Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
There are two schools of thought when designing a custom car audio installation: The solutions can be designed to stand out and highlight the upgrades, or they can be designed to blend with the rest of the vehicle. While I appreciate both styles, installations that blend with the cosmetic cues already in the vehicle are my preference. It’s challenging to make something Read more
In the spring of 2018, I was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon hanging out with Bing Xu from Simplicity in Sound in Milpitas, California. Aside from talking shop about car audio stuff, he offered to let me listen to the sound system in his 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 S wagon. It was amazing! The imaging was detailed, the tonal balance was excellent, and the integration was Read more
When I looked at the list of vehicles I might be able to test out and it said PS2, I chuckled because I didn’t think I could drive an old PlayStation gaming console (aside from GranTurismo). Then it said Polestar and I did a double take. Polestar had traditionally been the high-end Volvo tuning arm that made their vehicles handle better and go faster. Now the Volvo company Read more
Although the Porsche tagline “There is no Substitute” certainly fits its fleet of vehicles, there is nothing like the new Mercedes S-Class for a full-sized luxury car experience. In the large luxury sedan game, there is no substitute for the S Class. There are other great competitors from BMW and Audi, but the new S-Class takes the cake when it comes to luxury and Read more
For those who love the idea of a “hot hatch,” the VW Golf iterations, such as the GTI, Rabbit or Golf R, come to mind. If you aren’t exactly enamored with German engineering yet still want something fun, but perhaps a step above a Civic, check out the 2021 Mazda3 hatchback. It has a cool look, a luxurious interior and some fun performance to boot. Torquey! And a Smooth Read more
It keeps going up. We knew gasoline couldn’t stay at a low price point forever, and now my family friends with three-row SUVs are asking, “Is there anything that has a third row that is also good on gas? I am sick of $60 fill-ups.” Well, if your Acadia, Explorer or Durango has you down, Toyota might just have your answer in the new Highlander Hybrid. I first had experience Read more
We recently had the opportunity to review the Genesis G80 sedan. It turned out to be a formidable competitor to its German luxury rivals. But it seems everyone is excited about the arrival of the GV80, the Genesis brand’s first SUV … and the same model Tiger Woods was driving in February 2021 when he was seriously injured in a single-car accident near Los Angeles. Even though Read more
The new Ford Bronco is red hot. Ultra-hot. So much so, one customer sold his allocation for a new one on eBay for a reported $150,000. That’s quite the markup for a vehicle that costs around $58,000. Only a select few Broncos have hit the streets, so most people haven’t seen one in the flesh. But everyone who saw my tester said, “Wow, I like that new Bronco.” Except it’s the Read more
Sometimes you just need interior space. If you have a family with more than three children and a dog, usually the practical answer is a minivan. But most minivans don’t offer four-wheel-drive and ground clearance. The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is the answer if you aren’t in suburbia but more on the rural side and have a large family. I’m not usually a fan of the mastodon class of Read more
No doubt about it, the SUV craze is here to stay. When you have companies like Ford ditching all car-based vehicles except the Mustang, you know Americans like sitting up higher compared to a car. The Toyota Camry is still the best-selling car-based vehicle in the United States. But Toyota’s wildly popular RAV4 now even eclipses the sale of the Camry. So, Toyota wanted to Read more
The 2021 Lexus IS 350 F Sport is the tight little Lexus sedan. It might not have the cache of the 3-Series BMW, but when you consider what you get for the money, the Lexus should get a look, especially if you’re looking to own and not lease. The proven reliability of the brand, coupled with a Toyota V-6 engine, typically leads to vehicles that can go for over 300,000 miles. IS Read more
No doubt about it, the Mercedes E-Class and the BMW 5-Series are beautiful luxury sedans. But here comes Hyundai, with its now decades of engineering experience bringing a competitor to the table that truly has the Germans worried. The midsized luxury Genesis G80 offers the luxury of its German counterparts at a very tempting price point. The rest of the car world has been put Read more
