the third-generation was finally replaced by the current Escalade, which was revealed on October 7th, 2014. The new generation shares the platform (as usual) from the Chevrolet Suburban and the GMC Yukon. The interior and exterior has been almost completely redesigned, and for good reason. The old fascia, headlights, and overall feel of the car was getting old, and it deserved to be replaced. The engine is GM's EcoTech 6.2 liter V8, which produces 420 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque. There will be two variants of the new Escalade: a standard 202.5-inch length, and a 224.3-inch EXT model.