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The third body style in the all-new E-class lineup, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon, is scheduled to make its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, but Mercedes-Benz has released images of the car ahead of the show.

If you've anxiously awaited the successor to Ferrari's F430, you're in luck. Although the 2010 458 Italia won't be unveiled until the 2009 Frankfurt motor show this September, Ferrari's released a number of details ahead of its launch.

Between the 911 Turbo and 911 GT3 RS, Porsche is bringing plenty of new hardware to the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, but the track rats will likely flock to this: the new 2010 911 GT3 Cup.

2009 BMW 750Li

While the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo receives a number of small visual tweaks first launched on the 2009 911, the biggest news is what lies underneath the (rear) hood. The new 911 Turbo ditches the 3.6-liter mill found in the outgoing car, and moves to a direct-injection, twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six. Porsche says the new engine pumps out 500 hp (20 hp more than before), all while improving both fuel economy and CO2 emissions. If buyers opt for the Sport Chrono package, torque output is increased to 516 lb-ft from the meager 500 lb-ft a base 911 Turbo makes do with. Another reason to order the Sport Chrono package is the dynamic engine mounts that use magnetic fluid to stiffen during hard driving.

These are the first images of the 2010 Ford C-Max -- a mini-minivan that will likely become a big part of Ford's global product portfolio.

Wonder what Maserati's shapely GranTurismo coupe would look like as a convertible? Your puzzlement is over. The Italian automaker released photos of its new GranCabrio model, which will debut at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

It may not have won "Best in Show," but without a doubt, the new 2011 Bentley Mulsanne was one of the most important cars on display at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

If the new 911 GT3 isn't hardcore enough for your tastes, you're in luck. Porsche just revealed some details of the new 2010 911 GT3 RS ahead of its Frankfurt motor show debut, and as always, it's the closest thing to a street-legal 911 racer money can buy.

Images the of new Hyundai ix35--or the Tucson, as it's known here in the U.S .-- have been leaked ahead of the vehicle's slated unveiling at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show later this month.

I sat in the back - the way-way back - of the Flex while someone else drove. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of comfort in the least-spacious area, and though headroom was tight, there was plenty of legroom. Unlike some crossovers that compromise rear-seat window size for style, the Flex gives third-row passengers a good view of the passing scenery. You don't feel like you are in a clunky minivan, although it's clear you're riding in the back of a long-wheelbase vehicle. Kudos to Ford engineers for making the Flex feel a lot more lithe than it is, at least for the passenger.inline_mediumwraptextright24973240/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2010_ford_flex_ecoboost0908_03_z+2010_ford_flex_ecoBoost+profile.jpgTrue

Volvo's C70 coupes have always been the stylish exception to the boxy norm, but as the company's design theme grows ever more curvaceous, so does its two-door model. The new 2010 Volvo C70, which debuts at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, is perhaps the shapeliest Volvo design to reach consumers yet.

Well, this is about as good as it gets. I recently wrote quite a bit about the time I spent in a Porsche 911 C4S, and I'm tempted to repeat it all here. The biggest difference between this Carrera S and the Carrera 4S (other than all-wheel-drive, obviously) is the quaint six-speed manual transmission that routes power to the rear wheels.inline_mediumwraptextright24982843/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2009_porsche_911_carrera_s0908_01_z+2009_porsche_911_carrera_s+profile_view.jpgTrue

It's a well-known fact that the automotive press has run out of superlatives for the BMW 3-series lineup. In the case of the M3, the ultimate 3-series, the praise is typically amplified. Well, not so much for the convertible M3. You see, the automotive press has a penchant for very odd vehicles the general buying public simply doesn't understand, so we tend to eschew the cars "normal" people want. As a member of the press, I'm required to beg BMW for an M3 wagon instead of this goofy M3 convertible. The truth is, neither model makes much sense.inline_mediumwraptextright24968248/reviews/editors_notebook/0908_2009_bmw_m3_convertible0908_01_z+2009_bMW_m3_convertible+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

BMW has already announced two hybrid vehicles that will debut at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, so the fact that its latest concept is also a hybrid shouldn't be terribly surprising. However, we didn't expect the Vision EfficientDynamics concept to be a turbo-diesel hybrid that uses a lithium-polymer battery pack and be capable of a 0-62 mph sprint in a mere 4.8 seconds. If the M division ever decided to build a hybrid the results couldn't be too different from what we see here.

"This car is a spaceship," my son informed me, in the matter-of-fact tone he always uses when presenting knowledge imparted by commercials. I expect that he's somewhat outside the target demographic -- he's nine -- but his awareness is at least an indicator that Lincoln's message is filling the airwaves. And while that message is an obvious overstatement, the tech-laden MKS is undeniably the poster child for a big push underway at Lincoln, and parent company Ford as well. You'd be forgiving for thinking that CEO and recent Seattle transplant Alan Mulally had been plucked from Microsoft rather than Boeing.inline_mediumwraptextright24965581/reviews/driven/0908_2010_lincoln_mks0908_07_z+2010_lincoln_mKS+profile_view.jpgTrue

It used to be so easy: Manuals were for real drivers, automatics were for lame-os. Now we've got dual-clutch gearboxes that drive like automatics (scads), wet-clutch automatics that can tach up from a standing start like a manual (Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG), and manuals where a computer heel-and-toes for you (Nissan 370Z). The debate is less about performance - the Porsche 911 Turbo does 0 to 60 mph quicker with an auto than it does with a manual - and more about control. Sure, automatics execute rev-matched downshifts, and dual-clutch boxes may be faster around a track than manuals, but neither allows the driver complete control. And that's all the manual has left, really.

Hypothetically, it Goes Off-Road, too
It seems unlikely the celebrity couple you see cruising around Hollywood in a Range Rover Sport will ever venture off-road, but customers in the Middle East are quite fond of playing in the desert with Land Rovers, and thus there is a new feature on the terrain response system to facilitate better launches in the sand. The sand mode now includes a launch control feature that allows just enough wheel slip to get the vehicles moving yet prevents it from digging down to bedrock. Sadly we weren't able to find any sand outside of Edinburgh, Scotland to test the system.

Front-wheel-drive layouts worked better twenty years ago, when cars were lighter and engine output was akin to a couple of ponies on quaaludes. Today's obese modern cars require serious, purebred muscle to haul them around, and as a result, quick front-wheel-drive cars suffer from easy-to-provoke wheel spin and steering that's been novocained to mask torque steer. Point a powerful front-wheel-drive car up one of San Francisco's famously steep grades and try--just try--to get moving without squealing the front tires. Now try it in the rain, or--heaven forbid--snow.

The Corvette is steeped in heritage. The car's iconic status is so pervasive in Americana, racing, and automotive culture that the Corvette almost seems to have more history than Chevrolet itself. For 2010, Chevrolet is reaching into the Corvette's rich past to introduce a new trim level under the Grand Sport moniker. The Grand Sport name traces back to 1962 when chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov began developing a Corvette to beat Carroll Shelby's Cobras on the racetrack. That program was halted after just a handful of cars were built, but in 1996, Chevrolet turned out 1000 Grand Sport Corvettes. The limited-edition coupes and convertibles were built to commemorate the end of fourth-generation Corvette production with 330-horsepower V-8 engines, black ZR-1 wheels, and a unique paint scheme.