First Drive Reviews

​ Muscle-car fans have had quite a feast in the past two years, with the 707-horsepower Challenger and Charger Hellcat and the 526-hp Shelby GT350 laying untold stripes on countless roads across America. (Dozens of them may be ours. Maybe not. Prove it in court.) But they won't be able to pass up...

Mercedes was the first carmaker to coupe all the things. It turned the E-Class sedan into the CLS--something they call a four-door coupe, confusing as that might sound. But when it came to SUVs, Mercedes was beaten to the punch by BMW. And maybe that was a good thing, because for every coupe-like...

So how surprised were we when the gorgeous new C-Class bowed for 2015--and we found ourselves falling for the cheaper, less powerful C300? Pretty surprised. It could have been that there wasn't much of a speed difference between the twin-turbo C300 and the twin-turbo C400. Now, for 2016...

For going on a decade now, Lexus has been on a mission to convince enthusiast buyers who might gravitate toward European cars that it, too, can build world-class sports cars and sports sedans. It started with the 2008 IS F, a would-be BMW M3 competitor that showed promise but just couldn’t...

For almost every vehicle on the market, product cycles typically last six to eight years. At the end of that run, the vehicle gets a redesign with either a new or significantly improved structure. That’s not the case for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. First released in 1979, the G-Class has never...

Remember when you used to order your chassis or vehicular platform, and then find someone else to build your body? No? That's not a surprise because the art of coachbuilt cars has faded away a bit. They're still out there but they're typically extremely rare play things of the rich that are meant...

In a market in which luxury brands are seeming queuing up to change naming strategies for their vehicles—Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac, for example—the 2016 Lexus RX lineup carries forward with the same familiar RX 350 and RX 450h (hybrid) badges. Truth is, it’s changed so...

The Kawasaki Vulcan S is a well-built, sporty and stylish entry-level cruiser that's affordable, safe and likely pretty reliable. Aside from a ride that could be a little more compliant, the Vulcan S is just right in every measure. It's quite easy to fall in love with this motorcycle.

E-Class, 5-Series—some of the best luxury cars in the world are mid-size sedans. But the battle for hearts and minds, and roads, isn't just between those epic four-doors. We'd put the vaunted Audi A6 and the excellent Cadillac CTS on the list, too. Is there room for one more truly great...

Blame it all on notorious badass Carroll Shelby. The man was a goddamn prophet. Back in 1965 he knew what was wrong with the Mustang—it needed more power. It doesn't take a genius to think that, but it took one to make it happen, and to make history. Shelby gave the pony car more power in the...

The Germans. Always the Germans. Their brands have been the benchmark for luxurious motoring since Nixon left the White House in disgrace. But it wasn’t always that way. Cadillac was once The Standard of the World. Can it be that once again? The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V is the latest salvo in an...

What’s an automaker to do when it’s time to redesign a car that is universally loved? Simple, give its fans more of what they love. In the case of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, more equals less. Since it was introduced in 1989, the Miata has offered the fun, engaging driving experience that can...

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class will arrive later this year, as a new nameplate with a look that’s entirely different than that of its predecessor. And behind it, there seems to be an indelible backstory. Automakers don’t often point much to predecessors as they’re introducing...

“The R8 is born at Le Mans.” So said “Mr. Le Mans,” now-retired race driver and nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in a promotional video that Audi showed at the press drive for the 2017 R8 supercar. Even though the video felt like a combination of a Folgers...

Calling the Harley-Davidson Street 750 crucial to the company's survival might be a bit of an overstatement. But not by much. ALSO SEE: 2016 Bentley Continental GTC Speed First Drive The devotion of the Milwaukee motorcycle manufacturer's fan base is legendary, and demand for its imposing...

So, you think Porsche only makes sports cars? What, did you stop reading in 2003? That's when Porsche came out with its first SUV, the Cayenne. And without the Cayenne, we might not have today's 911s and Caymans and Boxsters. At all. Porsche's sold so many Cayennes, it's building a follow-up act, a...

In all likelihood, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is one for which lines will be drawn; it's a baffling beast to some, a sexy one to others. Take the 'coupe' badging and tall-fastback form factor in context, and try not to bring too much of your gaze upon this model's cladding and rugged...

At Laguna Seca, mistakes aren't forgiven easily. The benchmark track for enthusiasts has fistfuls of passages that give new meaning to the idea of a "technical" course. No worries: we're behind the wheel of the roof-less version of the car we named Motor Authority’s Best Car To Buy...

If you’ve been hankering for some F-Type action, but just have to have a three-pedal setup, Jaguar now has an answer for you. Same for those snowbelters who just can’t do without all-wheel drive, even in their third car: you have a solution too. It’s the 2016 Jaguar F-Type, and...

Swimming pools, movie stars, things that end in the number 5. California means a lot of things to a lot of people but to Ferrari, it means grand touring. In the latest installment of the Italian automaker's long-running love affair with the Golden State, the California is a 2+2 hardtop...