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Platinum, titanium, unobtainium, they've all been used up for special editions and high-end trims, prompting Cadillac to go into the realm of precious stones to come up with a name for the special-edition CTS-Vs it showed at Chicago, dubbing them "Black Diamond," which is also the name for the trick, high-tech paint these get doused in.

The new 2011 9-4x is more of a Saab than the rebadged 9-7x SUV, but it remains to be seen how distinguishable the compact luxury crossover will be from the model on which it's based, the Cadillac SRX.

The stick-shift CTS-V coupe that we had in the office recently was great fun, but the V sedan is certainly no slouch either. And its increased practicality almost makes up for its decreased sexiness (although I think the sedan might look a bit meaner). That lovely exhaust note and the mountains of horsepower are quick to bring a smile. The paddle buttons to manually control the transmission aren't all that satisfying, but when left in regular mode or bumped over to the Sport setting, the automatic trans does very nice work indeed. The steering is excellent, too, and I love the optional Alcantara-covered wheel.