AWDTuesday12

12 Best Convertibles in 2016

12 Best Convertibles in 2016

While the winter around much of the Midwest was pretty mild, your author breaking out the short pants on a few occasions in December and January, spring has truly sprung, and with it the return of days when middle-aged men garage their mid-life crisis Wranglers in favour of their mid-life crisis Merc SL500s. Because what better way to show off the tan you’ve been working on all winter than in a drop top? For the rest of us, here are some new and classic options for how petrolheads can enjoy the warmer months and feel the breeze in what’s left of our hair.

12 Best Car Model Names for Babies

12 Best Car Model Names for Babies

A couple friends of mine recently had their second adorable little child and named it Ben, which I learned was short for Benton, which is fortunately not the same as “Bentley,” which is the most overused car-model-as-baby-name since Mercedes. Though I was dismayed at the fact that they had not followed through on a promise to name the child after Yangervis Solarte, it did jog my mind on what a huge potential car model names have as baby names. I’m not talking Lincoln, Lexus or Royce (though there are a disturbing number of kids named Chevy and Ram), but the really obscure names – the gems – which are the best for your child?

The 12 Best Cars to Start Your Winter Fire

The 12 Best Cars to Start Your Winter Fire

Despite a rare streak of warm weather over the past weekend thanks to climate change and El Nino, it is still very much winter – the best time of year to curl up next to a fire and chill with some Netflix. Last week I was going to write about the best cars to get out in the snow, then Top Gear did it. So then I was going to write about the best car movies to watch while snowed in, then Autoblog did it (though we have some differing opinions that may yet warrant a list of my own.

So what other use could we have for cars during the winter? How about starting the fires for you? Seems like a stretch, you say? Whatever, I’m running with it. Here are the best 12 cars to help you start a fire and warm your frigid bones during the cold months.

12 Best Ways to Prepare your Car for Winter

12 Best Ways to Prepare your Car for Winter

If you’re one of the millions of us who live in areas of the world that get some sort of frozen precipitation, Winter is generally the worst season of year for car enthusiasts, but it doesn’t have to be. Sure, it may be too cold to wrench on a project car too extensively and your convertible top will almost certainly remain in the “shut” position, but with some basic preparation, you can remain happily motoring even when the white stuff is falling. Most insurance companies and AAA have some solid checklists on how to prepare your car, but if you have time for only twelve things, here is what I’d recommend.

The 12 Best Cars for the Fuel Glut

The 12 Best Cars for the Fuel Glut

If you haven't noticed by now, the cost of fuel is at its lowest in many years. In fact, I passed a station selling 87 octane (without a car wash) for $1.37/gallon yesterday and it got me wondering how best to celebrate the current overstock of oil driving our prices to such historic lows. Of course there have been countless reports of SUV sales picking up as gas prices dwindle because people's memories are short but hey, life is short, so what about some fun cars that take advantage of the low prices? Here's my list of the 12 best gas guzzlers.

The 12 Best Cars to Come in 2016

The 12 Best Cars to Come in 2016

Since we've just flipped our calendars to 2016, I've compiled a list of the 12 cars I'm looking forward to most this year. Let us know what you think and what's on your radar for 2016!