Our Top Cars From 2014

As an exciting new year begins, we want to take a look back at 2014 and pick out our favorite cars that were introduced to the automotive world.

Our first pick is none other than the BMW 4 Series. The 4 Series was introduced in February 2014 and has been going strong since. At first, we weren't too sure about the 4 Series as it was going to be the first new model of BMW in years. However, after we researched the car and BMW's plans for the 4 Series, it was now one of our highest anticipated cars.

What we found was that the 4 Series was built to replace the 3 Series coupe and convertible models. So, now with the 3 Series only being a sedan, BMW enthusiasts turn towards the 4 Series while looking for the proven and quality experience that was once had from the 3 series coupes and convertibles. A lower, wider stance and a longer wheel base screams for performance. Not to mention the new aerodynamic styling, improved handling, upgraded suspension and a more powerful and responsive engine.

As you can see, the 4 Series sounds almost too good to be true. When the M4 was released, the majority of people were left skeptical if it was going to be able to hang with the M3. We'll leave a link here for you to determine if the BMW M4 was accepted into the M Family.

Next up is the C7 Stingray. After years of producing Corvettes without the Stingray name, Chevrolet finally brought back the name with an updated and aerodynamic styling which brought back the tail end of the old design which resembled a stingray tail.

Corvettes have always been cool, and we can all agree on that, but what makes the C7 extra cool is that it has been under development since 2007 leaving this car as one of the highest anticipated cars for the last few years. Although mid and rear engine options were considered, the front engine was chosen to keep costs lower. A small block 455 horsepower V8 was stuffed into the Corvette that projected the car from zero to 60 in under 3.8 seconds. And if you think that's fast, that doesn't even come close to the Z06 and Z07 packages. Those pack over 650 horsepower with fully tuned suspension and huge, wide tires.

And our last pick for 2014 is cutting it close, but we decided on the new Subaru STI. You're probably wondering why we chose the new STI, as it has almost identical specs as the previous model. But we chose it because of all the controversy it has caused. Some people hate it and some people love it. With the ongoing battle between STI and Evo owners, Subaru got trolled pretty hard with the new looks of the STI as it looks as if Mitsubishi had designed it. We love both the Evo and the STI so we don't mind.

Not much has changed from the previous model besides appearance, which took a bit of excitement away from the release of the new STI, but as we all know, STI's mean serious business and have proven records of motorsport wins.

A lot of awesome new model cars were released in 2014 but we chose these as the top three. Luckily, 2015 is here and looks to be quite promising from all the rumors we hear among the automotive community. We're excited to see whats released this upcoming year and you should be too!

Best Midsized Pickup

Mid sized pickups are sort of weird thing. The majority of them can't tow heavy loads and barely see the dirt. So what's the point right? Well, Our friends over at MotorTrend did some research and comparison of a few mid sized pickups. They found that most people choose to purchase mid sized trucks not because they need it, but just because they like driving trucks. So what's the best mid sized pick up truck for you? Let's see what MotorTrend has picked out.

We present to you the 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71, the 2015 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. MT chose these three trucks because they all are fairly popular and compete in the same class. To start the comparison off right, two MotorTrend associates did a a 0-60 pull in which the Chevy Colorado beat out both the Frontier and Tacoma. They claimed that the Frontier's 261 horsepower 4.0 liter V6 and the Tacoma's 236 horsepower V6 felt pretty powerful and quick off the line, but still fell short of the Chevy's 0 to 60 time (7.4 seconds).

Driving styles may vary, but for the most part, people look for comfort while driving. Once again, the Chevy Colorado beat the other two trucks with driving. A slightly higher gas mileage and smoother feel on the road is what was explained during the test. "It almost feels like a car", one of the test drivers explained. The Tacoma felt like it gave more low end torque and a better off road feel with a slightly higher cab and softer, extended suspension. Although the Frontier gave a more rigid and "industrial" feel, it was a close call between all trucks.

Comfortability wise was a close call as well. Although the Nissan Frontier was the quietest out of all the trucks on the road, the interior felt cheap and claustrophobic. The Tacoma's interior felt outdated and had some areas that made visibility an issue. All the test drivers agreed that the Colorado took the cake with the best, comfortable interior and most advanced infotainment system.

When it came down to which truck was the over all best, the Frontier came in third. This truck would fit the people who enjoy the lifestyle the Frontier plays off, such as: biking, kayaking, camping, etc. The Tacoma took second place. This truck is best for the people who want to go off road and want a more rugged truck. And of course last, but not least was the Colorado, which is all around an excellent mid sized truck that's suitable for everyone.

Integra Revival?

What do you think the most iconic car from Acura is? RDX, Vigor, ILX? For most people, they would say either the NSX or the Integra. Isn't it ironic that the two most iconic cars from Acura's line were discontinued? It is a bit sad, but we had hope in the NSX's return and now it's finally happening along with a rumor of the revival of the Acura Integra.

That's right, an interview with Acura's chief designer Dave Marek was held privately on the sidelines of the SEMA show this last year and revealed some hopeful information. He stated that, "there are a lot of resources and activity going on to make Acura back into what it was." After that, he told Car and Driver, "A performance brand needs a flagship and it needs to be an accessible sport car. Not a sports car, but a sport car."

Most people can agree that Acura is still trying to find its place among other automakers. They need to establish their identity a little more and bringing them back to their roots might just be the best option. They're in a tough place right now, as other Japanese luxury brands such as Infiniti and Lexus have taken the top tiers.

While there is no set date on the release date of the two-door coupe, some people have assumed that we may see it as soon as early next year. But in the mean time, take a look at the new Acura TLX that was just revealed at last weeks LA Auto Show.

Gymkhana 7!

Now, we all know who Ken Block is right? If you don't, then you don't belong in the automotive community.... We're kidding, but Ken Block is a big deal. As part of the Hoonigan Racing Division, Monster World Rally Team and co-founder of DC Shoes, Ken Block is probably one of the most skilled drivers we've ever seen.

What got him big was his gymkhana video series. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what gymkhana is, no worries. Gymkhana is a fairly new motorsport in which there is a start point and end point where the driver has to beat his or her best time. Gymkhana is similar to a time attack event, but obstacles are added on the track to create a challenge for the driver. Some of these obstacles include: cones, barrels, boxes or anything that can cause a challenging obstacle for the driver to maneuver around.

In this episode of gymkhana, Ken Block shreds and terrorizes the streets of our beloved Los Angeles in the new "Hoonicorn". If you're wondering what the hell a Hoonicorn is, then watch the video.... or we could tell you that it's a 825 horsepower 1965 Ford Mustang Coupe with all-wheel drive fitted to it somehow.

Enough said. Go watch the video below. Watch the older ones too and let us know what you think. Was this Ken's best performance yet? We'd love to hear your opinions and thoughts.

Tic Tac E36

With our annual trip to the SEMA show last week, we saw an array of heavily modified vehicles. The Las Vegas Convention Center was filled both inside and outside with cars, trucks, bikes and even boats! These stunning vehicles had spectators from all over the world who expected nothing but the best looking vehicles. As you can imagine, there were mainly cars trying to stand out from the rest, but one of them in particular captured more attention than a lot of the others.

This is Carl Taylor's 20 year old BMW E36 M3. That's right, 20 years old! Most of the cars that showed up to SEMA were fairly newer (we even saw some new concept cars), but Carl's M3 still takes the cake for us. Why you may ask?.... Well just look at it! It's very different from what we've seen before with BMW tuning.

Let's start off with the wide Rocket Bunny kit. I think we can all agree that the big trend with aftermarket exterior mods for 2013/2014 is adding wide hips to cars. Take a look at all the Rocket Bunny projects, Liberty Walk and RWB cars. We can't disagree. Adding wide fenders to cars that rightfully deserves them is perfectly fine in our book. Carl's E36 is definitely one of those cars.

Aside from the kit and the wild graphics, which go perfectly for the 20 year old car due to the fact of the popularity of Tic Tac's at the time, the 17" Rotiform, five spoke wheels with a -80 offset give the set up a mixture of functionality and the perfect stance aesthetic that we all love. Look closely and you'll see that the M bumpers were swapped out for non M bumpers and the whole chassis is slammed on Airlift suspension.

And before you go hating on how this car with its track inspired look and feel to it was ruined because it's on air, note that Carl was seen leaving the SEMA show riding low and scraping his way down the vegas strip. And southern Californians, keep your eye out for this hot M3 on the streets, because Carl also daily's it.

Photo Credit: StanceWorks

2015 Lexus RC F Overview

The market is filled with new luxury performance coupes as of lately and it's only getting filled with more automakers. Even take a look at some of the new Hyundai's and even Hondas for example. They've really stepped up their game with the whole luxury sport look and may even compete with upper class luxury cars like, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus in the upcoming years.

When Lexus created the new RC F, their goal was to be able to compete with some of the top luxury sporty performance coupes, ie: BMW M3, Audi RS5 and Mercedes-Benz C63, etc. And Lexus sure did a good job. Although the class has been dominated by the German automakers for years, the RC F has gone over the limits of some of these cars.

One of the aspects about the 2015 RC F that we find most interesting is that this cars chassis is actually 3 cars put together. That's right, this Frankenstein car's front end up to the A-pillar is from the Lexus GS, between the A-pillar and C-pillar is from the Lexus IS C (convertible) and from the C-pillar back is from the Lexus IS. With all of that going on, the RC F is actually 200 lbs. heavier than the IS F. Part of that is because a lot of bracing was added to the chassis to help stiffen it up. Not to mention the RC F is a little over an inch longer and wider than the IS. The RC F sits 1.6 inches lower the IS and wheelbase was shortened by a little over an inch which takes away from the interior space for the rear passengers. Oh and the sloping roofline doesn't help with passenger head room either.

The RC F power plant is a 467 horsepower 5.0 liter V8. It's pretty much a retuned and revamped version of the IS F's engine. So how did Lexus squeeze the extra 51 horsepower out of the previous IS F engine that we thought was tapped out? Well, to start things off, the ECU was re-flashed, titanium valves were added along with a lighter crankshaft, bigger throttle body and injectors were also added and the redline was extended to 7300.

Since this is Lexus's hot rod, performance coupe, we would expect it to act better on track than any other car they've created. Sadly, to our disappointment, the new RC F is comparable to IS F on track. Although it may be newer and have more power, keep in mind that the coupe is significantly heavier than the IS F. 0-60 in about 4.4 seconds is impressive, no doubt, but we would expect a little more from Lexus. One of the that the RC F has that other cars in their line has is a performance package for $5,500 more. This package will get you a carbon fiber roof, a rear spoiler and a torque-vectoring differential. This dif. is very effective on the track and is actually fully capable of switching 100% of the power to either side of the vehicle.

An 8 speed automatic transmission with an option for manual shifting is what's mounted to the hefty motor. An electronic system is what enhances the engine note inside the cabin (we've seen this in plenty of other cars lately). 19" forged BBS wheels and grippy summer tires come standard on the RC F. 15" rotors give make it so this heavy coupe comes to complete stop rather easily. And of course there are 3 driver modes for this car which change up the way the rear dif. works as well as the steering weight.

With that being said, the RC F is a very promising car. All Lexus cars produced by the F Team come out excellent. But in the $60,000 price range, keep your options open as there are many great vehicles in that area.

Our Pick For The Top Drift Cars

Drifting! Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels or all tires, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa, also known as opposite lock or counter-steering. - Wikipedia

The last few years, drifting has blown up and has become one of the most popular motorsports in history. It started in Japan and has expanded worldwide. Every so often, international drift events are held with professional drivers that slide their cars around a closed course and put on a loud and rather smokey show for spectators. No doubt it takes very precise skill to maneuver these high powered, fully built, drift machines in such a fashion around the track, but what cars would professional drivers suggest are the "best" cars for drifting?

In all honesty, it's all personal preference and driving style. Technically any car can be drifted, but some may be better than others. Here's a list that we created of the cars we think are best for drifting.

1. Nissan S Cassis (Silvia, S13, S14, S15)
Claimed as one of the easiest cars to drift, this Nissan has many variations of appearances and motor types.  All years of this car is known for its capability to slide around corners. These cars are usually picked up for a cheap price and have huge aftermarket which is a big plus. They are typically known as a beginners car but that doesn't put a restriction on the amount of fun you'll have.

2. Mazda RX7
This fun little rotary powered car can be a blast for drifting; both the FD and earlier model FC will do. The turbo model of RX7 provides a driving experience that no other car can come close too. It's high revving motor screams and the rear end breaks loose pretty easily. The downside is that we hear maintenance on these thing can be a pain because not a lot of people know much about rotary powered cars. These are also hard to come by, especially the FD model, but look close to best on track.

3. Mustang
Preferably the fox body and the newer models are good for drifting. A sturdy chassis and an ample supply of power can slide these heavy beasts around the track. People didn't think that American built cars were any good at drifting until the Mustang proved them wrong. At a relatively cheap price with enough power stock to get you sideways, the Mustang makes an ideal drift car.

4. Corolla
Now you might be thinking, "Wait what?! A Corolla??" Yes, that's right. To be specific, we're talking about the AE86. This is the car that started the drifting craze. The father of drifting, Keiichi Tsuchiya has made this car legendary in the drifting scene, as it was the one he started out with. The AE86 may be a bit under powered, but it will teach you the basics. This model of Corolla is hard to come by for a decent price now a days, but if you do get one, hold on to it.

5. BMW 3 Series
The early 3 Series BMW make prime cars for drifting because of their low price range and reliable motors. Typically the straight 6 engines produce enough power to let the rear end slide around with ease, but a large aftermarket support is also available in case you want the extra power. BMW frames also tend to be more more stiff than Japanese frames which are able to flex slightly.

6. Soarer/SC
It may be heavy, but it packs a powerful punch. With either options of a straight 6 or V8, this Toyota built coupe with a rather long wheel base, is easy to slide. One thing about these cars is that the majority of them have automatic transmissions. Although people say they can drift just fine as an automatic, most people do a manual transmission swap.

7. Nissan 350Z
This sport tuned coupe was built for motorsports. It's track tuned suspension and 3.5 liter V6 won't let you down. It takes very little modification to make this car perfect for drifting. And with this model getting older, these cars are getting easier and easier to afford.