Cory Wolfe

Congrats. I've been considering one of these myself, among others.

This is one of those Toyota products that, unlike the FR-S, receives universally negative reviews. I don't think I've read a positive review outside of a Toyota loving forum. Even Consumer Reports panned it, saying a basic Elantra or Impreza were more fun to drive. Ouch. Personally, I've only been able to go as far as the interior. That was enough for me to move past the tC permanently.

It's more the downward kink that is shared on the bottom edge of each headlight rather than the angry look. I never realized how prevalent that little kink is in current designs. It's as if they are adding it to make the design look more interesting without noticing how similar it is to what everyone else is doing. Yes, but if you really think about it, you could do the same thing with nearly every decade of automotive design. There have always been certain themes in design that are widely copied... or regulated in the case of sealed beam headlights.

As I browsed the various automotive news websites for my daily virtual reading, something hit me. It was a bit of deja-vu from looking over an image. I'm not certain, but it may have been an image of the Subaru WRX STi from the numerous first tests everyone published. Why it hit me now, I haven't the slightest clue. I started digging to find the source. Soon enough, I found what brought on this repetitive phenomenom. What started out as a couple vehicles here and there soon morphed into many. In fact, by the end, I was able to find hints of this design feature in nearly every manufacturer's lineup. All the big automotive names... like GM, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Kia... All the little automotive names... like Mitsubishi, MG, Subaru, Tesla, Citroen. They all have this one little bit in common... Can anyone see what I'm seeing?

You're a tad off there. Look at it this way... Compact: Audi A4/A5 Bmw 3/4-Series Cadillac ATS Infiniti Q50/Q60 (And G37) Lexus IS Mercedes C-Class Midsize: Audi A6 BMW 5-series Cadillac CTS Infiniti Q70 (Old M) Lexus GS Mercedes E-Class Fullsize: Audi A8 BMW 7-series Cadillac "LTS" Lexus LS Mercedes S-Class

Why would this be the same size as an ATS? This is an S-class coupe... which, you know, is based on the S-Class sedan, Mercedes-Benz's largest sedan.

In my area, there once was a big Suzuki dealer. After the bankruptcy and pulling out of the market, who does the dealer decide to switch to? Mitsubishi. Of all brands.

BMW is sabotaging itself with its naming structure. They decided to separate their coupes and sedans in name... only to muck it up with more variants, including what is essentially a hatchback sedan for their coupe variant of the 3-Series sedan. Does that make any sense? Of course not, it's completely illogical. The Germans are generally so obsessed with cohesion that this seems as if they're operating drunk. With that said, this is strangely the best looking version of this hot-mess of a lineup.

If it's anything like the S-Class sedan... Save for the LCD screens I wasn't a fan of (I prefer real mechanical gauges) the interior blew away anything else I've ever sat in. Between the attention to detail, design, materials, fit and finish - It was marvelous. It was the epitome of old-school luxury executed for a modern world. Afterwards, I sat in everything Cadillac had to offer and for me, the difference was night and day. To be fair, Cadillac doesn't currently have a true competitor to compare to a range-topping Mercedes. Despite that, and to Cadillac's credit, I did prefer the design theme of the CTS's interior with its better implementation of LCD screens.

I think it's a pretty stunning look, personally. It hasn't strayed much from the concept. Regarding the name change, Mercedes has been making the shift towards unifying their sedan and coupe counterparts for a while now. Meanwhile, BMW is doing the opposite...

I was sort of hoping for a return of the turbo to perhaps offset the... conservative styling. Wishful thinking on my part, I suppose.

Congrats on the Opposite Lock blog! I'm always reading Jalopnik and the various semi-associated Kinja outlets they share. Excellently written articles you have there. Also, in regards to your dilemma, I have to agree with the notion that it's all in the tires you've outfitted your vehicle with. First and foremost, so-called "all-season" tires are hugely hit-and-miss with snow traction. Even the better ones still leave a sizable chunk of desired traction missing compared to even the worst snow tires. My relatively porky (3600lbs) FWD sedan with all-season tread is useless compared to my partner's paperweight Sonic with studded snow tires. While I was stuck half-a-dozen times throughout the weekend's blizzard, he could outrun my Mother's Wrangler. Now, to be fair, in deep snow the tide is shifted more towards the number of drive wheels and simply having enough ground clearance. Without traction, however, you'll be going nowhere fast.

Lincoln seems to be tied up with a short leash. Every now and then Ford will let little Lincoln stretch its little legs, but is quick to give 'em a swift tug before they explore too much of the world. Sure, you can design your own vehicles to a degree, but we'll do the engineering for you. Here's some FWD platforms to work with... and here's an outdated truck platform, but you're not allowed to change the cab. Better yet, just do the fascias and soft points of the interior. Make it look fresh, no one will notice. Here, since you didn't go potty inside the factory today, you can have the SHO's Ecoboost V6 as a treat. You weren't really going to compete with the Escalade, anyways.

I sat in one at NAIAS. It's a fairly substantial improvement over the old one. Pretty nice, actually. It's just too bad you can't get one with a stick and a few more options than what they offer.

Here's another... This one, I could include almost solely because of the interior.

Even then, it wasn't a complete redesign. It still has the same front doors since its inception in 1998. The bottom half of the rear doors were slightly reshaped, but otherwise are mostly the same as well. It's been written that the roof panel is shared with the original through the last "generation", so I can only assume that remains the same on this slight refresh.

Some notables from the 1970's I'm a fan of...

So... My problem is this: 1998 Lincoln Navigator... 2003 Lincoln Navigator... 2007 Lincoln Navigator... 2015 Lincoln Navigator... Suddenly, you start to realize how lazy of a refresh this is, and how little Lincoln cares.

I don't quite understand how autonomous vehicles were brought into the conversation. It's not in the article, and honestly, this is likely going to be a technology that will need to trickle down before it's even on my generation's radar. This sort of technology will be expensive, starting out on executive-level prestigious sedans that all the CEO's of the world will absolutely love. Just think, they won't have to pay a chauffeur anymore! As cost is the biggest problem for my generation--something I've experienced first hand--there are various factors that aren't very friendly to those of us trying to get a car. Some issues have already been touched on, such as: insurance costs, used car maintenance and repair costs, and the seemingly monstrous cost of a new car. Of these, let's first discuss my views on insurance. As something that is mandated, it doesn't seem to be well-regulated. Costs are absolutely astronomical for teenagers. If you don't have the luxury of enjoying a family discount thanks to your parents, full-coverage is out of reach for most. Even bare-bones liability insurance for 15 year old beater will elicit a "What? ...Really? That much?!" response. A yearly premium can often cost more than the vehicle's actual worth. What is being done to regulate Insurance companies? Let's move on to used car maintenance and repair. We, here, often gloss over this one. To us, as car enthusiasts on an automotive forum, this isn't a problem. We love cars, and working on them is second nature, either by choice or necessity. Myself, I've had my share of each choice-driven and necessity-driven automotive adventures. To others, though, this isn't the case. It is often difficult to work on and maintain vehicles if you don't have the knowledge, tools and space to do so. Tools aren't always expensive or difficult to obtain, but working space can be. Knowledge, well, to those without a mechanical aptitude, a Haynes manual can be overwhelming. Cost of the parts themselves, and the time necessary to do the repairs you aren't familiar with is likely the biggest expense here. For many, they will simply turn to having a trained Mechanic do the work, often after needing a tow. Finally, what about a new car? As the cheapest car you can currently buy in the U.S., let's use a Nissan Versa as an example. The cheapest it can be purchased for, after destination charges, is $12,800 ($10,198 a decade ago, $8,000 two decades ago, $5,515 three decades ago, etc.). What does that buy you? A four-door sedan packed with features like a 2-speaker audio system, manual controls, some airbags, middling fuel efficiency, horrid performance, and looks to kill (via suicide). Raise your hands if you would have spent your hard-earned money to own this as a teenager. Anyone? Okay, so $12,800 for a car virtually no one wants. But, wait, that isn't the entire picture, is it? What about fuel, insurance, and finance costs? Let's add $1650 for annual fuel costs, or approximately $140/month (Fueleconomy.gov). Now, let's add $7320 for annual insurance premiums or approximately $610/month (Allstate.com for a 16 year old male, basic full coverage with $1k deductible for collision/comprehensive). Insurance rates drop substantially after the first year, so I included annual rates for the years thereafter: $2680, 2nd year; $2220, 3rd year; $1520, 4th year; $1360, 5th year. Before we calculate finance costs, we need to add taxes, tags, and fees to the total. State sales of 6% adds $768, state registration with a new plate adds roughly $100, and let's estimate dealerships fees at approximately $50. Our total to finance is $13,718. Let's be honest, as a first time buyer with no credit, getting approved is probably a stretch in the first place. In the event you do get approved, a prime interest rate isn't in the cards. Assuming you do get approved with a 10% interest rate for a 60 month term, annual costs are $3497, or $297 a month. You'll end up paying an extra $3770 in interest over 5 years, or $754 each year. That's $12,467 for the first year, or $1038 a month! To put that in perspective, someone working 40 hours a week at the federally mandated minimum rate of $7.25/hr would earn approximately $11,950 annually after taxes. Things do improve after you get over the initial year of absolutely outrageous insurance premiums. How an insurance company can get away with charging that much in the first place is beyond me... Makes me glad my parent's kept me on their insurance through school.

It would seem to me that you are simply destined for a BMW 428i... Luxury line, probably in Imperial blue with the Venetian beige leather. You can have the rear seat armrest and centrally located single CD player (6-disc isn't on the option sheet from what I saw) and give your backseat passengers the best experience possible after ducking and contorting their bodies to enter into the cramped backseat. I suppose there's also the Audi A5, the only other entry in this segment to offer a rear seat armrest, but I think you'll find its even more cramped. Atleast neither are FRS/BRZ levels of cramped.

I hadn't completely fallen for this car until I saw it in the gray metallic color with the silver painted wheels and red calipers... Once I did, oh man, it was like love at first sight. So sharp, so evocative, so.... "move over or I'm going to eat you alive!" It is truly a different car in that color combination. Absolutely divine.

It's the prettiest Toyota in a while, though, that's not saying much. It's fairly striking in person with a very fluidic and purposeful design.

This is easily my favorite concept from Detroit. Such a lovely little rebel of a car. Kia should definitely produce it (and Nissan, the IDx; Chevy, the 130R) as a BRZ/FRS competitor.

When I first saw the press shots of this car, I was fairly unimpressed overall. After having seen it in person and eyeing it up threw my viewfinder, the coupe looks much better in the flesh. There's subtle changes over the sedan you don't quite notice at first. The stance is lower and wider, there's a bit more rake to every angle in the back, and it just seems to be a restrained, attractive design. The oddest aspect of the car... The crestless wreath. The grill just doesn't stand out as much without it. That is one change that will be difficult to get use to.

Ain't that cute, a baby Sierra. They were really going for the family look with this one. Medium, large, or extra-large; What will it be today, Sir? Mmmm, I feel like being reasonable today... and I'm sort of on a diet. Canyon, it is. On a serious note, the Canyon looks great. It's sthuper classthy, and delivers a healthy addition of luxury over the Colorado. Very well executed duo, to say the least. Personally speaking, I like the dynamism of the Colorado more. It's more lively and youthful. It's refreshingly unique from the rest of Chevrolet's truck lineup.