Articles in Behind the Wheel
2013 Audi S8 – Review and Road Test
What the Bundeskanzler Drives on Weekends
The first time I drove an Audi A8 (albeit the previous generation), I thought of former Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder, who was the first Federal Chancellor to pick a car other than a Mercedes as the official Kanzlerwagen. While his was far more armoured than the one I drove, the impression stuck.
When I recently sat behind the wheel of an Audi S8 (the S cars are …
Report from New York: Small German Cars and Cadillac Strikes Back
NEW YORK—German automakers debuted several small, efficient cars on the first day of the New York International Auto Show, while General Motor’s Cadillac division showed an updated CTS that it hopes will recapture buyers of imported luxury cars.
BMW introduced the 328d, its highly anticipated diesel sedan. This is BMW’s first four-cylinder diesel car in the U.S. market and the Bavarians intend to prove that power doesn’t have to sacrifice efficiency. …
2013 BMW X6 xDrive50i – Review and Test Drive
The BMW X6 was the first vehicle of its kind when it launched in 2008, fusing a four-door coupe with a sport utility vehicle. Despite strong criticism at the time, the X6 has inspired numerous other models on the market, and remains one of BMW’s best kept secrets for drivers who want it all – power, performance, and the ability to literally drive over it all.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
In some respects, the …
Report from Geneva: The 83rd Geneva International Motor Show 2013
The Geneva International Motor Show (Salon International de l’Auto) kicks off the automobile year 2013 in Europe as the first important international auto show for car manufacturers. This year, the show is once again facing the challenge of a balancing act between presenting powerful sports cars and environmentally friendly hybrid, electric, and diesel-powered automobiles.
Because of an unknown economic development in Europe, where the car market is dealing with declining car …
First Look: 2013 Audi S6, S7, S8 – Review and Test Drive
Audi S cars are a line of high-performance sport luxury vehicles that traditionally include unique engines, transmissions, suspensions, trim, and exterior design to set them apart from their less-powerful counterparts. The first S car was the S2 Coupé, which debuted in 1990. Since then, Audi has produced numerous S models, all recognizable by their S badges and more aggressive look.
Today, Audi offers S versions of many of its vehicles, including …
2013 Mazda CX-5 – Review and Test Drive
Mazda, which popularized the Wankel rotary engine in the 1960s,and more recently introduced the Skyactiv-D 2.2L diesel engine in Japan, where it was the first diesel engine on the market to meet that country’s stringent new emissions standards without requiring expensive urea after-treatment technology to reduce nitrogen oxide, plans to introduce a diesel in the U.S. for model year 2014, the Mazda6.
But Mazda has other ideas for fuel efficient vehicles …
