Car Reviews
1975 Honda Civic CVCC and ’79 CVCC Wagon Retro Review: The Civic’s Beginnings, Explained
In 1975 carmakers had a problem. Their products spewed too much noxious crud out of their tailpipes, and the EPA, by dint of the 1970 Muskie Bill—known as the Clean Air Act—said automakers had to clean up their act. Naturally, nearly every automaker cried foul, claiming that doing anything whatsoever to protect the environment or their customer base’s health would immediately bankrupt them and cost jobs. When no one listened to their sob story, they were forced en masse to innovate. Federal law mandated that unleaded fuel would be available at all gas stations on July 1, 1974, meaning that cars could be equipped with exhaust-scrubbing catalytic converters (lead poisons the catalysts inside the converters), allowing the 90 percent reduction in emissions the EPA regulated. People were ...
2021 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class First Look: Bach in the High Life Again
Until recently, modern-day Maybachs have mostly flown under the radar. The “original” 2003 Maybach 57 and 62 largely looked like old Mercedes-Benz S-Classes. Both were unceremoniously discontinued in 2012 after having their lunch eaten by the day’s Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur (née Continental Flying Spur). But that started to change with the reconstitution of the ultra-luxury badge as the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand. The first 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 didn’t move any design needles, but the resemblance to Mercedes models was more forgivable, and vehicles such as the special 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet and new 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 made the brand relevant to the SUV-crazed ultra-wealthy. With the reveal of the 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, standout styling,...
2022 Subaru BRZ First Ride: Shotgun in the New Sports Car!
Since its debut in 2012, the Subaru BRZ has focused on delivering great handling. We’ve heaped piles of praise upon it—and rightly so. Small, light, agile, great suspension, great balance, low price, the ability to carry four tires with the rear seats folded flat—those are the ingredients that make up a great sports car. Remember, we put it one place ahead of a McLaren (and way ahead of a Lamborghini) at the 2012 Best Driver’s Car. That out of the way, the Subaru BRZ has long had two flaws. One, the design was a missed opportunity. Front-engine, rear-drive coupes lend themselves naturally to sleek, sexy shapes (Jaguar E-Type, Shelby Cobra, Datsun Zs, almost every Aston Martin ever built). Sadly, the first-generation BRZ had weird headlights, fake vents, and a softness to the rear end that ...
2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros and Cons Review: Properly Appealing
Pro Impressive base model Fun, quality interior AMG engine Con Melty exterior design Some cheap bits Rough ride The democratization of luxury has proven difficult for many premium brands, none more so than Mercedes-Benz. Pilloried for its cynical first attempt at the entry-luxury CLA-Class subcompact sedan, the folks from Stuttgart could have packed it in. Instead, they doubled down, first with the A-Class (a 2020 COTY finalist) but then with the second-gen 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA, which is nothing short of impressive. So impressive, in fact, that it is also a Car of the Year finalist. View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here “The previous version always felt built to a price and like it had been finished by Mercedes’ van division,” features editor Christian Seabaugh sa...
2021 Hyundai Sonata Pros and Cons Review: Are All of Its Many Flavors Great?
Pros Fun N Line variant Good value Roomy back seats Cons Unrefined transmission Fishy front-end styling Ride quality The 2021 Hyundai Sonata makes a compelling case to grab our Golden Calipers this year with bold styling and an expanded lineup, which includes a hybrid and a new N Line model powered by a powerful turbo-four engine. With consumers continuing to gravitate to crossovers, will the revived Sonata be enough to slow the trend? And can it rise above the midsize segment’s juggernauts, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord? View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here The biggest surprise in the lineup is the new Sonata N Line. Enthusiasts looking for a practical yet fun midsize sedan will likely find a lot to like with this one, including a 2.5-liter turbocharged ...
2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe Pros and Cons Review: The Looks and the Moves
Pros Gorgeous styling Strong inline-six Four-door practicality Cons Pricey Unrefined stop/start system Cramped rear headroom The BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe won’t set any sales charts ablaze, but based on our judges’ notes, it might be the most desirable car in the automaker’s lineup. And why wouldn’t it be? Yes, it’s a sedan version of the very attractive BMW 8 Series coupe, but it manages to be just as gorgeous. The coupe’s most standout styling details—its wide haunches, frameless doors, and long hood—translate well to the Gran Coupe. And the practicality of its rear doors is just icing on the cake. View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here “The proportions are just stellar,” senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said. “Just how you drew up cars on your Pee-Chee folders...
2020 Nissan Sentra Pros and Cons Review: Competitive Again, It Aims at Honda’s Civic
Pro Surprising style Standard safety tech Features per dollar Con Average fuel economy Poor retained value Lumpy CVT tuning Nissan has done it. After years of wallowing in econobox mediocrity, the compact Sentra sedan matters again. Even without the head-turning two-tone paint of our test car, this Nissan can compete head-on with the Toyota Corolla and almost every other car in the segment. View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here True, this isn’t a comparison test, but judges found it impossible not to consider the new-for-2020 Nissan Sentra against an aging but still excellent class leader, the Civic. “The Honda Civic looms large,” senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said, “and in terms of engineering excellence, I don’t think the Sentra has that bogey beat.” Stil...
2021 Mercedes E-Class Pros and Cons Review: Business Class Gets an Upgrade
Pro Excellent chassis Great powertrains Premium interior Con Complicated infotainment Gets pricey quickly Climb into a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, in either sedan, coupe, convertible, or wagon form, and you will understand the true meaning of luxury. For 2021, Mercedes has freshened the E-Class‘s sheetmetal, updated its engines, and upgraded its infotainment system. View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here From the graining of the dashboard wood to the suppleness of the heated, ventilated, posture-correct leather seats, the E-Class delivers a premium experience. Yet it also is thoroughly modern, from the robust yet efficient responsiveness of its powertrain to the plethora of high-tech features. “The E-Class delivers on every front you can think of—both from a pa...
2020 Porsche Taycan Pros and Cons Review: Digital Bloodlines
Pros Weak-in-the-knees looks Phenomenal performance Drives like a Porsche should Cons Inefficient in a market that demands efficiency Insufficient range Very pricey The CliffsNotes summary of the electric Porsche Taycan is this: a staggeringly impressive vehicle that struggled against some of our Car of the Year criteria. View Other 2021 Car Of The Year Contenders And Finalists Here Remember, we employ six key criteria when evaluating cars during COTY, which is how the $26,000 Nissan Sentra is able to be in the same competition with a $146,000 electric Porsche. The Taycan knocked several of those criteria out of the park. But let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first. “You are looking at the least efficient fully electric vehicle currently produced today, period,” Zach Gale said. “How d...
2021 Genesis G80 Pros and Cons Review: Awesome Yet Disappointing
Genesis G80 Full Overview Pro Great back seat Luxe features without the price Cool interior details Con Engine refinement issues Subpar ride/handling Quicker/more efficient competition We really wanted to love the 2021 Genesis G80, but the midsize luxury sedan segment requires a delicate touch the redesigned model just doesn’t deliver. Genesis has nailed certain aspects while leaving us cold in others. The most basic compliment we can pay the G80 is thanking Genesis for continuing to offer a sedan in this price range. While Genesis was putting final touches on the 2021 G80, the Acura RLX, Lexus GS, and Lincoln Continental were discontinued, leaving the luxury sedan world three cars the poorer. You don’t get a prize just for showing up, though. Genesis attempts to earn its place...
2021 BMW 4 Series Pros and Cons Review: Lovely to Drive, Awful to Look At
BMW 4-Series Full Overview Pro Great engine Great handling Great ride Con That face Same old interior Gesture control There is a well-traveled rumor that the 2021 BMW 4 Series exterior design team has been reassigned to styling door handles and seat belt mountings for the rest of their careers. OK, maybe that’s fake news. But it does prove that Germans have a sense of humor. Regardless, buying a BMW 4 Series for its dynamic thrills is going to result in people asking you lots of questions, starting not with, “How does it drive?” but rather, “When was your last eye exam?” Which is a shame, because the BMW M440i xDrive coupe is a blast. See all 23 photos But first, we must discuss design. BMW’s signature kidney grilles are suffering from hydronephrosis. Ma...
From the Archives: OG Hummer vs. Six SUV Icons in a 1990s Torture Test!
The reveal of the new GMC Hummer electric pickup had us digging through the archives for more Hummer stories. Here’s one of our favorites, a 1999 Death Valley torture test pitting the AM General Hummer (also known as the Hummer H1) up against the Ford Excursion, GMC Yukon XL, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz ML430, and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Enjoy it; we sure did.—Ed. Our premise for this test is simple: Today’s mega-dollar, leather-swathed, SUVs are as prevalent as BMWs in Beverly Hills, but are they any good when the road turns to rocks and scorpions outnumbering Starbucks a million to none? Simply put, are luxury SUVs merely tarted-up wimps or the vehicular equivalent of James Bond outfitted in his best tux? To put seven pricey SUVs to a thorough ...
