I feel like minivans are becoming wagons of millennials: the incredibly practical cars that nobody wants because our parents drove them and we must be different from our parents, even if that means we have to drive cars that are objectively worse. Just like our parents did.

The XC90 is beautiful but I wouldn’t touch one unless I were actually made of money. If I wanted a Volvo SUV and could live without three rows I’d go with an XC60, probably certified preowned thanks to the produce-like Volvo depreciation curve.

If you all you are left with is US offerings then I guess you’re boned, because our only interesting Chevy saloon cars since at least the mid-2000s started as Holdens. If you already get the Malibu then the next step up is the FWD Impala.

Genuine mistakes are one thing, but as an engineer I fully expect that if I knowingly broke the law or otherwise acted unethically Very Bad Things would happen to me. We don’t get a free pass for our own actions no matter whose dumb idea they were. We are individually responsible for identifying that kind of problem…

This week it’s the new Ridgeline. I don’t really know why since I can’t find a single thing about it that should inspire lust. But while looking at sensible compact crossovers I somehow got it into my head that life would be so much better if I had a bigger crossover with a composite bed. It’s bad enough that I walked…

Am I the only one who glanced at the picture and thought it was a Dodge Dart?

If you guys want a real treat (or material for another article) get yourselves a Land Rover or Volvo with the Ford SI6. To make it shorter (“Short Inline 6") they moved the timing chain and all accessories to the back of the engine. So a gearset from the crankshaft drives a power take off which spins the timing chain…

My mom isn’t really into cars but she did introduce me to the manual transmission. For some reason she thought that my first maneuver using a clutch...ever...should be to back half-way down our steeply-sloped driveway, stop, and then attempt a hill start. It’s not like I was coddled as a kid, anyway, but this was…

Your dog wants a dog leg dog box. Only then can we finally stop laughing at that thing Vin Diesel said.

This is a great write-up. As a native northeasterner I agree whole-heartedly on two points in particular: tires > drive train, and drive for the conditions.

Nearly 34 years into my life and I finally understand WTH heel & toe is supposed to look like. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to lie down and re-evaluate my priorities.

Wait, wait, wait. The solution to 1st and 2nd is sitting right there in 4th. VW just needs to hack their cars back in time! It has worked before:

B-21 Doomerang

If Jaguar eventually makes good on their promise to bring the 25t with 3 pedals to the states this is going to be really interesting. Really, really interesting.

Well, as a 30-something childless person and therefore demographically-challenged Volvo driver, I like my S60. I leased a T5 Drive-E in “premier” trim for a nice price a little over a year ago and it’s been great. There’s been a lot of angst about the whole Drive-E transition but this little 4-banger turns out to be a…

The part I’m missing is why would Audi go to a part-time system that functions essentially like Haldex while keeping the mass balance penalty inherent to slinging the engine entirely ahead of the front axle? If there’s any chance at all that the rear wheels are going be waiting for “oh crap mode” then they may as well…

Why? I’ll tell you why. My neighbor has a Mercedes but it looks from the outside like he has eight or nine of them. That’s because he’s had seven or eight dealer loaners in the last year or so since he bought it. And that’s a new one! A close family member owned one out of warranty and had essentially paid for it…

I owned a Prius once. My only defense is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.