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Cars that get good gas mileage are always dull behind the wheel, right? Not so, says the Mini Cooper. Born from BMW in 2001, the Mini has been hugely successful since its introduction. Growing into a second generation in 2007 the Mini continues to evolve and delight owners with its' cute good look, razor sharp handling, not at all unimpressive performance, and its respectable fuel economy. Add to that the Mini is the most customizable car in its class and you have the recipe for a vehicle which will continue to sell well for years to come. Most options that come in packages can also be ordered individually, so the possibilities for personalization abound. The mini is available as either a hatchback or a convertible, and three trim levels.

In 2004 Mitsubishi launched the Endeavor, which was a surprise win in an Edmunds comparison test of the day. However, despite continued improvements to the model, it has started to slip under heavy pressure from other car makers in this highly competitive category. After the Montero left the lineup in 2006, the Endeavor was left as the largest SUV in Mitsubishi's fleet. To compete in this class, a third seat has become almost a price of entry and the Endeavor lacks one.

The Mercury Mountaineer, now in its second generation, is the only SUV in Mercury's catalog large enough to seat 7 people. While it uses a truck like body on frame chassis, it remains highly regarded in this category, much like its corporate cousin, the Ford Explorer. As with all Mercury models, if you want one, you need to act soon, as the entire brand is going to under the axe in the near future. The Mercury has sold well due to its more pleasant ride, the use of All-Wheel Drive as opposed to standard four wheel drive, and a host of standard feature upgrades. The class has become more competitive however, and the Mountaineer is starting to slip under pressure from other auto makers.

The Armada is Nissans full sized (and I mean FULL sized) SUV. By most Japanese SUV standards, this is a monster. Imparting many of the favorite aspects of big trucks, such as it's towing capacity of 9100 lbs. and true off the road performance, it is still able to hang with the best of them on the streets. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.8 seconds and stop from 60 miles per hour in 128 feet. Either of these an amazing feat for a vehicle this large. It handles well too, posting a .76g on the skid pad. All this combined with the castle on wheels size of its interior, which can seat 8 people. The price from all this has to come somewhere and as one might well expect, the highest price is to be paid in fuel consumption. You just can't move a leviathan like this around with authority and get even decent gas mileage doing so.

31 MPG on the highway is not an easy feat to achieve on any crossover vehicle. Mitsubishi manages it on the Outlander Sport. They've taken the outlander chassis and made a vehicle that is 15 inches shorter. Now close to the size of the largest Mini, the Countryman. It's a small crossover to be sure, but it manages to maintain most of what makes a crossover work. It is available in either front wheel drive or all-wheel drive flavors, and can be had with either a 5 speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission, or CVT.

The Rogue, which is Nissans long overdue entry into the compact crossover category, is based on the C platform. This is the same chassis as the Sentra sedan. Its agility and over the top styling have helped it wedge into a market where such perennial leaders as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 dwell. The rogue is both longer their either of these two alternative and yet shorter vertically and narrower than both of them.

The Mercury Mariner is the mechanical twin of Ford's Escape and the Mazda Tribute. These small SUV's make the most of the compromises made during their design. They afford the high seating position that many people crave. They offer a commanding view of the road ahead and can be filled with children or groceries, even in the winter months, when in climate weather would slow down most cars. The mariner has its share of modern amenities and technological features, although it's overall design is starting to show its age compared with class leaders such as those from Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai.

What is a Mini when it's no mini? It's a Mini Countryman. This is what BWM refers to as a Mini crossover. While still a small car, being about the size of a Honda Fit, it is somewhat larger than the standard Mini and is able to add four doors to the mix, making life much easier for those who spend time in the rear seats.

There was a time when the Galant from Mitsubishi was a car to be considered when shopping for a mid-sized sedan. They were fairly sport, fairly stylish, and could even be found with what was at the time, advanced technology, in the form of the Turbocharged, all-wheel drive VR4 from the 1980's. Times have changed a great deal since then, but the Galant has not. It lacks much of the inspiration that has gone into class leading models and has now been surpassed in virtually all respects by the competition. It's most recent generation came off the factory floor in 2004.

A class leader, and rightfully so. The 2010 Nissan Altima is the brands global sales leader. This made in America Nissan competes against the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in the US's largest car segment, the midsize sedan. Especially with its optional V-6 engine, the Altima allows for the kids to be hauled around and still affords the driver some semblance of fun behind the wheel The Altima is available in Sedan, Coupe, or Hybrid formats. The V-6 included sport tuned suspension giving it better handling at a small sacrifice in ride quality. The four cylinder is more softly sprung but both are firmer rides than, say, the Camry. Another boon to the Altima as a driver's car is that in coupe form, the manual transmission can be mated to either the four cylinder or the V-6. This is a rarity in this segment as the V-6 option usually demands an automatic transmission.

Originally destined to replace the G series, the GL is too civilized to replace the aging G series when it comes to off road prowess. The GL joins the ranks of Mercedes produces that are built in the USA. Specifically, the Alabama plant that also produces the M and R classes. The mass produced, unibody for the GL is shared with those other two models, though on the road, the vehicles have a distinctively different feel which keeps the models separate at least for the person behind the wheel.

The Mercury Milan was redesigned in 2010. It is the mechanical twin of the Ford Fusion. The Fusion was rated Car of the year by Motor Trend for 2010 and since the two are identical except for their appearance, the award applies to most of what makes up the Milan as well. The main difference between the two is the Milan's more upscale appearance and more standard features. You won't be likely to see a clone of your car at many stoplights due to the small production run for the current Milan's. This is further ensured by the fact that the entire Mercury line is not long for the production world.

2010 marks the end of the line for the Grand Marquis. It has served for many years as the symbol of old school American luxury. A large, low RPM V-8 driving the rear wheels, with suspension so soft that it floats over bumps rather than absorbing them. This type of ride has appealed to an older crowd for the full 30 years that platform which powers the Grand Marquis, and its sister cars, the Lincoln Town Car, and Ford Crown Victoria, has been in production. For the last several years, it's styling has remained fairly stagnant, which to its buyers has been a good thing, as they are typically a demographic who doesn't like the idea of new and different technology being added to their vehicles.

A few years ago, the Outlander stepped into one of the most hotly contested of product segments, the small SUV market. Long dominated by the likes of the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, the Outlander remains, despite Mitsubishis attempts to improve upon it, in the back of the pack. It offers the same All Wheel Drive, commanding view of the road, and cargo space that consumer look for, while setting itself apart somewhat due to its unique style. To its credit, the current Outlander solves some of the knocks against it by offering more power and sportier handling though the tradeoff for that sporty handling is ride stiff enough to leave many unhappy. Interior space remains an issue, with cramped second seat and nearly unusable third seat dimensions.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse doesn't have the same competition it used to. In its long production cycle it battled head to head with the likes of the Toyota Celica, Acura RSX, and the Honda Prelude. Those have all gone the way of the dinosaur, with the eclipse left hanging on as the last of the inexpensive, high performance sport coupes. While the current generation's style can be seen as somewhat over the top, it helps them to stand out among other cars on the road. It remains a statement of style on the road to this day. However, it's performance hasn't kept up with the times as well as its looks.