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The Mazda 2 is simple, understated, and slow. In other words, it is the epitome of a Mazda. This underpowered hatchback reminds me an awful lot of my first car, a Mazda Protege5. It's slightly weak in the powertrain department (98 lb-ft of torque!), but compensating factors are the car's exceptional handling and the engine's unusual willingness to rev. The 2 is a momentum car -- a car that rewards you for driving smoothly and invites you to carry your speed through turns with its utterly predictable handling and respectable body control. The only place where this Mazda doesn't quite feel up to Zoom-Zoom standards is the steering. The 2's tiller would inspire even more confidence with a bit more resistance to quick direction changes. That said, Mazda carries the subcompact class in driving dynamics. The Fiat 500 and Ford Fiesta come closest to offering a similar driving experience, but neither of those cars is as good as the Mazda in steering or shift feel.

918 Spyder: The New King Of The Hill

The new F30-chassis 328i is the first U.S.-market 3-series to be sold with a four-cylinder engine in fourteen years. In that time, the in-line six-cylinder engine and the 3-series have become nearly inseparable, and many of us here at Automobile Magazine wondered if the iconic 3er would lose the magic with its new engine.

How much stuff will fit into our Four Seasons Audi A7? Tim Jennings, husband of editor-in-chief Jean, tested that by filling the A7's hatch to the brim on a recent trip to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida. The Audi's cargo included several pieces of luggage, a set of golf clubs, a golf umbrella, four hats, and one Keurig coffee maker won at a silent auction.

Where I live, the prices at the gas station all start with the number 4, and the alarmist local TV station is speculating that gasoline could reach $5 a gallon by this summer. All of that means demand for small cars should remain strong; but some small cars are likely to benefit more than others, as I expect that buyers will increasingly scrutinize EPA numbers, and those small cars that can post big digits will be the biggest winners.

Buick has a surprisingly efficient and smooth-driving machine in the LaCrosse eAssist. The LaCrosse's large size doesn't do much to change the perception that Buick is for older customers, but there's a reasonably up-to-date infotainment system inside, and the exterior styling is far more radical than Buicks of a few years ago.

The Maxima is a storied nameplate, at least at Nissan. It's actually older than the Nissan name in the United States, as it dates back to the Datsun days. For a long time, the Maxima enjoyed a reputation as a fast, comfortable, sporting machine, back when most Japanese sedans were depressing econo-boxes. Years ago, it was advertised as "the four-door sports car." Recently, Nissan has resurrected that claim. But is that still the case?

Fuel economy is typically a sore subject when it comes to pickup trucks. These beasts of burden have typically been sold based on their towing or payload capacities, with fuel economy hardly entering the discussion. Now that fuel is back in the $4 per gallon range, you can bet truck ads will be prominently displaying fuel economy figures. And Chrysler promises to have the best fuel economy in this segment with the 2013 Ram 1500.