Reviews & Test Drives

2021.11.18Reviews & Test Drives

Test-Driving the New Toyota Harrier: What Does a Porsche Owner Think?

My husband had the chance to test-drive the new Toyota Harrier, and he’s shared his impressions here. We hope you enjoy reading them. New Toyota Harrier: Gasoline 2WD Z Grade A friend recently bought the new Toyota Harrier and let me take it for a drive. As usual, rather than focus on the interior, exterior, or everyday practicality, I’ll concentrate on how it drives. The model I tested was the new Harrier with a gasoline...

2021.11.18Reviews & Test Drives

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.11.16Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Panamera

The Ultimate Panamera: Driving the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

This blog originally began with my wife’s love of the Panamera. Our family has owned a late-model 970 Panamera Edition and an early 971 Panamera Turbo. We’ve since moved on to a Cayenne, but the Panamera remains one of our favorite Porsches. This time, I was lucky enough to borrow an early 971 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid as a loaner car, so here’s my review. Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid I’ll start with the verdict: this...

2021.11.16Reviews & Test Drives, Porsche Panamera

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.11.14Reviews & Test Drives, Suzuki

How to Dramatically Reduce Road Noise in a Suzuki Swift Sport: We Put It to the Test!

Road Noise in the Suzuki Swift Sport I bought my Suzuki Swift Sport in October, and I’m absolutely delighted with it. It’s fun to drive, nimble around town, a blast with its manual transmission, and unbeatable value for money. But there was one thing I couldn’t ignore: the road and wind noise were loud. Even on ordinary city streets, the road noise was pretty noticeable. On the highway, I could hear a fair amount of...

2021.11.14Reviews & Test Drives, Suzuki

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.11.04Reviews & Test Drives, How to Buy a Porsche, The Appeal of Porsche, Porsche 911

Test-Driving the Porsche 911 Carrera (991.1): Why the Base Carrera Gets It Right

Since buying a 991.1 Carrera 4 GTS, I’ve become completely smitten with the first-generation 991. Recently, I had the chance to drive a base 991.1 Carrera, so I’d like to share my impressions—and explore what makes a standard 911 so appealing. Why Do Experienced Porsche Owners Come Back to the Base 911? Even before I owned a Porsche, I’d heard this time and again: respected automotive journalists and people who have owned several Porsches often...

2021.11.04Reviews & Test Drives, How to Buy a Porsche, The Appeal of Porsche, Porsche 911

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.29Reviews & Test Drives, BMW

Test-Driving the BMW ALPINA D5 S: What Was My First ALPINA Like?

The ALPINA D5 S I’ve mentioned in previous articles that BMW is one of my favorite carmakers. Ever since owning an E36 318is, I’ve loved the way BMWs drive and the fun they deliver. Even now, BMW remains one of the brands I’d love to own again if the opportunity came along. Within BMW’s lineup, the name that stands shoulder to shoulder with M as a maker of high-performance cars is ALPINA. I’d always wanted...

2021.10.29Reviews & Test Drives, BMW

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.24Reviews & Test Drives

Test-Driving the Porsche 356 Speedster: Where Porsche Convertibles Began

The Porsche 356 Speedster I’ve previously written about test-driving a Porsche 356 coupe, but this time I had the chance to get behind the wheel of a 356 Speedster—and I’m excited to share my impressions. The car I drove was a 1958 Porsche 356A Speedster. A little research revealed that the 356 was offered as an open-top model in three forms: Cabriolet, Speedster, and Roadster. This is a Speedster—the model that gave rise to a...

2021.10.24Reviews & Test Drives

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.20Reviews & Test Drives, How to Buy a Porsche, Porsche 911

Why I Bought an All-Wheel-Drive Porsche 911—and Why I Chose the GTS

Why Buy an All-Wheel-Drive 911? When people think of the Porsche 911, many picture its rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. I certainly do. “911” and “rear-engine, rear-wheel drive” are almost synonymous in my mind. But as you probably know, the 911 lineup also includes all-wheel-drive models: the Carrera 4 and Targa 4 models, along with the Turbo models. The 964 Carrera 4 was the first all-wheel-drive Carrera. According to period sources, it featured a full-time AWD system...

2021.10.20Reviews & Test Drives, How to Buy a Porsche, Porsche 911

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.16Reviews & Test Drives, The Appeal of Porsche

Comparing Early 991 Porsche 911 Trims: The Best Choice Depends on Your Driving Skill

Test-Driving the Base Porsche 991 Carrera The other day, a blog reader kindly let me take their Porsche 911 for a drive. It was a base 991 Carrera from the first generation, with a simple list of options: BOSE audio, power-folding mirrors, a sports steering wheel, and heated seats—and nothing else. The body color was Guards Red. It was exactly the kind of car you picture when you hear the phrase “a red Porsche” from...

2021.10.16Reviews & Test Drives, The Appeal of Porsche

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.14Reviews & Test Drives, BMW

BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé (840i) Review: How Does It Compare with the Panamera?

I recently had the chance to test-drive the current-generation BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé, and I’d like to share my impressions. As usual, rather than getting into every little feature, I’ll focus on how it drives and how it compares with the Porsche Panamera I used to own. The BMW 8 Series The BMW 8 Series has been one of my dream cars since I was a kid. Looking back, I remember the day an...

2021.10.14Reviews & Test Drives, BMW

Reviews & Test Drives

2021.10.06Reviews & Test Drives, Touring Reports, Porsche 911

Buying a Used Porsche: Our 911 Carrera 4 GTS (991.1) Comes Home

The other day, I wrote about buying a 911 Carrera 4 GTS (991.1). Today, I’d like to pick up where I left off and share what delivery day was like, along with my first impressions. Delivery Day After preparing and sending in the paperwork, delivery day arrived about three weeks later. I could have paid extra to have the car delivered on a transporter, but I chose not to. As a Porsche owner who believes...

2021.10.06Reviews & Test Drives, Touring Reports, Porsche 911