Where You Can Read me Lately: Amazing Cars Aplenty
A little update from yours truly.
Hello, my friends. Let's keep this update a little less gloomy than that last one, shall we? I thought I'd give an update on what I've been up to on the freelancing side since it's been a little while. Suffice to say, I’ve been fortunate to be very busy.
On Friday of this past week I had three separate reviews publish on three separate sites. That was a wild convergence given these three things were submitted weeks apart on completely different schedules, but alas, the stars aligned to bring them all to light on the same day.
Despite that flush appearance, it's actually getting harder to find homes for reviews. This is a shame, since that's really at the core of automotive journalism: helping people make one of the biggest financial decisions of their life — though there’s also the crucial aspect of entertaining a lot of other people who have no interest in buying whatever it is you're writing about.
I love writing reviews. I've been reviewing various things professionally for over 25 years now and I still get a rush when I jump into something new and see what it's made of. But, I've heard from more and more editorial outlets that reviews, specifically car reviews, just aren't moving the needle enough to be worth publishing. Declining ad rates and the inability to score affiliate revenue on a new car sale the way you can for, say, a smartphone makes them a challenging proposition for many editorial organizations.
That's a shame, because if you're looking to invest in a new car you probably want more perspectives and not fewer. And, without trying to be harsh, let’s just say a lot of the car review perspectives I’m seeing crop up you YouTube and TikTok are a little less than independent. Regardless, I'll keep sharing my thoughts on cars and other products so long as I can find home for them. (And if you happen to be looking to publish more reviews, hit me up.)
On that note, here's a quick list of where you can read (and watch!) me over the past week.
Bargain Electrification - Inverse
The Bolt EUV had a legendarily tough go of it out of the gate, immediately hit with a massive recall right in the middle of one of the biggest global supply logistics stoppages in history. All that's in the past now and it's worth a second look at this EV that has one thing going for it most still lack: Affordability.
An Affordable, Guilt-Free Supercar - The Verge
What a first strike! The Kia EV6 GT is Kia's first electric sports car and, pushing nearly 600 horsepower, it's knocking on supercar territory. Okay, that's aspirational, and the car certainly has its flaws, but with this much performance in an attainable package like this, it's remarkable. I can't wait to see what comes next.
A Mighty Defender - Yanko Design
When the Defender 130 pulled into my driveway it seemed like it just kept coming. The 130 is the longest flavor, like using the stretch command in Photoshop to draw the rear end out an extra 15 percent. But the result is a capable SUV with third-row seating comfortable for adults. Like, tall ones, even.
Bike Stuff!
Though I don't obsess over bikes quite as much as I do over cars, I spend far more hours in an average week perched atop my bicycle's saddle than in any car. For that reason I'm glad to be able to start writing a bit about this major aspect of my life.
First up, with the help of a few friends old and new, I wrote up a profile of what's going on in the Silicon Valley bike scene for The Information. (Paywall warning, sorry!)
Then, in yet another post that dropped this past friday, I did a round-up of some of the greatest car/bike collabs over the decades. Did you know Aston Martin made a bicycle? Well, they didn't really, but they put their logo on a wildly sculpted bike from someone else. That you can read over at Cycling Weekly.
Videos!
I've not been spending much time in front of the camera lately, for better or worse, but I have popped up in a few videos lately if you miss seeing me on your tubes.
Here I am pondering the subtly improved styling and overall impressive performance of the EQE SUV for Chasing Cars AU.
And here I am (at the 41:10 mark) talking with WABC about the New York International Auto Show and the winners of the World Car Awards.
That's all for now, and that's a lot! Thanks as ever for giving me a little bit of your inbox. Now get out there and enjoy whatever's left of your Sunday.