Auto News 5

After a decades-long run that made it one of the world's favorite cars, the Volkswagen Beetle was resurrected as the Golf-based New Beetle in 1998. It was warmly embraced (mostly by U.S. buyers), but not for long. The initial frenzy saw sales shoot past 80,000 units and then swan dive to fewer than 20,000 by 2010. Volkswagen's somewhat surprising move to give its retro machine a second act has resulted in the all-new (but no longer capital n New) Beetle for 2012, which the company would like you to think of as less cute and much sportier but still retro.

80 mph. That's what the speedometer reads as I toss the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 into the second corner of Willow Springs' so-called "big course." It's a long, sweeping right-hander that's punctuated with a late apex that catches many first-timers by surprise. The big brute turns in quickly and hangs on the race line, tossing my thigh against a bolster and slamming my kneecap into a speaker grille on the door panel.