Winding Road Magazine
Driven: 2009 Honda Fit Sport
Even though the original Fit debuted in 2001, we Americans were deprived of the little Honda that could until it finally arrived Stateside in 2006. After years of successful sales in Japan and Europe (where it sold as the Jazz) the folks at Honda decided to see how the diminutive hatchback would do in the bigger-is-better United States auto market. At that time, a gallon of regular unleaded still cost less than three dollars and consumers were lined up for miles waiting for new crossovers and sport-utilities to hit dealer lots. Not even Honda had anticipated that the Fit would sell roughly 80,000 units each year in America.
Driven: We Drive the 2009 Mazda6
Hard as it may be to fathom, we automotive journalists get things wrong every once in a while. Despite perpetually cheering for the 2003-2008 Mazda6’s ragtag charms and dynamic excellence in a crowd of somnambulant sedans, it never really sold. Nevermind that it was a wieldy package and fun to grab by the scruff on winding roads, it languished on showroom floors while far duller drives poured out of showrooms like so many bags of rice. Heck, we even heartily applauded the availability of a segment-best three separate body styles (sedan, wagon, and touring), as well as a genuine high-performance variant, the Mazdaspeed6. Still no dice. Great handling and a multiplicity of formats are evidently no substitute for outright size and power in the family sedan stakes. Not that we’re bitter or anything.
Driven: We Drive the 2009 Acura TL
Before we had even spent one minute behind the wheel of Acura’s new-for-2009 TL sedan, we could already pick out the feature that will ultimately divide shoppers into potential buyers and those who will choose to look elsewhere: the in-your-face grille.
Driven: 2008 Maserati Quattroporte
We at Winding Road and NextAutos frequently get the chance to sample luxury offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, et cetera. And while all of those German manufacturers make wonderful vehicles, it’s a rare occasion that some Italian blood works its way into our test fleet. Our Maserati Quattroporte test car proved to be a sporty, elegant cruiser, and can turn heads in a way that none of the German automakers can.
List: Ten Driving Video Games We’ll Never Stop Playing
Thousands of video games are developed each year but truly impressive driving games remain relatively rare in the world. We may be a little on the picky side when it comes to our motoring entertainment, but we just can’t stomach the idea of forcing our way through a title like Hot Wheels Ultimate Racing (seriously bad) when there are Pole Positions in the world.
Driven: 2007 Bosch BMW 535d
While it may be a year old, the diesel BMW 5-series was never sold in America, but it’s still something we wish we could have the option to shop for in this market. Our friends at Bosch imported a Euro-spec 535d for us to test, featuring a 3.0-liter diesel inline-six capable of producing 286 horsepower and a whopping 428 pound-feet of torque. Our test car also adorned BMW’s M Sport appearance package, available on the European 5-series. This, combined with tinted rear windows and a badge-less rear end made this 5-series our stealth bomber of choice for cruising.
List: Ten Forgotten Small Cars (Now with Bonus Car!)
Talk about new and better small car offerings for the North American market is thick in the air these days, and while it’s true that many of the best compact offerings have been only sold abroad throughout the years, there are more than a few cars that have been simply forgotten about.
Driven: 2009 BMW 7-series Gives Less Bangle, More Bimmer
This was an incredible sensation we have to tell you about first. We’ve melted tires and drifted BMW M3s, M5s, and M6es without any effort whatsoever. We tried getting the 128i or 135i to do these things and it wasn’t easy. We tried the 335i and it’s just too composed to make it easy, though it can be done under certain circumstances. Bottom line is that BMW makes cars that must seize the driver’s heart and soul without much ado. They should goad us to play.
List: Top Ten Cars that Look Great in Bizarre Colors
It’s no easy job to design a car that most people will agree is attractive. Start to throw wild shades of paint into the mix and the job becomes exponentially harder. While it’s safe to say that Jaguar’s XKE is a stunningly beautiful car, we’d imagine that Atomic Orange might be a tough sell to Jag owners when it comes time for new paint.
List: Top 11 Animal-Themed Vehicle Names of All Time
Manufacturers have long relied on symbolism to push their metal on the public, hoping to create a long-lasting connection between their vehicles and a commonly understood concept. No stronger does this play out than in the name of the vehicle itself, where car makers have looked to animal names to imbue a set of characteristics not captured by the spec sheet alone.
Driven: 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Evo X MR
We’re just back from a day of participation in what Mitsubishi called its Lancer Family Road Show, where the main event was our debut drive in the new center of the range, the 2009 Lancer Ralliart.
Driven: 2008 Mini Cooper D
We at Winding Road and NextAutos are always eager to test the diesel offerings from global manufacturers and we were grinning with excitement when the folks at Bosch offered us the keys to a Mini Cooper with a 1.6-liter diesel engine. According to Bosch, this Mini will achieve fuel economy numbers in upwards of 50 miles per gallon, which will shame many hybrid offerings currently sold in the States.
Winding Road’s Top Twelve Cars Of 2009
Over the past twelve months we’ve driven or reviewed (and often both) something on the order of 250 vehicles. Be it on some far-flung and usually stunning road served up by an automaker for a new car launch, or on the slightly more humble highways and byways that surround our Michigan and Texas offices, we’ve had a fair taste of what was on offer in the automotive universe during 2009. We figure the very least we can do is to tell you which ones we liked best.
Early Adopters: Sign Up For Winding Road’s iPad App
Since its launch at the beginning of this month, Apple’s iPad has been the talk of news writers, forums posters, and the larger online world in general. While we at Winding Road haven’t been immune to the base lure of what is, perhaps, the most exciting product on the planet, we’ve also been hard at work developing our own application for it.
Winding Road’s Guide To Winter Driving
Despite the April Issue indication you may have noticed on the cover of this month’s Winding Road (check out our full new issue at www.magazine.WindingRoad.com), it’s actually just around the middle of the long Michigan winter as we write this. That’s bad news for anyone who values anything in the way of a short sleeve or a naturally occurring tan, but it’s surprisingly good news for us driving enthusiasts.
We lean towards that group of people that embrace four full seasons in all of their glory, and love to drive through each of them. Which is why we’ve been paying special attention this year to the motive joys that can be had when our world is white. Be it driving a sports car or a convertible, with a new set of snows or in a frigid testing environment, we’re into winter driving. Find out why.
Preview: 2011 Mini Countryman
That’s right, folks—it’s a modern-day Mini Crossover.
Just About Right: 2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796
The New Ducati Hypermotard 796 might not be the fastest, biggest, or sharpest bike that money can buy, but it strikes a distinctly adult balance that should tempt occasional riders.
