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For a car that some of us thought might win going in, [last] place seems astonishing. the variable-ratio steering was… cited for its uncommunicative nature… and the electrohydraulic brakes were similarly peculiar in operation, producing longer-than-expected stopping distances. Persuading the Lexus to negotiate our famous lane-change test was akin to driving a coach. When the vehicle-dynamics system (VDIM) is switched off the LS460L indulges in long, wide slides. Leave the system on, and it still allows the car to get well out of shape before stepping in to confuse the driver. – Car and Driver

Commentary: The original LS was comfortable, yes, but when you whipped it it shrunk around you and cleaved resolutely to its intended path. But perhaps most surprising: after the flack BMW’s received for its Active Steering and Mercedes’ headaches with electrohydraulic brakes, Lexus pursued these imperfect technologies anyway…

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’...

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.

In a single generation, the old BMW buyer’s mantra of ‘petrol and manual, petrol and manual, petrol and manual’ has been turned on its head. This is the best new-generation 3-Series Coupe so far – and it’s a diesel with an auto box. The petrols are very good, better in many ways than any earlier ones. But the diesels have leapfrogged them and the 335d has leapfrogged all the other diesels. And although there’s nothing at all wrong with BMW’s current six-speed manual gearbox, this auto is excellent. It’s unbelievably smooth and quick – to the extent that you sometimes don’t believe it can possibly have made that change already. – 4Car

When your tires were new, they had 10 to 11/32 of an inch of rubber on them.

To pass state safety inspection you are required only to have 2/32s. That’s only 18-20% of what you started with.

Here’s the thing – testing shows that you’d have to have a deathwish to drive with less than 4/32” (just over a third of the original) in the rain or 6/32” (just over half original depth) in the snow.

Most mechanics still follow the state minimum but given that tires are typically cheaper than insurance deductibles as the wet and slippery weather approaches I hope you’ll consider replacing yours a bit too soon rather that a bit too late.

Once on the move, the turbo wakes up and delivers blister-ing pace right up to the 6,800rpm red line. The sensation of limitless acceleration is outstanding – you feel as if you are only keeping pace with the car is by retaining a tight grip on the bulky steering wheel! The only trouble is getting traction. With all that torque on offer, the front wheels are prone to spinning, even in second gear if you’re too heavy-footed. As a result, the ESP stability control has to work overtime – AutoExpress

The old Cooper struck a shockingly artful balance between the rawness of the original and the refinement of a BMW - even the supercharger’s whine mimicked the gear whine of the original.

In remaking the new Cooper, MINI had to do something and the new car will no doubt be an advance in many areas (particularly in having a lighter, aluminum blocked engine). But from a design and intent standpoint, certain things make it more pre to trend than its rather timeless predecessor. They are: Read the rest of this entry »

I was fortunate enough to sample BMW’s twin turbo engine and the new 3 series coupe today, and the outcome was nothing like I expected. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people think driving with your lights on in the daytime looks silly, but when you dig a little deeper driving with them off seems downright stupid.

Every study I’ve seen lists a double digit percent reduction in accidents for cars equipped with daytime running lights, while this page from a British website lists 3-5%.

Lights on at all times isn’t about seeing, it’s about being seen, especially in low contrast times (e.g. dusk, bleak winter days) or during sunset when drivers are overcome by glare as they head west.

It only takes a moment to turn ‘em on and there are other benefits too: people are quicker to get out of your way as you come up behind them in the fast lane and the laser guns police use are literally blinded by the light.

I’ve been driving with mine on since the mid 90s, when I found out a rental car company saw a 2000 percent drop in insurance claims after wiring their cars so the lights were on when the car was in drive. (No that’s not a typo).

Unlike the raped-ape V-12 flagship S65 AMG, which delivers all of its 604 horsepower in a sudden, twin-turbocharged atomic bomb explosion, the normally aspirated V-8 in the S63 is more linear and doesn’t suffer from turbo lag. As a result, the S63 is likely to be the true driver’s choice, even if it does produce almost 275 lb-ft less torque. – Automobile