They started selling these in Taiwan a few years ago so I’ve seen them firsthand. They look awesome; better than any minivan and most crossovers available in the US. That said, that grille is a bit much.

I have a commute that crosses vastly different economic demographics and as a result I see dramatically different driving habits. I go from the kinds of conditions you see on Russian dashcam videos to encountering people who drive like every day is Sunday morning.

My state apparently mandates a front license plate, but I’ve driven without one for 18 years and have never had a problem. Given the fact that I keep seeing cars with bumpers missing outright I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that front plate for a long time.

Generally first year models should be avoided, but it depends on the automaker and what’s been updated. Take the new Mazda 3, which has it’s drivetrain carried over from the existing generation. I expect year one to be much more reliable than the models which will get the Skyactiv-X engine.

People who suggest side hustles can fuck right off. Every successful person I’ve met has clearly focused on their primary job. The guys with multiple irons in the fire have always stumbled around, endlessly distracted and struggling to get anything off the ground. Unless you have a cushy, undemanding job, it’s…

The problem isn’t just health insurance. The gig economy banks on ignorance. Americans seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of how much it actually costs to operate a vehicle, fixating solely on fuel costs. In reality, the true net profit is small.

I find it interesting how most concept cars become horribly dated after only a few years. I guess it’s inevitable when you consider that these designs tend to be the distilled embodiment of current styling fads. Still, it’s so much worse than any production car derived from these concepts.

To me an iterative update, even a relatively innovative one, is not a holy grail. There are other automakers doing things that are similarly compelling, but when it comes to ICE all are iterative updates. Some of those, like variable valve timing, offer tangible benefits that leads to widespread. Other tech, like…

The RSX is a great car, if you can find one unmolested.

I’ve got to call BS on that. Cars are still very much status symbols, it’s just that what consumers find desirable has changed. At some point land yachts were king, now it’s SUVs. Badge engineering has always been a thing, but technological advancements allow for far more variation on a single platform. So I’d argue…

I knew a couple of kids in high school who got into accidents and the parents promptly blamed the car. As a result they ended up with even nicer cars.

Just because the wealthy have found ways to profit off global warming doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

Both Ford and GM are demonstrating typical corporate stupidity by fixating on the short-term. Ford’s momentum in the small car segment was tossed in the trash. I expect them to be caught with their pants down in a few years. They should be more worried about that than 2018. As for Cadillac, it’s almost pathetic how…

This isn’t like Ford pulling out of the small car market for the US. Consumers still buy plenty of Civics and Corollas and there are still quite a few Focuses on the road.

I’m really conflicted about the styling on the new 3. There are elements that are quite appealing and I appreciate the minimalist aesthetic. On the other hand, they’re minimalist to the point of being plain and just a bit too iterative of an update. It’s like they left the last gen sitting in the sun just a bit too…

While trucks and SUVs offer better mileage than they have in the past they’re still far inferior to small and mid-sized cars. It’s even worse when you factor in real world driving conditions.

What the hell is going on with the design on these trucks? On top of featuring a grossly oversized grille, GM has somehow managed to cram more styling elements onto those front ends than an entire Civic Type R.

The funny thing is that the iM, like the new Corolla Hatchback, is available with AWD, but only in Japan. Maybe there are limitations with the drivetrain, as the only cars on which it’s available don’t produce much over 100hp. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the US division would prefer to keep pushing…

The problem with GM, and arguably all three American automakers, is the lack of long-term commitment. They introduce a new model expecting the very first generation to sell in big numbers. When that doesn’t happen, GM’s inevitable reaction is to slash the budget and let the model languish.

Call me cynical, but these life-sized Lego builds just don’t do it for me. These builds are the 3D equivalent of turning a low res photo into a mosaic.