Zanderdrivescars.com

05/06/2024

3 year ownership report for the S60: it’s good.

So good, I wrote an article about it that quickly dissolved into a personal essay about your first road trip, the struggle of losing youth by getting rid of something attached to it, and the Joe Biden Welcome Center.

02/09/2024

Very few times have I ever seen a car and thought to myself “yea, they’re going to sell every single one of these they make,” but when I saw the Cadillac Escalade iQ for the first time, that’s exactly what i said.

There’s something about a six figurex 750 hp, (potentially) 10,000 lb SUV with 450 miles of range that makes us Americans tingle, and give it a year, and FiDi will be crawling with these, for better or for worse.

What do you guys think? Will this be the sales success Cadillac hopes? Or it is this ELR pt. duex?

————————-

02/09/2024

One of the brands praying on my downfall today is Acura, who despite letting someone unlock the upcoming ZDX Type-S
yesterday, wouldn’t let me even get interior photos.
The joys of being a small independent website.

Anyway, ZDX. I don’t hate it. Maybe it’s because I have a soft spot for the Type-S series of Acura models, maybe it’s because Tiger Eye Yellow is one of the best OEM colors out there, or maybe it’s because
I just like how the ZDX as a name is making a return.
Whichever one is most justifiable is the one l’ll choose to use as my reasoning.

This new ZDX is, like the Honda Prologue we talked about yesterday, a Chevy Blazer EV. In fact, this looks more like a Blazer EV than the Prologue, so I should be more mad at it, but I’m not.

With prices in the $60-$70,000 range, it’s fits eighth in with higher trim MDXs in Acuras lineup, and with
285 miles of range, it’s better than an equivalent EQE AMG, even if they aren’t direct rivals.

So, what do we think of the ZDX Type-S? Yay or nay?

———————

02/08/2024

Remember when we all made fun of the mk5 Supra for being the same thing as the Z4? This is that, in crossover form.

Don’t get me wrong, the Honda Prologue is a solid vehicle. $40,000 (w/ tax incentives), up to 300 miles of range, a familiar brand name, and a really cool press color all do good things to help this car’s cause.

BUT: this is a Chevy Blazer EV. It rides on the same platform, has the same battery, it even has the same interior. It’s good that we have established brands helping out each other, but this feel egregious. I mean, there isn’t even a mono-vent in here. Real sad stuff.

It just feels like Honda did as little as they could, while General Motors toiled away in the background only to be interrupted when Honda said “yo, we got a really cool color we just thought of.”

I’m confident this will do well, I just wish there was more Honda. Insert Christopher Walken here.

Let’s just hope there isn’t a stop sale 🤪

———————

02/08/2024

02/08/2024

The other new Kia surprise today was the updated (????) Kia K5. I’m shocked they’re doing a mid-cycle refresh because like, this thing JUST came out.

Anyway this new K5 GT comes with an upgraded 290 hp 2.5l turbo 4-banger, and AWD. I really don’t have much else to say about this thing other than the green brakes are a choice. What do we think?

——————-

02/08/2024

Guess what? New minivan? Well, updated minivan. The 2025 Kia Carnival was just released and it’s taking no prisoners.

Aside from some questionable looks (my friend Janey said it looks like it would “snitch on someone,” it seems to have everything the Japanese have, probably cheaper.

More importantly, however, the new Carnival comes with a mild hybrid system, giving this car 242 hp and 721 lb-ft of torque. Suck on that Odyssey. There’s also a dark edition, which has black wheels. So, real special s**t right there.

Expected time of launch is summer this year, so expect to start seeing these roll around swim practice in July.

——————

02/08/2024

Let me bring you in on a little secret. I wasn’t going to cover this car. In fact, I was going to cover the ID.7. But, apparently it’ll only exist in Chicago for the public auto-show days. Yay me.

Anyway: the ID Buzz. Europe got it first, and we’re slated to get it later this year. However, unlike the Euro-spec bus, we’re only getting a 3-row. Nostalgia wins every time.

You know what else wins every-time? Show-car quirks! For instance, the center cluster shows a Mk8 Golf, the sit-to-start feature had ~30 seconds of play before it actually worked, and best of all: the steering wheel button lights flickered on occasion.

Regardless of all its blemishes, this will find its market. Don’t expect to see these things on every gentrified city block in the PNW, but VW will probably make money on it. Don’t be surprised if a fully loaded bus hits $65,000. We don’t have EPA numbers yet, but it’s estimated the Buzz will get around ~280 miles on a charge, which I’m sure is enough for the old hippies who don’t drive far anyway.

Article up soon! I have a Kia press conference to attend shortly.

———————

01/16/2024

Thank u heated steering wheel

———————

01/11/2024

Is the new generation of 5-series better than the last gen? No. There’s your answer.

Second question: is this car as bad as everyone who’s never seen one in real life says it is? Also, no.

Look, this is still a good car. It’s a grown up car. It’s less brash and raw than the outgoing model, and instead focuses on being more comfortable and luxury-oriented. The drive is a bit floatier, the seats are much plusher, and the acceleration is more gradual. It isn’t boring, but isn’t “in your face” either.

And as for the looks? This isn’t beautiful. But, considering this is the same brand making the iX, this isn’t really that bad. The rear 3 quarters actually look pretty decent, and this turquoise-ish color (that I’ve already forgotten the name of) is neat as well. I give it a curved B-. Darker colors help this car better.

This is a pretty cut and dry example of this era of
BMW. Shock everyone with a new car, p**s off some enthusiasts, and in the noise and pitchforks, come out with a car that is actually a good product, despite the whining of those who’ve never even driven one.

Anyways, article up next Monday, not this coming Monday. Got it? Got it. Link in biooooooo

———————


#530 #540 #550

01/10/2024

Happy new year! I know I’m a bit late to the party, but look what I brought with me: a Volvo V60 Cross Country. Can you believe it took me almost two years to get a Volvo wagon on here? Crazy.

Now, if you’ve been following any major (or small) automotive publication these past few months, you’ll know how much love this car’s big brother, the V90 CC, gets. And while it is totally deserved, I feel as if the V60 gets mildly overlooked.

Did you know this is only one of two compact premium wagons in the US? Yep! You heard that right. It’s this and the A4 Allroad. But, having not driven it but judging it by other Audis, this is probably the better buy. I mean, from a drivers perspective this thing doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s been lifted. Sure, it’s been floatier than the standard S/V60, but the ride is solid and the handling is good. But this isn’t a drivers car, so none of that really matters. What does matter is it has a great sound system, a thousand airbags, and that sweet, sweet ground clearance to help ride right over the “is this a wagon or a crossover?” Debate.

But, and this is my big but: this should be a PHEV. It wants to be a PHEV. It can be a PHEV. I mean hell, every other S/V60 model is or can be. Why not this? An extra bump in power, better fuel economy, a smoother ride… I could go on. No, I’m not calling for a complete electrifican, just a mild one. These cars are starting to show their age just a bit, and considering what the rest of Volvo is doing. Why not do it here?

Anyway, full review goes up Monday. Y’all know the drill.

—————

12/14/2023

And 20 cars later, 2023’s zanderdrivescars.com recap is here.

Seen here is everything from a midsized Chevy sedan, to a V8 Mercedes wagon, to a 1,000 HP electric HUMMER pickup truck.

So, good news for negative people, the “worst” list is coming out this Monday.

But, the real question arises now: which of these cars was the best? Well, Monday, January December 25th, aka: Christmas, find out with the second annual “Zander Drives Cars Dot Com Best Car Of The Year!” Or something like that.

——————