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Whether you're a car or a human, the different paths to a thinner waist are more plentiful than the number of ingredients in a Twinkie. Cars can use special metals, downsized engines with turbos, and carbon fiber. People have Weight Watchers, bariatric surgery, and fiber. But the obvious, and perhaps oldest, strategy is to simply live without the indulgences. Porsche has done just that with its new Boxster Spyder, ditching luxuries such as air-conditioning and a radio to save more than 175 pounds over the Boxster S.inline_mediumwraptextright32138334/reviews/driven/1003_2011_porsche_boxster_spyder1003_01_z+2011_porsche_boxster_spyder+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Nobody loved the early "modern" sports cars from Zuffenhausen, Germany. The first 911, the 901-series, was a thoroughly reengineered 356, which itself was a Volkswagen Beetle on steroids. Then came the turtle-slow 912, the neither-fish-nor-fowl 911T, the E with its capricious fuel injection, the Targa with the zippered plastic rear window that went blind after two summers, and the awful semiautomatic Sportomatics. The serious part of the 911 saga began in 1967 with the lean and quick 160-hp 911S. From day one, base-model 911s were never that special, the exception being the 1981-1989 cars and the particularly desirable, last-of-the-air-cooled 993-series. What made the ultimate metamorphosis of Ferdinand Porsche's Volkswagen such an icon over time were the sharper-edged variants. Charismatic suffixes like Turbo, SC, Clubsport, GT, RS, Carrera, Touring, and Speedster invariably make the hearts of 911 aficionados beat faster. Extra adrenaline is freed by such specials as the wide-body Turbo-look versions, the slant-nose cars that were available between 1983 and 1994, and the often substantially more potent factory high-performance kits (generally not available in the States) dubbed WLS, for Werks-Leistungs-Steigerung (Factory-Power-Increase).inline_mediumwraptextright32187153/features/news/1003_ten_favorite_porsche_911s1003_12_z+porsche_911+emblem.jpgTrue

An all-new RAV4 may be a few years away, but Toyota is refreshing its compact SUV with a mild facelift -- at least for Europe, anyway.inline_mediumwraptextright28150597/features/news/1002_2010_toyota_rav4_european_model1002_01_z+european_2010_toyota_rAV4+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

With 510 hp on tap and a top end of 155 mph, Jaguar’s XKR is certainly quick. But buyers hankering for a faster pussycat will love what the automaker has in store for 2011.inline_mediumwraptextright26896316/features/news/1002_2011_jaguar_xkr_speed_pack1002_01_z+2011_jaguar_xKR_speed_pack+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Although we still haven't seen photos of the actual concept car, Opel decided to release additional information and images of its new Flextreme GT/E show car, which will debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show in March.inline_mediumwraptextright26894858/green/news/1002_2010_opel_flextreme_gt_e_concept1002_03_z+2010_opel_flextreme_gT_e_concept+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Dodge says that the Ram 1500 can tow 10,450 pounds. Ford claims that the F-150 can tow 11,300 pounds. Which pickup pulls more? Answer: It's impossible to say, because, believe it or not, there is currently no established standard for setting tow ratings. Manufacturers each can use their own criteria to come up with any figure they want. It's as if there were no EPA testing for fuel economy, and each carmaker could use any procedure it wanted (e.g., downhill, engine-off coasting) to establish and advertise its cars' mileage.inline_mediumwraptextright32110368/features/news/1003_dodge_ram_1500_vs_ford_f150_towing_capacity1003_01_z+dodge_ram_1500+towing.jpgTrue

The rumors were correct -- Volkswagen has been wrenching on a GTI version of its Polo subcompact, although its output isn’t quite as extreme as once was suggested.inline_mediumwraptextright26895788/features/news/1002_2010_volkswagen_polo_gti1002_03_z+2010_volkswagen_polo_gTI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue