Florin Amariei
1,621 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
It's better to die than to live without passion
Years passed and I found myself more and more in love with cars. It wasn`t about their speed or their looks. Heck, it wasn`t even about clout, but about the freedom they represented, the happiness they provided and the magnitude of options that were available to each and every type of driver.
After witnessing a lot of TV coverage for some of my favorite cars, I decided that it`s time to act on what I like. I started by watching random TV shows and ended up loving British presenters. I bought a lot of magazines and found out that I simply cannot ignore the shape of a Ferrari - especially a yellow one. That may the influence of my father who had a Fiat Tempra. Nowadays, I`m leaning towards enjoying a F-150 Raptor, rather than exploring the Riviera with a small car.
That being said, years of just reading, listening and watching turned into a passion for discovery. That is why I started to write about what I know, experience or find out to be interesting. After 5 years of news for print and online outlets, travels and a whole lot of test driving, I joined the autoevolution family to spread this passion and share relevant information.
Planning on Buying a Used Tesla? This Experienced Mechanic Has a Few Warnings for You
30 Dec 2023, 18:27 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Buying a Tesla, even a brand-new one, is a great option for most people nowadays. But you still have to be aware of a few things that might go horribly wrong. They might not have an engine and a fuel tank, but that doesn't mean these EVs can&#...
Going Green With a Toyota Mirai Is Absurdly Expensive
30 Dec 2023, 12:17 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / A hydrogen-powered car like the Toyota Mirai promises to offer customers an ownership experience similar to conventional vehicles. Low on fuel? Just go to the hydrogen station. Fill up the tank in a few minutes, and continue your journey. There...
105,000-Mile 2017 Tesla Model X 100D Doesn't Go Very Far Anymore, and That's Good News
28 Dec 2023, 15:49 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / We have all heard about very expensive high-voltage battery replacements. But what we haven't had a chance to discover a bit more in-depth is how these batteries hold up over longer periods of time. Well, now we get a good look at a family-own...
Dual-Motor Max-Pack Rivian R1T Fails To Impress in Real-World Highway Range Test
28 Dec 2023, 01:00 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Rivian currently sells two high-voltage batteries for its R1T and R1S: the large pack and the max pack. You might want to avoid the latter. Here's what this independent test revealed. It's eye-opening. There are two things that I like ...
Turkish Police Add Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche and More to Their Fleet for Free
26 Dec 2023, 21:57 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Imagine for a second that your local police department announces out of the blue that it added 23 cars to its fleet, and most of these new rides were very pricey vehicles. It happened in Turkey! Some law enforcement agents will drive luxury or exot...
Here's Why the Fisker Ocean Was the Most Important Electric SUV of 2023
26 Dec 2023, 21:14 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Henrik Fisker refused to back down and admit defeat. He decided to give it another go after the Karma destroyed his dreams of putting a unique vision into production. However, the man's ambitions were what this "zero-emission" corner...
2024 Toyota Prius Prime Real-World Highway Range Test Result Is Discouraging
26 Dec 2023, 12:02 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Even though opinions about plug-in hybrids are mixed, I always thought they were good cars to have if you cared about the environment and wanted to experience the advantages of zero-emission propulsion without the downsides of not having an interna...
Driving's Not Cheap: A $500 Beater Car Can Lead to Over $40,000 in Ownership Costs
25 Dec 2023, 20:44 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Over 91.5% of American households reported ownership of at least one vehicle. US-based automakers produce around 13.7 million cars annually, and the most recent data shows nearly 287 million registered autos in all 50 states. America doesn't j...
Rivian Might Have To Announce a Third Airbag-Related Recall Soon, Here's Why
25 Dec 2023, 12:08 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / There's no denying that Rivian is one of America's most promising "new-age" carmakers. The brand gunned for the most popular (and profitable) auto categories by creating the R1T and the R1S. However, since perfection has rarely ...
Rivian's Max Pack Battery Might Not Be Worth the Extra $10,000 After All
25 Dec 2023, 01:01 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Looking for a well-designed and capable all-electric pickup truck that won't take months to arrive in your driveway? When writing, there's no better option than the Rivian R1T. That's the truth. We're not playing favorites. But ...
See Tesla Cybertruck's Small Brake Rotors and Tiny Wiring in This Underbody Inspection
24 Dec 2023, 21:01 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Someone put a brand-new Cybertruck on the lift to show us what's underneath it. The footage also allows us to take an in-depth look at the air suspension setup, the braking system, and everything else the pickup truck's four corners have ...
"Lumberghini" Countach Is Real and Drives, Looks Unreasonably Good (From Afar)
24 Dec 2023, 14:29 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The Lamborghini Countach is an automotive icon that will never lose its legendary status. Even if people see it on the road and don't know its name, they'll still associate it with something amazing. It just has that "wow" facto...
It Wouldn't Be Impossible To Take Over a Fleet of Tesla EVs, White Hat Hackers Say
24 Dec 2023, 12:03 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / "Leave the World Behind" protagonist, Amanda Sanford, played by renowned actress Julia Roberts, must deal with a traffic jam in New York City when she tries to visit her sister. Tens of seemingly damaged and abandoned Model 3s and Model Y...
Yikes! The $60,000 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Battery Replacement Saga Continues
24 Dec 2023, 00:36 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Hyundai's Ioniq 5 is one of the best-looking zero-emission crossover SUVs out there. Photos don't paint a good picture. You might think it's a South Korean VW Golf at first. But the EV is generously sized and boasts many cool feature...
As India Launches Another Sodium-Ion Battery, China Tightens Its Grip on Vital EV Tech
23 Dec 2023, 22:32 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / EVs are popular but not yet mainstream. However, that's where we are headed. It's not just governments and international deals that push us toward a zero-emission future. It's us, the buyers, too! Many more start discovering every da...
Nio's ET9 Is a Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV Rival, Has a "Magic Carpet"-Like Suspension
23 Dec 2023, 19:01 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / US innovation meets Chinese auto manufacturing prowess. Looking almost like a futuristic transportation pod, the ET9 is Nio's latest flagship. It glides over bumps so nicely that it reminds us of Bose's revolutionary electromagnetic suspe...
Rolls-Royce Spectre's Official EPA Rating Confirms the Black Badge Is on Its Way
23 Dec 2023, 15:30 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Like many other automakers before it, Rolls-Royce experimented early with the all-electric propulsion. At the dawn of the 20th century, the brand's co-founder, Charles Rolls, toyed with the idea of manufacturing a silent, engine-less waft. Sad...
Here's Why America's Highway Traffic Signs Are Green
22 Dec 2023, 22:50 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / US Route 20 starts in Boston, Massachusetts, and ends in Newport, Oregon. It's America's longest highway, measuring approximately 3,365 miles. However, nobody needs to drive for almost four days to start questioning the color of the traff...
Ford F-150 Lightning Owner Installs 40-Inch TV in the Frunk, Explains How He Did It
22 Dec 2023, 14:42 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The world of all-electric pickup trucks is not that big. But we do have choices. Ford, Rivian, Tesla, GMC, and Chevrolet will sell you one. But besides being zero-emission and having hundreds of horsepower on tap, these vehicles can be more than ju...
These Are the U.S. Cities Where Cars Might Get Stolen the Most This Holiday Season
21 Dec 2023, 23:32 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / FBI data says that around 287 cars per 100,000 inhabitants are stolen every year. The Bureau's findings show that car theft is a serious federal problem. Recently published estimates say that the value of all stolen motor vehicles in 2022 amou...