Curveballs are fun; automotive curveballs even more so. In the interest of worldly-perceptiveness, we’ve taken off our European blinkers, and have decided to make a quick jaunt across the Atlantic. The final member of the Supersaloon Class of ’08 alumni is a product of the US domestic market. The US domestic market (USDM), like theContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 6 – Cadillac CTS-V (2nd-Gen)”
Monthly Archives: February 2022
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 5 – Vauxhall VXR8
Sometimes brashness is best. Humans are emotional beings and trying to act in an un-partisan, people-pleasing and reserved manner is overrated. Sometimes, we need to get a little bit bolshy, leave maturity by the wayside, extend two fingers to the naysayers, and embrace silly. The automotive equivalent of doing this, is buying a Vauxhall VXR8.Continue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 5 – Vauxhall VXR8”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 4 – Lexus IS F
In parts 1-3 of this series we explored the expected protagonists of the small supersaloon sector: the Germans. Audi, BMW and Mercedes locked forever in a three-way Mexican standoff; it has pretty much always been this way, but occasionally an interloper emerges. Like a juddering tectonic plate, an unexpected rival shakes things up and helpsContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 4 – Lexus IS F”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 3 – Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204)
Whilst a V8 seems like a natural thing for a performance Audi to adopt, and the BMW M3 grew into its V8, AMG Mercedes have – regardless of their physical size – always seem to have huge V8s shoehorned into them. What makes AMG’s so enigmatic, especially those from the M156 6.2 Litre V8 era,Continue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 3 – Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204)”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 2 – BMW M3 (E90)
As we discussed in Part 1, the B7 Audi RS4 was the sort of car that is made when the planets align. It still stands as the high-water mark for the RS4 as a car, and following it up must have been an unenviable task. A car that experienced that unenviable task was the RS4’sContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 2 – BMW M3 (E90)”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 1 – Audi RS4 (B7)
Performance Audis have always been consistent in one key area: they are all ridiculously fast. On the other burly Germanic hand, performance Audis have varied wildly in terms of driver engagement and fun. For every R8, there is a one-dimensional RS5; for every well-sorted RS6 there is an understeering RS3. One Audi that ticks bothContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 1 – Audi RS4 (B7)”
Kerbside 