Review: 2010 Toyota Sienna

For most people, myself included, purchasing a minivan equates to throwing in a towel into your game of life.  The minivan has taken up the stigma of station wagons from decades past and it may be the vehicle most responsible for influencing the SUV trend, which gives young parents hopes of freedom they have once known.

For 2010 Toyota strives to change this unfavorable image with the all-new Sienna. It is marketed it with a comedic rap song performed by suburban parents who are clearly living the dream, in hopes that Generation-X will relate and accept the Swagger-Wagon as the family vehicle to have. … Continue Reading

Review: 2010 GMC Terrain SLT2

The once mighty General Motors is trying to reinvent itself after a near-collapse. Part of their revival approach is to produce bread & butter cars which sell in large volumes such as pickup trucks, sedans and smaller cross-over utility vehicles which have become modern day stationwagons. I have recently spent a weekend with one of those cross-overs, a mildly equipped GMC Terrain. … Continue Reading

Micro & Mini Car Day

Every year the Larz Anderson Museum (a.k.a. Museum of Transportation, to some) in Brookline, MA puts on a number of Lawn Events. All of those events are themed in some way, for instance in the past I have attended the Italian Car Day, German Car Day, British Car Day and Mercedes Benz Day.

I would love to attend all of them as they are always a lot of fun and few gems can always be found, but with my limited time I can only pick and choose the few I go to. This first event I attended this year was the Micro & Mini Car Day and I must say that it blew my mind. … Continue Reading

Local Hero Goes For Rally Gold

What do you want to be when you grow up?  The question all men are asked early in their childhoods. The answer is never a cubicle-bound paper-pusher.  At an early age all boys aspire to be someone great, someone heroic, someone inspirational such as a firefighter or a race-car driver. Sadly, most of us end up spending our days replying to email chains or sitting in meetings discussing the next fiscal budget.

Meet Bill Bacon, rally race-car driver for Bacon Motorsport Team and a professional firefighter from Chemsford, Massachusetts. In case his resume does not sound impressive enough add president, and the only employee, of a small garage door installation company. Just for good measure throw in race-car builder, fabricator, mechanic and the guy who sweeps the floor at the end of the day.

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2010 BMW 328i – An Inside Look

Until now my, exposure to the E90 chassis was rather limited; a quick drive in a friend’s 335i and a stint at the BMW Performance Driving School in an M3. Recently, however, I got to spend a weekend with a brand new 328i and I must say that it really frustrated me. It was the kind of maddening frustration that many teachers and few employers have expressed about me; I knew it could be so much more if it just tried a little harder, if it just paid attention to details and did not take the easy way out. … Continue Reading

Fourth of July Cop Car Spectacular

Almost a million people assembled in Boston this Sunday for the annual Fourth Of July concert and fireworks on the Esplanade. In order to have the upper hand on this many people, many of whom get liquored up, Cambridge and Boston Police Departments, Massachusetts State Police, EMS, and Fire Departments set all kinds of equipment in order to be ready for just about anything. … Continue Reading

Gumballers Invade Boston

For more than ten years the Gumball 3000 rally has been attracting D-list celebrities and their over-priced cars. This year, for the first time they came to Boston to start off the North American leg of the rally.

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For some reason the cars were shipped Bangor Maine as opposed to the Logan Airport in Boston and therefore delayed getting here. The arrival preceded late night partying followed by a 9am departure for Canada; these guys are really going to need those energy drinks. Pictures are courtesy of my friends at Veloz Media and Superior Detail Supplies. … Continue Reading

Review: 2010 Lincoln MKZ

Recently Ford Fusion has undergone a refresh and has since received a ton of accolades. I have not driven either the first or the second generation Fusion, but after Motor Trend named the Fusion its “Car of the Year”, my interests were piqued. The Lincoln MKZ is based on the Ford Fusion but is fancied up with leather this and electric that, so it could only be better, right? … Continue Reading

2010 New York Auto Show

There are many websites out there that will bring you the latest news on all things that occurred at the NYIAS. Yes, there were concept cars, new vehicles revealed, special cars and ton of other crap. I do not consider CarGuyDad to be a news website, so instead I will just write about the things I liked and did not like at the show.

Here in alphabetical order, in over a hundred pictures and more than 2400 words are my views on the 2010 New York international Auto Show. Enjoy and thanks for looking. … Continue Reading

Review: 2009 Toyota Venza

Toyota wants the Venza to be something smaller than a RAV4 but not quite a station wagon, as station wagons are disliked in the United States. Regardless of what its genre is called the Venza is a very functional something, available with two different engines and two driveline configurations, all wrapped in a pretty package. Despite all the bad press Toyota has received lately, the Venza just maybe the shining star amongst otherwise gray appliances we have come to expect from Toyota. … Continue Reading

2010 New York Motorcycle Show

I don’t own a motorcycle and I even failed my motorcycle license test (story below), but I really do appreciate them. Short of cars such as the Lotus Exige, Caterham, or Ariel Atom, motorcycles are the most direct connection between a man (or a chick) and a machine. There is no safety devices, no electronic nannies, no OBD2, no emissions systems, and nothing that does not serve a purpose. That is exactly what makes motorcycles so great. Combine that with the idea of freedom that these machines offer and it is no wonder why they are loved so much.

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Amazing Dakar Rally Pictures

I don’t often post pictures that I that I have not taken myself, but these really took my breath away. If you have never heard of the Dakar Rally, which for the last two years takes place in South America as opposed to Dakar due to terrorist threats, read up on it here. This is one of these things that I would love to do before I die… and hopefully not die during.

Imagine a combination of rally racing and off-roading, all done in a completely remote area with limited support, that is Dakar Rally. All other forms of auto racing are almost amateur in comparison. Enjoy more pics after clicking ->

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2010 Lexus RX350 – quick spin

Thanksgiving* may be the perfect holiday – it happens to be the longest weekend, has no religious connections, you don’t have to give gifts.  All you have to do is eat and watch football – perfect indeed. Thanksgiving is also a damn good reason to meet up with people you haven’t seen in a while and of course check out their new cars!

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A family friend, Mark who happens to be an MD bought this new RX350 based on my recommendation; he was looking for a solid, reliable, quiet and comfortable ride which he’d keep for some time. Just about any car enthusiast will tell you that almost all Lexus and Toyota cars are dull and boring to drive. Personally, I think of them as quiet and comfortable and that’s just what the RX350 is. It is something you slip into at the end of a hard day and drive yourself home at a leisurely pace and relax, almost oblivious to the 20-mile back up in front of you; the enthusiast next to you in the Z350 with lightened flywheel and a set of coilovers does not get that same calming feeling, and he isn’t moving any faster either. … Continue Reading