Auto News 5

The tectonic plates have shifted. The U.S. Automotive Order, little changed for the last two decades, has suddenly been upended. No longer insulated from the high fuel prices that afflict so much of the world, America needs a drastically different national motor pool, and we need it now. luckily, the fun, frugal, small cars that we crave already exist overseas, and they're headed our way. But we couldn't wait for them to arrive before sliding behind the wheel, So we've brought you early reports on nine of yhe most promising cars coming to America. The news is good. To their makers, we say, "Step On It!"

This was amusing. I worked late last night, and when I left the office, downtown Ann Arbor was largely deserted, and a light rain was falling. The few pedestrians present were dashing through crosswalks, heads bowed, in a hurry to reach warm and dry bars and cars. But the angry sound of this Mustang's 540-hp, supercharged V-8 and its throaty, H-pipe exhaust was not to be ignored. People looked up, startled, wondering what in the world was creating such a racket on this quiet October weeknight. I'm not surprised. Heck, I was startled, too, especially when I tried to goose the throttle. The reaction from the live rear axle was immediate and violent. The 18-inch Goodyear Eagle F1 rear tires shuddered and skidded and protested at the very notion that they were being asked to provide grip and propulsion on this cold, wet pavement, sending the rear end of the car toward the curb. These tires might as well have been carved of solid oak rather than rubber, so little did they adhere. Okay, I exaggerate, but you know what I mean.

As I drove home in the CLS last night, I couldn't stop thinking about Jaguar's XF. The Mercedes has a dramatic presence that the XF is missing. I don't find the CLS gorgeous - especially the headlights - but it does stand out in the crowd. What a great concept Mercedes has. Build the E-Class for the more traditional Benz buyer and the CLS for the person who wants a bit more style. Unfortunately, the CLS doesn't drive as well as the Jaguar. The Mercedes V-8 is very strong but the seven-speed automatic is slow to downshift. I also find the air suspension really disconnects the driver from road. It is too floaty and I don't like constantly having to toggle the suspension switch to try to contain body motions. In the end, I wish the XF was more dramatic like the CLS but that the Mercedes drove as well as the Jaguar.

Infiniti's mid-size sedan, the M, has been around for quite some time, but it's still one of our favorite luxury sport sedans. We lived with an M45 for a full year, and not once did it require repairs. Even those in the office who didn't initially understand the M45's place in the automotive world came away from the test in awe of how good this Japanese BMW-fighter really is.

Wow. Despite my indifference at the time of its launch, I'm actually impressed with the Ridgeline. In no way do I think it will draw people away from full-size trucks on refinement alone (perhaps the new coil-sprung Ram will do that), but I do think it'll attract crossover owners who hanker for a cargo bed.

Scirocco? Isn't that some Car my Father Drove?
I admit that I'm probably not the most objective person in the world when it comes to the new, European-market Volkswagen Scirocco, as I have a 22-year-old Scirocco sitting in my garage. It's covered, sleeping quietly in safety, and in the eleven years I've owned this VW, it's never been kicked out of the garage, come hell, high water, or $200,000 Aston Martin test cars that happened to be in my possession. I'm so fond of the Scirocco because I love the GTI, and the Scirocco is simply a GTI with more... GTI.

While the wraps on the 2010 Mercury Milan (along with its Ford and Lincoln cousins) won't come off until November's Los Angeles auto show, we caught the refreshed midsize sedan testing in the cold, dark Michigan night.

It's nice to see that Jaguar has updated a few minor details on the XK. The old-school power antenna is gone, the headliner is much nicer, and there are some other minor improvements inside. Luckily, the company didn't change the way the XK drives, as this XKR Convertible is still a wonderful car. From the linear steering to excellent ride quality, this is the best driving car in the class. You wouldn't believe it's on twenty-inch wheels as it glides over Michigan's horrible roads. The six-speed ZF automatic is also miles ahead of the seven-speed setup in the Mercedes SL. Still, I can't help thinking the Jaguar isn't screwed together or designed as well as an SL. Some of the interior plastics just don't feel fantastic. Plus, the slow to respond touch screen (also seen in the XF) is annoying. Ergonomically, the touch screen is quite good but it needs to have a much faster interface. Still, the Jaguar is a wonderful car to drive and that supercharged V-8 is very strong and sounds great.

You know a BMW is getting old when you have to insert a conventional key and turn it to start the engine. This isn't a bad thing, it just shows you how quickly BMW has added new functions to their cars. In addition, the X3's navigation system doesn't have an iDrive controller, there is a water temperature gauge, and the indictor and wiper stalks don't reset to a neutral position after each selection.

Two years ago, this story would not appear here, in its lead-article, three-page glory. No, driving a bargain-price, 1.5-liter fuel-sipper would have warranted a miserly, quarter-page nugget tucked into a corner and paying deference to the likes of a Ferrari, a large rear-wheel-drive V-8 sedan, or some hot-rod version of a full-size SUV.

AutomobileMag.com recently participated in the Audi Mileage Marathon (AMM). This ambitious cross-country drive began in New York on October 5 and ended in Santa Monica on October 20 after a challenging and indirect route of some 4800 miles. In contrast to most made-for-PR stunts, during the Audi Mileage Marathon, some interesting technology and legislative issues actually surfaced.

Vancouver, British Columbia
Changes in the automotive world tend to happen at a snail's pace. It often takes years for manufacturers to recognize and correct the problems that cause would-be customers to walk out of the dealership empty-handed. Not so at Subaru, which pulled the handbrake on its new-for-2008 Impreza WRX, flicked the steering wheel, and executed the quickest one-eighty this side of a rally stage.

Herndon, Virginia
Confession time: I have never, ever been behind the wheel of an air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. Not even once

Right car, wrong timing?
At a glance, it would seem that a high-powered German sedan is the wrong car for the times. The new Audi S4 arrives in the midst of a global economic slump. It was unveiled at the Paris show, where hybrids and electric vehicles stole the limelight, and it unashamedly advertises the brand motto Vorsprung durch Technik when everybody is talking CO2 and mpg and $$.

Here we go - finally, Mitsubishi has decided to build a car for the middleman, the enthusiast stuck between the base Lancer's dullness and the Lancer Evolution's balls-out craziness. Find the 152-hp, curdled-milk base Lancer to be too ordinary, too milquetoast, too slow? Offended by the Evolution's somewhat harsh ride, darty steering, big price tag, and humongous wing? Have we got the car for you. The turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, 247-hp Lancer Ralliart might as well be called the Evo Lite - it's fast, agile but still comfortable, and cheap enough that you don't mind its few flaws.

Ferrari has recently shown environment-friendly concepts such as the Millechili (the 1000 kilo Ferrari) and the F430 E85 (with flexfuel capability), but the new Ferrari California is about as the green as the summit of Montblanc in winter. And that's fine by us. The California is a pleasantly and reassuringly old-school sports car, although there is plenty of sophisticated engineering hiding beneath the flashy, crowd-pulling skin. Says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari CEO: "Less extreme than F430 and F599, the California still incorporates all the essential genes of the brand. It has style and presence, and it is fast and fun to drive. Unlike any other of our products, it is two cars in one, and it works equally well in coupe and spider mode."

How much is this thing, anyway? Fifty grand? Fifty-five grand? I guess it doesn't much matter: the Mustang fans out there who are forever on the hunt for the newest, latest, greatest, most different Mustang variant will love it, and enough of them will pony up (pardon the pun) whatever it takes to have one of these over-the-top pony cars in their garage to make the exercise worthwhile for Ford to have undertaken.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car just launched its WeCar vehicle sharing program. The national program is based on a similar concept pioneered by Zipcar (short rentals, web reservations, local pickups/drop off), but makes use of the huge Enterprise fleet and thousands of neighborhood locations. The WeCar fleet is populated by hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles, but there's a catch; your employer or school must be a member of the program before you can make a reservation.

I've driven my family's 2009 Saturn Aura - more or less the same vehicle as the Malibu - equipped with the same four-cylinder/six-speed combo as this Chevy. I wasn't all that impressed with the Saturn, so I wasn't expecting to be pleasantly surprised by the Malibu.