From their beginnings, BMWs have been best judged from the driver’s seat. The new BMW X7 demands a change of perspective: Many owners will base critiques of this long-awaited three-row “Sports Activity Vehicle” on its ability to comfortably accommodate their children, other people’s children, and all the crap a conspicuously-consuming family can pack aboard. That’s … Read more
I’m aiming the new BMW Z4 roadster toward the snow-stubbled peaks of California’s Santa Rosa and San Jacinto range with the top down, gunning its frisky, 2.0-liter turbo four. Cigar-smoke clouds gather above the piñon trees, then exhale a sudden shower onto Highway 74— and into the BMW’s red-leather interior—as I ride this Tilt-a-Whirl of … Read more
Every day brings us news of a new crossover, another axed manual transmission, the latest downsized engine or some advancement in autonomous technology. It’s easy to worry that the future of cars will only mean transportation appliances instead of things that are actually fun to drive, let alone meant to be driven by humans instead … Read more
Unibody pickup trucks are having something of a moment. The 2022 Ford Maverick garnered tons of attention earlier this month and the hype around the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has been years in the making. For me at least, driving the unibody truck everyone knows and loves to hate—the 2021 Honda Ridgeline—reaffirmed that Americans need … Read more
I don’t like roller coasters for the simple fact that I don’t like not being in control. The thought of strapping myself in for a high-speed ride where I’m not the driver just makes me cringe. You’d think that maybe I just don’t like speed, but you’d be wrong. As a kid, I raced go-karts, … Read more
I don’t consider myself a truck guy, per se, nor have I really manifested an interest in buying one. I just don’t have truck needs or truck dreams. But then the coronavirus happened, and like everyone else, I ended up locked up inside my apartment for months, spending my days playing video games and smoking … Read more
I think at this point we can all safely agree Truck Guy is the most ridiculous type of car enthusiast. From coal rolling to Crab Walk to the Ram driver in my county with the “FUCK YOUR FEELINGS” banner across his back window, something is deeply not right with many of America’s pickup truck drivers. … Read more
“SUV racing will be the next big thing in motorsports,” said no one ever. Unless you count the Dakar Rally or SCORE off-road racing. (And I do remember seeing a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Tiki Bar theme getting lapped numerous times at a LeMons race.) Seriously, though, it’s not a thing. And yet … Read more
My whole outlook on road cars changed when I tested an absurdly-loud 5.0-liter V8 Mustang, and I probably owe some people who I dismissed as backward Luddites over the years an apology. Exhaust notes have never really been a must-have for me in a car. They’re enjoyable as all hell, but am I going to … Read more
What’s in a name? If you guessed “the fragile sociocultural constructs on which we all depend to define ourselves, our lives and our very reality,” congratulations: you know what’s going on here. Everything’s in a name, of course, which is why you’ve locked eyes on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, and not the 2021 Ford … Read more