Thoughts from the Curb

Dec 31, 2008 - The Best and Worst Cars of 2008

I drove a lot of cars, SUVs and trucks this year. So many I wish I made hash marks on a Post It or something so I'd know for sure how many. There's a lot of these Best and Worst lists out at this time of year (including the buff book's awards), each having a different criteria and method for determining what they consider to be the best. Does "best" mean best for me, best for enthusiasts, best for the buying public or the best car period regardless of price. Ditto worst. Plus, would simply disappointing the reviewer count for worst? Here's what I did.

I considered every vehicle that passed through the Edmunds garage from Jan. 1 to Dec 1, which is just about everything. I then sat on a rock, placed my chin on my knuckles and pondered my myriad driving experiences from this year of Obama and GT-R.

The BEST: 2010 Mazda 3
In the end, I chose the car that so perfectly satisfies all of the above criteria for what makes a "Best." While maintaining the outgoing car's brilliant road manners (and most of its platform), the new Mazda Mazda3 by Mazda raises the bar it established by improving the already impressive interior, adding stuff to the already ample features list and bumping up the already punchy engines. But I consider it the best because it seems like the perfect car for the most people for these lean, green times. It's not the most efficient small car, but it's still a relative fuel miser and PZEV certified. Depending on trim, the 3 can be either a budget economy car or a junior sport sedan with luxury car features and interior trappings. I've known cash-strapped college students who've bought a 3 i and a well-to-do mother of three grown kids who could've bought something more expensive, but settled on a 3 s Grand Touring. The 2010 Mazda 3 would be even better for both. It's the car I'd buy between $15,000 and $25,000 and the one I'd be first to recommend. I'd say that qualifies as best.

Honorable mention: Ford Flex, BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series, Porsche 911, Aston Martin DBS

The WORST: 2009 Toyota Corolla
This was much easier than figuring out what I considered to mean "best." The all-new Corolla by any definition stinks. I say it, all our editors say it and six regular Americans we invited to drive it say it. If you want to see an example of a company resting simply on its reputation, look no further than the Corolla. It is so clearly bought by people who've heard the Corolla is a good, reliable car, and then go buy one without driving anything else. I could go into all the reasons it stinks, but just read my test drive of the thing or perhaps this Thought from the Curb. If you want an inexpensive, fuel-efficient car that's more comfort-minded than my "Best" pick, go get a Honda Civic or a Hyundai Elantra. The Corolla had always been a solid, yet tremendously boring car. Now it's boring and bad. Yuck.

Dishonorable Mention: Acura TSX, Smart Fortwo, Dodge Journey, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

See you in '09! -James Riswick

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Dec 22, 2008 - Top 10 Cars I Want for Christmas

Sorry Mariah, but all I want for Christmas is most definitely not you. No, I want these cars. They may not be the best, they may not make the most sense, but dang it, these are the cars I want under my tree.

And yes, there's only new vehicles. If I extended it to all cars ever, there'd just be a bunch of cars formerly owned by James Bond and Batman.

Aston Martin DBS -- OK, I can still have a car presently owned by James Bond, right?

Porsche 911 -- Still the quintessential sports car. Still special. Still lustworthy. Plus, it's highly customizable.

Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG -- Blew me away two weeks ago when I drove it. This is my favorite vessel for the 63 AMG engine, which is knee-weakening in both power and sound.

BMW 135i Coupe -- Its smaller size makes it feel nimbler than the bigger 3 and sorry, but I'd rather have the 1. Not the prettiest thing on the list, but that's what the DBS is for.

BMW 335i -- Any body style, I don't care. Sweet car in 328i form, sublime with 335i.

Maserati Gran Turismo -- The only car on the list I've never driven. I should really get on that. But for now, I'll just assume it's brilliant to drive given how bad-ass it looks.

Mini Cooper S -- I still like the old one better, but the turbo engine is brilliant and the entire car is a hoot. Plus, as the DBS and 911 prove, I'm a sucker for customizable cars.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class -- I never thought I'd desire a C-Class, but darn it I do -- from C300 Sport to C63 AMG. Beautifully and solidly built, and unabashedly German. I like that.

Mercedes-Benz GLK350 -- That last point applies to the GLK. Maybe it's just that I finished driving this compact SUV and it remains fresh in my mind, but I really really enjoyed it. Plus, I figured I should have a wagonish thing on here. 

Range Rover -- I'd never recommend one, but I still love the Range Rover. The classic British styling, the classy interior and the BMW engineering underneath. Plus, I'll need something to drive in the event I visit outer Mongolia.

So now you know what I want. I'll be waiting by the front door.

-James Riswick

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Nov 25, 2008 - Top 10 Automotive Turkeys of 2008

I could write "Top 10 Cars I'm Thankful For" but I'm far too sarcastic for that. I've driven quite a few cars this year and quite a few fall into the turkey category. These aren't necessarily what I would call the worst cars on the road, rather, I would say these are the most disappointing I drove this year. The links go to some expanded thoughts of mine if available. And now...

10) Lincoln MKS: They market it as a starship: fast, fun, futuristic. It's none of these things. Instead, it's a big luxury sedan that should appeal to older buyers who would otherwise buy an ES 350. That's fine, old people buy cars too, except its stiff steering should turn them away (all that tech could backfire too). The MKS totally misses the mark.

9) Jeep Compass/Patriot: I was expecting these to be garbage, so I can't put them too far down on the list. But they're still two of the very worst vehicles on the road (tied with the related Sebring). Just check out Compass' stay in our long term fleet.

8) Subaru Tribeca: Remember this? No, I don't blame you. I drove one last weekend and it left me uncomfortable and puzzled. The driving position is awful (I'll go into that next week) and it doesn't seem to "go" with the rest of Subaru's mostly fun line-up. Instead it feels like a Buick Rendezvous with an over-styled interior.

7) Our Saturn Aura: It seemed like our long-term Aura was in the dealer almost as much as it was in the garage. In truth, it added up to several weeks with its myriad problems (especially in the steering department). We had such high hopes for it, but it was a major disappointment. Good blog fodder, though.

6) Dodge Journey: Good ideas everywhere, but realized with sloppy execution and questionable interior design. It also got a whole heap of Journey songs stuck in my head. Don't Stop Believin.

5) Honda Pilot: I spent a lot of time in the Pilot and I actually didn't mind it as much as my colleagues did. However, its braking performance was inexcusable and its power-to-fuel-economy ratio not much better. Plus, that face is just silly.

4) Chevy Tahoe Hybrid: Hey, a full-size SUV that gets 21 mpg! That's great! Wait, I could get a full-size crossover from the same company that gets 19 mpg, but costs about $10,000 less and features a more useful interior? I guess that makes more sense, but that Traverse doesn't have 13 Hybrid stickers on it.

3) Acura TSX: I owned a 2006 TSX, and although I grew tired of its peaky power delivery, it was a fun little car that packed a lot of features in for the money. The new car does the latter, but all the fun is gone. The steering in particular is terrible -- pure electric slop -- and all the other driving dynamics have either stayed the same or gone down hill.

2) Dodge Grand Caravan: Just read our long term blog. What a disaster. Wait, I'm about to drive it to Phoenix for Thanksgiving? Dang it.

1) Smart ForTwo: Oh we had such high hopes for the Smart. John Di Pietro and I even took pictures next to them at last year's LA Auto Show. I love small cars and why shouldn't I love the Smart? Because its transmission is awful, its brake pedal drives me nuts, its fuel economy isn't that great, it runs on premium, I nearly got repeatedly blown off the road in it, and people think I own it when I drive it. Most of these things are correctable, but until they're fixed, I'll go ahead and call it the Dumb ForAll.

Happy Turkey Day!

-James Riswick

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Jul 25, 2008 - Top 10 Best Looking Cars In the World 2008

This week on Jalopnik, they did a list of the 10 Ugliest Cars Currently Sold in America. While I didn't agree with all of them, I got to thinking about what the 10 best looking cars were. Knowing that there were umpteen sexy cars sold in Europe that we never get to see (Viva Italia!), I expanded my search globally. My list consists of cars that are eye-catching in a non-vulgar way (no Lambo, then), usually with excellent symmetry and balance, and sporting an overall appeal that will last for years to come. Plus, what would I most like to be seen in?

1) Aston Martin DB9 and DBS
I'm an Aston guy through and through, but if you don't think these are two of the sexiest cars on Earth, there's something seriously wrong. The sensuous curves, the perfect GT proportions. The DBS is less pretty, but its muscular, purposeful additions look marvelous.

2) Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
That excellent symmetry bit is all on display here. The 8C isn't breathtakingly pretty like the DB9, but its sexy curves and perfect proportions make it an instant classic. This can't get here fast enough.

3) Porsche 911
You want to talk about an overall appeal that will last for years to come -- the 911 has had it for decades. The latest version is simply perfect -- that classic 911 silhouette, simplified and dignified details like the round headlamps and strip taillights. Now and forever a classic.

4) Maserati Gran Turismo
Menacing. Just look at that picture up there. Especially in black, the GT looks deliciously evil. It's as if Darth Vader and Batman together commissioned the thing.

5) Alfa Romeo Brera / Spider / 159
I didn't feel like taking up three spots on the list with this Alfa family of coupe, roadster and sedan, but I could have. These cars are gorgeous. The three-round headlights tucked within those radical...ah hell, I lack the vocabulary to describe it. Just look at it!

6) Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé
Stately, elegant, classic. Yet the Phantom Coupé still manages to look modern, mostly thanks to those strip headlights. The grand visage of the big Phantom is shrunken here to exhibit a more feminine quality. Plus, it has suicide doors.

7) Audi R8
I'm honestly not the biggest fan of the R8's styling -- the proportions are all weird -- but there's no denying this grabs attention like few cars on the road without resorting to the electric green paint jobs of Lamborghinis. The R8 really is quite striking.

8) BMW 3 Series Coupe
This is probably the most mainstream car on the list and the only car that's emerged from the Bangle Revolution looking like a million bucks. My favorite part is the gentle downslope of the tail that tapers inward from the sides, breaking the industry's trend of increasingly rising trunks. Amazingly, this managed to survive the conversion to hardtop convertible.

9) Chevrolet Corvette
Those proportions I was talking about with the Alfa 8C, well, the C6 Corvette's are practically identical. Unlike almost every other long-running American car, this one has remained cool forever and the current one is no exception. I'm not wild about the headlights, but the Vette is still a champ.

10) Fiat 500 (Cinquecento)
This was the hardest spot to fill in, but I ultimately picked the 500 because it's just so damn cool. I think the 2nd Gen Mini has lost a little of the small car je ne sais cute, but the 500 has it in droves. Maybe if I saw hundreds of these everyday it would get old, but from across the pond it manages to simultaneously be cute and driveable-by-men at the same time.

Honorable Mention: Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Pontiac G8, Audi S5, Chevrolet Camaro, Jaguar XF, Rolls-Royce Phantom

-James Riswick

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