You talk like everyone’s a driver in the WRC... This is one of the things I find most exhausting about car culture.

Does it really matter? I don’t think most people can tell the difference between FWD, RWD or AWD. Even people who drive aggressively almost never do so in a way where drivetrain layout becomes a factor.

I think the front and rear ends look fine; it’s the side profile that doesn’t work. The hatchback, in particular, looks awkward with the disproportionately long front end. I also can’t stand awkward crease over the rear quarter panel; it’s like they had to make a last minute tweak and didn’t resolve how that line…

I’ve always thought the DSG in my 06 A3 was fantastic. Works well even at crawling speeds and shifts quickly and smoothly. One nice thing about dual clutches is that they maintain certain characteristics familiar to anyone who’s driven a manual.

Sounds like a dumb gimmick dreamt up by some stupid brand manager desperate to make a mark. It will be abandoned the instant this individual gets promoted or moves onto another job. Then it’s on to the next disjointed nonsense and management will continue blaming external factors for weak sales.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the TT and have thought about getting one. The new one looks fantastic, but the one time I actually saw one on the road it was surprisingly small. Personally, I think it’s size is what makes it so appealing, but in this era of performance-oriented SUVs that car is a bit of an…

When was the last time you’ve been near a college campus? Kids nowadays aren’t driving Civics and Corollas, they’re driving some kind of SUV/crossover. On top of that, a surprisingly high number of them drive luxury brands.

Is it me or do the headlights sit far too low on that front end? I also feel like the front end ahead of the hood is too raked. I appreciate that the new design likely takes aerodynamics and pedestrian safety into account, but that’s not a good look. And that distracting chrome strip isn’t helping matters.

I’ve always liked the idea of taillights spanning the entire rear of the car; the Lincoln Mark 8 being one particular unique example with it’s neon lights. So I looked forward to seeing a modern execution given what’s capable with LEDs. Then, virtually overnight, the design has become played out.

I’m pretty sure they just applied some silver paint to the tires which looks incredibly cheesy.

Isn’t this just a design study for the next-gen Crosstrek? It looks like a lifted and slightly tweaked version of the previous Viziv concept.

Why the hell is Hollywood obsessed with hyper-realistic recreations of cartoons?

I don’t understand why automakers stick so much horsepower in family vehicles. Well, I do know; horsepower sells. Although the reality is that the vast majority of drivers, excepting assholes, are lucky if they use 80hp.

The hatchback is available as a hybrid everywhere else in the world so I’m not sure why it’s not offered in the US.

People don’t necessarily have a problem with these words because they’re prudes. They take issue because it’s childish. We’ve matured enough that words like fuck no long carries any emotional impact. It’s gratuitous with no real purpose and, honestly, just feels like lazy writing.

I’ve heard that Minis are fun to drive, but I honestly don’t know if that’s still the case... For a long time I’ve had the impression that Minis are what yuppies buy when they want a compact car. Beyond being European I don’t know what makes it so appealing to the upper-middle class. The Golf comes dangerously close…

Depends on the country... In the US I’d agree that a V8 above 4 liters is big. In the rest of the world, anything above 2 liters, regardless of cylinder count, is big.

Consumer Reports is one of the very few good sources for getting a good picture regarding reliability. Outside of forums, the website TrueDelta is probably the only other source that comes to mind. That said, it’s not the final authority everything and even the comments sometimes disagree with their assessment.

My current car, like my previous one, is FWD with an open differential and has similar brake-based torque transfer tech. In my case the new car seems to transfer the power more smoothly without resorting to abrupt stabs of the brakes. I’ve been managing surprisingly well on inferior factory tires than I had in my old…

I can appreciate wacky, over-the-top modifications. The problem is the mainstream and inevitable one-upmanship. Far too much of US car culture is fueled by ego; you can’t just have a bunch of guys enjoying themselves, they also have to incessantly remind you of how cool they are. At that point this stuff is no longer…