Browsing: First Drive

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE Review

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE When you see fashionable clothes, modern scarves, fancy billboards, and pedestrians in a rush, you know you’re in the city. Toyota recognized that the city knows what’s cool and introduced the 2019 Corolla Hatchback XSE: the ultimate city car. Stylish, compact, modern, and a tad crazy, this car is far from boring. Although the Corolla was never on DSPORT’s radar, seeing Formula Drift’s driver Fredric Aasbo shred the tires off of his Corolla Hatchback was enough motivation for us to explore what the factory version can do. We had to give this sharp-looking 2019 Toyota…

First Drive: 2018 Subaru BRZ ts and the WRX STI Type RA

One of Subaru’s latest just made one of the Nürburgring’s fastest cars list. “Fastest” in this case refers to the quickest lap made around the Nürburgring by a four-door sedan. It’s way off of any Formula One record, but even in the world of performance sedans, this is still no small feat. This accomplishment was made with Subaru and Prodrive’s latest project, the 600 horsepower WRX STI Type RA NBR. While this race car may not be fit for daily driving, Subaru developed an inspired version of the STI that is the WRX STI Type RA. In the development…

First Drive: 2017 Honda Civic Type R

After waiting over 16 years, there is finally a generation of Honda Civic that may become more popular to performance enthusiasts than the 4th, 5th and 6th generation Civics that led the import performance movement in the States. For the first time ever, this 10th generation of Civic will feature not only the Si variant, but also a Type R edition available in the US. While the Civic Type R (CTR) has existed since 1997 in other parts of the world, the only Type R to hit our shores in the past was the DC2 Integra Type R (ITR). This…

First Drive: 2017 Honda Civic Si

At the start of the new millennium, many performance enthusiasts went through a hard breakup with Honda. After years vested to one brand, the relationship between enthusiast and Honda went stale shortly after 2000. Honda simply stopped building Civics for enthusiasts. Within the DSPORT staff, we witnessed firsthand the parting of longtime Honda lovers and their make of choice. Most staffers replaced their Honda Civics and Acura Integras with EVOs, STis, and even European models such as the GTI. With the exception of the S2000 roadster, there has not been significant reason to get back together with Honda for those…

First Drive: 2017 Subaru BRZ

What happens when Subaru invites us to Spain to test drive the 2017 Subaru BRZ? We get lost in a maze of dangerously narrow alleys, beat the crap out of the car on track, and drive so far off the suggested return route that the scenery changes from dead grass and open fields to a snowy ski resort at the top of a mountain. Yet this series of events led to a vehicle evaluation that delved deeper than any test drive at a dealership. We learned the ins and outs of the 2017 iteration of the Subaru BRZ, with an…

All-New 2018 Lexus LC500 First Drive

Comfort, luxury and refinement. When Toyota introduced Lexus as its luxury brand back in 1989, these three words clearly defined the Lexus brand. The 1990 Lexus LS featured an ultra-smooth V8 engine, plush ride and a well-appointed interior that featured technology that rivaled the best European offerings at the time. Through the 90s and arguably into the 2000s, Lexus not only became synonymous with comfort and refinement, but also a lack of sportiness, feeling and exhilaration. In 2006, realizing this deficiency in its product line, Lexus headed back to the drawing board and claimed its own high-performance letter, F. Following…

First Drive: 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport

Return of the Hatch Many people won’t miss something until it is gone. Honda offered its broadly popular Civic model as a hatchback since the first generation Civic was available in the early 1970s. The hatchback proved popular all the way through the 1990s. The seventh generation hatchback (2001-05) was the last to be offered in the US. While Europe, Japan and other markets continued to get the hatchback for the next two generations, it became apparent that America was starting to miss the odd numbered door. Text by Richard Fong // Photos by Richard Fong and Courtesy of American…

Mountune Raises the Bar with an Improved Focus RS

From movies to smartphones, hyping up something big and new can lead to either a cult following or an angry mob upon release. Advertisements, word of mouth and news reports regurgitate rumors and stories of “the next big thing,” but what happens when the product reaches consumers? For some, the anticipation adds to the experience. For others, all the excitement evolved into a Star Wars film or a new iPhone that just didn’t live up to expectations. If you classify yourself as an automotive enthusiast, then you likely didn’t go a day in the last year without hearing news and…

NASA and Elan Motorsports Technologies Introduce the NP01, a Race Ready Racecar

Most automotive and racing enthusiasts are a rare and misunderstood breed. Many of which would happily tear out heated leather seats and sound deadening materials if the result is better lap times. There’s no need for a stereo, as a performance exhaust delivers all the music they could ask for. Air conditioning? No thanks, that just robs power. In order to satisfy the needs of the hardcore track enthusiast and racer, who’s all about going fast on a fair budget, National Auto Sport Association (NASA) partnered with Elan Motorsports Technologies to create the NP01. This prototype-style racecar enters the club…

2016 Subaru WRX First Drive

Subaru proves that looks aren’t everything. The fact that most of the best looking cars also happen to be some of the fastest is not a coincidence. Usually, feats in engineering follow the mantra that beauty follows function, where designs that positively influence performance naturally present an attractive appearance. Subaru somehow pulled off the opposite with its 2016 WRX, a paragon of affordable fun, wrapped in a much simpler package than most vehicles of similar performance. Despite the changes in aesthetic direction from the previous generation WRXs, the experience from behind the wheel keeps getting better. Text by Cameron Parsons…

2015 Lexus RC350 F Sport

Luxury and Sport are dichotomous in nature. Everything that delivers the comforts of Luxury impedes the progress of Sport. Everything that delivers Sport comes at the expense of Luxury. Despite these laws of nature, a consort of European automobile manufacturers has convinced many that deciduous evergreens do exist. Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz have turned an oxymoron into a class of vehicle. The general public and even the automotive media have drunk the Kool-Aid and the Luxury Sport Coupe is an accepted reality. Now, Lexus is back in the Luxury Sport Coupe segment with its RC 350. Text by Michael…

2015 Lexus RC F

Lexus is a brand synonymous with precision, luxury and quality. However, “sportscar” isn’t a term that could have been associated with Lexus in the past. There were attempts, but neither the LFA nor the IS F really hit the mark. The LFA was a limited-production supercar experiment that was overshadowed by the performance of the much less expensive Nissan R35 GT-R, while the IS F seemed to be more of a factory engine swap experiment. While both the LFA and IS F had some noteworthy aspects, neither was a sportscar for the masses. Text by Michael Ferrara // Images Courtesy…

2015 Volkswagen GTI SE

No matter how “cool” automakers think they’re making the sub-30,000-dollar econoboxes, the reality is that most economy cars are utilitarian, practical and just plain boring. While the hot hatchback phenomenon has begun to spread from Europe to the States, many of these cars settle for low-rent interiors and a harsh suspension at the expense of sheer performance. Although the younger generation might enjoy the rough ride of stiff suspension and a noisy exhaust, not everybody wants an obnoxious box. Can a hatch with a supple ride and polished appearance still be hot? The 2015 VW GTI SE asks this exact…

2014 Infiniti Q50S

Out with the old and in with the new. Infiniti’s Q50 comes bearing a new nameplate but its not one of those scams like a “brand new” restaurant with the same old menu. As the successor to the G37 sedan, the Q50 features a number of improvements and refinements. Although the engine, transmission and basic chassis platform carries over from the G37, the Q50 looks, feels, and drives very different than its predecessors. With aesthetic revisions inside and out paired with a plethora of new technologies; the Q50 brings a modern touch to the aging G37. Text by Jun Chen…

2014 Ford Fiesta ST

The Smaller, The Better? Don’t go to the grocery store when you’re starving. Why? Because you’ll probably end up with mountains of junk food. Despite most people’s best intentions to diet and eat consciously, obesity now plagues more than one-third of U.S. adults. Unfortunately, the “more is better” motto has also latched onto automakers and their new vehicles. Text by Jun Chen // Images Courtesy of Ford Motor Company When it comes to cars, it seems like there’s no reason to hold back. Who doesn’t want more power, more room and an impressive list of standard features? However, in a…

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