2014 Mini John Cooper Works GP

About three weeks prior to this brief yet balls-to-the-wall drive on the Spanish island of Mallorca, I saw that Mini USA announced pricing for the keenly anticipated Mini John Copper Works GP. And that number would be – *a-hem* – $39,950 for starters.I am always intent upon finding the pinnacle of what a certain car promises me, and almost at any cost. Almost. When I think "steaming hatchback," I think of something exactly like this Mini GP, and...

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2013 BMW Alpina B7

For the time being, BMW has left it up to close collaborator Alpina to create a turbocharged V8-powered rival for the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG and Audi S8. We've been lucky enough to take a few spirited drives in Alpinafied BMWs on the no-limit Autobahns around the company's headquarters in Buchloe, Germany, over the years, and each experience has been solidly hair-raising.Other than creating what may be the country's ultimate everyday Autobahn missiles,...

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2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club

In what could have been my final time reviewing a current-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata, I'll have to say it was like saying a bittersweet farewell to an old friend. You see, the third-generation Miata (NC) is my favorite iteration of the fun little roadster, and with the next Miata being co-developed with Alfa Romeo, I fear the car might lose some of the "jinba ittai" that has made it incredible track car for the last 23 years. If this was to be my...

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F1 Race Stars

There are those of you who have, at one point, played and loved some version of Mario Kart but wished there were a port of it that was playable on your Xbox 360 or Playstation3. This game is for you.There are also those of you out there who are obsessed with all things having to do with Formula One, especially video games. You pick up each new F1 title as it comes out, follow the season and the championship with close interest, have a favorite driver...

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2013 Audi S5 Coupe

It's hard to believe, but 2013 marks the sixth model year for the Audi S5 (it launched as a 2008 model). I've loved this coupe since the day it debuted, but if I'm honest, the thing that really made the S5 special at launch was its awesome 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8. You know, the one from the old RS4. And the R8.Audi started building S5 Cabriolet models with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 starting in 2010, and for 2013, that super-six is the...

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2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport

The Lexus GS has been chasing the BMW 5 Series for more than two decades. This year, it may have finally leapfrogged its benchmark prey.Rewind your clock back to the late 1980s, when the midsize four-door sport sedan segment was dominated by BMW. The Bavarian automaker was selling rear-wheel-drive sedans (with manual transmissions, no less) that were every bit as powerful and agile as they were luxurious and comfortable – the best of both worlds,...

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2013 Audi A5 2.0T Quattro

Any car tasked with taking on the BMW 3 Series has a tough road ahead of it – both in the showroom and, literally, on the road. Such is the fate the Audi A5 has faced since hitting the scene in 2008, going up against one of the most cheered and revered coupes on the market. To take on BMW's two-door titan (as well as a growing number of luxury coupes), Audi has spent every year since the A5's debut tweaking and changing it, giving the range a lineup...

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2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost

There's an analogy to diesel engines hiding in the new Ford Fiesta with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost powerplant. There's still a segment of the population that has bad memories of diesel engines, and that makes it harder for Audi or Volkswagen to sell their new clean diesels in the US today. Not impossible, but more of a challenge than it needs to be. In the same way, ask any car geek if they've had good experiences with three-cylinder engines, and the...

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Retrobuilt 1969 Mustang Fastback

Blink your eyes and take another look. While all visual cues may be telling your brain that you are staring at a near-pristine 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback, it's all a carefully crafted illusion – a very clever façade.Hidden beneath that glistening Yellow Blaze paint, below the sculpted fiberglass and steel body panels, is a 2013 Ford Mustang GT. The retro-coupe features power-operated sport buckets with lumbar support, ice-cold air conditioning,...

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible

Want proof that diesel is finally taking hold in North America? Look no further than this 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. For a while now, it's become easier to understand why more automakers are opting to pair their large-volume models with diesel, but it's only when a given technology or feature starts to infiltrate the industry's smaller segments that we can argue that something has truly taken hold. After an agonizingly slow buildup, we're...

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2013 Dodge Dart

The 2013 Dodge Dart is the most visible manifestation of the still-new monogamous relationship between Chrysler and Fiat, the Pentastar's savior from the depths of government-sponsored bankruptcy (or worse). If you'll recall, one of the big problems pundits, management and government officials identified with Chrysler's US lineup was its complete lack of competitive small cars.Now would be a good time to mention that Dodge had a good thing with the...

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2014 Audi A3 Sportback

The (final) final decision on whether or not we will get the second-generation Audi A3 Sportback in the US has yet to be handed down by the juries in Ingolstadt and Herndon (Virginia, corporate seat for Audi USA). But that doesn't mean we can't head to the roads of the Monte Carlo Rally in this car's most powerful and accoutered trim three months before European customers take deliveries in late February. Our ride for the day? The A3 Sportback 2.0...

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2014 Lexus IS prototype

At the beginning of 2011, we rocked up to the parking lot at Southern California's Santa Anita Raceway to test the 2012 Lexus GS. This was the first sedan in the luxury brand's lineup to reset its intentions on the balance of sport and luxury. The previous GS had blanched into mute tepidity, and the new generation we drove on an autocross course and on a canyon road corrected just about everything; we liked its looks, and the Variable Gear Ratio...

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2013 Lincoln MKZ

Lincoln – pardon us, the Lincoln Motor Company – assures us that Ford is committed to its success. The awkwardness of the statement (which feels vaguely like your mother telling you that she loves and supports you regardless of what everyone else thinks) was hard to escape when we recently spent a few days with the all-new second-generation 2013 Lincoln MKZ.Launched earlier this year at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the MKZ is a midsize premium sedan...

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