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There aren't many visual reminders that the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD trucks are virtually all new beneath the sheetmetal. If we were talking about a midsize sedan that might be a problem, but truck owners will be happy all the development money went into a new Duramax engine, an all-new frame, and significant upgrades to payload and towing capacities instead of new body panels.

Even as the miles wore on during two recent road trips, our Mazda 3 remained comfortable and engaging. During a Thanksgiving trip to Boston, assistant editor David Zenlea found the seats supportive over the long haul while the 3's chassis soaked up bumps and kept the drive lively. Having made the same trip two weeks earlier in our long-term BMW 7-series, Zenlea made the surprising assessment that the 3 was "significantly more enjoyable." His only gripe during the1600-mile drive was the navigation system that failed to warn him about standstill traffic near the Canadian border costing him hours and forcing him into a hotel for the night.inline_mediumwraptextright25452041/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/0912_2010_mazda3_s_sport_5_door_december_update0910_01_z+2010_mazda3_s_sport+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Every once in a while, a car comes along that you just know will be a future classic by the sole virtue of how rare it is. Enter the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart, whose name is so long we'll run out of ink if we continue to use it. So, in the interest of saving precious natural resources, we'll call it the LaSpRa.inline_mediumwraptextright27189754/reviews/driven/1001_2010_mitsubishi_lancer_ralliart1001_02_z+2010_mitsubishi_lancer_ralliart+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

I expected a Lexus convertible, whose mission is making its driver look good and feel fine, to have one-finger steering and a pillowy ride. But that's not the case here. The steering has some real substance, and the ride actually errs on the side of too stiff, thanks likely to the 40-series (!) rubber that comes with the optional eighteen-inch wheels.inline_mediumwraptextright27559048/reviews/editors_notebook/0912_2010_lexus_is_250_c0912_01_z+2010_lexus_iS_250_c+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Romeo, Michigan
The Ford F-series is one of the most important nameplates in the automotive universe, and we all know why: for most of the past three decades, the F-series has been in the number-one spot on the U.S. sales charts. If you thought that Ford would veer from its proven formula for the 2009 F-150, think again. After all, it was designed and engineered long before last summer's gas-price-induced market meltdown.

Reports of the minivan's death have been greatly exaggerated. Even in a dreadful 2009, the segment managed more than 400,000 sales. That's way down from its heyday but still more than double the volume of, say, the hotly contested luxury compact crossover segment.inline_mediumwraptextright2011 Toyota Sienna SE27546328/reviews/driven/0912_2011_toyota_sienna035-Sienna-SE.jpgTrue

The Tribeca is not aging well. It's loose and rattly and coarse and rough-riding. The boxer engine has sufficient power but doesn't sound great. The navigation system is positioned too far away from both the driver and the passenger. The interior is cramped for both front-seat and middle-seat passengers, not to mention the extremely cramped third-row seat. There is absolutely no driving joy to be had here, utility is severely compromised, and it's not pretty, so all you're left with are Subaru reliability and the benefits of standard all-wheel drive. These are nice things to have, but there are way too many other seven-passenger crossovers that have not only those attributes but also some performance, some crispness, some ride quality, and some visual pizzazz.inline_mediumwraptextright31486206/reviews/editors_notebook/0911_2010_subaru_tribeca_touring0911_17_z+2010_subaru_tribeca_touring+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

What a hard act to follow. The last all-new 7-series, the 2002 745Li, was welcomed into the automotive world with about as much warmth and adoration as a 41-pound newborn baby girl with sixteen middle fingers and a full beard. And it merited about as much media coverage. Incensed enthusiasts on Internet forums called for BMW design director Chris Bangle's head. The BMW faithful stumbled around dealerships breathing into paper bags to allay attacks of hyperventilation. Somewhere, someone passed out at the mere sight of the bulbous trunk lid. OK, perhaps not. But even we shockproof editors at Automobile Magazine were perturbed by the styling.

As a person who enjoys doing small-scale outdoorsy work or towing the odd small camper, car, or boat, I really like "small" trucks like this Toyota Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier, and the Dodge Dakota, among others. Compared with their full-size kin, such pickups are generally more economical both in initial cost and upkeep, and they're more reasonable daily drivers. This particular Tacoma, however, sports a ton of options and costs nearly $8000 more than a base crew-cab Tacoma. I must admit, though, that its most costly option, a TRD off-road package, makes this Toyota a more desirable truck to me, as it's equipped with lots of four-wheelin'-friendly additions, such as a locking rear differential, skid plates, tow hooks, and an off-road-spec suspension. It's no Ford Raptor, but I'm sure this Toyota could get the job done on most trails that aren't super hard-core.inline_mediumwraptextright27436390/reviews/editors_notebook/0912_2009_toyota_tacoma_double_cab_4x4_v6_sr5_trd0912_06_z+2009_toyota_tacoma_double_cab_4x4_v6_sR5_tRD+front_passenger_interior.jpgTrue