Comparing two top-of-the-line German luxury sedans.Porsche hasn’t traditionally been associated with diesel engines, but that’s changing. Now the company has put a diesel into its 4-door Panamera touring sedan. BMW, on the other hand, started delivering its biggest cars with diesels 15 years ago. The two cars we test both have 184 kilowatts under the hood and almost identical performance figures. But which car offers more in terms of comfort, sportiness and fuel efficiency? drive it! found the answer.
The VW Tiguan is the Golf of the SUV segment. Put another way, it’s compact, versatile and the top seller in its class. To keep things that way VW has given the Tiguan a facelift. To make sure they don’t scare anyone off, the firm’s designers have not made too many changes. The BMW X1 is one of the Tiguan’s toughest competitors in the compact SUV segment — and not only because it differs so much from the Tiguan. It’s more compact, lower, sportier and tougher. Just what you’d expect from BMW. But which SUV offers the better deal?
Range Rover is synonymous with off-road luxury. With the new compact SUV Evoque, Land Rover has now launched a smaller, more affordable model. The vehicle is not for anyone who wants to keep a low profile.Thanks to its unusual design, it’s likely to remain a head turner for quite a while. Competitors in the premium SUV market have been eyeing the newcomer suspiciously. The BMW X1 has an established fan club and is considered to be the sportiest SUV in its class. Can the Evoque give the BMW a run for its money?
PART 3 of 3: The Ruger Mini-14 is everything that Ruger says it is: light, fast handling, and durable. Right or wrong, Ruger has always marketed the Mini-14 as ranch and varmint rifle. However it also is a viable, high-value defensive rifle choice that makes a lot of sense and thousands of good people have purchased a Mini-14 with that exact use in mind. Nutnfancy has had a lot of trigger time behind Minis and can attest to their durability, reliability, and indeed impressive handling characteristics. For those users wanting customization, the Mini-14 can be outfitted with folding stocks (Butler Creek folder being the best) barrel shrouds, flash suppressors (older Minis), normal capacity magazines, and optics. In recent years the Mini-14 was finally improved by Ruger: thicker, more accurate barrel, an improved synthetic stock, and improved iron peep sights. Nicely done. The Mini-14 represents a good value in tactical carbines that can serve well in the defensive/offensive role as needed by law enforcement, select military users, and good ole civilian sheepdogs. But it has some definite downsides that a potential buyer should consider. First, its touted lightweight will be worsened by the fitment of optics using the heavy steel Ruger rings (included). And the normal capacity. quality magazines for the Mini-14 (like promag brand and Ruger factory mags) are usually made of steel and will add even more weight to your loadout (compared to AR-15 alternatives). Other downsides …
