LivingFlashily

We’re all suitably bowled over by the chest-hair enhancing Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its compression-ratio gulping 6.4-liter Hemi V8 booming out 465 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. Love it all, but we have trouble seeing anyone on Earth actually realizing its promised 13 percent... 

6-05-2011

Regardless of her stance on baked goods, Marie Antoinette didn’t quite grasp the severity of country’s condition until the French Revolution was in full swing and her husband was conspicuously absent of his head. Just as General Armstrong Custer dismissed the might of the Northern Cheyenne... 

30-04-2011

The last time Ferrari blew absolutely everyone away with wall-to-wall surprises and equally sizzling performance all wrapped into one car was in 2002 with its Enzo. We’re not saying that all things between then and today have been shabby, mind you. And we’re also not saying that the 2012... 

19-04-2011

There’s no replacement for displacement. Ask any man or woman who dined on the muscle cars that Detroit was serving in the ’50s and ’60s, and they’ll tell you to always order the largest engine offered if you want to have any fun. Thing is, that tired old axiom just isn’t... 

17-04-2011

When it comes to automobiles, money is usually the limiting factor. Endowed with unlimited dough, who wouldn’t drive their dream car? For those inclined toward luxury, the full-size Mercedes-Benz S-Class coddles its drivers with massive comfort and technology that compensates for nearly every... 

5-04-2011

The previous-generation Chrysler Sebring Convertible was a mainstay of vacation-destination rental fleets. The cars were so numerous that you could pick them out from your airplane flying into Orlando, Miami and Los Angeles. The old Sebring seemed just about perfect in this role. It was fine for a couple... 

2-04-2011

Few automakers sell sexy as well as Aston Martin. Others may try, but competition demands they back up their stellar good looks with performance – oh, the burden. Take Ferrari and Lamborghini, the two Italians, as an example. Their sensual bodywork drops jaws at one hundred yards, but they also have... 

26-03-2011

We usually see women behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class. Who can blame them? It’s a cute little car. The original SLK debuted in 1996 with a four-cylinder powerplant and all of 136 ponies. What it lacked in the motivation department it made up for with its Vario-roof retractable hardtop.... 

25-03-2011

Nestled in a secluded valley in the south of Spain is the Ascari Race Resort. Celebrated as one of the world’s most beautiful tracks, the private 3.2-mile ribbon of perfectly smooth blacktop challenges drivers with 26 corners, 10-degree climbs and 18-degree banks as it weaves through the mature... 

21-03-2011

Nearly every Porsche has a Sport button, and the 2011 Cayman R is no different. It quickens the PDK gearbox’s shifts, tightens throttle response and allows a bit more slip. I should’ve paid more attention to those last two bits during our morning briefing. On the rain- and occasionally hail-battered... 

19-03-2011

For years, Acura approached the evolution of its vehicles with the deliberate patience of a carpenter wielding a sanding block. Rough mechanical or aesthetic edges were banished not with axe swings, but with small motions that seemed barely perceptible compared to the ranging whims of the competition. Then... 

18-03-2011

We should have known better, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to believe the rumors. For over two years now, we’ve heard whispers of Nissan’s plan to introduce a convertible version of its Murano crossover, but the idea seemed so far-fetched that we just couldn’t wrap our... 

17-03-2011