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I have long loved Range Rovers-for three decades, to be exact. Range Rovers have taken me over some of the world's harshest terrain: Along the Continental Divide. Down the three-point cliff-crumbling turns of Black Bear Pass above Telluride, Colorado. Through the Belizean rain forest and the stark Little Karoo desert of South Africa. I trained with the American team and several European teams for the grueling Camel Trophy, the year it passed through Madagascar. The Range Rover is unquestionably the toughest off-road companion I have ever known.

Nearly a year after its debut in Europe, the new Audi S4 has finally come to North America, and more so than ever, this new S4 should be cause for trepidation at BMW. That's because this generation of the S4 is more changed than ever before: Its reconfigured powertrain moves the engine rearward for better chassis balance. The all-wheel-drive system now sends a majority of the thrust to the rear wheels and also can actively apportion torque across the rear axle. The new, supercharged V-6 is lighter and more economical than the previous V-8. Oh, and it's had an almost three-grand price cut (plus shed its gas-guzzler tax).inline_mediumwraptextright25692629/features/great_drives/0912_2009_bmw_335i_vs_2010_audi_s40912_01_z+2009_bMW_335i+2010_audi_s4.jpgTrue