Mircea Panait
20,321 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae
Interning for Top Gear was his first foray in automotive journalism, and not long after that, a full-time position was opened for Mircea to seal the deal. Just about three years later, autoevolution became his new home.
Especially interested in American ponies and muscle cars, Mircea also finds the Japanese domestic market appealing thanks to the quirkiness of kei cars. Full-size pickups like the Ram 1500 and off-roaders such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon are much to his liking as well.
A self-described master of pasta and an avid CCG player, Mircea’s past-time activities include playing his Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition electric guitar, discovering the wonders of the Carpathian mountains by foot, and driving to the Black Sea to get a well-deserved tan.
2024 Nissan Juke Facelift Rolls Out With Updated Interior, Yellow Paint Option, New Grade
14 Feb 2024, 19:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Based on the platform that underpins the Renault Captur, the Nissan Juke has entered 2024 with a mid-cycle refresh to its name. From a visual standpoint, Nissan reintroduced a yellow paint option to the color palette. For the N-Sport grade, said co...
Jaguar Issues Two Recalls for the I-Pace, Both Concern the Electric SUV's Battery Pack
14 Feb 2024, 17:57 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / An unmistakably attractive sport utility vehicle with a cab-forward design influenced by the stillborn C-X75 supercar, the I-Pace has been hit with two safety recalls. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra...
Toyota Tundra Gen 3 Gets Corsa Performance Cat-Back Exhaust, Sounds Spicier Than Stock
13 Feb 2024, 20:05 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / In production since December 2021 for the 2022 model year, the third-generation Tundra is completely different from its predecessor, beginning with the TNGA-F platform. Under the hood, the biggest change is the switch from a free-breathing V8 to a ...
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe Now Available to Order in the US, It Costs a Pretty Penny
13 Feb 2024, 18:39 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Replacing the C-Class Coupe and E-Class Coupe, the all-new CLE Coupe is heading to a dealership near you in two distinct flavors. Exclusively all-wheel drive, the fixed-head grand tourer comes with either four- or six-cylinder turbo mild-hybrid mil...
Ford Recalls Explorer Due to Potentially Loose or Missing Fasteners
13 Feb 2024, 17:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / A front-biased crossover between model years 2011 and 2019, the Ford Explorer was redesigned on the rear-drive CD6 platform for model year 2020. Unfortunately, the Dearborn-based automaker botched up the mid-size utility vehicle's rollout. ...
Next Mazda CX-5 Reportedly Due 2025, Could Get New Name
12 Feb 2024, 22:00 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The CX-5 is the oldest model in Mazda's lineup. Launched in 2012 for the 2013 model year, the compact-sized crossover was redesigned in 2016 for model year 2017 on the very same platform as the original. Considering its old bones and the Mazda...
BMW M3 Competition Drag Races Audi R8 V10 Plus, They're Worlds Apart
12 Feb 2024, 20:55 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The soon-to-be-discontinued R8 is a completely different car from the M3, starting with its engine. A mid-mounted V10 of the free-breathing variety is far more exotic than a twin-turbocharged I6 located up front, although the S58 in the M3 Competit...
New Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Flaunts Revised Aero Package, Suspension, Electronics
12 Feb 2024, 18:58 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Aston Martin had a tremendously good 2023, with the British automaker redesigning the DB11 into the DB12 and the Formula 1 team finishing the season in fifth place. Today, the Gaydon-based company has unleashed the refreshed Vantage and two racing ...
The 2024 Kia Telluride's Valve Springs May Break While Driving, Safety Recall Issued
12 Feb 2024, 17:10 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Kia's largest internal combustion-engined crossover has been hit with a safety recall for a problem that increases the risk of a fire. According to Kia America, the V6 engine's valve springs may have been damaged during manufacturing by a...
The Best-Selling SUVs of 2023 in the US
11 Feb 2024, 21:35 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Love them or hate them, sport utility vehicles are here to stay. Not only do they offer more ground clearance than hatchbacks and sedans, but SUVs also flaunt more trunk and overall storage capacity. Take, for instance, the BMW X5 and 5 Series T...
992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS With Akrapovic Titanium Exhaust Sounds Absolutely Fabulous
10 Feb 2024, 02:02 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Akrapovic d.d. of Slovenia is a premier exhaust manufacturer founded in 1990 by former motorcycle racer Igor Akrapovic. Four years later, his exhaust systems were used in the WSBK and ESBK. Come 2004, the Slovenian company developed an exhaust syst...
C8 Corvette ZR1 Prototypes Spied Testing With Multiple Rear Wing Designs
9 Feb 2024, 21:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Corvette Forum member imxz28 has uploaded fresh pics of the upcoming ZR1 in two different parts of California. No fewer than four prototypes were spotted in Yucca Valley and San Diego, with said prototypes featuring different rear wings. Split b...
Mercedes-Benz Recalls Old GLC Over Incorrectly Adjusted Headlights
9 Feb 2024, 19:15 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a recall for a little over 15,500 examples of the 253-series GLC. More specifically, the German manufacturer is referring to 2019 through 2022 models ranging from the GLC 300 to the GLC 350 e and the AMG-ified GLC 43. ...
2024 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 Edition Dyno Testing Reveals 579 HP at the Wheels
9 Feb 2024, 17:06 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Revealed with much pomp in June 2023, the Garage 56 Edition is the rarest Camaro of them all for the sixth generation's final model year. A meager 56 units were produced for the US market, including the car featured in the dyno testing video b...
2018 to 2022 Nissan Leaf Recalled for Rearview Camera Issue, Remedy Under Development
9 Feb 2024, 16:08 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / On February 5, Transport Canada published a recall comprising 11,985 examples of the 2018 to 2022 model year Nissan Leaf. The recall condition is for the rearview camera image, which may not display correctly or not display at all on the touchscree...
2025 Kia K5 Rolls Out With Revised Exterior Design, Larger Standard Engine
8 Feb 2024, 21:09 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Automakers have a thing for downsizing powerplants, but in a rather surprising turn of events, Kia goes against the norm with a larger engine for the 2025 model year K5. Instead of the old 1.6-liter turbocharged I4, the newcomer sports a 2.5-liter ...
New Abarth 600e Says Cheese, Features Better Power-To-Weight Ratio Than 500e
8 Feb 2024, 20:11 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Italian company Abarth moved its headquarters from Bologna to Turin in 1951. The following year, Abarth started its long-running partnership with Fiat. Nothing more than a Stellantis brand nowadays, Abarth rolled out its first series-production EV ...
2025 Kia Carnival Minivan Goes Hybrid, On Sale Summer 2024
8 Feb 2024, 19:04 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / The long-running Sedona was replaced in 2020 for the 2021 model year by the Kia Carnival, a front-biased minivan twinned with the Sorento crossover on the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform. Although it looks much better than the Sedona before it, Kia's ...
The Most Powerful Pagani Yet Revs to 9,200 RPM, Huayra R Evo Track Car Packs 888-HP V12
8 Feb 2024, 18:12 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Remember the Huayra R? Introduced back in March 2021, the direct successor of the Zonda R uses a Mercedes-Benz HWA free-breathing V12 engine. It redlines at 9,000 revolutions per minute, and Pagani says that its maximum output is 838 hp at 8,250 re...
Toyota's New Three-Row Electric Sport Utility Vehicle Will Be Made in the US
8 Feb 2024, 17:07 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / During the Land Cruiser 250 Prado's debut, Toyota teased no fewer than two new sport utility vehicles. One of them was eventually revealed in October 2023 at the Japan Mobility Show in the form of the Land Cruiser Se three-row electric SUV con...