My Car Reviews
2011 Jaguar XJ 4dr Sdn XJ
Updated 5 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
The new XJ hasn't blown my mind. I can't but help notive the strange, unjag-like body styling. From some angles it looks like a cheap american neo classic throwbacks, from other angles an old Audi A6 or new A5. The off colored c-pillar is a bit strange and takes aways from the vehicles fluidity. Aside from the grille and the huge Jag symbol on the back - nothing says Jag.
The inside looks amazing and I imagine it rides smooth and straight. The power train specs look interesting....but they don't make me want to go buy one.
I'd spend the $80k+ elsewhere and get something a little less blah.
My suggestions for improving this car:
Give it some overtly Jag qualities (aside from badging). get rid of the off-color c-pillar.
1993 Land Rover Defender 110 5dr Wagon
Updated 5 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
Several years ago I spent just over a month traveling around E. Africa. Due to the fact that plane tickets are expensive and public buses are unreliable, I decided to rent a vehicle. It just so happens that I got my hands on a beautiful and highly capable Defender 110. Off white, Turbo diesel, with the fold down bench seats in the back.
In all honesty, this was kind of a dream come true. The Defender had great power, good fuel economy and took me all over Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania without a hiccup. If I had the cash, I would buy this car without thinking twice.
My suggestions for improving this car:
Lower the price (although I'm certain that is not happening).
More leg room in the back seat.
Maybe a hybrid engine option for city dwellers.My media:
2010 Porsche Panamera 4dr HB S
Updated 6 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Know about vehicleMy review:
Outside of the box, yet true to the Porsche legacy. An all wheel drive wagon that can do 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds? Only Porsche could pull off such a feat. This is may be my new favorite car. Classy, functional, fast, sexy and rare.
The exterior stays inline with the classic Porsche profile, but the interior takes a step up from the traditionally bland cockpit. My hat goes off to Porsche on this one...well done.
My suggestions for improving this car:
I only know what I've seen and read, and Porsche seems to be keeping any significant criticism to a minimum.
2006 Volkswagen Phaeton 4dr Sdn V8 6-spd Auto
Updated 6 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Driven itMy review:
I was less than impressed with the Phaeton.
A well to do friend let me borrow it for the weekend and it wasn't quite the experience I was hoping for. This model happen to be the 6.0L W12, fully loaded, retailing for well over $80K. I'll admit, when your going to drive a car like this, expectations are high. Evidently too high in this case.
1. The interior was super comfortable...but I expected to see more 'bells and whistles', more cutting edge tech. gadgets...no such luck, it was pretty straight forward; electronic controls, window shades, lights...etc but thats pretty much it.
2. No pep - When I 'stomped' on the gas pedal, it wasn't going anywhere in a hurry. A bit sluggish at first. With that said, once it started accelerating it was a very smooth and powerful experience. You could tell, that it probably drives incredibly smooth at high speeds.
3. It drove smooth - to be expected.
4. Exceptionally roomy interior - very classy and comfortable.
5. The thing I liked best about this car is that it's a 'sleeper.' Not too many people know about them, and they have the tendency to catch people off guard.
All in all, if I was going to spend $80k + on a full size sedan, this would not be. Maybe I'd look into a S8 or something that offers a bit more performance.
My suggestions for improving this car:
Acceleration needs improvement. Maybe add a few more 'bells and whistles' on the interior.
Lower the price.
My media:
1996 Subaru Legacy 5dr Wgn Brighton Manual AWD
Updated 6 months ago- F: A failure
- D: Unsatisfactory
- C: Satisfactory
- B: Good
- A: Delightful
My familiarity with this car:
Owned itMy review:
To call the 96' Subaru Legacy Wagon, 'trusty' or 'reliable' is an understatement. I put over 230k on the car and when I gave it away, it was still running like a champion. Yes, I'll be honest, in its later days it did leak a bit of oil, but come on...in car years, it was older than Moses. A little oil leak is the least you can expect.
In all seriousness, the car was incredible: tons of room, all wheel drive, handled great in the snow, got an average of about 27 mpg, and outside of regular maintenance not a thing went wrong. I finally gave it away at just over 230k miles, because I was moving and knew a family that needed a car.
Subaru has got it figured out, and they've most definitely won me over. I just bought a 2003 Outback!
My suggestions for improving this car:
Although this is probably expected - after about 180k miles, the drivers seat got really uncomfortable. So, maybe improve the seats.
Another inch or two of clearance wouldn't hurt...sometimes I would high-center after a big snow storm (18"+).
All in all, it's hard to go wrong with a Subaru wagon.
My media:
