Section: Winding Road Magazine road tests

Drives: 2008 BMW X6 xDrive50i

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, BMW, Coupes, Crossovers, Winding Road Magazine road tests May 16th, 2008 11:30 AM 1 Comment

We’ve covered the X6 phenomenon already, driving some pre-production prototypes around BMW’s South Carolina campus a few issues ago. Between that early drive, the crowd reaction at last September’s Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling, editor Chris Paukert’s recent frankness regarding the vehicle’s marketing strategy, and now this full-on try in dealership-ready trim, we are still left asking, “What is it?”

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Drives: MTM Audi Q7

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Audi, Sport Utility Vehicles, Winding Road Magazine road tests May 14th, 2008 11:30 AM No Comments

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Drives: Zenn Electric

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Economy Cars, Electric, Environmental/Green, Winding Road Magazine road tests May 12th, 2008 1:30 PM 3 Comments

The challange for electric city cars in saving mankind from its own exhaust fumes, especially in the big-sheetmetal traffic found across North America, has been their tininess, their lack of power, and their lack of crash safety should they ever meet up with a Cadillac Escalade.

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Drives: Infiniti FX50

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Infiniti, Winding Road Magazine road tests April 30th, 2008 1:00 PM No Comments

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Exotica: Bentley Brooklands

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Bentley, Coupes, Winding Road Magazine road tests April 22nd, 2008 3:00 PM No Comments

To its eternal credit, Bentley has managed to keep its Volkswagen masters at bay for some time, taking advantage of the company’s economies of scale when practical but never losing sight of its own rich heritage. In this era of spirit-killing takeovers, that’s no small accomplishment.

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Quick Drives: Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Crossovers, Mitsubishi, Winding Road Fleet Blog, Winding Road Magazine road tests April 18th, 2008 9:00 AM 1 Comment

Mitsubishi has a good thing going with its new Outlander SE. Several, in fact, beginning with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that is new for 2008.

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Drives: Acura TSX

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: Acura, All News, Winding Road Magazine road tests April 17th, 2008 1:00 PM 2 Comments

When the TSX bowed as a 2004 model, it earned a modest reputation for sporty, agile behavior. Sales edged upward through five seasons, easing past the original target and attracting the relatively youthful audience Acura sought.

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Drives: BMW M3 Sedan

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, BMW, Sedans, Sports/GTs, Winding Road Magazine road tests April 14th, 2008 1:00 PM 3 Comments

It would be easy to dismiss this version of the fourth-generation M3 as just and M3 with two extra doors allowing humans to use the rear seats, but that would be a slight injustice. Not huge, but slight.

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2008 Lexus GS460 Test Drive

Written By: Phil Floraday

Filed Under: All News, Car Buying/Consumer Info., David E. Davis, Jr., Lexus, Winding Road Magazine road tests March 14th, 2008 9:00 AM No Comments

The Lexus GS460 tells you exactly what sort of car it is the moment you slip it into gear and accelerate down the ramp to merge with the evening rush-hour traffic. It is a swift, luxurious car that genuinely seems to enjoy being driven hard. It attracts admiring glances wherever it’s driven, and will make you grin like a fool on a challenging country road.

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2009 Dodge Journey Test Drive

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Car Buying/Consumer Info., Crossovers, Dodge, Winding Road Magazine road tests March 13th, 2008 12:00 PM 5 Comments

Mistakes can become learning opportunities. Take the Chrysler Pacifica. Chrysler’s first crossover had the makings of something good. Engineered in a corporate environment flush with optimism after the Daimler purchase, the Pacifica hit the road with loads of old Mercedes E-class parts in its bones. Quality and handling were good. About the size of a minivan, the one-box shape looked smooth. But the Pacifica never became the sales hit Chrysler hoped for. Buyers reportedly stayed away because the vehicle was too heavy and it looked boring.

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2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 Test Drive

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Car Buying/Consumer Info., Convertibles, Mercedes-Benz, Sports/GTs, Winding Road Magazine road tests March 12th, 2008 10:00 AM 5 Comments

Southern France is the perfect place to launch Mercedes-Benz’s new SLK, and it’s not because the roads are twistier than a hangman’s noose. It’s not just the glamour of Cap Ferrat and Monte Carlo, either, though Mercedes might cheerfully claim anything that rubbed off. Nope, it’s the never-ending vertical cliff faces, tunnels, and canyons that make these cars the stars here. They are constantly repaying you for every planted throttle and the twenty-two seconds you spent folding the steel roof into the short trunk.

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2008 Audi RS4 Cabriolet Test Drive

Written By: Winding Road Staff

Filed Under: All News, Audi, Car Buying/Consumer Info., Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Winding Road Magazine road tests March 11th, 2008 9:30 AM No Comments

There are those who would criticize the Audi RS4 Cabriolet, saying the big V-8 engine in its nose only amplifies the understeering tendencies of its Quattro all-wheel-drive system; that it costs a truckload of cash; and that a cloth top couldn’t be as good as a folding metal roof—like most convertibles du jour. To which the only reply can be: fie, pish, and pshaw!

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