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Daily coverage of the world of cars.

Car Minded

Mercedes-Benz’s Turnaround Looks a Lot Like Audi’s

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There’s a German automaker in the midst of a turnaround. The company has redesigned many of its vehicles and has plans to introduce additional models, including sedans, crossovers, and SUVs.

The brand is also forging ahead with plans for dedicated electric vehicles and cars with advanced autonomous driving technology.

The front-end design has evolved over the years into a signature look that the automaker hopes to expand into new models, while continuing to push design limits in future concept vehicles.

The automaker has also sworn off trends such as convertible SUVs and 2-door SUVs in favor of more traditional sedans, SUVs, and crossovers.

We’re talking about the new face of Mercedes-Benz.

But could the German car giant be gunning for some of Audi’s success?

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Cars You Want to Find in Your Driveway on Christmas Morning

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I have a dream that one day I’ll wake up on Christmas morning and my wife will present me with a small wrapped box. I’ll hesitantly unwrap the box and find a new set of keys.

I’ll look at her with watery eyes that harbor a skeptical but hopeful anticipation. She’ll smile, give me a knowing nod, and then run to the front door, fling it open, look into the driveway, and see a silver Porsche 911 wrapped in a red bow as snow begins to gently fall.

These are the kinds of things I dream about, and I’m confident that someday it’ll happen. In the meantime, I’d like to celebrate this Christmas Day with a few pictures of cars that look great with a red bow on top, and hope that maybe next year my dreams will come true.

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CarGurus’ 2015 Model-Year Heroes

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XV Crosstrek Zoom

As more and more 2016 cars pour onto (and off of) dealership lots and our planet Earth approaches yet another successful revolution around the Sun, it’s time to wave farewell to the automotive Class of 2015. In 2014, BMW brought us the spaceship-like i8 and first showed us its new 2 and 4 Series coupes. Jaguar rolled onto the scene with its convertible F-TYPE, putting the rest of the sports-car world on notice, and Chevrolet responded with authority as it unveiled the C7 Corvette. But, if anything, 2015 brought even more excitement to the market. Dodge began selling 707-hp Hellcats, Jaguar put a roof on the F-Type, Volvo brought a stunning new wagon to the United States, and Jeep gave us a Renegade that is surprisingly good off-road.

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Porsche Aims for Tesla With the Mission E Concept


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The year 2012 could go down in history as the year electric cars became mainstream.

Naturally we have Tesla to thank for that, as its much-hyped Model S finally began arriving for customers that year. In the few short years since, the car has exploded in popularity, become more reliable, gotten faster, and incorporated some of the most advanced technology the auto industry has ever seen.

Other carmakers have taken notice and are watching Tesla closely.

One of the best ways to determine if a company will fade away or become a disruptive force that will challenge the world’s biggest automakers is to see if the established automakers respond.

Porsche has taken the bait and responded by becoming the first automaker to announce a car that truly emulates the Model S. Will its all-electric Mission E succeed in disrupting the disrupter?

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Could the Toyota S-FR Compete Against the Subaru WRX?


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I wonder why more car companies haven’t built competitors to the Subaru WRX.

There’s a great write-up of the entire history of the WRX over at Road & Track, which I encourage you to read if you’re new to the car’s culture. Established WRX fans are already well versed in the vehicle’s evolution and beyond stoked about the concept for a next version.

Speaking of evolution, the only real competitor to the high-performance Subie was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which has recently been discontinued.

While America was introduced to the WRX in 2002, other countries (including Japan, the U.K., and Australia) have known the rally racer since 1997. That’s plenty of time for competition to spring up, but it never really did, save for the Evo.

The WRX is so different because it came from rally racing roots, is all-wheel drive, and can be had in either sedan or wagon form. That makes the car perfect for families that need to haul serious… stuff. Other carmakers just don’t have the pedigree to build a car like the WRX.

Toyota, though, could offer something similar, but with its own twist.

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