There is actually a world outside the US that has always required front number plates for very good reasons, so even if you didn't need them, the same design considerations still apply.

The base one is marginally less ugly than the high spec version but its still a face a dog wouldn’t lick.

Um, I think that’s saying a bit more about you than James Hunt. 32 women in 14 days (assuming enthusiasm of all parties) is more than possible, and being coked up to the eyeballs probably didn’t hurt.

Worst I ever had was an Alfa 156; gave me incredible sciatic pain. I had two other Alfas (a 145 and a GTV) and they were both absolutely fine, and I’m pretty sure were basically the same seats, but maybe just being a bit lower or something made all the difference. And sometimes that’s the problem, its not actually the…

Yes but the safety standards are only going to go in one direction, so if you’re building an entirely new car you have to take that into consideration; designs like the Wrangler will get legislated off the road sooner rather than later. What will the next Wrangler look like? Even FCA might have to push it upmarket in…

The Wrangler gets 1 out of 5 on the Euro NCAP safety rating; it’s amazing its allowed on sale in Europe at all. JLR just can’t afford to put out that type of product reputationally.

The only problem with this car is the cost. All the other “not a real Defender” stuff is bunk. Its 2020 and you couldn’t build or sell anything like an old-school Defender in most markets on purely regulatory grounds (take your pick from safety, av. fuel economy or emissions). But, 70 grand plus does not lead to…

2020-1968 = 52. Not 60.

I’ve never understood the whole”Germans have no sense of humour” meme; I’ve always found them to be great fun socially.

It’s surprising how often I need to remind people to never get involved in a land war in Asia. “Mostly Dead” comes up more often than I’d like as well. 

Flat designs are largely a response to online responsive design trends where an image needs to render consistently on everything from a mobile device through to giant TV, and so is justification for BMW on those grounds alone. But there’s an additional consideration here; making part of the logo transparent opens up a…

I’m actually amazed that any passport official actually looks at your stamps; my last passport was packed with stamps but lots of them are barely readable; smudged or blurred (sometimes intentionally; the guy in Havana really didn’t want to stamp my passport at all and I had to insist), and most people who look are…

Who are these people who are sitting in BMW design clinics and saying “can you make the grille a bit bigger?” Has anyone actually met one?

There’s absolutely no point in pivoting to electric H-Ds or lightweight H-Ds or anything product-related in the US; it’s the brand that’s the problem, and Harley’s doubling-down on its image for decades (this is absolutely not a “three years behind the curve” problem, this has been decades in the making). However,…

Even if I lived in a country where cars like this made any sense whatsoever (say, Dubai), I just can’t get past the looks of either of these, and especially the X6; its just fuck-ugly from every angle. And its not that I hate the idea of a “coupe-SUV” on general principles, I actually quite like the Audi Q8, its…

Polestar 1 is a tiny production run and Polestar 2 (the first proper BEV) doesn’t go on sale until the summer, so its not really surprising you haven’t seen any. 

I disagree. A lot. 

The bit that’s missing from this bit of PR fluffery is cost; if it’s anything more than about €35 a day you may as well just hire an ICE  car instead and not worry about lugging trailers around. NB. How many small EVs have a towing ball? I’m guessing not many.

Oh my God. Irish people loathe “Pats” or even worse, “Patty’s” Day. Paddy’s Day is absolutely fine and is what everybody in Ireland calls it. The biggest gambling company in the country is called “Paddy Power” for God’s sake. 

He was on the back row so couldn’t recline his own seat. His reaction was certainly uncalled for, but reclining when you know the person behind you can’t is a dick move, and doesn’t even give much benefit if its only a couple of inches, but makes the person behind you’s journey infinitely worse.