2010 Mazdaspeed 3 MPS is da bomb

Just saw the new Mazdaspeed 3 from the Geneva Show, and I must say they've done a great job evolving the look of this hot hatch. Photos curtesy of Autoblog, click on the links below to take a look.

The Front
I must admit, at first I was a little taken aback by the new smiling mouth grille opening beneath the bumper on the new 3, but it actually works well on the Mazdaspeed 3. It's probably that the oversized airscoop on the hood balances out the big grille underneath. I also like the organic and fluid grille lines carried over from the Hakaze, Kazamai and Nagare concepts.

The Back
Love it! The handsome shape of the last 3 hatch is carried over, with bigger tail lights, which is very welcome. I love the muscular humps over the rear tires. Love it.

The Profile
A nice evolution from the old model. The proportions are much better than the Subaru WRX, the nose doesn't seem awkwardly long and does not have the long overhand on the Subaru.

The Ugly
The interior is pretty bad, like it's from the 1990s. I don't understand the obsession Mazda has with orange dials.

Overall I love this new iteration of the Mazdaspeed 3. I would almost trade in my G35s for this one. Almost.

I like the Ferrari F430

I like the Ferrari F430. The Dark blue one. The convertible. A lot. Especially at the LA Auto Show. On Press Days. Just like this one. On the Ferrari stand. Just like this one in the picture.

The Good - the styling. The design. Of the back. I like the 3D shape of the tail lights, it's a nice evolution of the 4-round tail light design. The matching two dual horizontal tailpipe stacks are a nice touch. Oh and the booth babes.

The Bad - The front end. The headlights are so unimaginative they make the ones on a Hyundai Genesis Coupe look more inspired. And that is sad. This is a Ferrari for God's sake! I don't much like the air intakes, how there're four of them. Ferrari should've made one huge opening on each side of the car, like the Enzo. I'm not saying the Enzo's a beauty, but I like the huge air intakes. The Enzo is kind of like a "butherface," everything good but her face.

The Ugly - I abhor the tacky big ass Ferrari badges on the front fenders. It's screaming, "Hey I know I'm already compensating, but just in case you didn't notice, it's a Fucking-erari. Byotch!" Very useful for picking up dates who can't tell their Ferraris from Corvettes.

In conclusion, no single car is perfect (except for the 2005 Infiniti G35 S sedan), not even the mighty Ferrari F430. A friend of mine actually owns one of these, and I got to drive it once. It is awesome to drive, the engine screams. I still don't like the air intakes and the big ass badges though.

I dig the new 2009 Ferrari California!

The Ferrari booth at the LAAS was one of my favorites, for obvious reasons - the cars are simply awesome! I was delightfully surprised when they let us sit in the cars (I love press days!). I made a beeline for the new California roadster.

The Good - The folding hard top of the California is so beautifully crafted that when it's up, you can't tell it's a convertible. It looks even better than the folding hard top on the new BMW 3 series convertible. The LED lights in the headlight assembly look great and add a high-tech feel to the car. I also like how the front corners of the car are chiseled and point towards the classic Ferrari grill. The proportions of this front-engined GT are also very classic, unlike that of the Porsche Boxster. Me likes.

The Bad - What is up with the side vents? They look very plasticky and cheap. The shape is awkward too on the fender, I don't like it.

The Ugly - Here's the worst part - yep, you guessed it, the vertically stacked double tail pipes. Need I say more?

Overall the Ferrari California is well-designed, a modern interpretation of the classic Italian Grand Touring coupe. I'll take one, but probably not in powder blue.

2003 Porsche Boxster S is pretty cool

So my friend Steve brought his Porsche Boxster S over today so I decided to review it on the blog.  

Although there's a new Boxster on the scene right now, it's really hard to tell them apart.  Steve begs to differ, he can easily tell the new one from the old.  He's smoking crack.  There's almost no perceptible differences between the two.  This 2003 Boxster was the first year they made it with a glass rear window, so you don't end up with a completely clouded out plastic window in 2 years.

The Good - The Boxster looks way better than a 911. Period. It also is one of the best looking roadsters with the top down. It's the least chick roadster of them all, way better than a Miata or a VW EOS.  Dig the red Brembo brake calipers you find on the Carrera, part of the package you pay the extra 20 grand for on the S.  I also like the whited-out blinkers on the tail lights, much classier than the amber ones. Steve swapped out the amber front side turn signals with darkened white ones.  The centrally located twin tail pipes are also a nice touch.  Also like the integrated fog lights.

The Bad - when the top's up.

The Ugly - when the top's up.  And the fact that the front wheels are so far back from the front end of the car.  There's simply too much overhang on the front end, they should've pushed the front wheels to the corners.

In conclusion, there's really not too much to pick with on the Boxster S.  It's almost as great looking as my 2005 Infiniti G35 S sedan!