Car and Driver April 2023

HIGHS AND LOWS Dear Ed., I have three words to describe the December 2022 issue: fab-u-lous! One of my favorites after years of subscribing. It had all the ingredients of a tasty read: supercars, an unattainable-SUV throwdown, hot-hatch worship, a Lambo Countach redux, and useful EV features—I know the haters are tired of EV articles, but I’m in the market, so the more the merrier. I hesitate to throw this one into the recycling bin, so for now I’ll bask in its afterglow to save on my light bill. Well done. —Charlie PickNorthfield, IL Congratulations! Your December issue didn’t feature a single automobile I can afford, including the 20-year-old pickups on page 80. The average transaction price of a new car may have blown past $40K, but most of us are on a…

Driving a Ferrari is like being in a sleeker, faster-moving homecoming parade. But what if the parade happens every day? Just as peacocks live outside the zoo, Ferrari owners run to Trader Joe’s for frozen hash browns and Japanese lilies, right? What’s that like, I thought, as I tossed my tote bag onto the passenger’s seat of the SF90 Spider. First off, expect attention and questions. Even in jaded L.A. there’s curiosity about the usual things: how much, how fast, why me? How much? It’s $577,870. But that’s just for the steak; sides add $81,231. How fast? Ferrari asked that we not hook up our gear to the low-mileage Spider, so we don’t have the numbers, but the coupe version of the SF90 is the quickest car we’ve ever tested, with a 2.0-second…

Corvette traditionalists, pour yourselves a drink and take a deep breath. Chevrolet’s halo car has gone electric. We’ll pause while you dry-heave. You good? There’s more. It’s also all-wheel drive. Take a beat. Breathe into a paper bag. Sure, it’s new and scary, but rest assured that the 2024 Corvette E-Ray’s intentions are not to placate environmentalists or chase the trendiest new tech. Instead, this car is designed to do what the best Corvettes have always done: take performance to the next level. Performance gains were immediate when Chevrolet made the switch to a mid-engine platform in the Corvette. Traction greatly increased with the bulk of the mass over the rear wheels. The Stingray and the Z06 are the quickest Corvettes since the nameplate arrived some 70 years ago. Relocating the engine also…

Our recent experiences at public chargers have us concerned that the EV-charging experience might soon devolve into violence and mayhem. Too many folks are trying to use too few stations, a situation exacerbated by out-of-order plugs. Before people get disinvited from weddings or cut out of the will, let’s see if we can address some of your messiest deportment dilemmas. Some basics: Always place the fork to the left of the plate when you eat lunch on the decklid, and never park a combustion-engine vehicle in an EV-charging spot. Now on to the hard ones. IS IT SO RUDE TO STAY PLUGGED IN FOR A 100 PERCENT CHARGE? I MEAN, I WAS THERE FIRST. Aw, sweetie. It can feel incomplete to unplug at 82 percent, but if someone is waiting, don’t get greedy…

GEORG KACHER Based in Germany, Georg Kacher has a keen eye for where brands are going and what they need to succeed. His future-product knowledge is unrivaled thanks to his extensive network of industry contacts. Dear Mr. Kargar, Infiniti’s first car made such an indelible mark on me that I bought one new. The original Q45 had a unique belt-buckle front emblem, a sculpted interior with awesome flowing surfaces, and a solid-metal ignition key that felt heavy in the proud owner’s pocket. From there, the brand’s career ladder soared, with the remarkably cool G35, M45, and FX45, but other efforts, including the I30 and QX4, turned out to be underdeveloped and overstyled Nissan clones. Today’s lineup is a mix of the aging Q50 sedan, a couple of unremarkable compact SUVs in the QX50 and…

We don’t suggest reading car magazines while driving (although we do suggest reading them at all other times). When you’re behind the wheel and need automotive content, your choices are listening to Jan & Dean’s “Drag City” on repeat or exploring some of the thousands of car-themed podcasts. Between well-known offerings, such as Adam Carolla’s CarCast and Matt Farah’s The Smoking Tire, and shows with a specific collecting, racing, or history theme, there’s bound to be a pod to match your driving style. We recently spent time cruising around Hollywood in a BMW M5 with former C/D editor-in-chief Eddie Alterman, talking about what makes podcasts such a good way to learn about cars. He should know—he hosts one, Car Show! with Eddie Alterman. Alterman’s interest in doing a podcast was based…