Auto News 5

Our Four Seasons Audi A7 has been in motion almost every day since it arrived here two months ago, and already has traveled to three corners of the country. A big chunk of this month's miles were put on by journalist David Brancaccio, who drove from New Jersey to California on assignment for American Public Media's Marketplace. His mission was to drive across the country without interacting with another human, in a bid to see whether robots and computers really have taken jobs from average Americans.

If there was ever a time to truly test the M35h's ability to sip fuel and run on electricity alone, this night certainly wasn't it. Temperatures plummeted, gale-force winds (30-40 mph) rocked southern Michigan, and for reasons completely unrelated to weather, my wife and I were running late for a hockey game located 53 miles away by freeway. Instead, this scenario allowed me to experience the other facet of the M35h's personality: power. This car moves at a fairly good clip when the drive selector is placed on "normal," but it's surprisingly potent once moved to "sport." That may not be too surprising when you view the net horsepower figure (360 hp), but you can't help be a bit startled when the car quickly jumps off the line. In this mode, the M35h feels more like the muscular M56 than a fuel-stingy, tree-hugging hybrid. Trying to keep the car in EV mode, even in "Eco" mode, can grow a bit tiring - no matter how finessed your right foot may be, any attempt to slowly increase your speed usually results in the reawakening of the V-6. I love this latest iteration of M; the curvaceous exterior, incredibly posh interior, and refined road manners are addicting, regardless of the powertrain selected. The hybrid certainly is an interesting choice: while more expensive than a six-cylinder M37 ($53,700 vs $47,700), it is considerably more powerful, and both less expensive and more fuel-efficient than the eight-cylinder M56. Apart from 60 horsepower and the availability of all-wheel-drive, you don't lose much by choosing the M35h over the M56.

This year, Automobile Magazine choose the Honda Odyssey as one of its ten All-Stars, the only minivan to make the list. It's not hard to see why the Odyssey would be so honored, but it's actually my least favorite minivan to drive.