A quick one today, as I prepare multiple special things coming up for you on the site. As always, email me!
Question
Hi Mike (hi!). Do you have any reviews of cars that you thought were better to drive after the fact?
– Phil
Answer
Phil asks a good, if short, question. I’ve been reviewing cars for nearly 3 years now. Is it possible that I’ve misjudged how special some are?
No do-overs – the high council has spoken. But perhaps we can call this an addendum. After all, if I’m still thinking about a car after all this time, then it must be pretty special.
4 – The Jaguar F-PACE SVR
Read the original SVR review here.
Regardless of what Jaguar has planned for the future, there’s no denying how special some of their current cars are. Or were.
Actually, you can still get an F-PACE SVR (for less than $100,000 actually) if you can find one on a lot somewhere. If you want to spend $10,000 on paint, look how mean you can make it…
But the F-PACE is more than looks – it’s that supercharged engine. My daughter still talks about the Jag with the big engine. Only the Cadillac’s V-8 is more impressive, simply because it’s more powerful.
I didn’t like the X5 M, or the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Save yourself some money and have a lot more fun with the Jaaaaaaag.
Old Soul Score: 8. New Score: 9
3 – The Jaguar F-TYPE R
Read the original F-TYPE review here.
Another Jag, I know. But what can I say – they make very emotional cars in a world full of clinical ones.
It’s old inside, and it really clunked over bumps, so a Porsche is a better all around sports car.
But there was a charm to the F-TYPE too – again the V-8 supercharged whine is the star. And the looks – wow. Driving it made me feel special, and that’s the ultimate goal of any sports car.
By the way, you can still buy one of these too. The color palette is lacking, so just pick British Racing Green and let ‘er rip.
Old Soul Score: 8. New Score: 9
2 – The Mercedes-AMG GT 53
Read the original GT review here.
Pretty much every Mercedes looks the same inside, but this one just had something about it, from the seats to the headliner.
The problem was that for 2022 they killed the V-8, but it’s back now. The 53 is good – looks nice, feels nice, but to make it an experience, it needs that motor.
Still, Mrs. Machines often brings it up. I think we can give it a bump.
Old Soul Score: 7. New Score: 8
1 – The ALPINA B8
Read the original B8 review here.
I thought that driving this car would be like driving the perfect BMW for my grandfather. From the brown and white interior to that dark ALPINA Green, the car screams “I’m an old Italian from New York!”.
Doesn’t drive like it though. Instead, it adds back a lot of what’s missing from modern BMWs. Gets a lot of street cred too – more people looked at this than that bright blue M8 I took a few weeks later.
I’m convinced it’s BMW’s best car currently available, and with news of ALPINA being taken over by the mother ship, the B8 is your last chance to grab a real one before they add ALPINA trim to every car.
The ALPINA B2? Whatever, we’ll see.
Old Soul Score: 9. New Score: 10
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