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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 08:42 |
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I haven’t been too impressed with this new A6 model since it debuted for the 2005 model year. But, the 350hp 4.2 engine really brings this new A6 alive, making it a much more enjoyable driving experience compared to the V6 model. I found this A6 4.2 to be more enjoyable to drive than the new S6 I drove last fall for a bit. Of course, I only drove that S6 for less than an hour, so I'm sure my view will change if I ever get more time behind the wheel of an S6.
Normally I've found Audi's Tiptronic transmission to be the week point of their vehicles, but this time around I could find nothing to complain about. In fact in "Sport" mode, it was down right fun to drive, similar to the DSG transmission found in the A3.
With the $3500 S-Line package, you get the cool BBS wheels, a sport suspension (which I'm sure helped make this a more fun vehicle to drive) and other cosmetic bits and pieces. Other options included Convenience, Premium, and Technology Packages. Total MSRP price was a reasonable $55,250.
This will be the last update to the site for a little bit, since I haven't had any new cars to review since this A6. Hopefully I won't be going four months without adding something new.
For now, enjoy the photo gallery of this Audi A6 |
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Sunday, 08 April 2007 12:03 |
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I recently reviewed a full-sized pickup truck for the first time in the form of a 2007 Chevy Silverado. I don't know jack about pickups, my only recent experience is from renting one for an hour or so from furniture store a couple of summers ago. And that example was well used and far from its prime. I think I may have driven one of my friend’s trucks back in high-school, but I don’t really remember. So, you can see that my opinion on reviewing a truck is going to from an outsider’s point of view.
They say first impressions are everything, and I have to say that this all-new Silverado made an excellent first impression. The interior of the Silverado is as nice as anything I've been in recently, it has a very stylish look with a nicely laid out dash, nice leather seats, XM radio, back-up sensors and sun-roof. The back seats were good enough to haul my three kids in comfort, although adults may be a little cramped. If there is anything to complain about the interior, it’s that it may be too nice - I can't imagine soiling the interior after working a full day at a construction site.
On the road the Silverado drives, well, like a truck. Obviously that’s not a big surprise. It’s easy to maneuver and the only time I only had difficulties with its size was when parking, but I would suspect that an owner would get used to that quickly. The 315 hp V8 had more than enough power to sprint the Silverado around town, and with its Active Fuel Management system, which deactivates four cylinders when not needed, it delivered a reasonable 17 mpg during my week with it.
With a MSRP in the low $30s, I found it to be reasonably priced as well. If you’re in the market for a large pickup truck, I can’t see any reason not to take a serious look at this all-new 2007 Chevy Silverado. Of course, I have absolutely nothing to compare it too, so keep that in mind.
And of course, enjoy my photo gallery of this Silverado.
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Monday, 02 April 2007 08:03 |
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I shot these photos way back in early December, 2006. I didn't care for them too much -- nothing too unique about them and overall I didn't think they were all that great anyway. So, I didn't do anything with them, quickly looked at them and then dismissed them. Well, almost four months later, I decided to give them another look and they weren't as bad as I had thought. In fact, with a little Photoshop work, I think they're pretty good static shots. I don't remember much about my driving impressions of this S4, in fact, if it wasn't for these photos I may have forgotten about it completely. But, the V8 S4 is one of my favorite Audis, so I'm sure I had fun it in. Click here for the 2007 Audi S4 Photo Gallery. |
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2007 Mitsubishi Outlander |
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Sunday, 25 March 2007 05:46 |
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I recently spend a week behind the wheel of at 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander, a decent mid-sized cross-over SUV. Overall this vehicle got the job done, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone that was in the market for something like this. I would steer them towards a Suzuki XL-7 which I drove a few weeks before this (unfortunately, due to weather and being sick for a number of days, I lost my opportunity to photograph the Suzuki). What's wrong with with the Outlander? With 11 thousand miles on it, it felt cheap and like it had been in service for 5 years. My main complaint is the paint - which had to be the worst I've ever seen on a press vehicle. There were rock-chips all over it, including places you normally don't see rock-chips, like the front of the rear fenders; it honestly looked like it had been sand blasted in parts. Yes, press vehicles go through more abuse than a normal vehicle, but my 17 year old Audi with 185,000 miles has less paint-chips than this "new" vehicle. That's not normal. Unless you plan on covering the entire thing with a clear-bra, I would stay away from this car just because of the paint. Other minor issues were noticed too, like the passenger door handle which didn't work properly and felt like it was going to break at any moment. Again, if you're shopping for a cross-over SUV in the $30k range, please go look at a Suzuki XL-7 first. On the positive side, this Mitsubishi Outlander did photograph nicely. Take a look at the images in the Photo Gallery. |
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Triumph Badge Detail Shots |
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Tuesday, 28 November 2006 16:03 |
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Wow, I can't believe it's been over three months since I've added any new photos to this site. No excuses other than I haven't done much automotive related photography lately... or at least nothing I've felt belonged on this site. I'm currently driving a Suzuki SX4 for review, my first test car since June. With snow predicted for most of the time I have this car, I don't know if I'll even get a chance take decent photos of it.
I am a member of an automotive photography forum and each month they have an assignment in which we're given a theme/subject matter. We need to take photos for the assignment during the month, submit one, and eventually the photos will be voted upon by the members of the forum. I've never submitted a photo for the assignment in the past, but this past weekend I was inspired to take photos specifically for it. The theme was "Depth of Field" and for my subject matter was my 2004 Triumph Speedmaster motorcycle. I chose to focus on the Triumph badge on the engine casing. After a quick wipe down, I shot the bike in my driveway with a defuser panel to block out the direct sunlight. I'm pretty happy with how the shots came out, so I've added them to my gallery to give it something fresh. One of these days I plan on taking some nice shots of the bike itself. The problem I'm having is that I have way to much fun riding it to stop and take photos! Enjoy the gallery! |
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American LeMans Series at Miller Motorsports Park |
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Thursday, 10 August 2006 11:41 |
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I was able to photograph my first professional race last month at the new Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The American LeMans series and the Speed World Challenge races were held the weekend of July 15 and I was photographing all the action for AudiWorld.com and the Audi Club North America. It was quite an experience photographing my first professional race with photo credentials, being able to walk the infield and photograph from the other side of the fence was quite an experience. The new Miller track is a first class facility and features the longest road course in North America. Of course, this means the track is very large and walking around it during 102 degree heat was a chore. But I had fun and I look forward to being able to do it regularly in the future. A select number of images from the weekend can be found in the Photo Gallery on this site, and a larger gallery can be found on AudiWorld.com. Enjoy.
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