First Drive: 2010 Infiniti G37 Convertible

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.–Unofficially, many an Infiniti has been sold on what the cars are not: they’re sporty vehicles without a BMW badge and all the baggage that comes with it.

A less status-worthy badge than Bavaria’s finest, Infiniti instead offers its customers a sporty and luxurious driving experience, coupled with a reputation for Japanese reliability and a simple formula of more features per luxury car dollar.

But is the “anti-BMW” strategy really paying off? Read more

Feature: Prius grows up

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

While taking some photographs of the latest version of the Toyota Prius in a parking lot at one of the many wineries lining the hills in the Napa Valley, a well-kept baby boomer approached me cautiously.

“Is that the new Prius?” she asked, looking for all the world like a red-headed Meryl Streep. Read more

Road Test: 2009 Mazda6 GS-I4

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

As anyone who has graduated from single to married-with-kids status knows, life can sometimes be a compromise. And as a purveyor of vehicles on the sportier side of the automotive spectrum, it was generally agreed upon that Mazda’s last family sedan struggled with a few comprises of its own. Read more

Comparo: BMW M Roadster vs. Porsche Boxster S

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

Which of these two Teutonic two-seaters is the most thrilling to drive?

While Mazda is responsible for the return of the modern roadster with its 1989 Miata, and other two-seaters like Audi’s TT and Mercedes-Benz’s SLK have come on the scene as well, all pale from the driver’s seat compared to our two Faceoff combatants.

Eight years after the original Miata’s (now known as the MX-5) sales success shook the industry, Porsche beat BMW’s Z3 roadster to market with its Boxster (a confluence of “Boxer engine” and “roadster”) by one year. Read more

Road Trip: Mini goes hunting for Airstreams

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.– “Don’t stop. Keep right on going. Hitch up your trailer and go to Canada or down to Old Mexico … Find out what’s at the end of some country road. Go see what’s over the next hill, and the one after that, and the one after that.”

Those motivating words for road trippers are from the late Wally Byam, the lifelong adventurer who founded the iconic American Airstream trailer company in his Los Angeles back yard during the 1930s. Read more

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