Auto News 5

The Subaru WRX is back (at least in concept car form), and it's more aggressive than ever.

The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder is the first of the company's vehicles to adopt a new hybrid system that combines a four-cylinder engine and an electric motor-generator to provide power equivalent to a V-6, with better fuel economy. The Pathfinder Hybrid, which debuts at the New York auto show, will eventually be followed by hybrid versions of the Altima and Murano.

The car you're looking at above is not, in fact, the Kia Track'ster concept from last year's Chicago Auto Show. But it is the 2014 Kia Soul, the five-door production version of the concept that is headed to an urban dweller's parking spot near you.

The Toyota Highlander is all new for 2014 with a more angular look that better matches what competitors are doing.

This Ram is a minivan with two seats and a flat load floor, plain and simple. It's less expensive and comes with more standard equipment than Nissan's NV 1500, but the Nissan has 89.7 more cubic feet of cargo capacity (standard roof models), and it's better suited for more jobs. That said, the Ram did a great job hauling my 1975 Honda CB750 motorcycle. The rear opening is tight, but the big bike squeezed through and stood upright in the cargo hold. The Ram had good tie-down points in the rear but nothing up front to help keep the CB750 in place. Luckily, our tester had a $450 cargo divider that I used to strap down the motorcycle.

Enthusiasts may point to the revival of the NSX as a sign of Acura's revitalization, but the brand's actual sustenance relies on far less exotic sheetmetal. Take, for instance, the MDX midsize crossover. Launched in 2001 and redesigned in 2007, it's long been one of Acura's best-selling nameplates. In fact, in its first year on the market, the MDX was the brand's second best-selling model, and became the best-selling Acura model in 2010 -- a distinction it's held ever since.