Fiat 500 somewhere in Spain...somewhere...
BLOOMBERG Feb. 10, 2011
Dios mio, but these streets are narrow! Squeezing a car through the walled medieval town of Cuenca, Spain, is hard, not least because it was built on the edge of a cliff, its founders determined to keep invaders out.
Little thought was given to how automobiles a thousand years later were going to navigate the citadel. Good thing we’ve made the right choice for a 10-day vacation driving around the country: the super-compact Fiat 500. (more…)
BLOOMBERG Jan. 27, 2011
Of all the ways to evaluate a new car, I have added another inadvisable but compelling one: the coffee test.
Step one: Buy a large, brimful cup of hot Joe and place it in a shallow cup-holder. Step two: Drive like the dickens on a curvy road to gauge the vehicle’s body roll and suspension. Step three: Do the hot-hot-hot! dance while wiping steaming liquid from your jeans. (more…)
BLOOMBERG Jan. 20, 2011
One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Miss — boom! Congratulations, you’ve just hit 60 miles an hour. Or would have if you were piloting a Bugatti Veyron.
Instead you’re behind the wheel of a Chevy Aveo, giving you time to recite the name of the state 10 times before reaching that speed, with lingering pauses to take in the scenery.
Few car statistics are as time-honored — or hoary — as the 0 to 60 miles-per-hour test. Car lovers are obsessed by it. It’s a verdict that can end (or begin) an argument.
Like all of my auto-writing brethren, I dutifully recount the 0-60 times for every vehicle I drive. With no racetrack or high-tech equipment at my disposal, I most often rely on the honesty of the carmaker’s data. (Companies never fib, right?) (more…)
BLOOMBERG Jan. 13, 2011
It’s bonus time, that season when some trade in aging Audi A4s or tired BMW 3 Series for something bigger and more grandiose. Rather than snapping up an Audi or Jaguar executive sedan, why not consider a Hyundai instead?
That probably depends if you’re a label monster versus a designer agnostic. It’s fair to assume that if you like Tom Ford suits and Piaget timepieces, the Audi A8 or Jaguar XJ will be more to your liking. Yet if you’re the type of dealmaker who finds duds at T.J. Maxx, the new Hyundai Equus might call your name. (more…)
