Florin Amariei
1,630 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.
2024 Kia EV9 Faces Independent Cold Winter Test, Doesn't Disappoint
16 Dec 2023, 21:02 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Kia is making the first serious move in today's car market's second-most profitable segment by adding the EV9 to the short list of three-row, zero-emission crossover SUVs that you can actually buy. The best thing about it? Well, it's...
Gamifying Car Buying: Renault Disguises a Fee as a Pass, and People Don't Hate It
15 Dec 2023, 22:29 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Hot hatches were a big deal 40-something years ago. They were almost right up there with supercars. Their main advantage? More people could get their hands on one. The Renault 5 Turbo, for example, was one of those amazing vehicles. The French auto...
This Dreamy E46 BMW M3 Concept Could've Been the Ideal G87 M2
10 Dec 2023, 20:53 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / BMW made it a habit to give us new cars that looked completely unexpected. The G87 M2 is the latest example in this regard. But this contemporary and quiet design revolution started with the G80 M3 and the G82 M4. Now, we get a good look at somethi...
Euro NCAP: 2023 Kia EV9 Is Not Just Big. It's Also Safe
10 Dec 2023, 14:28 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The brand-new Kia EV9 is slowly but surely making its way to North America. Some lucky buyers have already taken delivery. Next year, we expect the brand to ramp up production and put more customers behind the steering wheel of this good-looking th...
Commuting for More Than 60 Minutes Increases the Risk of Depression: Study
10 Dec 2023, 00:02 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The idea that commuting is unpaid work has been floating around for a while. Most full-time employees and even those on temporary contracts believe time spent on the way to work and back should be compensated. This study shows that there might be s...
5 Key GTA VI Trailer Details You Might Have Missed
9 Dec 2023, 19:00 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The upcoming GTA VI could become one of the most important video games ever. It connects today's adults with their childhood, brings next-gen graphics to consoles first, and invites us to explore a reinterpreted version of Miami, Florida. Here...
2023 VW ID.7 Pro Snatches a Five-Star Euro NCAP Rating
7 Dec 2023, 02:23 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Volkswagen would like you to buy one of its EVs, and the people's car manufacturer shows you can trust its products. The Passat's zero-emission successor was put through Euro NCAP's updated testing procedure. It nearly passed with fl...
BMW M CEO: The All-Electric BMW M3 Won't Be Called the iM3
6 Dec 2023, 17:47 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / BMW is betting big on electrification. The iX and the latest i5 and i7 prove the Bavarians are not bringing forward experimental zero-emission vehicles. Then, there's the hyped-up Neue Klasse, which should bring a brand-new generation of Germa...
Rivian R1S Owner Discovers Fast Charging Is Costly, Won't Take the EV On Long Trips Again
5 Dec 2023, 23:13 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Early adopters had a good run. Fast charging was free or very cheap for a couple of years. But now, things are changing. With very few exceptions, gas has gotten cheaper. It might even enter a downtrend soon. Electricity dispensed by DC chargers ha...
Self-Driving Truck Development To Slow Down As TuSimple Confirms US Exit
5 Dec 2023, 16:55 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Companies want to create value for their stakeholders. Sometimes, they do it with no regard for their employees' well-being. The world's biggest music streamer, Spotify, for example, announced turning a profit. Then, it immediately reduce...
Tesla Is Gatekeeping the Cybertruck Owner's Manual, but We Can Still Learn a Thing or Two
5 Dec 2023, 13:31 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Tesla delivered almost a dozen Cybertruck to vetted buyers. It's unclear who insured them and what special agreements the lucky owners had to sign. But they get to drive around in the world's most coveted zero-emission pickup truck. If yo...
GTA VI Trailer Released: Sex, Money, Violence, Florida Men and Women Doing Florida Things
5 Dec 2023, 09:20 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Grand Theft Auto is one of the most well-known video game franchises. Some lucky people have played and enjoyed the 2D version and were able to witness its evolution. GTA III (set in Liberty City), GTA Vice City, GTA IV (Liberty City), and GTA...
Iconic and Loved Fiat Panda Poised To Make a Clean, Electrifying Comeback in 2024
4 Dec 2023, 21:07 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Fiat has not been doing very well in the US lately. In the third quarter of 2023, the Italian brand sold 145 vehicles. It has 359 active dealerships in America, just to put that sales figure better into perspective. But the marque is part of the hu...
Tesla Is Selling a Mini-Cybertruck, It's for Earth's Luckiest Kids
4 Dec 2023, 15:13 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Tesla recently delivered a few production-ready Cybertrucks to lucky customers. They were fortunate enough to be selected for this exclusive perk. Owning a special vehicle that everyone has been talking about for years right before the Holidays is ...
Why Chicago Selling Its Parking Meters 15 Years Ago Was and Still Is a Terrible Deal
4 Dec 2023, 13:52 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Since Carl C. Magee invented the parking meter, drivers have been thinking about having some spare change in their pockets or, as is the case nowadays, a couple of bucks in their bank account. Typically, the money car owners pay to temporarily occu...
For Now, Tesla's Cybertruck Might Charge Faster at Electrify America's High-Power Stalls
2 Dec 2023, 03:17 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The brand-new Tesla Cybertruck is the marque's first lifestyle-oriented pickup truck. It's an all-electric vehicle like no other that can do many impressive things, including charging incredibly fast. That's thanks to the 800V archit...
Powershare Is the Best Thing Tesla Has Done in Years, Here's Why
1 Dec 2023, 21:58 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / While automakers like Ford or Hyundai made sure their battery-electric vehicles were able to keep the lights on when the grid temporarily tapped out, Tesla was very reticent toward implementing the feature known as bidirectional charging. But with ...
The Most Affordable Cybertruck Is Coming in 2025 With a Tesla-Estimated Range of 250 Miles
1 Dec 2023, 00:47 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / After almost half a decade of development work and arduous testing, Tesla has finally brought forward a different zero-emission pickup truck that's bound to attract attention everywhere. An angular look, a stainless steel exterior, and some im...
No Bulletproofing Here: Elon Musk Says Tesla Cybertruck's Glass Is Rock-Proof
30 Nov 2023, 22:49 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Elon Musk asked Tesla's Chief Designer to redo the famous 2019 window test. He asked the outspoken CEO if he was sure about it, and the former "Technoking of Tesla" confidently said "yes." Shortly after, a ball was thrown. ...
2024 Hyundai Kona Electric Is a Bit More Electron-Hungry Than Its Predecessor
30 Nov 2023, 21:25 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / The Kona Electric is no Ioniq 5, and that's A-OK. The world needs commuting appliances that aren't extra fancy. The 2024 model-year zero-emission Kona got its efficiency tested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Here's wha...