Auto News 5

So it's come to this. A diesel-engine Porsche. If the Cayenne SUV made the purists scream, the new diesel entry will probably make them sick. It surely wouldn't help matters to point out that the diesel version of Cayenne will be the slowest of the bunch, with a 0-to-62 mph time of 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 133 mph.

Ahhhhh, the Cadillac Escalade. While it's helped define post-millennial Cadillac, this bling-mobile stands as a poster child for conspicuous consumption. The Escalade comes by its reputation honestly, because a 2009 edition with the 403-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 sucks petrol at the criminal rate of 12 mpg city, and either 18 or 19 mpg highway, depending on whether you're powering one axle or two. The fact that the SUV attracts attention-hungry rappers and other ne'er-do-wells doesn't help the Escalade's reputation any.

The success of the original Scion xB was, quite frankly, a bit surprising. Looking back to 2004, there wasn't a huge demand for small cars in the U.S., let alone funky, rolling boxes honed for Japanese tastes. To most corporate boards, the idea of bringing such a vehicle to the U.S. would have had all the appeal of a Dioxin sundae.