Auto News 5

It was 12:45 a.m. and I was bounding down a very dark two-lane country road. Traffic cleared and I hit the high beams. Whoa! These are really, really good: bright as day, very good reach, very strong, uniform beam. A few days later, I drove a Porsche on the same stretch of road, also at night. I didn't find its headlights to be any better than the Impreza's. Very impressive.

There's not much new to report on the VW Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country that was foisted on Volkswagen of America by a previous executive regime. Volkswagen's U.S. dealers have no choice but to hold their noses and try to sell the darn thing. It's a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it's a pretty good one. But it's not much of a Volkswagen.inline_mediumwraptextright0033269196/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_routan_se1005_01+2010_volkswagen_routan_sE+side_view.jpgtrue

There's not much new to report on the VW Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country that was foisted on Volkswagen of America by a previous executive regime. Volkswagen's U.S. dealers have no choice but to hold their noses and try to sell the darn thing. It's a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it's a pretty good one. But it's not much of a Volkswagen.

For obvious reasons, Automobile Magazine comparisons typically round up cars with similar base prices. If the scientific method works for scientists, surely it's good enough for us. Consistent as these apples-to-apples tests are, though, they don't always reveal the complexities that go into buying a car in the real world, where varying levels of equipment and add-ons can quickly muddy our neat and simple categorizations. Take for instance, three small sporty hatchbacks currently in our fleet - the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, the Mini Cooper, and the Volkswagen GTI. On paper, they're three completely different cars in three different price segments. But look a little closer The SX4, loaded with navigation, Bluetooth, bigger wheels and other extras, carried an as tested price of $18,513, which is within a grand of a base Mini Cooper. The Mini, for its part, came with a slew of options that shot its sticker to $25,000 - about a thousand dollars more than the base price of a two-door GTI. Each of these vehicles fares very well when compared strictly to competitors in its traditional segment, but we couldn't help but wonder how they'd match up in a clearly unfair fight, the sort that breaks out all the time when real people go shopping for real cars.inline_mediumwraptextright0029060770/reviews/driven/1005_small_car_comparison1005_02+2010_suzuki_sX4_sportback_vs_2010_mini_cooper+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

For obvious reasons, Automobile Magazine comparisons typically round up cars with similar base prices. If the scientific method works for scientists, surely it's good enough for us. Consistent as these apples-to-apples tests are, though, they don't always reveal the complexities that go into buying a car in the real world, where varying levels of equipment and add-ons can quickly muddy our neat and simple categorizations. Take for instance, three small sporty hatchbacks currently in our fleet - the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, the Mini Cooper, and the Volkswagen GTI. On paper, they're three completely different cars in three different price segments. But look a little closer The SX4, loaded with navigation, Bluetooth, bigger wheels and other extras, carried an as tested price of $18,513, which is within a grand of a base Mini Cooper. The Mini, for its part, came with a slew of options that shot its sticker to $25,000 - about a thousand dollars more than the base price of a two-door GTI. Each of these vehicles fares very well when compared strictly to competitors in its traditional segment, but we couldn't help but wonder how they'd match up in a clearly unfair fight, the sort that breaks out all the time when real people go shopping for real cars.

The Lexus GS450h is proof that there is such a thing as too much torque. The hybrid system teams up with the 3.5-liter V-6 to produce V-8 levels of power to the tune of 340 horses. The problem is that the accelerator pedal is so sensitive that the torque is available at the slightest -- and I mean the slightest -- twitch of a toe. That may sound cool, but it's actually extremely annoying in this Lexus and makes the GS hybrid very difficult to drive smoothly at steady speeds. Surging to 60 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds (according to Toyota) is pretty impressive for a largish luxury sedan that's EPA rated at 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.inline_mediumwraptextright0033266391/green/reviews/1005_2010_lexus_gs450h1005_05+2010_lexus_gS450h+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

The Lexus GS450h is proof that there is such a thing as too much torque. The hybrid system teams up with the 3.5-liter V-6 to produce V-8 levels of power to the tune of 340 horses. The problem is that the accelerator pedal is so sensitive that the torque is available at the slightest -- and I mean the slightest -- twitch of a toe. That may sound cool, but it's actually extremely annoying in this Lexus and makes the GS hybrid very difficult to drive smoothly at steady speeds. Surging to 60 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds (according to Toyota) is pretty impressive for a largish luxury sedan that's EPA rated at 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

Months in fleet: two
Miles to date: 8341inline_mediumwraptextright0033293439/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1005_2010_suzuki_kizashi_sls_april_update1005_01+2010_suzuki_kizashi_sLS+side_view.jpgtrue

Months in fleet: two
Miles to date: 8341

It's always exciting to have a convertible in the spring when the sun is shining and the temperature starts to climb. With a Mercedes, you can actually enjoy top-down driving even if the temperature is in the 40s thanks to heated seats, good aerodynamics that help push wind around the passengers, and the Airscarf feature. Airscarf is a pair of heat vents at the bottom of the headrests that can blast warm air on your neck, which really takes the chill off a cold morning or evening. It's a bit of a gimmick, but the results are quite nice for those who like to drive with the top down as much as possible.inline_mediumwraptextright0033265005/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2011_mercedes_benz_sl5501005_06+2011_mercedes_benz_sL550+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

It's always exciting to have a convertible in the spring when the sun is shining and the temperature starts to climb. With a Mercedes, you can actually enjoy top-down driving even if the temperature is in the 40s thanks to heated seats, good aerodynamics that help push wind around the passengers, and the Airscarf feature. Airscarf is a pair of heat vents at the bottom of the headrests that can blast warm air on your neck, which really takes the chill off a cold morning or evening. It's a bit of a gimmick, but the results are quite nice for those who like to drive with the top down as much as possible.

Months in fleet: six
Miles to date: 16,257inline_mediumwraptextright0029061958/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1005_2010_audi_q5_3_2_april_update1005_06+2010_audi_q5_3_2+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Months in fleet: six
Miles to date: 16,257

Ever notice how anyone driving slower than you is a moron and everyone passing you is a maniac? Funny, me too. That same logic tends to show up in car reviews - any easy-to-tame car is brandished as boring. Worse, if the driver runs out of talent before the car runs out of grip, it's an evil bastard. The Ferrari 599GTO solves this by being one of the fastest, most perfectly balanced, and most capable cars in the world - and at the same time, its absurdly high limits are totally approachable. It makes good drivers very fast; it makes great drivers set world records.inline_mediumwraptextright0029050897/reviews/driven/1005_2011_ferrari_599gtoferrari-599-gTO-front-view-4.jpgtrue

Ever notice how anyone driving slower than you is a moron and everyone passing you is a maniac? Funny, me too. That same logic tends to show up in car reviews - any easy-to-tame car is brandished as boring. Worse, if the driver runs out of talent before the car runs out of grip, it's an evil bastard. The Ferrari 599GTO solves this by being one of the fastest, most perfectly balanced, and most capable cars in the world - and at the same time, its absurdly high limits are totally approachable. It makes good drivers very fast; it makes great drivers set world records.