I suspect it’s because the US divisions of these German brands are afraid it will harm the perception of luxury. In the rest of the world you can get smaller models and more downmarket options. In the US, we’re stuck with top-of-the-line options.

I assume it’s because your baseline is different. Brazil, like much of the world has access to cars and trim levels that are not available in the US. You can get cars that are completely stripped of features, so the absence of complex electronics helps reliability to some extent. Also, you can buy cars from automakers…

Consumers today believe you can have sports car performance in an SUV. Most people don’t have a clue about vehicle dynamics and just want something that feels fast when they mash the gas pedal. Everything else is for keeping up with the Joneses.

If it’s sabotage, it’s about as convoluted as you can get. Send out a car, which was already waiting to be released, and hope that the driver doesn’t follow proper starting procedure and ruins the clutch. Nevermind that the conspirators would have to be aware of this particular weakness and hope for a fluke in which…

Those fins on the roof sit outside of the airstream, and they’re too flat and smooth to effective, so they won’t be sending a whole lot of air over the rear wing.

They both wobble because they’re on the car for show, not downforce.

My father still has one of these, and in this color. I can’t remember if it’s his 2nd or 3rd LeSabre. It’s got seats that feel like sofas. I can’t deny that it’s quiet and relatively comfortable. That said, I find the driving experience unpleasant although my father would disagree. But then, he’s always comparing it…

They’ve had a street view for years although it’s nowhere near as extensive as Google’s service.

I’m glad they didn’t add all those stupid throttle overrun noises to this car. I occasionally see a new Boxster leaving my office garage and it sounds ridiculous with all the crackles and pops as it’s tooling around below the speed limit.

It’s not really about proportions. The real problem is that this in-between aesthetic just doesn’t work. The A7 still looks awkward, despite being better than most hatchback sedans. Larger cars work best with a bit of a trunk lid to help keep the rear from looking too big and heavy. Otherwise, it’s best to just go to…

I like this car from the perspective that it showcases the advances in material sciences. We’re in an era where a regular car can feature such complex styling elements. This Civic, like the current Prius and various Lexus models, looks like a car of the future. The 10-year-old me would have been blown away. Most…

The Gran Turismo series was never the place to go for life-like physics. Close enough is a more accurate descriptor. The fact that Gran Turismo could turn in to an e-sport is due more to brand recognition and the weight of Sony behind the game.

A better team would have rolled right over the US. I can appreciate wanting to play defensively, but in the second half they didn’t even try to keep the ball; they just kept lobbing it across the field.

Performances like these are encouraging because they’re showing a step in the right direction. I don’t think the USMNT will be in contention for the World Cup any time soon, but given the increased exposure and number of kids getting in to soccer it’s only a matter of time.

Yesterday I was stuck in rush hour traffic yesterday beside a new Civic SI. The best way to describe its styling is “stressful”. To think that someone at Honda felt the need to glue on a whole extra layer of origami chaos. It’s like their designers are spiteful of Honda’s old reserved styling.

Perhaps you should check out her Instagram account.

Fantastic racing, but those commentators talk way, way, way too much. I prefer my racing commentary to be a bit more organic, with enough pauses to let me hear the cars. These guys sound like they’re in an infomercial.

Amassing carriers... Sounds a bit like my favorite strategy in Starcraft.

I don’t think the 8-bit Guy’s technique for redoing those labels was a particularly good one. Laser prints leave a lot to be desired and the tape he used holds up poorly. It’s not like sticker sheets are hard to come by.

The problem with the Germans is that they’ll have a handful of good years then decide to redesign some major component that was working just fine and introduce a whole load of new problems.