I’ve Driven Every Car

The title is a bit of an exaggeration, but I have driven a lot of cars. Because I work at a dealership, I have access to a wide range of makes, models, and years. This article is an alphabetical summary of my thoughts on the makes that stand out, for better or worse.

1. Alfa Romeo

We’ve taken a couple of Giulias in on trade, and for an automatic, it’s one of my favorite cars to drive. I’ll always go for a manual first, but when you’re using the paddle shifters in the Giulia, it makes all the right noises. I call it the mini Ferrari—the Giulia is pretty, it handles well, the tune is just right (great throttle response and minimal turbo lag, and that wonderful exhaust note just pushes the whole experience over the edge for me). If I had a lot of money, I’d definitely be adding one to my garage, because I’d either be buying a new one under warranty or preparing to pay the huge mechanic bills that come with owning a high-maintenance Italian car. I’m genuinely shocked that Stellantis is responsible for the Giulia and the new Dodge Hornet. The driving experiences are polar opposites.

The one area in which the Giulia disappoints me is usable interior space. Your passengers will be very unhappy on a long road trip. For a car about the same size as the roomy Subaru WRX, which for two generations has only been available as a sedan in the United States, the Giulia really fails in this area.

Overall rating: 8/10

2. BMW

Horrifically overrated. I was surprised how highly BMW ranked in Consumer Reports. Everything seems to be a gimmick in a BMW—the head unit is unusable because it’s so confusing, the seat belts grope you (Why do we need to change the way seat belts work? Some things don’t need to be fixed. Let’s a pin in this point for when I get to Tesla). The SUVs are uncharismatic and the really fun ones are out of reach of most people, unless you’re one of those people who enjoys spending half their income on a car note.

Where I can compliment BMW is their performance drive mode. The stiffened suspension and responsive throttle probably make it perform very well on the Nurbürgring. If I were tracking these cars, they’d be great, but they are unpleasant daily drivers.

Overall rating: 5/10

3. Genesis

No other car brand has redeemed itself so completely in my eyes. I’m a lifelong Hyundai-hater. I find them miserable. They are cars for people who hate the idea of having a car, and then they get a Hyundai, which makes them hate cars even more. Add that to my family’s troubles with a 1980-something Accent with a twice-replaced transmission, and I had completely given up on them. Until I drove a car from Hyundai’s luxury division, the Genesis GV70.

I could use the headrest as a pillow. The seats are like sitting on a cloud. There are only two car brands on this planet capable of making seats that don’t hurt my back: Genesis and Subaru. All the others hurt it in ten minutes or less.

The GV70 comes with the right amount of power and cushy suspension. They’re truly a joy to drive, and I’d imagine they’re great roadtrip cars (my friend drove one over a huge speed bump and we barely even felt it).

My only problems with Genesis are the price and the build quality. They don’t hold up well over a five-year period, and no one should be paying upwards of $60,000 for a car that only lasts two or three years. I also have trouble justifying spending that much money on a damned Hyundai.

Overall rating: 8/10

4. Jeep

Jeep seems to live by the philosophy that, if it isn’t broken, you shouldn’t fix it. The problem with that philosophy, for Jeep, is that they’re always broken.

I want so badly to like Jeep. I enjoy the Grand Cherokee for how extra it is. The interiors on the higher trim levels are well-designed, maybe a little over-designed with the wood grain on the dashboard and quilted leather on the doors. But they’re beautiful interiors overall. I’d rank them above Mercedes and Maserati in terms of effort, and the electronics are far easier to use as well.

The Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer have a lot of cool features like massage seats and air suspension, which makes them cars you don’t want to own when they’re out of warranty. The more complicated a car is, the more that can go wrong.

I appreciate the Wrangler and Gladiator for what they are, but they’re overpriced. Somehow Jeep has transformed from an outdoorsy brand for the average American and become a luxury brand instead, or is at least thinking of itself as a luxury brand. Wrangler, however, is not a luxury car, and it’s really only good at one thing: rock crawling. It’s a car that’s bad at driving on the road, and has therefore become, at its current price tag, a car that only makes sense for rich people to own as a second vehicle.

Overall rating: 6/10

5. Maserati

Maserati is one of the biggest letdowns on this list. The Quattroporte really drives and feels like an older Buick, and unless you can already afford to burn money to keep warm, its horrific depreciation ensures I would never consider buying one for myself. Add to that the reliability issues and lack of name recognition, and I don’t know why anyone buys these cars at all. I liked the quilted leather seats, but if I wanted a sporty Italian car, I’d be going for the Alfa Romeo first.

Overall rating: 5/10

6. Subaru

Subaru keeps things simple and has for decades, which is part of what makes it my favorite brand. Back in the 1940s, they were putting boxer engines in airplanes (let’s not go into detail about that). My 1986 Subaru has a boxer engine and so does my 2025. Subaru takes Jeep’s philosophy of not fixing something that isn’t broken and actually makes things that don’t break.

There’s a reason the 2025 Forester is the highest rated SUV in Consumer Reports ever. It’s quiet, comfy, good on gas, and good-looking, in my opinion. It holds its value so well that people who lease them usually get a little money back at the end. The build quality, for the price, is unmatched. Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, etc. all feel cheap in comparison for the same price point. Subaru also surpassed Toyota in reliability this year due to the hundreds of thousands of engine recalls nobody can get fixed because there aren’t any parts available.

Subaru also makes cars for enthusiasts. They are one of the few brands that still offer a manual transmission in the United States. I haven’t yet met a Subaru I didn’t like. And, as mentioned above, they’re one of two brands that don’t hurt my back.

Overall rating: 10/10

7. Tesla

I wanted to hate Tesla, and in some ways, I do. I definitely hate Elon Musk.

I’ve already told you I hate gimmicks on cars. Standardization is not a bad thing when it comes to operating a machine that weighs several thousand pounds and travels at highway speeds. The door handles, for one thing, don’t make any sense. As a woman, I have to complain because the last thing I need if I’m trying to get away from some creepy guy in a parking lot is to be fiddling with the poorly-designed flat door handle, but to be fair, Teslas are made for men who never talk to women.

The first time I got into a Tesla, it took five minutes to figure out how to even drive it. Longer to figure out how to pair my phone, which doesn’t really do anything because I A) can’t use CarPlay because it doesn’t have it and B) can’t use Apple Music because Elon has some beef with Apple, and even longer to figure out how to adjust the air and mirrors.

Driving a Tesla forces you to use an iPad instead of looking at the road. Even the turn signals are a gimmick; on some models, they’re buttons on the steering wheel. Additionally, for how much glass is in the Model Y, the sun visor is insultingly skinny and somehow also confusing because it’s magnetic. We don’t need to change the fundamentals of how a car works just because it’s electric.

But I love borrowing Teslas. They always put a smile on my face, and I laugh hysterically at least once every time I drive one. The power and performance are perfect, and they sound like spaceships. I want to hate Teslas, but I can’t.

Except the Cybertruck. I don’t think I hate anything more than the Cybertruck.

Overall rating: 4/10

Conclusion

I love when a car changes my mind like the Genesis did. I still have my long-term favorites, but I love to be impressed by something new. Cars have been my passion for a decade and a half now. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you’ve enjoyed these insights.