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In late 1990, the Ford Explorer made its debut, effectively defining the sport-utility vehicle segment that it would reign over for the decade that followed. Based on the Ford Ranger pickup, its mechanicals didn't exactly set the world on fire, but the concept of a versatile, off-road-ready family hauler did.

If you often find yourself switching aimlessly among the hundreds of radio stations beamed to your car by AM, FM, and satellite radio, get ready for even more choices. Lots more.

As cool as the Raptor was when it debuted last year, there wasn't a whole lot to appreciate under the hood. Massive suspension modifications were enough to make the Raptor a hit among the niche set of off-roaders that wants to go fast in the sand but doesn't really want to build their own trucks. If you've never experienced a lifted truck with a properly dialed-in suspension, the Raptor is probably the most amazing truck in the world. But it came with a boat anchor for an engine.

Hyundai's corporate work ethic and frugality have resulted in a strong emphasis on developing and manufacturing key components in-house. By avoiding the hybrid technology used in the Sonata Hybrid's chief competitors-the Ford Fusion, the Nissan Altima, and the Toyota Camry-the company has smartly dodged the licensing fees of patented technology and tapped existing hardware for its first gasoline/electric car.

Photographer Michael Alan Ross has been a car guy -- or maybe that's car kid -- since age four, and he has been shooting cars since he was nine. More recently, Ross met the owner of a 1932 Ford roadster with a land speed record at Bonneville, and their conversation led Ross to make his first of three trips to the salt for the annual Speed Week. "It was like stepping onto the face of the moon," he says of his first experience at the Salt Flats. "To stand in the middle of 46 square miles of salt is a pretty amazing experience."