Our take on the least expensive cars you can buy
Meet our new long-term test car: The 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI. Over the next 12 months, my wife and I are aiming to put as many miles on the diesel-powered Passat as possible (and attempting to beat the 29,000 we put on our long-term Honda Insight) to see what long-term Volkswagen ownership is really like. Why did we choose a Passat TDI? I'll tell you all about it in the introduction to our twelve-month Passat TDI test drive.
Related: 2012 Volkswagen Passat review
Photo © Aaron Gold
Today I'm in Portland, Oregon, to drive the all-new 2013 Lexus ES. My review is still a few days away -- embargoes, dontcha know -- but I will tell you that more than a few of us hacks were discussing the new 2012 Hyundai Azera. One of the Toyota staffers from Japan seemed surprised that we would consider the Azera a serious threat to the Lexus ES, and considered it more of a competitor to the Toyota Avalon. And that brings up an interesting question: The Azera certainly rivals the ES for its luxurious design, but would buyers who are thinking about a Lexus even consider a Hyundai? So I figured I'd ask you.
Let's set aside issues like quality, value-for-money, resale prices, etc., and just stick with the issues of design and brand name.
Related:
Photo © Aaron Gold
Last week, you saw my test drive of the Scion FR-S; today we have that car's near-identical twin, the Subaru BRZ. The question I'm sure you're wondering about is: What are the differences between the two cars? But in writing up this test drive, I found myself asking a more important question: Why the heck hasn't Subaru done something like this before? Get the full story in my 2013 Subaru BRZ review. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Hot on the heels of my Scion FR-S test drive, Subaru has let me have a go in their version of the car, the BRZ -- this time a week-long test drive on my own stomping grounds. I'm just putting the finishing touches on my review, but I thought you might want to have a closer look at the car -- check out my 2013 Subaru BRZ photo gallery, and stop back tomorrow to read my full review. -- Aaron Gold
P.S. If you need your daily 86 fix, I suggest these two articles from our friends at SniffPetrol.com:
Photo © Aaron Gold
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