Tesla Model X

It's been a few years since Tesla first launched its electric cars to the public and it's needless to say that they have grown utterly popular over those years. Their most poplar seller, the Model S can be seen on the streets about every day in highly populated areas; not to mention, Tesla dealerships and stores are popping up in most suburb areas.

So I think it's safe to say that Tesla has obviously been playing their cards right with their popularity on the steady rise and innovative technology being shared all across the board. And with that comes a new model to their fleet. The Tesla Model X.

The Tesla Model X is a 7 seater crossover set to be released as a 2016 model to the public early on in the year. The vehicle was described as "a rolling tech showcase", and with the features the Model X provides, there is no doubt that this statement is true.

To start things off, the Tesla Model X is equipped with a 17" touchscreen control panel display that doubles as an  entertainment system. Another cool attribute the Model X has is the falcon-wing doors which are double hinged and only uses as little as 12 inches to open up fully. The front doors have sensors that will automatically open and close the doors depending on where the key holder is located in the perimeter of the vehicle. The windshield of the Model X is the biggest piece of curved glass on an automobile.... ever! It gives the driver a nice panoramic view in all directions which allows for ultimate visibility.

The power train of the Model X is no joke either! Based off the same platform as the Model S, the new crossover tops out at 155 MPH and does 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. This all electric car will get you up to 250 miles until the battery starts to give out, and don't worry about about safety with this cross over. Tesla has this thing set up to reach a five star safety ratings in every field. The handling was just as we had suspected, damn near perfect for an SUV.  The batteries are mounted in the floor allowing the crossover to obtain plenty of grip while giving very little body roll.

The new Model X is everything that you'd expect coming from Tesla and more. If you're interested in it's extreme luxury and outstanding performance, it will set you back with a starting price of $132,000. Is it worth it? We definitely think so!

First Look at the New Prius

Everyone knows the most noticed hybrid car on the road is the Toyota Prius. Yes, it does get a lot of hate from most car enthusiasts, but lets face it; it's safe, economical and extremely practical. Although it may be slow and boring to drive, you have to admit that the Prius was definitely ahead of its time.

Which brings us to now. The new 2016 Toyota Prius has made it's debut in Las Vegas just a couple days ago. And with that, it has been completely restyled with a futuristic look, once again going one step ahead of its competitors.

Let's talk about the design of the new Prius. First thing to note is the shape. As you can tell, the new Prius retains a similar "wedge" shape from the previous model, with some more aerodynamic accents along the sides of the chassis giving it an ultimate sleek look. The roof line has been lowered and the now common blacked out B and C pillars give the hood a sort of "floating" look. The front and rear of the car resemble the new Lexus vehicles with the boomerang style lights and hourglass shaped bumpers.

Now, we've heard a lot of hate about the new design, but let's take a step back and look at the other cool new features this car has to offer. To start things off, the new Prius is lighter and more aerodynamic even though the new model is actually larger in size. Which might explain the 10% increase with MPG efficiency. Another thing to note is that Toyota added a new Safety Sense System which includes: automatic high beams, pre-collision safety, and lane departure sensors.

We're excited to know more about this car, but we have to wait until the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, where Toyota will release the specs. to the public. What do you think about the new 2016 Prius? Love it or hate it?


Kyle @ XS

The New Cadzilla

It's finally here and our friends at Motortrend finally tested it on the track for us! That's right, the new 2016 Cadillac CTS-V also known as the "Cadzilla" made its way to the Road America track where it was fully used to its full potential.

Now although the specs for this car have been released for a while now, actually driving it was of course a whole different story. The supercharged 640 horsepower motor is the same LT4 V-8 that comes out of the Z06 Corvette. Yup, same drive line too! so imagine the race car like power and drivability in a luxurious Cadillac body fit with carbon fiber panels. The CTS-V is set to compete with the E63 AMG and the BMW M5.

It's not just carbon fiber panels that make this thing so great. Add in some bracing and an 8 speed automatic with paddle shifters that will launch this thing to over 200 MPH and do the quarter in 11.6 seconds! The suspension was beefed up with all the newest suspension technology that Cadillac has and the car is mounted with light weight forged aluminum wheels and huge vented Brembo brakes that are about the same size as the steering wheel.

So there you have it! the Cadzilla is up there with the top of the line luxury performance cars of all types. For years, the Germans have been dominating its class, but the new CTS-V is up there and giving them a run for their money. And speaking of money, this beast comes in $10,000-$15,000 cheaper than the German cars, but it'll still set you back $85,900.

Cheap Cars With Pop Up Headlights

There's no doubt denying that everyone loves cars with pop up headlights, right? Well maybe some of the youngsters today might not find them as cool as we do, but we definitely like them! Not only do they give the car a "sleek" look while the lights are tucked in, but they can also give the car a sort of "silly" look when they're popped up; almost like the car has googly eyes. Anyways, heres a list of some inexpensive cars with pop up headlights that almost anyone who loves watching their cars "eyes" pop open can afford.

1. Miata
There's no doubt that this car wasn't going to make the list. Some people may think the MX-5 Miata seems kind of silly to drive. Well those people haven't ever driven one. Although the car is a little underpowered, the perfect balance, light chassis and roadster handling make this car probably one of the best enthusiasts cars out there. Not to mention that the first generation models are super cheap and easy to come across.

2. Prelude
Honda did a damn good job when they came out with the prelude with pop up lights in our opinion. If you get the right model, it can have up to 150 HP as well as rear wheel steering! If that's not cool enough for you, just check out the front end. It looks super sleek for a car in the late 80's. The back of the car however is ehh, not so much exciting. Oh, and if you flip light switch on and off repeatedly in the Prelude, the car will open it's lights at different speeds making the pop up lights do a little dance, making the car look like it's drunk!

3. 924 or 944
It's a Porsche that's why you should get one. These cars still look better than most of the newer cars on the road today. Look for the turbo model for extra fun, but don't wait on picking one of these up. Prices are starting to climb due to the fact that this is becoming a collectors car.

4. MR2
Cant afford a Ferrari or Lambo? No problem. Take this rear wheel drive, mid-engine, sports car instead; it'll save you tons of money. In my opinion, The MR2 was ahead of it's time look wise. These cars have one of the best looking chassis out there (both first and second generations) These are super balanced and fun to drive cars that like to be driven hard!

5. AE86
To top the list off, we're going to leave you with one of the most iconic Japanese cars of all time... the AE86 Corolla. Although the prices for these are rather high due to the popularity of drifting and the anime Initial D, sometimes you can still find one at a steal of a price. They're light, inexpensive to work on, rear wheel drive and look amazing!

We know there are other cars on the list too, but these are our all time favorite inexpensive cars with pop up headlights. We'd love to hear what your favorite ones are too, so comment below or send us a message!


- Kyle @ XS

New ND Miata Versus the FRS

So here we have it. The new MX-5, aka the ND, aka the Miata. It hits the streets as a 2016 model, but some of you have probably seen some lucky individuals that have been zipping around the streets in this new little roadster. This car is extremely sought after because, well, the previous generations of Miata's have been nothing but one of the most fun cars to drive. But how would it compare if it were up against the Scion FRS, which is also arguably one of the most enjoyable and cheap sports car on the market.

First let's take a look at some features that the new MX-5 has to offer.... It's faster and has more torque than the previous (NC) model. This is because of the lower redline and is powered by a pretty much glorified Mazda3 motor with Skyactive technology. And beleive it or not, this Miata is actually smaller and lighter than the previous models. So a smaller, lighter package with more power in one of the most fun cars to drive sounds unbeatable right? Well, let's see!

The handling on both cars are absolutely outstanding because both cars are very well balanced. The FRS seemed to turn in very easily into corners and was a breeze to control throughout the turns. The Miata had a little more body roll, but definitely had more tire grip going around the track. In the end, the Miata had a better lap time of just over 2 seconds compared to the FRS.

With the speed test, the Miata came out on top despite its weaker motor and lower redline range. Seemed to be a power to weight ratio factor. The Miata ran the quarter mile in 14.4 seconds, which was .5 seconds faster than the FRS. However, the FRS does catch up to the Miata at higher speeds.

Interior was close to a tie. The Miata was still a little more tight on the inside even though there is more space than the previous models. The instrument panels and choice of materials is spot on for the driving enthusiast, leaving the interior rather simple like the first generation Miata. The FRS offered a more spacious and a slightly more upgraded interior. It also seemed like you were sitting a little bit lower in the FRS making it a tad more fun to drive.

All in all, both cars are a blast. The MX-5 does perform a little bit better than the FRS, but the FRS "felt" more like a track car. So the decision is really up to you! I'm sure with a little aftermarket support, you can dial in both of these cars to perfection.


-Kyle @ XS

900 HP Uber Ride

Now, how cool is this!? As the ever so popular app, Uber takes on other taxi and shuttle services, it completely blew them out of the water when they hosted a special offer. 11 people in Stockholm, Sweden that used the Uber app were picked up in a 900 horsepower DTM race car!

That's right, Uber and Betsafe (a gambling website in Europe) put together a deal with the owner of the car, Jon Olsson to give the selected people a ride to their destination using the Uber app. The ironic part of this whole story is that these lucky people were not in any type of hurry to wherever they were trying to get to. Olsson made sure the passengers got a taste of the power of this 900 HP beast and even took them through some tunnels just so they could hear the sweet exhaust note.

This Audi RS6 was prepped for the upcoming Gumball 3000 race that will be happening later this year and is now equipped with two 18 karat gold plated turbos. The car is set to push 900 horsepower right now, but Jon says it will hit the 1000 horsepower mark soon and let's not forget that this beast is a fully functional every day station wagon. He decided to go with the wagon so that he could could carry all of his ski equipment, as Jon is a professional freeskier.

Although the rides were short, the Uber riders really did get a once in a lifetime experience. Uber also claimed that over 5000 new rides were requested the day that the RS6 made its rounds as taxi.

Check out more about the car and the video of the Uber rides below.

Favorite Fast and the Furious Cars

As we all know it, the newest Fast and the Furious came out just recently. I'm just assuming you have seen or at least know of all the FF movies. The action packed movies literally have everything we love: cars, fast cars, guns, babes, Vin Diesel, The Rock and of course, explosions. Being able to fit that into a spand of all seven movies and keeping the audience still waiting for the next one to come out is some sort of witchcraft the directors and producers work. So whether you love the series or hate it, you're going to have to deal with it.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the FF movies and believe it or not, they played a big role in me becoming a car enthusiast. It's not just me though, the movies (mostly the first a second one) have inspired many others as well.... And it's also the blame for those ugly bodykits, crazy paint jobs and excessive vinyls. Not to say that those weren't super cool back in the day, but now they're just ugly (in my opinion). Regardless, it's safe to say that the movie series have turned the average kid into the new gear head on the block.

Honestly, when I first saw the movie, my friends and I use to pretend that we were the characters from the movie and when we all got our first cars, it was game over. Haha! Yes, we did every little cheap modification we could to our cars. We were proud of them, but I'm sure we would be super embarrassed of them now. However, as years went on and more Fast and the Furious movies came out, our cars started becoming a little bit nicer as we got our acts together.

Each of us had our favorite cars from the movies and I'm sure everyone else did too. For me, it's a tie between the S2000 which featured in both the first and second films and the Yenko Camaro which was won by Brian O'conner in the second movie. I chose the S2000 because I believe that it was engineered exceptionally well and houses one of the most perfectly engineered 4 cylinders. The Yenko Camaro was chosen due to the fact of it's rarity and, well because it's a beast!

Please share with us and let us know what your favorite cars from the Fast and Furious series are and the movies effected you and your relationship with the automotive community.