The Golden Age Is Now: 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack

The 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack.

When I was getting my learner's permit, one of the most fearsome and desirable beasts roaming the planet was the 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 426 Hemi.  425 horsepower as measured in those days (they measured gross, not net then...works out to about 350 by today's standards) and a 0-60 time of six seconds. It would do the quarter in 14 seconds at 104 miles per hour.

When the 1972 models were introduced a month later,  the party was over, Thanks to a double-whammy of emissions regulations and insurance surcharges, the Hemi was dead and the most muscle a Challenger could muster was 240 horsepower from a 340-cubic inch V8.

Instantly, anything prior to that moment was regarded as "The Golden Age of Muscle Cars".

We were right, for a while.  Turns out we just had a 45-year intermission. In fact, the 60s and 70s were just a warm-up by comparison.

Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Internet: The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT

The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT.

For two and a half years now, most of my fellow TireKickers (automotive journalists) have been writing about how the Mitsubishi Mirage is the worst car in the world.  Or at least the worst new car for sale in the United States.  Some do it because it's easy and they think no one will ever test-drive the Mirage and discover they're wrong.  Some do it to be funny.  And some, frankly, do it because they wanted a 600-horsepower somethingorother, but that week, the press fleet folks brought them a 74-horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage. The review becomes a 500-word temper tantrum.

They Still Make One Like They Used To: The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab

The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab.

Ten years is an eternity in the car business.  The Nissan Frontier has been with us for 12.  That's right, the midsize pickup truck you see here, has, with very few changes, been with us since 2004.  So, can it compete today?