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It can be argued that the tC is Scion's most successful model in every way. Even though we tend to associate Scion with the square-box xB, it's actually the tC that steals the thunder. Not only is it Scion's best seller, accounting for over 40% of the brand's sales, but its buyers are also the youngest in the industry, at an average age of 26. Bringing young buyers into the Toyota fold was, after all, the original goal of Scion.

For 2011, the Shelby GT500 is just plain awesome. Really, it was awesome last year too. But now it's 200 pounds lighter than the 2010 model, thanks mostly to an aluminum engine block, and has 10 more horsepower squeezed out of the blown 5.4-liter V-8. The powerplant now makes an unbelievable 550 hp -- 45 more than a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Who says you can't appease the slushbox-loving American public while still providing some manual control over gearchanges? Those skeptics likely haven't driven a properly tuned dual-clutch gearbox, like the one in this 135i. For 2011, BMW dumped the six-speed automatic option in the 135i, and instead pairs this seven-speed doppelkupplungsgetriebe to the new, single-turbo N55 engine.

You can bet that if one of us had purchased the Acura ZDX for ourselves, it would now wear a custom license plate saying "BANG HEAD," because that's what everyone seems to do getting in and out of our refrigerator-white Acura.

Our Audi Q5 has reached the three-quarter mark in its four-seasons test and it is leaving quite a good impression with our office. A couple of lengthy service visits aside, the Q5 has proven to be the real deal in the compact luxury SUV segment.

Despite the precariousness of the economic recovery, oil tycoons and financiers still have lots of money to spend, and they are getting sick of not spending it. To wit, sales of ultra-luxury goods like Louis Vuitton bags are gaining momentum. It's also fair to assume that these billionaires will need a proper luxury sedan to tote them to and from Congressional hearings. That's why, even as Audi promotes more efficient and proletarian A8s, including a 3.0 diesel V-6 that will make it to the U.S. market, it still intends to import its top dog -- the updated A8L powered by a bigger and more powerful W-12. The twelve-cylinder sedan will arrive on our shores a few months after the November launch of the 4.2-liter V-8-powered short and long wheelbase A8.

Honda's CR-Z is a pretty cool little hybrid. There's a bit of sportiness that comes through the steering wheel and shifter as you putter along in city traffic or other roads that don't require much more than 45 mph to be enjoyable. What amazes me the most about the CR-Z is how little it reminds me of the Fit and the Insight, two Hondas I haven't really enjoyed.