I drive an American car forum member’s fantasy: a stick-shift diesel wagon. Except that I don’t. I love that car, but it stays in its garage most of the time, unlike its predecessor in New Jersey, which I drove 60 miles a day plus 200 on weekends. (Read More…)

Grand Theft Auto IV’s (GTAIV) intricate and involving storyline has drawn comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. You playin’ with me? Yes, well, there are a lot more cars in GTAIV. And the game’s protagonist, a Serbian immigrant named Niko Bellic, has neither a clean license nor a clean conscience. Despite the increased focus on the thematic and shooting action, most of GTAIV’s single-player missions still mandate mastery of a wide range of vehicles. From the start of the first mission, to the usual drug deliveries, to driving a big rig filled with explosives through city streets, Grand Theft is pistonhead catnip. As you’d expect, car chases and street races present some of the game’s toughest– and most rewarding– challenges.