Motoring Magazine Mash-Up!

Sometimes a driver just has to read about driving instead of, well, DRIVING, (you know, those times like sleeping or eating), so here' s a look at some of the latest automobile magazines. WARNING: Motoring Magazine Addiction Disease (MMAD) has no cure, so be careful about reading this blog or anything on the Internet, as reading short articles on motoring may be a gateway drug to serial magazine addiction. If you need help, see your medical professional, or just put the magazine down and get behind the wheel!

Automobile: Cover story on "BMW at 40 in America", highlights plenty of cool BMWs. New car reviews include Porsche Boxster Spyder, Mini John Cooper Works, Dodge Viper ACR, and the new electric/gas Chevy Volt.

Speaking of BMW, their small museum in Greer SC is a great place to visit and take the factory tour. If you buy a new BMW, you can even take delivery there and do a bit of driving on their test track.

Like many automobile magazines, most of the cars they write about are well beyond the average new car price in the US of $31,000, so sometimes it seems like a never ending parade of $60,000 Mercedes and BMW car reviews that aren't in my price range.

Forza: Cover story on a modified Enzo that makes 840hp and hits 235mph. New car review includes the 488 Spider. If it's about Ferrari, from old to new and racing in F1, then it's in Forza!

Now, if Automobile and Motor Trend focus on cars I can't afford, I expect Forza to talk about cars I can't afford! I mean, honestly, a guy has to do some financial planning on what to do with three hundred million dollars just in case he wins the big lottery!

One feature of the magazine is a regular column with letters from readers asking for expert advice on parts and service on their Ferraris, so there is at least some practical advice in every issue too!

Grassroots Motorsports: Probably my favorite magazine because it focuses (Ford fans should like that word) on many types of motor racing in the US, to include auto-cross. The cover story covers the magazine's annual "Ultimate Track Car" event where dozens of drivers compete to set the fastest single lap at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Project car articles this month include a BMW 235i, Chevy Camaro, Nissan 350Z, and the magazine's own home-built Factory Five 818. Another feature article covers performance tips on the Subaru WRX. Tons of advertising for every imaginable after-market performance car part available make it a resource for more ideas on spending money, and who doesn't need help spending money!

Hemming's Sports and Exotics: The Hemming's folks have several auto themed magazines, and this one covers mostly imports from the past, such as the cover story on a Sprite, and other articles covering the Volvo 1800S, Mercedes W123, and a Mercedes Biturbo just for starters.

Featured on the cover is a 1965 Austin Healey Sprite, which HAS to be the greatest sports car named after a soft drink ever!

Every issue typically includes photos and coverage of major car shows in the US, and an ongoing update on the driving condition of various cars that the magazine staff have in their garages. I can confidently say that in each issue I discover another cool old sports car that I think I need.

Motor Trend: One of the "big three" of US based magazines (Road and Track, Car and Driver being the other two), this month's cover features their annual "Best Driver's Car" review, and I'll just give you the answer of their top pick; the Mercedes AMG GT S. Geeze, , another great car normal people can't afford! According to the Mercedes AMG website, the GT S starts at $129,900.

I'm really considering taking out a small business loan and starting a magzine or website titled "Cars You Can Afford" or "Cars Under $30,000 For Real People".

Top Gear: Yes, it comes from Britain and is chock full of odd English words, but that's half the fun! The other half of the fun of this magazine is that every issue has a brief listing of all cars sold in England, so if you're curious what the Renault, Skoda, or other brands we don't get in the US are up to, here it is! Cover story is a sick green McLaren 675LT, but a more practical article is their "What is the UK's Best Hot Hatch" that actually discusses cars that normal people can afford! Hint, the winner rhymes with "Volkswagen Golf R", priced at 30,000 Pounds. If that's a bit expensive (probably $45,000 if you could buy one here), then you'll be happy to know that in their top 3 was the Ford Fiesta ST, at a much cheaper price. For more info on the Fiesta ST in the US, you could ask NMS-South driver Brian Nixon since he drives one!

NMS Combines North and South!

North, and South. Shake, and Bake.

Our Nixon Motor Sports teams of both the North and South flavors will combine forces on Sunday October 18th in Virginia Beach and be driving at the same event for just the second time this year. At the Tidewater Sports Car Club's TSCC LINK auto-cross event, Brian will be driving the Ford Fiesta ST in the H Street class, while Robert will be wheeling the FIAT Abarth in G Street. You can read more about this particular event, and SIGN UP yourself at this link: Motorsports Registration LINK.

Weather in VA today, why this week's event is cancelled

In what could be the biggest news since the end of the Civil War, both NMS drivers will be driving at the area's favorite auto-cross location, on board (as they say in the Navy) Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, either JEBLCFS or just "Little Creek". Drivers and spectators that are not military must sign up in advance to be added to the access roster to the military base.

Good guys wear white hats...or black. Or helmets.

The last time we both drove at Little Creek this summer, the NMS Miata had an unfortunate incident that left the motor terminally wounded, so we anticipate that the Fiesta and Abarth will not suffer the same fate. With both cars in closely rated classes (it doesn't get any closer than G and H, unless you use some language/alphabet that I don't know about), this could be the 2015 duel of the century for bragging rights for NMS that will determine "Driver of the Year", or "Fastest Draw in the East", or just plain old "I Beat You on the Same Day on the Same Course so You Owe Me A Beer".

Toyota Yaris: The 800 Mile Test

Just got back from an 800 mile quest for the city of gold...I mean, After 800 miles of trekking across the tundra, mile after mile...errrr ummm....800 miles in a Toyota Yaris is both good and bad! Yeah, that's it, good AND bad! Like Christmas (which is good), but it includes FRUIT CAKE (which is bad).

In truth, the rental car Yaris took us round trip 800 miles mostly on Interstate from Virginia Beach to Columbia SC and back, including the passing of the infamous South of the Border on the SC-NC line. No, we did not stop at SOTB in either direction, and thereby maintained my perfect record of NEVER stopping there! Now maybe if it was a classy tourist trap, like ALLIGATOR FARM, or ROCK CITY, or FIVE HEADED WILDEBEAST I'd stop, but South of the Border isn't on my dream list.

So back to the Yaris. Toyota's smallest car, this one was a rental dream! Yes, it was automatic, but it also had roll up windows (by hand crank like in ye olde days). It had air conditioning, but not cruise control. Right now, I'm willing to state that any car without cruise control, especially on the Interstate highway is NOT something I'd wish on anyone, unless that anyone was an alien being invading the planet earth.

While we're talking about highway driving, the car averaged around 29-30mpg. That's a little 4 cylinder car with two passengers, medium luggage, and highway miles, no more than 30. I'll have to conclude that mileage, comfort, ease of audio system use, and many other features, it made my FIAT look like a 25th Century transportation dream come true!

Sure, the world needs some basic, cheap, no frills transportation, but come on, if it takes me 100 miles to figure out how to tune the radio or turn OFF the radio, then either I'm a hobgoblin with mental issues or the radio is just not user-friendly. Please humor me and agree that the radio wasn't user friendly, because I'd hate to be a hobgoblin with issues, even this close to Halloween.

Audio controls should make it easy to tweak the bass and treble, and just maybe the mid-range. It should NOT have generic setting for "talk radio" and "music", with no other easily used audio settings. Why not just go with "1960s AM Radio Quality" and "Recycled Tin Can With String Quality" instead, because that's about what it sounded like to me. I'm just a professional musician, so don't take my word for it; go rent a Yaris and check out the audio for yourself.

Believe it or not, while it's easy for me to list these issues with the Yaris, it felt pretty solid on the road, and quite a bit of the driving was in rain. Yes, once or twice a light came on to indicate that some kind of traction control was helping with the aqua-planning, but even without the rain the car was fine to drive on the highway, and really did a good job of getting down the road. Well, getting down the road as long as you don't need to accelerate very fast, but it was OK.

Seating comfort wise, the Yaris would not be my choice for anything more than around town, but again keep in mind this has to be about the cheapest car in the  universe. Or at least in the US. Or from the rental lot that my employer let me use since we have to use the cheapest car. 400  miles at a shot left me wanting better seats.

Another trivial matter that I noticed in the rain is that the front windshield wiper has just one blade that covers the front for both driver and passenger. It worked OK, just unusual with one central blade. The rear window also had a wiper, so while that was nice to have in the spray, the half circle it cleared on the glass was off-center to where the driver looks with the rear mirror centered. I'll mark the rear wiper as "needs improvement" and further solve this issue by never driving a Yaris again.

Final summary: If you can afford a new car, yes the Toyota Yaris meets that description, but I think you'd be happier with a gently used car in the same price range that offers more features and comfort. Toyota makes good cars in all segments, so I'm thinking a 3 year old Corolla or Camry could beat the Yaris in every department at about the same price.