Reviews & Test Drives

2022.12.30Reviews & Test Drives

My Husband Has Driven More Than 100 Porsches—Here Are His 2022 Test-Drive Car of the Year...

2022 Test-Drive Car of the Year It’s hard to believe, but 2022 is almost over. The second half of the year seemed to fly by even faster than usual. “Time flies” has never felt more true. December, in particular, went by so quickly that I barely remember it at all—though maybe that’s just my bad memory! lol Thank you so much for following our blog, “Welcome Home, PORSCHE,” throughout the year. So, in what’s becoming...

2022.12.30Reviews & Test Drives

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.12.27Reviews & Test Drives

New Peugeot 308 SW GT BlueHDi Review

Peugeot 308 SW I’ve never owned a French car before. It’s not that I have anything against French cars. In fact, I’ve always loved the old Peugeot 306 Cabriolet, designed and built by Pininfarina. I was captivated by its beauty, and even back then, it was one of the cars I wanted most. I recently had the chance to drive the 308 SW (station wagon), a descendant of that 306, so here’s my review. The...

2022.12.27Reviews & Test Drives

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.12.11Reviews & Test Drives, Mercedes-Benz

One Week with the GLB 200 d 4MATIC: First Impressions After 1,000 km

GLB 200 d 4MATIC There are plenty of reviews of the GLB 250, the front-wheel-drive GLB 200 d, and the GLB 35 on YouTube, in magazines, and across automotive websites. But in-depth reviews of the best-selling GLB 200 d 4MATIC are surprisingly hard to find. So, for anyone considering buying one, here are my first impressions after about a week of ownership and roughly 1,000 km behind the wheel. Our 202301 GLB 200 d 4MATIC...

2022.12.11Reviews & Test Drives, Mercedes-Benz

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.11.17Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Macan

The Early Porsche Macan: This Is What a Porsche SUV Should Be!

Recently, I had the chance to borrow a first-generation Porsche Macan S for about a week, so I’d like to share my impressions. The Porsche Macan Has Three Main Generations The Porsche Macan (Type 95B) first went on sale in 2014 and has received several updates over the years, making it a relatively long-running model. Broadly speaking, the lineup can be divided into three generations: the early model, the mid-cycle model, and the current, later...

2022.11.17Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Macan

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.11.10Reviews & Test Drives, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 Review: How Good Is E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL?

GLS 580 4MATIC My younger brother, who pops up on this blog from time to time, has bought another car—just as he usually does. This time, it’s a Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 4MATIC with the Sport Chauffeur Package. By the time I’m writing this, the GLS 580 has already disappeared from the Japanese lineup. It seems the only new GLS models currently available in Japan are the GLS 400d and the AMG GLS 63. I once...

2022.11.10Reviews & Test Drives, Mercedes-Benz

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.11.03Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Cayman

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Review: Let’s See What It Can Really Do

Among Porsche’s recent new models, one has really caught my attention: the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. I even placed an order, but production slots seem to be extremely limited, so I’ve more or less given up hope of getting one (laughs). I recently had the chance to drive a 718 Cayman GT4 RS, so here’s my review. 718 Cayman GT4 RS This is the range-topping Cayman, taking the performance of the GT4 to an even...

2022.11.03Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Cayman

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.10.26Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche 911

Testing the PASM Sport Suspension on a Porsche 911 (992) Carrera S Cabriolet

PASM Sport Suspension I’ve driven plenty of current-generation Porsche 911s (992), but this one had a relatively uncommon option: PASM Sport Suspension. Also known as the PASM Sport Chassis, this setup lowers the car by about 10 mm. It also uses stiffer springs, with the promise of improved performance. PASM Sport Suspension comes standard on GTS models from the 991.2 generation onward (except the Targa), as well as the 992 Carrera T and 992 Turbo...

2022.10.26Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche 911

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.10.19Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster

Living with Two Porsche GTS Models: The 981 Boxster and Early 991 911

Two Porsches to Treasure I’d love to keep every Porsche I’ve owned for the rest of my life, but there are two I’m especially reluctant to part with. They’re the Boxster GTS (981) and 911 Carrera 4 GTS (early 991), built around the same time. Both wear the GTS badge—short for “Grand Touring Sport”—and are powered by naturally aspirated flat-six engines from before noise and emissions regulations became as stringent as they are today. The...

2022.10.19Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.10.12Reviews & Test Drives

Test-Driving the New Chevrolet Corvette (C8): It Exceeded Every Expectation

The Appeal of American Sports Cars I haven’t been able to travel much lately because of COVID, but I used to visit the U.S. for work once or twice a year. Whenever I went, I’d rent a car in a slightly nicer class and try to get around by car as much as possible. Sometimes I’d even take a grand tour from LA to Las Vegas and on to San Francisco—it was one of the...

2022.10.12Reviews & Test Drives

Reviews & Test Drives

2022.09.29Reviews & Test Drives, BMW

MINI JCW (MINI John Cooper Works) Review: A Spirited Test Drive

MINI John Cooper Works A friend recently bought a BMW MINI JCW (John Cooper Works) and kindly let me take it for a drive. I wanted to review it without any preconceptions, so I did no research beforehand and simply waited for the day of the test drive. Seeing the JCW for the first time, I was struck by how different it looked from a regular MINI. The first things to catch my eye were...

2022.09.29Reviews & Test Drives, BMW