Reviews : Car News And Reviews

Sliding out of the Audi A4 S Line from the week prior and into the A5 Sportback brought with it a sense of acceptance in the knowing that change can be a good thing. Here’s a car that costs just a fuzz more than the vehicle I had just driven, yet opts for a sloping rear roofline that discreetly hides a hatch instead of closed trunk.

In the past few years, Lexus has been going through quite a renaissance. They’ve shaken their stodgy, conservative reputation for one that is bolder and more aggressive. Just as Lexus received criticism in the past for being too bland or too vanilla, now they receive some criticism for being too stylized and too edgy.

When I first drove the current generation of the Audi A4 2.0T Quattro a couple years back, I was left impressed by its precise driving characteristics and polished interior and tech. Almost perfectly packaged and visually alluring in a variety of subtle ways, this unassuming junior executive commuter car is a prime example of what understated entry-level German luxury looks like.

Volvo has long been known for the safety and reliability of their vehicles, but it wasn’t until the past decade that they’ve really stepped up their design game. Following in the footsteps of their stellar XC90, S90, V90, and XC60, Volvo is back with another winner – a vehicle that envelops the best of Swedish sensibilities in a single package.

It’s time to face the facts. Compact crossovers aren’t just a flash-in-the-pan trend, they’re a juggernaut within the auto industry. They’re not going anywhere any time soon. So even though I find many of them boring, or with looks like they were drawn by a seven-year-old, I have to come to grips with reality.

There are two classes of vehicles out there: the kind that needs to be thoroughly reworked, and the kind that needs to be left untouched because it’s already pretty darn good. I recently had the chance to hop behind the wheel of a vehicle that falls into the latter category, the 2019 Mazda MX-5.

While plenty of car manufacturers like to slap the “GT” moniker on cars that are anything but Grand Tourers, Kia actually got it right with the Stinger GT. This is the very definition of a GT car, offering performance, comfort, handling, and enough room to bring all the luggage you need to take a cross-country road trip through the twistiest and most scenic routes you can find.

Few things typify the American way more than big SUVs. Just like the big pickup trucks that they share platforms with, the full-size SUV is like a throwback to what the auto industry used to be before crossovers took over.

For years, Honda has teased us with glimpses of the Civic Type R ripping around on foreign soil; a 4-piston piece of Japanese engineered agility and hi-revving revelry with zero interest in sitting on American sales floors.

What is there to say about the Honda Civic Type R that hasn’t already been said? It’s lightning quick, only comes with a manual and a clutch pedal, can stow all sorts of stuff inside its oh-so practical Honda hatch, and looks like a high school kid’s rendition of what a tuned Japanese rocket ship should look like in real life.

“Sam, you need to grow up,” said numerous friends and every family members who are still alive. My response is always an ardent, “No.” Look, I don’t want to grown up, I’m a Toys R’ Us kid and while Toys R’ Us is out of business, Hot Wheels is not.

For as long as it has existed in the Hyundai lineup, the Veloster has been a fun little car to look at. I’ve always loved its low and lean hatchback styling, and its quirky, asymmetrical 3-door layout.

95Octane’s tagline is “Cars that don’t suck.” So, then how can I review a subcompact car with a price tag under $20k and a little four banger with a puny amount of horsepower? Simple, the 2018 Kia Rio belongs here at 95Octane because despite its entry-level nature, it doesn’t suck.

Once you’ve reached the pinnacle of your profession and made your first billion, why not let everyone know about it? One of the best and most comfortable ways to do that is in the ultra luxurious, ultra quiet, ultra comfortable, and ultra expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom.

If you look around at the numerous sport utility vehicles on the market, their marketing campaigns are often associated with an adventurous lifestyle. While most SUV owners will never leave the paved roads of their cities and suburbs, most will tell you they just like knowing their vehicle COULD go off-road in the event of a zombie apocalypse.