Carlos Ghosn was never one to pull his punches. Even at the peak of his power at the helm of one of the world’s largest automakers, he always had a lot to say. So following his daring escape from Japanese prosecution for alleged financial crimes, nobody should have expected the former Nissan-Renault boss in exile … Read more
In the grand, glowing mural of NPC cars (for all you noobs out there, that’s a “non-playable character”), very few do anything to stand out. Every small car has a four-cylinder engine—maybe hybridized—and gets good fuel economy. Every small car is comfortable and reliable. And for the most part, every small car is pretty nice … 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
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
Let’s play a game. Without Googling, how many manual hatchbacks are still being sold at this moment in the United States? Not that many, right? My own brain informs me that they are the Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Hyundai Veloster N, Subaru Impreza hatch, and this, the 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback. They’re a dying breed, … Read more
On the snaking, cambered twists of Bear Divide in the Angeles National Forest of Southern California, the 2020 Honda Civic Type R blew everything I ever knew about front-wheel drive to smithereens. I’m an FWD evangelist and I still cannot believe what Honda achieved here. Forget about torque-steer management, the way the Type R behaves … Read more
The 2022 Honda Civic Si is one of the few affordable sport compacts still around and kicking from the segment’s heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. As a younger car enthusiast, I didn’t understand why this spruced-up economy car somehow outlived its more bombastic rivals, like the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Mazdaspeed 3. What did … Read more
There are certain cars people like to put on a pedestal. Ferraris immediately come to mind, as do Porsche 911s, and—for very different reasons—Teslas. Arguably, the BMW M5 also falls into this category. The E39 version from the early 2000s is routinely recognized as one of the greatest sedans, if not one of the greatest … Read more
Despite its proximity to the States, there are quite a few cars available up here in Canada that aren’t sold in the so-called land of the free. Keen readers of The Drive may remember my jaunts in the Canada-only and surprisingly fun manual Nissan Sentra and the not-as-fun-as-I’d-hoped manual Kia Forte5. In this latest edition … Read more
In 1977, Honda stood at a crossroads in the United States. The success of its sub-$3,000, fuel-sipping, stripped-out CVCC Civic established it as a manufacturer that could compete with… well, what passed as Detroit’s finest economy vehicles at the time, no doubt. Admittedly, that was a low bar to clear. In the struggling domestic subcompact … Read more