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Just about any major automaker in the world could probably build a Veyron beater if it wanted to. All it would have to do is write its development engineers a blank check and be prepared to lose a truck-load of money on every one it built, even with a pricetag of more than $1.2 million… to figure out how to build a family car that delivers better performance, economy and value than the Camry… [is the] secret to being the world’s best automaker. – Motor Trend

In their short take on the Accord SE they say:

Buying an Accord? We recommend the four-cylinder.

That’s been my suggestion since this generation of Accord debuted – the suspension and steering is overwhelmed by the weight and torque of the V6 (hybrid versions are worse).

In truth I prefer the Subaru Legacy. It more closely approximates what the 1990-1993 and 1998-2002 Accords felt like with pinpoint steering and a chassis that never falls a step behind. Sadly neither family sedan is offered with stability control unless you option them up.

So much for Honda’s ‘Safety for Everyone’...

judged against the template of the previous Cooper S, the driving experience, while obviously familiar, doesn’t gel quite as satisfyingly. It’s down to steering. True, it doesn’t whine annoyingly anymore, but neither does it feel as naturally detailed or fluent as it should. Super-sharp initial turn-in is followed by a disconcerting numbness and inconsistency of weighting that feeds through only patchy messages as to how the car is reacting. The front end doesn’t always feel completely nailed, either, reacting oddly over certain combinations of bumps where the old car would have felt utterly tied down. – evo

This video on YouTube is worth a look…

Conventional wisdom says that leasing is like renting and financing is like buying, which is why many people prefer to finance their cars.

But is financing owning? The bank owns the car until you’ve made your last payment and often the term is so long you end up driving a car that’s out of warranty. Worse yet if you don’t pay the car off with a shorter, more aggressive term you often end up ‘upside down’ – i.e. owing more money on the car than its worth. And not a lot of scenarios in car buying are less pleasant than having to roll what you owe into the next loan. It’s a slippery slope and one reason the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Next time you’re faced with a purchase, consider leasing as well as financing. The former has changed a lot in recent years and not only might it possible for you to drive a safer or more desirable car for a extended test drive before a longer commitment but if the manufacturer is offering lease incentives it might just turn out to be the cheaper option even if you decide to buy the car at the end of the lease.