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Wow, this clutch is vastly superior to our departed Four Seasons Jetta TDI's. There's good feel, although I could do without the pulsating sensation that comes through the pedal all the time, and it's easy to take off smoothly, which was never the case with our Jetta.

Wow, this clutch is vastly superior to our departed Four Seasons Jetta TDI's. There's good feel, although I could do without the pulsating sensation that comes through the pedal all the time, and it's easy to take off smoothly, which was never the case with our Jetta.inline_mediumwraptextright0029164864/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_golf_tdi1005_06+2010_volkswagen_golf_tDI+side_view.jpgtrue

Audi’s TT has always been a great looking car with peppy engines and respectable driving characteristics, but we’ve never quite put it on the same page as the coupes and roadsters from BMW and Porsche. To improve the TT’s street cred, Audi brought the 265-hp TTS to market. We like the car’s power, but still balked at the price. A few weeks ago we stole a bit of time behind the wheel of a TT RS, which is all but approved for U.S. sales, and walked away very, very impressed.

Audi’s TT has always been a great looking car with peppy engines and respectable driving characteristics, but we’ve never quite put it on the same page as the coupes and roadsters from BMW and Porsche. To improve the TT’s street cred, Audi brought the 265-hp TTS to market. We like the car’s power, but still balked at the price. A few weeks ago we stole a bit of time behind the wheel of a TT RS, which is all but approved for U.S. sales, and walked away very, very impressed.

The most outstanding feature of the Altima is its powertrain, as the continuously variable transmission smoothly transmits the substantial 270 hp produced by the V-6 engine to the pavement. The exterior styling is nice but doesn't stand out in any meaningful way, and much the same can be said of the interior. In a category that is still dominated by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord powerhouses, and with the recently redesigned Ford Fusion and Subaru Legacy also making a place for themselves, the Altima seems to have become somewhat lost in the shuffle.inline_mediumwraptextright0027719156/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_nissan_altima_3_5_sr1005_02+2010_nissan_altima_3_5_sR+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

The most outstanding feature of the Altima is its powertrain, as the continuously variable transmission smoothly transmits the substantial 270 hp produced by the V-6 engine to the pavement. The exterior styling is nice but doesn't stand out in any meaningful way, and much the same can be said of the interior. In a category that is still dominated by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord powerhouses, and with the recently redesigned Ford Fusion and Subaru Legacy also making a place for themselves, the Altima seems to have become somewhat lost in the shuffle.

That’s a typical sequence of mind-sets one is likely to go through when approaching two no-holds-barred supercars like the wild Porsche 911 GT3 RS and its equally exciting new soulmate, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. Even Walter Röhrl, the lanky superstar who can beat God around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, freely admits that the sharpest street-legal scalpels still stir his stomach whenever he approaches them, ignition key in hand.inline_mediumwraptextright0029132311/reviews/driven/1006_lamborghini_gallardo_superleggera_porsche_911_gt3_rs1006_17+2011_lamborghini_gallardo_lP570-4_superleggera+2010_porsche_911_gT3_RS.jpgtrue

I sometimes pick up my buddy Jim at his house on Monday evenings and drive him to a core-training class we've been taking. One time recently, I picked him up in a Jeep Compass. As the owner of a first-generation Volkswagen R32 and an Audi A4 Avant, he was not impressed. So you can imagine his delight when I pulled to his curb in this topaz brown metallic Porsche Panamera. He leaped into the front passenger's seat and said, "Now THIS is more like it!"inline_mediumwraptextright0029137789/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_porsche_panamera_s1005_11+2010_porsche_panamera_s+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

That’s a typical sequence of mind-sets one is likely to go through when approaching two no-holds-barred supercars like the wild Porsche 911 GT3 RS and its equally exciting new soulmate, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. Even Walter Röhrl, the lanky superstar who can beat God around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, freely admits that the sharpest street-legal scalpels still stir his stomach whenever he approaches them, ignition key in hand.

I sometimes pick up my buddy Jim at his house on Monday evenings and drive him to a core-training class we've been taking. One time recently, I picked him up in a Jeep Compass. As the owner of a first-generation Volkswagen R32 and an Audi A4 Avant, he was not impressed. So you can imagine his delight when I pulled to his curb in this topaz brown metallic Porsche Panamera. He leaped into the front passenger's seat and said, "Now THIS is more like it!"

It was 12:45 a.m. and I was bounding down a very dark two-lane country road. Traffic cleared and I hit the high beams. Whoa! These are really, really good: bright as day, very good reach, very strong, uniform beam. A few days later, I drove a Porsche on the same stretch of road, also at night. I didn't find its headlights to be any better than the Impreza's. Very impressive.inline_mediumwraptextright0029053768/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_subaru_impreza_25i_premium1005_06+2010_subaru_impreza_2_5i_premium+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue