BRAWN AND BEAUTY: ‘21 LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE

Posted on August 1, 2020 by MartynL

The long-awaited drop-top version of Lexus' muscular LC Coupe drives as exquisitely as it looks. It’s the definition of BRAWN AND BEAUTY: ‘21 LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE, says Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Five minutes ensconced behind the perforated leather helm of Lexus' sublime new ‘21 LC 500 Convertible leaves you in no doubt you're in the company of a grand tourer of the highest order. Here's the perfect two-seat, drop-top cruiser for gliding down Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur, o...

ANTI-AGING: TOYOTA AVALON TRD

Posted on July 17, 2020 by MartynL

Someone dunked the ANTI-AGING: TOYOTA AVALON TRD AARP sedan in the fountain of youth, says Road Test Editor Howard Walker! Imagine grandpa strapping a turbo to his walker. Or your great-aunt Mildred taking her Buzzaround EX mobility scooter into the shop and getting it back with 19-inch rims and a racy body kit! Not gonna happen? Think again, because I've just been piloting a version of Toyota's normally somnambulant, Prozac-infused Avalon luxury liner with tuning by Toyota Racing De...

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE: AD-VANTAGE ASTON

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by MartynL

The latest Vantage coupe may be Aston's entry model, but it might be the most fun version you can buy, ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE: AD-VANTAGE ASTON, says Road Test Editor Howard Walker. OK, enough with the James Bond quips. I promise I’ll try. Yet to drive a new Aston Martin, any Aston Martin, and not make reference to the indelible 007 connection is something of a challenge. Especially as the latest ‘20 Aston Martin Vantage rocket ship I've been piloting, never failed to leave me shaken and stirred,...

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 S: ADRENALINE RUSH

Posted on June 12, 2020June 12, 2020 by MartynL

The days have to be numbered for 630 horsepower road rockets like the MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 S: ADRENALINE RUSH. Grab one while you can, says Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Yes, the day will come in the not-too-distant future, when your electrified cocoon-on-wheels is driving you autonomously to who-knows-where, and you'll smile. You'll smile because you'll remember the time when there were cars in the world like the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S. You'll remember fondly how, back in 2020, this mighty Me...

ASTON MARTIN DBS: TRIPPING THE SUPER-LIGHT FANTASTIC

Posted on June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 by MartynL

The ‘20 DBS Superleggera Volante delivers hair-raising, open-top V12 excitement, writes Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Ponder this bijou factoid for a second: The top speed of Aston Martin's new, breathtakingly gorgeous, 715 horsepower DBS Superleggera Volante convertible is 211 mph. That in itself is mightily impressive. If my math is correct, at that velocity the thundering Aston is covering the entire length of a football field in a hair over one second. No, what's really impressive is Asto...

‘19 VOLVO S60: ONE SWEET SWEDE!

Posted on October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 by MartynL

There's really only one criticism you can level at Volvo's latest, built-in-America S60 sedan: It's not an SUV, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. As you've probably heard, sales of once much-loved four-door sedans are going the way of CD players, fax machines, Sears department stores and Charlie Sheen. Who would have thought that the Ford Motor Company, mass-producer of once mega-sellers as the Taurus, Fusion, Focus and Fiesta would announce the termination of all its sedan models in the U....

‘18 CHEVY CAMARO SS: VOCALS AND VELOCITY!

Posted on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by MartynL

If you like to play it loud, this throaty 455-horsepower V8 droptop definitely delivers the decibels, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Krakatoa spewing lava doesn't sound this vocal. Metallica playing Madison Square Garden? Not even close. Elon's SpaceX lifting off from Canaveral? A baby's whisper by comparison! So what's the source of this ear-bleeding tumult? That would be the ‘18 Chevy Camaro SS convertible I've been driving. It's what happens when you squeeze a thundering 455-horsep...

‘19 BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8: FEWER CYLINDERS, MORE FUN!

Posted on September 8, 2018 by MartynL

When it comes to Bentley's super-luxe Bentayga SUV, saving $64,000 can actually heighten driving joy, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. If those three little words 'Money No Object' are in your lexicon of life; if you're a seeker of the supreme, the pursuant of perfection, then chances are you're not going to let a piffling $64,100 color your decision when seeking out the ultimate luxury sport ute. Want the best, then you'll not think twice about charging $229,100 to your Amex Centurion ...

‘18 BMW M5: A TRUE CRUISE MISSILE!

Posted on September 3, 2018September 3, 2018 by MartynL

BMW’s newest M5 couples 600 horsepower with all-wheel drive to deliver a true Ultimate Driving Machine experience, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker I'm channeling my inner Tom Cruise. No, not the TC in tighty-whities and cotton socks, bopping to Bob Seger's Old Time Rock n Roll in Risky Business. This is action-man Cruise in full Ethan Hunt mode, at the helm of a 600-horsepower ‘18 BMW M5, slippin', slidin' and char-grilling rubber on the streets of Paris in the latest Mission Impossible ro...

‘19 GENESIS G70: BUILDING A BETTER LEXUS!

Posted on July 27, 2018 by MartynL

Hyundai's luxury car division goes mainstream with its brand new midsize G70. Road Test Editor Howard Walker tries it for size. If Phil Collins is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Genesis, maybe you haven't bought a luxury sedan lately. While the wrinkly Genesis drummer should make a perfect target-buyer for a high-luxe $72,000 Genesis G90 flagship, I'm guessing Bentleys and Rollers are more his thing these days. It was the fancy G90, along with the BMW 5-Series s...