Mark Elias
16 ARTICLES
Driven: 2017 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h
20 Mar 2017, 10:56 UTC · By: Mark Elias / It’s been said many times by the man himself, Akio Toyoda, that the brand has become stodgy, boring and not very fun to drive. From personal experience, we can attest that he is right on. That was until he introduced the production-ready prot...
autoevolution Visits the 2016 Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend
28 Dec 2016, 17:38 UTC · By: Mark Elias / Once a year, the private Ocean Reef Club opens to the public for their by-now-famous Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend. Always held the first weekend in December, it is a prime tropical location for automotive, yachting and aviation enthusiasts to gather ...
Driven: 2017 Mercedes-AMG S63 Cabriolet
22 Dec 2016, 16:49 UTC · By: Mark Elias / When we project forward the idea of winning great riches through the lottery, there was always a dream car waiting at the end of the rainbow. It used to be we only had eyes for a certain Brit of German parentage. But someone else has gained our...
Driven: 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium
16 Dec 2016, 16:58 UTC · By: Mark Elias / If Volkswagen were to build a Buick, this would be it. Remembering my grandfather’s big sedan days brought to mind the larger than large feeling that was imparted by these behemoths of the interstate. From an outward glance, it’s a feel...
Driven: 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD
28 Nov 2016, 17:28 UTC · By: Mark Elias / Adored by some of the most passionate auto enthusiasts in the world, Mazda has always done more with less, having a comparatively small-ish R&D budget when matched up against the big guys. Still, they press on with such technologies as Skya...
Driven: 2017 Honda Civic Coupe 1.5T
23 Nov 2016, 16:20 UTC · By: Mark Elias / Really, we thought the vibe of the original “Fast and the Furious” film had played itself out, with most of those inspired by that original flick moving on to some Vivacious European rather than a Pacific Rim-based corner-carver. That w...
Driven: 2016 Dodge Durango R/T
12 Oct 2016, 12:38 UTC · By: Mark Elias / SUVs, by their very nature, are droll vehicles. A modern substitution for station- or estate wagons, and a more aesthetically appealing alternative to the minivan, they are sometimes available in high-zoot, high-performance variants. The 2016 Dodge...
Driven: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro RS Convertible
10 Oct 2016, 17:29 UTC · By: Mark Elias / We are not typically enamored by convertibles. Loud, jouncey, even wiggly, they sometimes end up being a compromise when compared to their hard-topped relatives. But what happens in the case of the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro RS Convertible? This piece o...
Driven: 2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum AWD
31 Aug 2016, 12:31 UTC · By: Mark Elias / Long ago, in a Miami Beach not so far away, Cadillacs used to ply the Lincoln Roads and Collins Avenues of our memories, like ocean-going cruise ships. Bigger than big, they drove as though the occupants were floating on clouds, heading to the coun...
Driven: 2016 Buick Cascada Convertible
24 Aug 2016, 08:32 UTC · By: Mark Elias / While everyone else runs away from a fire, the 2016 Buick Cascada Convertible seems to be running right into one. Other manufacturers have abandoned the convertible / cabriolet segment of the industry while Buick has become decidedly niche-y in the...
Driven: 2016 Lexus NX 200t
24 Aug 2016, 08:32 UTC · By: Mark Elias / The 2016 Lexus NX 200t is proof positive that Lexus can build a fun-to-drive vehicle if they put their minds to it. Previous Lexus SUVs were most likely too far into their development cycle when company chairman Akio Toyoda declared that Toyota and...
Driven: 2017 Infiniti QX30
16 Aug 2016, 18:04 UTC · By: Mark Elias / In what could be classically described as a case of twin sons from different mothers, the new 2017 Infiniti QX30 is a result of collaboration between Renault-Nissan and Daimler, which yielded the Mercedes-Benz GLA. While the GLA has been in-mar...
Toyota Racing Development: No Longer a Stranger in a Strange Land
3 Aug 2016, 14:12 UTC · By: Mark Elias / With 2016 marking the twelfth season of Toyota Racing Development’s entry into NASCAR, as well as its tenth year running in the pinnacle Sprint Cup series, TRD offered us a chance to watch their team of supported race cars turn left and right...
Clarion Builds Resurrects and Improves a 1991 Acura NSX
12 May 2016, 16:42 UTC · By: Mark Elias / In what has become a case study of how to reach a group of customers who might normally elude a traditional advert, Clarion believes in rolling billboards. Their latest just happens to be the legendary 1991 Acura NSX. Going to market ...
We Visit the 2016 Charlotte Spring Auto Fair
22 Apr 2016, 20:31 UTC · By: Mark Elias / With the general thought process being “if you can’t find it here, it most likely doesn’t exist,” nearly 100,000 auto aficionados made their way to the legendary Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) for the spring edition of the 2...
How the 2017 Acura NSX Is Made
21 Mar 2016, 09:43 UTC · By: Mark Elias / A long hello is quite different from the long goodbye. In the case of the 2016 Acura NSX, this hello has taken a bit longer than usual. Prototypes of the second-generation NSX have been with us for several years now, through various fits and sta...