Aurel Niculescu
9,661 ARTICLES
There he understood anything is possible if you work hard and passionately strive to follow your imagination. This is how at the age of 16 he managed to fulfill the first dream – flying alone in a glider plane. He was no Tom Cruise, of course, so young adulthood brought him back to reality.
With every kick in the familiar *utt comes a chance to step forward, so a seemingly unimportant ad in one of his favorite automotive magazines brought a dilemma - follow through with the current job or dare to achieve greatness by deploying (previously) unknown literary skills.
Since 2006, he’s been perfecting them at Automondial, Supercar, Cox, Autoshow, Autopro, Auto Motor & Sport, and more magazines plus their online versions. After driving some of the best and worst cars in Europe and around the world, he’s part of the autoevolution team, where he aims to develop his best-ever form.
2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Official EPA Range Is a Bit Worse Than Stellantis Thought
19 Mar 2021, 14:52 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With the Blue Oval soon to deliver one of the most anticipated off-road vehicles of this decade, Jeep needed to respond appropriately to preserve the Wrangler's fame intact. One of the best ways to strike back was to deliver two powertrain opt...
Porsche Taycan Cross Pickup Looks Fast and Ready to Haul Stuff in Quick Render
19 Mar 2021, 13:36 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Automakers diligently prepare for the impending electric revolution, and it seems like every other day, we’re getting news of another brand going fully sustainable. Eventually, all of them will be relying on electrons to power up their machin...
Ram 1500 Pacifica Minivan Is Oddly Tempting, Will Remain a Virtual Dream
19 Mar 2021, 12:46 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Ever wondered what could happen if the love for all things crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks suddenly faded into oblivion, and minivans became popular once more? And if that improbable moment did arise, would Stellantis need to rethink the Ram Tr...
Toyota Gives Own Take on “A Dream of Spring” by Highlighting Its Green Machines
19 Mar 2021, 12:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Remember that George R. R. Martin still has a couple of books to write for the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series to be complete, and hopefully give us the Game of Thrones ending most of us wanted? One of them is called “A Dream of S...
“Big Oly,” Probably the Most Notorious Classic Ford Bronco, Comes Up for Sale
19 Mar 2021, 11:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Because of the level of attention that surrounds every move the Blue Oval makes with the reinvented 2021 Bronco, there’s probably no better moment to try and snatch the best quotation for a classic example at an auction. Case in point, Mecum&...
2021 Ford Bronco Outer Banks Videos Deliver a Navy Pier vs. Black Onyx Battle
19 Mar 2021, 10:26 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Highly anticipated and a darling of the car spotting category, the 2021 Ford Bronco slowly (but steadily) approaches the moment of first deliveries, something every fan has been waiting for. Before the sales commence, though, the Blue Oval needs to...
Toyota Supra 2.0 High-Speed Autobahn Run Shows It Can Exceed Its Base Abilities
19 Mar 2021, 09:29 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / While it may not (yet) enjoy the same cult following as the previous Mk IV iteration, Toyota’s Supra remains an interesting choice in the sports car segment, especially since there aren’t many fun coupes that don’t cost an arm and...
TFL Brings Out Six-Figure 2021 LX570 and 2021 Escalade for a Walkaround
19 Mar 2021, 08:51 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When optioned, these state-of-the-art, full-size, body-on-frame, giant luxury SUVs command sticker prices that casually head out into six-figure territory. Of course, they’re probably well worth the quotation thanks to the heritage and techno...
Hyundai's Staria Cool New People Carrier Gets a Second, More Extensive Preview
19 Mar 2021, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After first announcing it’s not going to abandon the globally ailing MPV segment by teasing us with a few darkened shots of the all-new Staria nameplate, here’s a second, much brighter look at the lineup. And this time around, the Premi...
Dare to Be Different by Taking Ownership of This Unmolested 2005 Scion xB
18 Mar 2021, 14:34 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Back in the day when crossovers, SUVs, and pickups weren’t all the rage, Toyota had a very neat idea. The carmaker decided it wanted to attract a younger audience in the United States and Canada with a special brand called Scion. It has been ...
Lucid Air Makes Up for EV Silence With Dolby Atmos-Equipped "Surreal Sound"
18 Mar 2021, 13:42 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / If there’s one thing most automotive aficionados will miss once the electric revolution takes hold, and ICE vehicles are generally banned (or made obsolete), it will probably be the sound produced by a great engine when combined with a meaty ...
Oddly Enough, a GR Yaris Track Comparison to the Mighty GT-R Nismo Makes Sense
18 Mar 2021, 12:59 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Fans of fast Japanese cars can relate to this battle, but we think there’s value for the general public as well. After all, both the GR Yaris and GT-R Nismo are quite out of character for their respective brands. Nissan, for example, has crea...
Hyundai's Gift for Ioniq and Kona EV Adopters Is 1,000 Miles Worth of Free Range
18 Mar 2021, 11:16 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Everyone is talking about the arrival of the electric revolution, but so many companies don’t go outside their comfort zone enough to make the switch from ICE to EV a bit more interesting for the regular consumer. On the other hand, Hyundai s...
128-dB Novitec Lamborghini Huracan Evo RWD Almost as Loud as Tuned Aventador SVJ
18 Mar 2021, 10:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / When Lamborghini introduced the Huracán Evo RWD, it described it as the more affordable alternative to its AWD sibling, with the naturally aspirated supercar also bringing more driving fun. After all, it’s lighter and geared towards a ...
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray Flexes Rare C8.R Livery and Very High Asking Price
18 Mar 2021, 09:37 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Given its vast popularity and the production troubles brought on by everything that’s still going on globally, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette has been a somewhat elusive hot commodity. Naturally, whenever something becomes a hard find, its prices ...
Third-Generation Peugeot 308 Brings Stylish New Brand Identity to Life
18 Mar 2021, 09:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After years of playing with the final digit of the 300 series, Peugeot settled on the 308 moniker for its compact series back in 2007. Almost 15 years later, we’re gearing up for the arrival of its third iteration, a model that is both all-ne...
Exposed Big Turbo C6 Corvette on Tracks Pulls Snowboarders Like a Winter Boss
18 Mar 2021, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / With so much snowfall this winter, it’s no wonder some people are still very much adept at fully enjoying winter sports. Of course, with help from a particularly impressive setup, a few take this up a notch and even casually remind us of summ...
Bridge-Hanging Ford F-350 Saved by Camper's Safety Chains After Twin Falls Crash
17 Mar 2021, 16:38 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / As far as epic crashes and heroic rescues are concerned, this one is probably for the history books. Or, at least, for the instructions leaflet showcasing the importance of safety chains when towing. After all, if it were not for the latter, this c...
1985 Toyota Land Cruiser Came From Australia to Live a Diesel Life in America
17 Mar 2021, 14:40 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Toyota’s Land Cruiser 60 series may never shape up as a classic car favorite like the 40 range, but no one will dare deny its off-road abilities. And, with its four-door wagon body that delivered either seating for eight or a cavernous boot, ...
Bill & Ted's Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves Are No Slackers Inside the Taycan
17 Mar 2021, 14:13 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Today we've been assaulted by the humongous BMW grille in its EV form on more than one occasion, so let’s counterbalance the iX and newly previewed i4 with help from the metalhead slacker friends that like to have time-travel adventures ...