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
Rather than inching up on anything using the word “autonomous,” Ford’s positioning for its ready-to-launch BlueCruise seems to be an exercise in understatement. Making smart use of its already available suite of driver-assist technologies, BlueCruise is essentially a sophisticated take on adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping. The Ford “hands-free highway driving technology” allows for unfettered driving … Read more
As BMW slices and dices segments like an automotive Fruit Ninja, a few bad apples are bound to splat on the showroom floor. The misshapen 3-Series GT comes to mind. The 5-Series GT, too. Awaiting our tech inspection at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the new X4 M40i looks to be another odd genetic mix, an … Read more
I’ve been in love with high-performance wagons all my life, as I suspect is the case with most people who have petrol running through their veins. There is something about the melding of the utilitarian form of a station wagon with the powertrain of a supercar that is eternally enticing. As such, I have considered … Read more
Down here in the Land of the Poors, sedans may be going out of style and are being replaced by crossovers but there’s one relatively niche segment of sedan that I suspect isn’t going anywhere any time soon: the full-size luxury executive limo. The Mercedes-Benz S-Classes of the world. The Audi A8s. And, yes, the … Read more