Auto News 5

As BMW continues to cut the 3-series pie into thinner and thinner slices, it's becoming difficult to discern the subtle differences among the models. This 335is slots in below the M3, and although its straight six has about 100 fewer horses than the M's V-8, it's more than quick enough to satisfy nearly any speed junkie. Some may argue that, at just under $52,000, the 335is is well worth the money, but to me, the extra power and M3-level hardware upgrades over the base 3-series model -- the superb 328i starts at a far more attainable $37,000 -- can only be appreciated on a closed course. If you don't plan to run your 3-series on the track, the less-expensive 3s will provide just as many smiles while having a more forgiving ride with only minor concessions to handling.

Now that the much-anticipated and much-discussed Chevy Volt is finally out and about in the real world (on sale in seven states currently, and available in all 50 by the end of the year), we can get a better idea of what it's really like to live with. I recently did just that, taking home a Volt for a four-day weekend. Conclusion? The Volt works, but whether it works for you depends on how you interact with it -- and that's more so the case here than with any other car, due to the Volt's two methods of refueling.

It's not that we are offended by it or against it -- it is just not for us." So said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's recently recruited global brand director, referring to the Bertone B99 concept shown at Geneva in March. Big mistake, in my opinion. The B99 looks more like an archetypal Jaguar than do current production Jaguar sedans, and it does so without being retro. The XJ sedan, our Design of the Year, still retains vestiges of Sir William Lyons' double-bump headlamp nacelles from the 1960s, a more overtly retro detail than anything on Bertone's concept, and it suffers from those goofy black C-pillars and cribbed Lancia taillights.