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Acura's tagline for its new ILX, "move forward, without settling down," speaks to a market of young professionals that wants its first taste of a luxury brand. The entry-level ILX can be had with either a 2.0-liter engine or a hybrid powertrain for under $30,000. Those two should satisfy a majority of buyers, but what about that rare breed of youthful enthusiasts who wear Pilotis with their suits and ties? Acura didn't forget about them and is also offering its handsome ILX with the engine and transmission from a Honda Civic Si. Sounds great, right? We agree, which is why we ordered a 2.4-liter ILX for a Four Seasons test.

The McLaren 12C has a secret: The coupe's roof is little more than an aluminum-and-glass toupee that's been Krazy-glued in place with scant concern for structural rigidity. Put another way, the new 12C Spider is essentially as stiff as the fixed-roof car -- without any additional bracing.

There are first drives and there are preview drives, and this is definitely the latter. The new, seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, which is just now being launched in Europe, won't be arriving in North America until the spring of 2014, likely as a 2015 model. The model year -- like a lot of other things about our version of the new Golf -- hasn't been decided yet, but we got a hint of what is to come with an early drive of the European version.