Car review

2014 Mazda3

While you wouldn’t call the Mazda3 as mainstream as say a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla, it is definitely a car that should be strongly considered when looking at the compact car segment. Why, you ask? There are plenty reasons why. The first being, its not so mainstream, every other car on the road you see isn’t going to be what you’re driving. The second is because of the interior. I recently drove the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 and I’d have to say the interior of that is very comparable to the Mazda3′s interior. You could say that that’s saying a lot for the Mazda, or speaking very lowly of the Mercedes, but I assure you that it’s not an insult for either.
To say that this new Mazda3 is good would be an understatement. The Mazda3 is very good. So good in fact, that I had to try really hard to find something I didn’t like about it. Those items would be: the small tachometer, the out of place and slightly cheap feeling nav unit, and lack of power. That’s it! Thats all I was able to find I didn’t “like” about it, and that was me really being nit-picky.

So let’s tackle those issues.

1. Small tachometer
Its a compact car, so space is limited, so I can understand the need for smaller instrumentation. On the automatic version, however, the tachometer is front and center, which I think should be the other way around. If you’re driving a manual, you’ll pay more attention to your revs more than if you were driving an automatic, so naturally you don’t want to strain too much to see where you are. Given the layout for both setups are clean and look nice, this is something I think could be fixed in future releases. With that said, it’s most definitely not a deal breaker.

2. Nav/Infotainment Screen
While the quality of the screen is very nice, it feels as if it was just slapped on there. It’s almost like after they designed the dash, someone said, “Oh crap, we forgot to make space for a nav/infotainment center! Let’s just throw this screen on top of the dash.” It feels kind of sturdy up there, but I’d be scared some random dashboard cleaner at the local car wash would be overzealous with wiping the dash down and break it off. But the crispness of the screen makes you forget all about that.

3. Power
The model I drove had Mazda’s 2.0L Skyactiv-G engine with 155hp, not your most powerful option. You could opt for the 184hp 2.5L engine, but then you’d be unable to row your own gears. The standard engine felt peppy, but it had nowhere near the pep that the previous engine had, which was disappointing. On the upside, it boasts a proud 40mpg on the highway, which is impressive for such a fun car. While you won’t be winning any stoplight drag races with it, the Mazda3 is a very fun car to drive quickly, so again, this is not a deal breaker.

So what does the Mazda3 do well? Pretty much everything else. The ride is firm, but comfortable, making it fun around town, and compliant on the highway. The interior is very nice as I said, with many qualities that point to a much higher class of vehicles. All soft touches are of high quality, and most plastics don’t feel cheap like some others in this segment. Seats are very supportive, and comfortable. It was very easy to find a comfortable seating position, and even though it’t in the compact class, the rear seats had a decent amount of legroom to fit a couple of adults fairly comfortably.

So, the Mazda3. A perfect choice for those who don’t want to buy an appliance. A car for someone looking for something different, fun, and honestly, a step above the other options out there. So the next time you’re out car shopping for a compact car to scoot around town, put the 2014 Mazda3 at the top of that list.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid

So I’ve never really driven a hybrid before this car. I’ve been a passenger in one, and have never really liked the way they sounded. Unfortunately, the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid doesn’t change that. However, I must say that they have done a very nice job with the way this car feels, drives and rides.

The interior has very nice appointments, which you would expect from Honda in this particular segment. Everything feels fairly nice. Soft touch accents all around and it is pretty much very comfortable to live with. I wasn’t really able to test the driving dynamics from a sporty standpoint given the weather was not cooperating, but from a daily driver standpoint it is certainly a good one. Around town the drivetrain is more than enough to get you from point A to point B, and surprisingly is a little peppy. While there are technically 3 different modes that the car runs in, it mainly runs in hybrid mode, however, there’s a little button that you can press that will operate it completely in electric mode, so long as you don’t push the “gas” pedal too hard. My only quibble was when the 2-cylinder engine engaged to help drive the wheels. From my standpoint, it was very noticeable, but then again, I tend to notice every little change, noise, and squeak. I specifically noticed it mainly on the highway. You’d be driving along cruising at a steady speed, and you’ll feel a slight surge forward. While not a huge surge, and surely not a big deal, but it caught me by surprise the first time I felt it. Its almost as if the car wanted to accelerate on its own, but then decided not to. A little scary at first, but if you don’t notice it, it’ll never bother you, and most likely you’ll get used to it.

Overall, the Accord Hybrid is very good. What more could you ask for. Its quiet, comfortable, sporty, has all the right features, plus it nets up to 50mpg in the city. So the next time you’re in the market for a hybrid, I highly suggest you take one out for a spin. Its far more enjoyable than the more “appliance” hybrids.

Bentley Continental GT V8

It’s not everyday you get to drive around in a Bentley. Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of taking one out for a night while in Los Angeles covering the Auto Show.
When you think of a Bentley, you kind of think of the rich celebrity type person who wants a status car, you normally don’t think of a car that’s fun to drive. Well, having this car for a night gave me a ton of fun. Obviously, everything about this car was magnificently luxurious, so I don’t feel that I have to go into too much detail about how nice it is. Instead, I’m going to strictly talk about how much fun it was to drive.
First off, I’ve driven the W12 version of this car previously, and wasn’t too impressed with the engine note. Yeah, it’t got a 12-cylinder engine, which leads you to think, “Don’t some Lamborghinis have 12 cylinders? This thing should sound awesome since it also has 12 cylinders.” To this, I have to say, the sound of the GT V8 sounded much, much better than the W12 version. It had a nice deep, throaty growl that reminded me of a more sophisticated American v8. Cruising along trying to see if anyone notices a Bentley driving around downtown L.A., and its nice and quiet, but punch that throttle and you open up a can of sweet music.
The GT V8 doesn’t feel aggressively fast, but I can assure you that this thing can, and will push you into your seat, and if you have some passengers in the car, they’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quick and luxurious this car is. I mean, for a car that starts around $175,000, you wouldn’t expect anything less.
So in conclusion of my night out with the Bentley Continental GT V8, I’d have to say I was going into it not really expecting anything. I’m not the type of guy that revels in the mass luxury of these type of vehicles. However, I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of fun I had driving this car around L.A. Merging into traffic, tackling off-ramps, driving around a covered garage listening to the burble of the V8, all this attributed to a very fun night.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette

The Corvette is an American icon. When it first appeared in 1953 as a show car, it was met with so much enthusiasm that GM decided to make it into a production model, and it came out later that year. Seven generations later, and it’s still in production, and still loved as much as back then. While many will argue which is the best Vette ever made, I’d have to say without having ever driven another version besides the Corvette C6 ZR1, this is a great American sports car, hell, maybe even an American super car.

While it’s no Ferrari or Lamborghini, the C7 Corvette is well on it’s way to being a contender for bang for your buck. For a cool $51,000 you can be sitting in one. What does that $51,000 get you? I’m glad you asked.

You’re no longer looking at cheap, recycled parts, the same steering wheel as a Chevrolet Malibu, or decent performance. No, you’re looking at a very well crafted machine, filled with luxurious touches, and great overall performance. Looking over this car, GM took in every detail, from the soft touch leather dashboard, to the knobs that control the climate controls, everything feels well thought out, and well executed. The digital gauges add a very nice touch of the future to the cabin, but don’t worry, you still have some analog gauges there as well to even it all out. The seats are very comfortable as well. It didn’t take much to find a comfortable seating position, and while you’re pretty low to the ground, it didn’t feel like it.

Previous years exterior designs were never as controversial as this one. Some may think its too aggressive looking, but I think it looks just right. It has enough aggressiveness to have people take a double take when passing by, which is what the Corvette needed. Yeah, you see Corvettes a lot more than you’ll see Ferrari’s, which is partially the reason why previous generations get overlooked easily. But this one, you need to take a look at again, just to be like, “Wait, this is a Corvette? An American car company built something so exotic looking?” And exotic it is. Over the course of the 16 hours I had this car I had people stopping me, asking me questions about it, heck, some people were even pulling u-turns as the drove by just to get out and look the car over as it was parked on the side of the road.

Now, the performance parts. How can you go wrong with a 6.2 liter V8 pushing out 455 horsepower, 460 if you opt for the performance exhaust as in the car I had. Transmission choices are either a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters, or a true enthusiasts transmission of a manual 7-speed with active rev-matching. Yes, thats correct, a 7-speed manual in a Corvette. While I’ll say that the 7-speed manual transmission in this car is pretty good, it did feel a tiny bit clunky, and many times I would find it hard to find the gear I was looking for. Trying to get from 2nd into 3rd I’d sometimes end up in 5th, and trying to go from 4th to 5th I’d sometimes end up in 7th, but most of the time, I’d end up somewhere in between. I’m sure with some more time in the car it would all become second nature to me, but it would take some time.

In the center of the car you will find a dial. On that dial you have some options. Weather, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Track. I kept it mainly in 2 modes, Tour and Sport. Tour mode is what I’d like to call your everyday mode. It’s comfortable, smooth, and just overall very pleasant. The exhaust isn’t too loud, unless you really get on it, the ride is very compliant and easy on the hind quarters. This is the kind of mode you use driving around your community neighborhood at the early hours, or if you’re on long road trip.

My favorite mode, however, was Sport. This gave the suspension a more aggressive feel, a little more jarring, but not unbearable. It also tightened up the steering feel and made the exhaust much more pronounced. This is the mode you’d drive in when you want to hear the roar of that LS3 engine, and when you want everyone else to hear it too.

No matter which mode you’re in, planting your foot into the floor will always give you a nice rush. Plant it hard enough and that back end likes to come loose like a wet noodle. Before you know it you’re hitting 60mph, which is claimed to be around 3.8 seconds. Keep that throttle pegged, and you hit triple digits in no time. The engine just begs to keep going, and hearing the noises that it’s emitting makes it very hard to pull that right foot back. But alas, unless you’re on a track you shouldn’t be hitting those speeds, but it sure is fun trying to get up there.

So is this new Corvette a true super car. Of course not. But it’s pretty damn close for what you’re paying for.

2013 Lamborghini Aventador

When you hear the word Lamborghini you think of fast, sexy italian cars. When you hear the engine, you know what it is. It’s rare that someone who hears it doesn’t look, let alone do a double-take. While I was not lucky enough to drive this car, I was lucky enough to be a passenger in one for a ride around New York City.

First off, let me tell you this. You will not want to buy this car if you have any type of back problems, or have passengers who easily get car sick, or live nowhere near open roads or near a race track. Riding around the rough roads in the city was not pleasant, however, being seen in the Aventador, watching people stare and push people out of the way chasing after it trying to get photos gives you a nice sense of importance. Which is exactly what this car is for. This is a car you want to be seen/heard in, whether you’re the driver or the passenger. Someone who buys this surely isn’t buying it for comfort. The combination of the tight suspension and the single clutch automatic transmission makes for an awful ride, unless you’re using it as it was intended to be used, a super car. Push this car, and it responds, “Thats how I like it!” But try and baby it, and it lets you know its not happy, fighting with you all the way until you push it again. Keep in mind, this was all from a passenger’s point of view. I can only imagine what it feels like to saddle up with this bull and take it for a ride, pushing its 691 horsepower V12 to the limit…..

But being a passenger, as you would expect in a $400k+ car, the interior is luxurious, with leather and aluminum all around. Details inside were magnificent. But one of the coolest and smallest features, is how it has a cover over the push-start button, like you’re getting ready to launch a missle, which, you kind of are. Flip that cover, press the button, and the engine roars to life like nothing you’ve ever heard before. It’s that exact sound that gets enthusiast’s heart pumping. Other than the harsh city ride, and the blazing performance, there’s not too much else I’m able to share about how this raging bull drives, handles, or feels behind the wheel, but what I can give you are some nice photos to drool over.

-Enjoy!

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