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Curbside Classics Archives
About Author: Petrichor
Posts by Petrichor
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![As we fly through youth toward middle age, and our children grow older and our bodies grow slower and the ceaseless march of time places year after year behind the […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_20201104_094015013.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST – Filling the Void")
COAL: 2017 Ford Fiesta ST – Filling the Void
Posted on December 17, 2020 | 41 CommentsAs we fly through youth toward middle age, and our children grow older and our bodies grow slower and the ceaseless march of time places year after year behind the […] -
![Crossovers, you may have noticed, are here for the foreseeable future. Enthusiasts see them as an occupying force and the erasure of driving culture, but the scrimmage line is now […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Title-pic.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Test Drive Review: 2020 RAV4 Hybrid and Mazda CX-5 – The Best Of The New World Order")
Test Drive Review: 2020 RAV4 Hybrid and Mazda CX-5 – The Best Of The New World Order
Posted on August 30, 2020 | 33 CommentsCrossovers, you may have noticed, are here for the foreseeable future. Enthusiasts see them as an occupying force and the erasure of driving culture, but the scrimmage line is now […] -
![I’m not having a good 2020. Most of us aren’t. We’re isolated, disrupted, nervous about finances and health. We’ve been shown just what a fragile illusion our booming economy and […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_20200628_063340731.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL–2013 Toyota RAV4 AWD Limited: Mom, in Memoriam")
COAL–2013 Toyota RAV4 AWD Limited: Mom, in Memoriam
Posted on July 3, 2020 | 50 CommentsI’m not having a good 2020. Most of us aren’t. We’re isolated, disrupted, nervous about finances and health. We’ve been shown just what a fragile illusion our booming economy and […] -
![VW has paved a difficult road for itself in North America. While huge globally, they’ve never pegged this market and have bumbled around with the wrong product mix for years. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/DSCN0917-CC.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen – Peak VW")
COAL: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen – Peak VW
Posted on April 10, 2020 | 42 CommentsVW has paved a difficult road for itself in North America. While huge globally, they’ve never pegged this market and have bumbled around with the wrong product mix for years. […] -
![I’m a bit of a contrarian by nature. I’ll propose counterpoints just for the exercise of it, and by default I am skeptical of trends for reasons inexplicable even to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/94ebc194cb344508aa032fb4fdd03296.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Borrowed Car Review: 2018 Honda Accord EX – Debbie Downer Drives the Best")
Borrowed Car Review: 2018 Honda Accord EX – Debbie Downer Drives the Best
Posted on August 19, 2019 | 101 CommentsI’m a bit of a contrarian by nature. I’ll propose counterpoints just for the exercise of it, and by default I am skeptical of trends for reasons inexplicable even to […] -
![Buy a car that’s good at being cheap, buy a car that’s good at being interesting, but don’t buy a car that isn’t good at either. I think this basic […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Alt4.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5–Well, That Was A Mistake")
COAL: 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5–Well, That Was A Mistake
Posted on May 2, 2019 | 120 CommentsBuy a car that’s good at being cheap, buy a car that’s good at being interesting, but don’t buy a car that isn’t good at either. I think this basic […] -
![Simply resplendent in its Seasonal Affective Disorder camouflage paint The new-for-2018 Camry is the sales leader in a quickly declining segment that once was a massive presence in the American […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018-Toyota-Camry-SE-122-CD.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Rental Review–2018 Camry SE: Behind the Kabuki Mask")
Rental Review–2018 Camry SE: Behind the Kabuki Mask
Posted on January 24, 2019 | 80 CommentsSimply resplendent in its Seasonal Affective Disorder camouflage paint The new-for-2018 Camry is the sales leader in a quickly declining segment that once was a massive presence in the American […] -
![The nation sways and bends to the 1%. They control monetary policy and have access to the channels of power. Many times, they are the channels of power. The ninety-nine […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2016 4Runner SR5–A Car for the 1%")
COAL: 2016 4Runner SR5–A Car for the 1%
Posted on January 15, 2019 | 57 CommentsThe nation sways and bends to the 1%. They control monetary policy and have access to the channels of power. Many times, they are the channels of power. The ninety-nine […] -
![Here we are, the final pair in the quest for an enjoyable, affordable family car two years ago. The 2016 VW GTI was the benchmark to beat, and lightly used […]](https://i2.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2015_infiniti_q40_sedan_base_fqn_evox_1_815.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Infiniti G37 and Volkswagen GTI: The Final Comparison")
Infiniti G37 and Volkswagen GTI: The Final Comparison
Posted on January 7, 2019 | 34 CommentsHere we are, the final pair in the quest for an enjoyable, affordable family car two years ago. The 2016 VW GTI was the benchmark to beat, and lightly used […] -
![Behold King Maw. We turn away in fear–or perhaps disgust–from his oversized visage, fearing ruin and destruction, for what else could follow? How could this have happened to conservative Lexus? […]](https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IS-Autotrader-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Test Drive: 2014 Lexus IS250 – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 2")
Used Car Test Drive: 2014 Lexus IS250 – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 2
Posted on December 27, 2018 | 32 CommentsBehold King Maw. We turn away in fear–or perhaps disgust–from his oversized visage, fearing ruin and destruction, for what else could follow? How could this have happened to conservative Lexus? […] -
![Kellen was not a keeper I frequently read about cars and personal stories that make me reconsider my entire approach to vehicle ownership, and this happened again yesterday with CCer […]](https://i2.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/5af4f9ce15e1d_1525742239744a3baf0IMG_20180506_180904392-940x663.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Question of the Day: What’s Your 50-Year Keeper?")
Question of the Day: What’s Your 50-Year Keeper?
Posted on December 19, 2018 | 68 CommentsKellen was not a keeper I frequently read about cars and personal stories that make me reconsider my entire approach to vehicle ownership, and this happened again yesterday with CCer […] -
![It rose from the waters. It heard your murmurings. Your audible complaints that once-revolutionary Acura had been slipping into bland anonymity combined violently with declining sales and market share to […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IS-TL.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Test Drive: 2012 Acura TL – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 1")
Used Car Test Drive: 2012 Acura TL – Beakzilla vs. King Maw, Part 1
Posted on December 17, 2018 | 35 CommentsIt rose from the waters. It heard your murmurings. Your audible complaints that once-revolutionary Acura had been slipping into bland anonymity combined violently with declining sales and market share to […] -
![Last week I wrote my impressions of the Acura TSX after an impulsive test drive of a high mileage example, and concluded that it had the wrong transmission and wrong […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Volkswagen-Golf-GTI-129.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Review: BMW 328i (F30): An Anti-Acura, for Better and Worse")
Used Car Review: BMW 328i (F30): An Anti-Acura, for Better and Worse
Posted on November 25, 2018 | 40 CommentsLast week I wrote my impressions of the Acura TSX after an impulsive test drive of a high mileage example, and concluded that it had the wrong transmission and wrong […] -
![Acura fans, long have they mourned. The Legend, the Integra, the RSX and perhaps even the then-unloved five cylinder Vigor haunt their memories as they scan the fleet of anodyne […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2006_acura_tsx_sedan_base_fqn_evox_1_815.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Used Car Test Drive: 2006 Acura TSX – I Found a Poor Example of an Excellent Car")
Used Car Test Drive: 2006 Acura TSX – I Found a Poor Example of an Excellent Car
Posted on November 19, 2018 | 49 CommentsAcura fans, long have they mourned. The Legend, the Integra, the RSX and perhaps even the then-unloved five cylinder Vigor haunt their memories as they scan the fleet of anodyne […] -
![From my view, the modern automotive reviewer has an increasingly irrelevant job. Faced with an exceptionally competent field of machinery from nearly every manufacturer, they have long been unable to […]](https://i2.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IMG_5471-2_1200px.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "COAL: 2016 Toyota Camry 2.5 XSE – Of What Use is the Automotive Press?")
COAL: 2016 Toyota Camry 2.5 XSE – Of What Use is the Automotive Press?
Posted on October 4, 2018 | 112 CommentsFrom my view, the modern automotive reviewer has an increasingly irrelevant job. Faced with an exceptionally competent field of machinery from nearly every manufacturer, they have long been unable to […]
