Test Drives, Trends & Events

The 2009 Infiniti M45x stopping in western Long Island for the first leg of the trip.

Flying across the country to attend a wedding can be a trying task at times. Hotels, rentals cars, and the chance that you don’t really want to spend hours with people you don’t know. This wedding was taking place in Long Island and my wife and I have family and friends spread throughout New England so we decided to turn it into a week long road trip. The hotels were lined up, and we really like the people whose wedding we were attending so all that was left was transportation. Enter the 2009 Infiniti M45x as our chariot of choice. Hotels check, good friends and family check, and a comfortable cruiser checkmate? More...

The 2009 Audi A5 is a good looking car from all angles, making BMWs self-conscious everywhere it goes.

Heading back east for the weekend, I made a call/email/drastic plea to a friend to try and line up a car for me during my time in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. The voice on the other end asked if the 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro with manual transmission would be acceptable. Hmm… a $54,715 (as tested) fully-loaded luxury coupe for free or a $20/day rental car with cigarette burn holes in the seat. This was less a choice and more a great way to start a long weekend. More...

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is the first large luxury SUV hybrid, and somewhere Ed Begley Jr is crying.

I have lived in California for the last 6 years (14 years total) and yet I have never driven up to Big Sur. So, my wife and I decided that the long Thanksgiving weekend  would be a good time to get out of Orange County and explore this great state a bit. The idea was also appealing to our neighbors, Tom and Michelle, and our two dogs, Frank and Beans. Clearly, a sports car is out of the question for a trip with this many passengers; however a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid arrived the day before turkey day, and I found one more thing to be thankful for this year. More...

Gumballers hitting the streets -- not shown is the trailer that carries their wallets. (Photo courtesy of W. Skinner)

Let's play pretend for a minute … Close your eyes and imagine that you are a celebrity/professional athlete/super wealthy person, etc., and you are a little bored at the moment. What would you do if you had access to exotic automobiles and $120,000 burning a hole in your pocket? No … you've already donated enough for tax purposes. (Wow you’re boring!) You would enter the 2008 Gumball Rally!

The Gumball got underway over the weekend with the city of San Francisco providing the starting point. Participating in the adventure are Ferraris, Porsches, Land Rovers, as well as one 60s-era VW bus powered by a Porsche engine. This year's Gumballers are heading on a course that will lead them all the way to Beijing and the 2008 Summer Olympics. [...

With everyone feeling the pinch of gas prices lately, it's easy to start looking for cheap gas stations in your area or using a website, such as GasBuddy.com, to find low gas prices. In a recent conversation with Dr. Richard Cohen, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Temple University, who helped us debunk some common "tips" for improving gas mileage, he reminded me that driving a few extra miles to buy cheap gas may not be worth the savings.

Gas Prices Soar at the Pump

In Philadelphia, where he lives, many residents are driving about 10 miles across the river to New Jersey, where gas prices are about 20 cents cheaper per gallon. Since, on average, it would take about a half gallon of gas to make the round trip, the extra cost is about $2 to get a $4 savings, netting only $2 extra savings, which residents need for the $2 minimum toll to cross the river to get to New Jersey! Doesn't make a lot of "cents," does it?

There are much better ways of saving money on gas and improving your gas mileage. Check out our top tips in our recent article: Gas Saving Ti...