Auto News 5

The new Infiniti M56 is a masterpiece of style, both inside and out. The great curves over the front wheels give way to an opulent cabin with wonderful leather and wood in a spacious, airy package. This Infiniti interior is essentially my definition of luxury. I find the controls easy to use, but it seems that by now the rotary controller should be located on the center console, not a full arm's length away perched atop the center stack.

It's no surprise that this limousine-sized BMW 750Li spent the last year serving as our favorite escort to formal events. It attended three weddings and a funeral, even acting as the matrimonial limo for one happy bride and groom. But those trips alone account for only part of the 38,739 miles this large barge gobbled up during the last four seasons - a far greater number of miles than we put on most sedans.

Months in fleet: Two
Miles to date: 6384

This thing is a total workhorse. I must have put 500 miles on this truck during my time behind the wheel and put it through all kinds of scenarios. One weekend I hauled my race car, trailer, and equipment to the track; the next weekend I crammed the cab full of people and the bed with their camping gear for a weekend trip to Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR race. Both weekends the truck proved to be right in its element and received numerous compliments from other Ford truck owners, and a few snarls from Chevy and Dodge guys.

The vehicle that established the sporty-SUV subsegment bolsters its position for 2011 with a minor update that sends more power to the engine room.

Months in Fleet: Six
Mileage to Date: 14,295 miles

No offense to CNBC junkies, but the people who love cars - and most car buyers - don't really care about exploiting synergies, maximizing verticals, or any of the other corporate jargon that comes from the business side of the car business. At best, all consumers want to know is: Is it well-engineered? Is it screwed together tightly? And is it wrapped in some I-gotta-have-it sheetmetal?

As soon as Joachim Winkelhock burst out of the pits and toward Hatzenbach, it was clear that this was not going to be one of those tame exercises where a racing driver leads a procession of journalists at a funereal pace around the track, trying to familiarize them with every corner and desired racing line in a boring game of follow-the-leader. There was no time for such formalities, since the Nordschleife was booked and we were squeezing our drives into someone's lunch hour. Not to mention the fact that the 'Ring has some seventy-three turns and is thirteen miles around. Winkelhock's voice came crackling over the two-way radio with these simple instructions: "Try to stay close to me and follow my line as best you can." And with that, I followed Winkelhock's Opel Insignia OPC performance sedan out onto the track in a four-cylinder Buick.

Months in Fleet: Four
Mileage to Date: 19,976