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    Patrick Hong

    Patrick Hong

  • Hauling the family in an Aston Martin Rapide S? It can be done

    Our family daily routine is very much like many other households with young children. During the week the schedule consists of school, office, homework, dinner and bedtime. On weekends the agenda is not much different: sleeping in, sports, dinner and maybe a movie. The regular tasks that we do require a sensible car that can shuttle us around with minimal fuss.

  • Driving the Airstream Sport and GMC Yukon, the camping power couple

    Our family loves to camp. Every summer we pack up a car full of gear, including a giant 3-room tent and we set out to be with nature for a week. And inevitably every year we’ll pass motorhomes and travel trailers, and our two boys ages 11 and 9 will chime in: “When can we get a RV and camp?” Immediately the images of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s 1953 “The Long, Long Trailer” comes to mind. The idea of having all the creature comforts of home with you is undeniably exciting. But the thought of piloting a big rig, let alone towing a few thousand pounds of metal and parking the land-train combo can be equally intimating. When GMC and Airstream offered us to take its 22FB Sport travel trailer and a 2015 GMC Yukon for our camping trip this year, we quickly answered “yes!” — followed by my wife's dubious stare over whether we could handle it.

  • Driving the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, with an astronaut at the wheel

    Car enthusiasts are basically adrenaline junkies. It is an addiction shared by all who love to feel their heart racing with excitement, whether it’s going fast on land, in the air, or even into space. And that is where my good friend NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel and I have in common: passion for cars and speed. When Drew called to say he was visiting, I thought about what I could do to top his already-amazing adventures in space.

  • Driving the family in a Ferrari FF, the V-12 soccer hauler

    There's something magical about Ferraris, even those modern-day versions built in far greater numbers than the million-dollar classics at the auctions. While most Ferraris pursue speed above all, a few have been geared toward carrying the occasional passenger, dating all the way back to the1960s with the 250 GT.

  • Driving the 2014 Honda Odyssey, with vacuum-testing family in tow

    Nobody talks about it. But everyone needs one in the house, especially those with young children. And I’m not talking about the refrigerator that has become a favorite afterschool destination for my kids for snacks and drinks. It’s a close cousin though, also a big box except for the wheels that can carry all the necessities to the various afterschool activities. Sure it would seem more exciting to drive a tough sport utility to baseball practices, but none can offer you the roominess and the functionalities of a “boring” minivan. Yes, a car enthusiast singing praise for a minivan. And after spending a good number of days in the 2014 Honda Odyssey, our family is hooked.

  • Driving the Infiniti Q50S, the steer-by-wire pioneer

    The year 2014 marks the beginning of the Infiniti’s brand relaunch of its efforts to join the top tier of luxury car brands with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The automaker’s newest Q50 sedan also is the start of the company’s efforts to rebrand all of its model designations to begin letter Q.