Would Buying a Chevy Bolt Over a Mini Cooper Be a Huge Mistake?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2021 Mini Cooper is fun to drive and has a distinctive design, but are there alternatives? There are other subcompact cars out there that are also fun to drive, and one is the 2021 Chevy Bolt. Would buying the Chevy Bolt instead of the Mini Cooper be a huge mistake?

The 2021 Chevy Bolt

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt has an overall score of 7.8 out of 10 from U.S. News. This four-door hatchback is an electric vehicle, and it has good acceleration and handling, going from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The electric motor generates 200 hp. The Bolt has an excellent range of 259 miles with a full charge. It’s rated for 127 MPGe in the city and 108 MPGe on the highway.

Its interior isn’t as great, with some cheaper materials and hard plastics. There is plenty of room for passengers and cargo, although the seats are a little hard. The Bolt comes with a good assortment of tech and safety features. The infotainment system has a 10.2-inch touchscreen and is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2021 Chevy Bolt does have a lower safety score from U.S. News with a 9.0 out of 10. While a number of advanced safety features are available, only a rearview camera and teen driver settings come standard. Its price starts at $36,620, which is higher than the Mini Cooper’s starting price.

The 2021 Mini Cooper

The 2021 Mini Cooper has a unique design along with “near-luxury design and build quality,” says U.S. News. It has a U.S. News overall score of 7.7 out of 10. It’s available with two doors or four and as a hardtop or a convertible.

The Mini Cooper is fun to drive with any of its various engine options. The base engine is a 134-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder. Other engine options include a 189-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a 228-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and a 301-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, explains U.S. News. The different engines get between 24 and 28 MPG in the city and 30 and 37 MPG on the highway.

There is also the Mini Electric (also called the Mini Cooper SE), which has a 181-hp electric motor. It has a range of 110 miles, which isn’t super far. It’s rated for 115 MPGe in the city and 100 MPGe on the highway. It’s a touch slower than the Chevy Bolt, going from 0 to 60 MPH in about seven seconds.

There is space for adults in the four-door Mini Cooper, but the rear seat is cramped in the two-door version. There also isn’t much cargo space. However, the interior is nicely done and well finished. The infotainment system has a 6.5-inch touchscreen and an 8.8-inch display is available. They are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Mini Cooper has a safety score from U.S. News of 9.5 out of 10. However, it doesn’t offer a long list of advanced safety features. It comes standard with a rearview camera, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and rear parking sensors. It only has a few other available safety features. The 2021 Mini Cooper has a starting price of $22,400 for the two-door gas-powered version. The Mini Cooper SE starts at $29,900.

Would buying the Chevy Bolt be disappointing if you wanted a Mini Cooper?

The Chevy Bolt EV | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt is more expensive than the Mini Cooper, but the Chevy Bolt also provides more features and space along with electric efficiency. However, buyers looking for style should stick with the Mini Cooper or the Mini Electric. It has a unique look and nicer finishes. Both are fun cars to drive.

If you’re thinking about getting a Mini Cooper, it’s still worth considering other subcompact car options to be certain you’ve made the right decision.

RELATED: Cheap EVs: The 2021 Chevy Bolt EV Gets Massive $12,000 Discount

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2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 Review: You Won’t Care That it’s a BMW

by Gabrielle DeSantis

I’ll admit, the melding of the minds between BMW and Toyota to create the second-coming of the Supra seemed ridiculous when I first heard about it, but I’ve had a change of heart after driving it. It’s a unique sports car that’s fun to drive and that’s all it needs to be. To be honest, once you get behind the wheel of a 2021 Toyota Supra, you’ll be surprised when you don’t care that it has BMW parts either.

There’s not much of a difference between the Supra 2.0 and 3.0

2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 | Joe Santos

RELATED: Toyota Supra vs BMW Z4: Which Is Faster?

I recently had the 2021 Toyota Supra 2.0 for a week and reported that its interior looked like it was taken straight out of a BMW Z4. The knobs, buttons, center console area are all BMW-sourced and it even smelled like a new BMW. As you can probably guess, the Supra 3.0 Premium is not much different.

The Alcantara and leather sports seats that you’ll find in the lower Supra trims are replaced with full leather ones and instead of eight ways of adjustment, you get 14. The seats are also heated in the 3.0 Premium and there’s even a head-up display. However, that’s where the more “premium” interior upgrades stop as other parts like the 8.8-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto capability, and the leather-wrapped steering wheel are all the same.

The Supra feels like a BMW on the inside, but a Toyota on the road

2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 interior
2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 | Joe Santos

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Have Bought the 2020 Toyota Supra

Considering the Supra interior’s pristine fit and finish, I can see why BMW was in charge of it. But it feels a little more Toyota-like when you drive it. According to Toyota, the Supra’s suspension is comprised of parts from both manufacturers and it shows. Spend 20 minutes driving this low-slung coupe and you’ll appreciate its soft-yet-firm suspension that gets the car through the turns with ease but is soft enough to be driven daily.

The Supra’s steering also feels like a mesh between the two brands. There is some resistance in it when driving quickly and it is pretty sharp like a BMW, but it’s also a tiny bit vague like a Toyota. Either way, the Supra is tuned so well from the ground up that you feel connected to the road without feeling like your brain is going to be rattled when driving over road imperfections.

Yes, the engine is from a BMW. But who cares?

2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 engine
2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 | Joe Santos

RELATED: Is the 2021 Toyota Supra GR 2.0 Efficient Enough to Matter?

As for the turbocharged 3.0-liter engine under the hood, it is built by BMW, which sounds like a terrible idea in theory (reliability-wise). But when driving the car, I didn’t care at all. With 382 horsepower on tap, in addition to 368 lb-ft of torque, the Supra 3.0 comes to life quickly with the stab of the throttle. Its twin-scroll turbo spools quickly and the engine sings happily as it makes its way up the RPM band. Although it’s fake, the piped-in noise that you get through the speakers simply amplifies the exciting experience.

It’s not Nissan GT-R fast, as in it doesn’t push you back in your seat like a rollercoaster. But it sure did put a smile on my face every time. I admit, I still don’t think that you need 382 hp for your daily commute, since you’ll never really use all of that power on the street. But it sure is nice to have.

It might not have the soul of a Supra, but it still makes sense

a rear three-quarter shot of a yellow 2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 on a dirt road
2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 | Joe Santos

After a week of driving the Supra 3.0, I realized that it might feel too refined or too manufactured for some enthusiasts, as compared to the original Supra. In fact, some car lovers might even say that this new iteration doesn’t have the same kind of “soul” as the original version. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less special, it’s just different.

If you can look at the new Supra for what it is, whether you want to see it as a BMW or a Toyota, it somehow all makes sense at the end of the day. It’s easy to drive when cruising around town and it can pick up the pace when you need it to while carving turns like a hot knife through butter. As far as a rear-drive, two-seat sports car goes, that’s all you can really ask for.

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Why the Ruf Porsche 911 Is Not a Regular Porsche 911

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There is no doubt that Porsche is an innovative and desired brand. If you have ever heard of Ruf, you probably already know this story. The Ruf 911 was created from pieces of the regular Porsche 911, but the similarities end there for the most part. The Ruf 911 gained popularity more recently from the video game Gran Turismo 2, but it was created long before that.

What is the difference between Ruf and Porsche?

A 2019 RUF Automobile CTR Anniversary Yellowbird Porsche| Daniel Pullen/Future Publishing via Getty Images

It isn’t so much that Ruf is different from Porsche. Ruf is a division of Pfaffenhausen. Ruf Automobile manufactures, upgrades, and restores vehicles. The brand offers an upholstery department, a panel beating department, paint, engines, and a section for classic cars. The company uses unmarked Porsche bodies, known as “bodies in white,” according to Wikipedia.

Ruf makes the cars from the ground up from there. The company uses materials from the brand to create cars instead of disassembling cars that already exist. As such, Germany recognizes the brand as an actual manufacturer instead of just a performance brand. Because of this, each vehicle gets a Ruf VIN and not, say, a Porsche VIN.

Ruf has a tuning facility and the ability to restore vehicles as well. Additionally, the company offers Porsche-to-Ruf conversions, servicing, and crash repairs. Ruf is known for the CTR Porsche that broke the 211 miles per hour record.

The other 911, the Ruf Porsche 911

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In 1978, Ruf created the first non-turbo custom Porsche called the 911 SCR. This 911 SCR was a naturally aspirated 3.2L engine producing around 217 horsepower. However, just because it used the 911 body, it was called a 911. Is it actually a 911 in that case? People have been debating this for years now.

Arstehnica has more on the history of Ruf. The 1987 Ruf CTR, known as the Yellowbird for its yellow color, participated in a video called Faszination on the Nürburgring. This was a promotional video done by Ruf to promote the car. The Yellowbird was fitted with a 3.4L engine and two turbochargers that got about 463 horsepower. At the time, this was much faster than anything Porsche had on the road or track.

In 1988, the Ruf CTR broke the 211 miles per hour barrier and became the fastest production car in the world at the time. So, to say a Ruf 911 is the same as a regular 911 is not really true. The cars share the same chassis, but that’s really it. Ruf replaced the body panels, upgraded the suspension, changed out the brakes, and totally changed the engine.

The 911 GT1 Straßenversion (Strassenversion)

RELATED: Who Makes a Faster Sports Car, BMW or Porsche?

The 911 GT1 was designed for racing but happened to require a street-legal version, according to Wikipedia. Thus, the 911 GT1 Straßenversion or Strassenversion (street version) was born. The GT1 was first released in 1996 and didn’t share much with the 911. The only parts shared by both cars were the front and rear headlights. Some parts of the front chassis were also from the 911.

The track version 911 GT1 came equipped with a 3.2 L (200 cu in) water-cooled, flat-6, twin-turbocharged, mid-engine. It participated in 135 races and won 47 of those races. The Straßenversion had a 3.2 L (3,164 cc), twin-turbocharged, flat-6. Some drivers think the 911 GT1 is as close to a 911 that you can get without being a 911, but that’s still up for debate too.

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Is the 2021 Cadillac Escalade $25,000 Safer Than the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Maybe you’re torn between the sturdy 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and the luxurious 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Perhaps you’re trying to decide if the extra cost of the Escalade (an extra $25,000 minimum) is worth it? Is the Escalade safer than the Suburban? Let’s take a look at the safety ratings of the 2021 Chevy Suburban and the 2021 Cadillac Escalade to help you decide. 

2021 Cadillac Escalade | Cadillac

Both the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the 2021 Chevy Suburban are manufactured by GM, meaning much of what makes them the strong family vehicles they are known as is the same. The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and 2021 Cadillac Escalade are redesigned. 

In fact, both the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban are so similar, they could be twins. Fraternal twins, anyway, as it’s what’s on the surface of each of these large SUVs that is entirely different. 

The 2021 2021 Chevy Suburban and the Cadillac Escalade have the same standard safety equipment

Both the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the 2021 Chevy Suburban come standard with forward collision warning, city automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection. Highway emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assistance are going to cost you extra in each SUV. 

Both the Chevrolet Suburban and the Cadillac Escalade have rear view cameras, anti lock brakes, as well as traction and stability control. Blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning is optional in both. The rear cross traffic warning is a nice feature, as it alerts the driver when something is out of camera range, but moving into it. 

The NHTSA crash test ratings are identical as well

Is the Escalade safer than the Suburban? No. In fact, safety ratings for the Escalade and Suburban are identical. The overall crash, overall frontal-crash and overall frontal-crash passenger scores for both are good, at four out of five stars. So is the overall frontal-crash driver score for both, at five out of five stars. 

The overall side crash, overall side-crash driver, and overall side-crash passenger ratings are also excellent, at five stars. The side pole-crash ratings for the 2021 Chevy Suburban and the 2021 Cadillac Escalade are also fantastic at five stars. 

The rollover risk for both of these full size SUVs is average, at three stars for both the 2WD and the 4WD. 

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a really nice Suburban

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The exterior of both the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the 2021 Chevy Suburban are strikingly similar. It’s when you look inside that you’ll see the biggest difference. 

The Escalade has a more luxurious interior. Both the design and the features of the Escalade will remind you that you spent a lot of money. GM says that the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display is the first in the industry. The OLED has three screens with fantastic quality. 

The interior of a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The inside of the Escalade is it nice, but is it worth the extra money?
2021 Cadillac Escalade interior | Cadillac

Additionally, the Escalade has a premium stereo system, so you can listen to the Trolls soundtrack on repeat and appreciate all of its intricacies. There are touch screens for second row passengers so kids can switch songs themselves, over and over (and over) again. 

On the other hand, the 2021 Chevy Suburban is as functional as ever. It has a nice leather interior, though it’s not as flashy as the Escalade. The doors are a thin plastic panel and some misaligned gaps and uneven stitching through the cabin. That’s not to say it isn’t nice, but you won’t feel like you’re on a private jet as you’re driving your kids to school. 

Consumer Reports notes that the Chevy Suburban’s front hood is “unusually tall” and can compromise visibility. Road testing on the Escalade is still being completed, so it’s yet to be seen if that’s a twin problem. 

Should you drop the extra cash on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade?

Is the 2021 Cadillac Escalade $25,000 safer than the 2021 Chevy Suburban? No. However, if you love premium quality or are the kind of person who will fixate on that one uneven stitch on the armrest and the additional $25,000 won’t faze you, then the Escalade is a better choice. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a reliable large SUV without compromising safety, then the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is right for you. 

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