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Who knew there would be hell to pay for perpetually setting the bar high? Honda, certainly didn't, but discovered otherwise when it came time to launch the ninth-generation Civic. Although still an adequate automobile to many, it lacked the same spark and innovation we'd come to expect from previous Civics. Worse, with competitors finally upping their efforts in the C-segment, the Civic no longer seemed to stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

The pace of automotive improvement accelerates each year. Your average V-6 Chevrolet Impala puts down numbers that would've qualified it as a supercar thirty years ago, and we expect our cars to last 200,000 miles without much more than oil changes. You can buy a Ford Mustang with 662 hp, and Toyota Priuses effortlessly get 50 mpg. Rolls-Royce even has technology to keep its hood ornaments from being touched by poor people. I mean, let's just close the patent office and call it a century, right?

Welcoming a new car to our Four Seasons fleet is one of the most enjoyable things we do here at Automobile Magazine. Family sedans such as our new Nissan Altima aren't the most exciting vehicles we test, but they still offer us -- and consumers -- superb everyday usability. We broke in our new Nissan very quickly.

The crossover coupe is becoming the automotive equivalent to a tattoo -- a popular way to prove your nonconformity. The Range Rover Evoque redefined what a Land Rover could be; the ZDX tried to accomplish the same thing for Acura. For Mini, which broke from its quirky compact car roots last year with the Countryman crossover, the swoopier, two-door version, called the Paceman, demonstrates a continued commitment to weirdness. But does it actually break new ground for Mini or does the arrival of another crossover simply cement the betrayal of the brand's roots? And should anyone want one? Let's go for a drive and find out.