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On the shrinking list of sport-utes with true off-road chops, the Grand Vitara is at or near the top. It does pretty well on-road too, with decent handling and excellent visibility. It also has a relatively low step-in height for a vehicle that can tackle pretty much anything you throw at it and an acceptable 3000-pound tow rating. It certainly lacks the on-road refinement of road-biased crossovers and comes up short in terms of interior quality and design when compared to those same vehicles, but when looked at next to the Jeep Wrangler and Patriot it stacks up well, with a roomier front seat and less bouncy ride than the Patriot and a much lower price of entry than the Wrangler.

The decision to purchase a minivan is a pragmatic one. Drive a minivan and you admit to the world that you have children and a Costco membership, and that you want one vehicle that can transport your offspring and multi-packs of toilet paper.

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.