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With GM cutting its number of brands in half, those who remain in the General's employ now have both the opportunity and the obligation to define their roles, build unique products, and sell lots of cars. As one of GM's four surviving brands, Buick owes a debt of gratitude to the Chinese market, where it is considered a premium marque. In the United States, the brand urgently needs to develop a similar cachet, and the 2010 Buick LaCrosse is an effort to do just that.

If you commanded the Nissan genie to pimp your Z-car, the result would be the second-generation NISMO model now available at dealerships. (The NISMO name stands for Nissan Motorsports International, the prime source of extreme performance parts and special-edition models created by Nissan factory experts for hard core street and track use.) Updates beyond the standard 370Z are 18 extra horsepower, 6 lb-ft more torque, various interior and exterior design touches, a retuned suspension, wider 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels, and Yokohama instead of Bridgestone tires. Even after you add a $780 dealer-installed engine oil cooler, the NISMO package runs only $6980 more than the regular 350Z equipped with a Sport Package.

For 2010, the Jaguar XF gets Jaguar's all-new, 5.0-liter V-8 engine, which displaces the long-serving 4.2-liter V-8 across the Jaguar lineup. Its 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque represent substantial increases over the outgoing 4.2-liter engine's 300 hp and 310 lb-ft, such that this normally aspirated XF model felt nearly as fast and energetic to me as our Four Seasons 2009 XF Supercharged, which has 420 hp and 413 lb-ft. The same engine is also available in the 2010 Jaguar XK coupe and convertible.

For 2010, the Jaguar XF gets Jaguar's all-new, 5.0-liter V-8 engine, which displaces the long-serving 4.2-liter V-8 across the Jaguar lineup. Its 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque represent substantial increases over the outgoing 4.2-liter engine's 300 hp and 310 lb-ft, such that this normally aspirated XF model felt nearly as fast and energetic to me as our Four Seasons 2009 XF Supercharged, which has 420 hp and 413 lb-ft. The same engine is also available in the 2010 Jaguar XK coupe and convertible.