Auto News 5

Pop the rear hatch on the Honda CR-V and you're in for a surprise: the load floor is very, very low. I went to throw some groceries in the back of the car last night and stood in the store parking lot for a minute, wondering exactly how it's possible to have such a low load floor, a fully-independent rear suspension, and all-wheel drive.

Our 2012 Automobile of the Year -- the swift, elegant, and luxurious Audi A7 -- has the perfect engine for the times. The supercharged V-6 gracefully merges performance and efficiency, with its 5.0-second 0-60 mph time and 28-mpg highway fuel economy. Yet a luxury sedan of this caliber also makes a natural host for a V-8, a fact that we acknowledged in our story when we wrote, "A dealer friend of ours tells us that some customers are skeptical of the A7 because it doesn't have a V-8. They shouldn't be. The muscular six makes this sleek Audi as fast as it appears."

There's almost no reason to review this car. Volkswagen fanboys probably bought every Golf R within a few days of the announcement that it was coming to the States. Car guys who don't like VW products will complain that the Golf R is way too heavy and expensive. Both groups made up their minds as soon as the specifications were announced, and it's unlikely driving impressions will convert the nonbelievers.

If there's a water cooler at your place of business, the people who gather around it are probably talking about the price of gasoline. We don't blame them. The average price of a gallon of regular gas sold on February 5th was $3.43 but came in at $3.92 two months later. In many areas, it's now over $4 a gallon.