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BMW launched the 1-series just a few years ago, but the company's smallest current model isn't immune to the engine update that is spreading across the BMW lineup for the 2011 model year. Accordingly, the '11 135i is now offered with the new single-turbocharged "N55" six-cylinder engine, which features BMW's Valvetronic technology and direct fuel injection. Even more notable is the 135i's new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (a.k.a. DCT), the first application of a DCT with the N55 in-line six.

BMW's X3 -- the small SUV that critics love to hate -- has finally earned a comprehensive rethink. Born seven years ago two strides behind the also controversial X5, the original 3-series-based X3 excelled in handling but suffered from a brutal ride, cramped accommodations, austere furnishings, and a dear price. In spite of those shortcomings, the Austrian-built X3 sold well and earned an avid following, in large part because BMW implemented numerous year-by-year course corrections.

The Honda Crosstour's styling appears unconventional today, but, what with vehicles such as the Toyota Venza and the BMW 5-series GT becoming more common on our roads, it looks as if convention might be changing.