Auto News 5

The odometer of our Four Seasons Volkswagen Jetta TDI passed the 10,000-mile mark several weeks ago, but the car continues to plug away trouble-free, which is particularly notable given VW's deserved reputation for questionable reliability. The conditions through which the Jetta has been plugging have been quite demanding of late, since Michigan's winter has been particularly brutal. And although the turbo-diesel powerplant has proven its advantages as far as fuel economy and range are concerned, the engine has to run for about fifteen minutes before the vents start blowing warm air into the cabin. "Thank goodness for heated seats," road test editor Marc Noordeloos scrawled with shivering hand.

It's all about derivatives these days. If they're not decimating your 401(k), they're invading your neighborhood car dealership. Although its similarity doesn't come across as well in photographs, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe is a dead ringer for the Infiniti G37 coupe. In fact, it might as well be badged the Designer Imposter Infiniti G37.

Mike O'Driscoll, Jaguar's longtime managing director, is a happy man these days. Sure, Jaguar is just as susceptible to the worldwide economic slowdown as any other purveyor of luxury goods, but O'Driscoll's eyes light up when he explains that the company's lineup is undergoing a wholesale metamorphosis in the twenty-four-month period that began in January 2008 and ends this December. The misbegotten X-type is gone; the all-new XJ, reportedly a stunner, will be in dealerships by December; and the XF sedan gets new V-8 engines for the 2010 model year (as do the XK coupe and convertible), including a supercharged version that powers the new, high-performance XFR.

For 24 months a small group of engineers and designers worked on a special project to reduce the weight and increase the power of the Continental GT. What you see before you is the result. The Continental Supersports - the name comes from the original 3-liter model introduced in 1925 - will be the fastest road-going car in the company's 90 year history.