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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.

With the Viper's uncertain future -- not to mention sales figures that are well below what we saw in its prime -- one might not expect Dodge to roll out anything new wearing the snake badge. But it turns out that where there's a will (or parts), there's a way (or bored engineers). Enter the 2010 Dodge Viper ACR-X, a factory turn-key race car that will compete in the upcoming Dodge Viper Cup spec-racing series.

In 1986, Hyundai entered the American marketplace with the subcompact, $4995 Excel, which was based on a Mitsubishi Mirage and was so far below the radar that it was deemed unworthy of mention by a fledgling Automobile Magazine. It wasn't until 1995 that the company sold a U.S.-market car - the new Accent - that was all-Hyundai and didn't have a Mitsubishi engine or underpinnings.

The Venza is a clear case of a good design that has been ravaged by cost cutters. Toyota nailed the basics: the Venza drives like a mid-size sedan (albeit a boring one) and offers as much utility as larger crossovers. It even would even be attractive save for its overly fussy front fascia. What kills the Venza is its inexcusably cheap interior. The cheap, mismatched graining of the plastics and the impreciseness of the panel fits on the dash is just the sort of work we used to slam in Fords and Chevrolets.

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.

As a child of the minivan era, I've always respected these vehicles for their excellent versatility. To wit, I used the Sienna to pick up a new dining table and six chairs, still boxed, and the Toyota swallowed all contents fairly easily and without having to fold the middle-row seats (which can't fold down into the floor anyway). Once I unloaded the furniture, I marveled at how far the middle seats can slide back and forth. Minivans are ideal for families with children, but if four dads wanted to get away for a long road trip, the Sienna would excel in that application, too. The guys in the middle row can slide their seats all the way back for truly limousine-like legroom, still leaving plenty o room in the way back for luggage. Even better, the middle captain's chairs have La-Z-Boy-style footrests, so the guys in back (especially if they're five-foot-six or shorter) can get some solid business-class-style sleep while the other pair drives and navigates. The Sienna's occupants might not feel very cool, but they'd certainly be comfortable.

At long last
The new Saab 9-5 might not be the most-anticipated new car this year, but it is perhaps the longest anticipated. It replaces a model that had lingered for thirteen years, a glaring testament to Saab parent company General Motors' fecklessness with regards to its Swedish ward. "Saab was at the bottom of the food chain at GM," says the brand's new CEO, Victor Muller, he of tiny exotic carmaker Spyker, which pulled off an eleventh-hour purchase/rescue of Saab in February.

Nissan's 3.5-liter V-6 and the continuously variable transmission work well here. Hammer it from a standstill and the initial acceleration won't blow you away, but the Murano builds speed smoothly, and it's kinda cool to watch the tachometer needle move toward 6000 rpm without a single hiccup, by which point you're going 80 mph. Nissan has its CVT technology pretty well figured out.

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.

For 2011, Audi will jettison its V-6 and V-8 engine in the Q7, and replace them both with its supercharged 3.0T V-6, in 272-hp and 333-hp strengths. Although this strategy might leave you scratching your head, the idea is to simplify the powertrain lineup while still preserving the idea of a base engine and a more powerful step-up offering. (The TDI V-6, by the way, will remain.)