Auto News 5

The Land Rover Discovery has made a very slow journey from its original incarnation in 1989 to today's 2012 model; over 23 years, with one major redesign and two minor ones, it feels like not all that much has changed. And that's for the better. We still have the very cool asymmetrical rear window, the go-anywhere ability, and the seven-seat passenger capability. Sadly, the rearmost seats have yet to change much, and still use an archaic and counter-intuitive operation to raise and lower. Despite the air suspension (added to the third-generation car), the Land Rover still feels very top-heavy and is susceptible to cross winds. What has changed include things like the U.S.-spec nomenclature (now LR4, after LR3 replaced Discovery), the heavily reworked interior that brings the LR4 well upscale with premium hides and soft-touch materials, and a powerful 5.0-liter V-8 engine. That V-8 sounds delicious - but it's the only engine option; combine the awkward third row and V-8-only powertrain and the Land Rover's mid-size offering becomes a hard sell against crossovers like the Audi Q7 and BMW X5 which offer multiple engine options.

Ford took a lot of flack for the 2010 Taurus SHO. A big car with a big engine, the SHO had straight-line speed in spades, but when it came to braking, Ford's full-size car couldn't handle the pressure. Plagued by awkward pedal modulation and serious brake fade, the Super High Output Taurus drove more like a nostalgic marketing exercise than a red-blooded engineering effort. Ford engineers rectified several shortcomings on all Taurus models with a 2013 update, but they're especially eager to win back respect for the SHO. To that end, they're making even loftier claims about the new, optional Performance Package: they say that this 4300-pound family car is track-ready.