2008 BMW M3, Part Three

You like power, speed and reliability all wrapped up in a compact, five-seat package. You accept no imitations. You like driving. You loved your Porsche 911, but need room for baby seats. You don't need to brag. You're likely to ask "What do you mean it doesn't come in 'P***Y...

Nov 15, 2024

2009 BMW X6, Part One

The isn't great on a racetrack. This thought occurs during my third lap when I realize — the throttle wide open, exiting a corner at 100mph — this may not be the best sports car out there. My next thought is "But this is a 4,993lbs SUV." And that's the...

Nov 15, 2024

BMW X6, Part Two

Like many parts of the , its looks are promising yet flawed. Doing a great job of disguising its bulk — the X6 is huge, that lip on the rear hatch is taller than an F-150's tailgate and the pictured wheels are 20-inchers — they're nevertheless awkward in some places...

Nov 15, 2024

BMW X6, Part Three

Odd vehicles fascinate you. You're open-minded and prepared to accept that a big, tall, heavy SUV can out-drive many a sports car. You always wanted a but are locked into a world of lease agreements. Your heart says sports car but your head says, "You live at the end of...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part One

The full title of this review is ", Part One or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love my Yuppie Ass" but the kicker wouldn't look good on the page. I do my best to pass myself off as anything-but-a-yuppie. Preferring to rock cheap chinos, a hoody and an...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part Two

Whereas the platform buddy Ford Escape never manages to look tough enough and the other derivative, the Mazda Tribute, looks like a child with some sort of neurological condition, the appears exactly as it should. By far the best looking of the trio, the conservative looks fare well next to...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part Three

You want a luxury SUV that isn't blinged out or foreign. Your expectation of what luxury entails is fairly low. You don't like driving but you're too lazy to ride a bicycle. You give money to groups that support eco-friendly candidates but you don't actually vote. You live by the...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Honda Accord Coupe, Part One

The isn't immune to road rage. Driving back to Brooklyn on the LIE, scrunched forward on the steering wheel with a back seat full of reasonably-priced, but well-designed Ikea flat pack behind, I'm minding my own business in the middle lane, overtaking the law-abiders on the right but not the...

Nov 15, 2024

2009 Honda Pilot, Part One

The isn't the fastest or most exciting car to go on sale this year, nor is it the best looking. But, if we're honest with ourselves — which honestly, we aren't very often — it's probably the one we should buy. But that's the problem with honesty, it just isn't...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Honda Accord Coupe, Part Two

In places the is woefully bland, in others awkwardly edgy. And what's with the rubber strip running across the hood? Having said that, it packs space for five and their luggage into a reasonably svelte shape, we suppose that's something. As seen here in EX-L trim it's possitvly posh. The...

Nov 15, 2024

2009 Honda Pilot, Part Two

The nicely embodies traditional SUV themes in a package that looks more compact than it actually is and manages to convey an approachability and friendliness lacking in its competitors. Shame it's just a little boring. Everything a family needs and more laid out in an intuitive but very buttony way....

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Honda Accord Coupe, Part Three

You've always bought Accords and the will merely be the latest. You don't know much about cars but you do know that you don't want to buy American. You fit the above criteria, but despite the physical onset of middle age you think you're too young for a four door....

Nov 15, 2024

2009 Honda Pilot, Part Three

You have kids and take them places. Those places include bulk discount stores, the mountains, the beach, Home Depot and lacrosse practice. The utility in SUV appeals more than the style or image. You find the prospect of carrying sheets of plywood bizarrely intriguing. You need to tow, but don't...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Suzuki Swift: Around The Block

When we found out Suzuki had an event with a Euro-only just a short distance from Chicago we jumped at the chance to take it for a quick spin. A volume seller in Europe, Asia and other markets, the Swift has a mostly inglorious past here in the states as...

Nov 15, 2024

2008 Mazda RX-8, Part One

I'm going to go ahead and hazard a marketing-based guess that the good folks at Mazda want me to think of the 40th Anniversary Edition as the culmination of their design and engineering genius. Unfortunately, the first thing going through my mind was that the suicide-doored, rotary-engined little 2+2 is...

Nov 15, 2024