Auto News 5

I don't mind the styling of the Lincoln MKX and its corporate cousin, the Ford Edge, but the MKX doesn't really look like I expect a Lincoln to look. Instead, I see it simply as an Edge in fancy eveningwear. I think part of the problem is that, when the MXK was created, Lincoln's renaissance was just in its infancy. And even though there have been lots of new products, the brand has lacked a coherent design language until, arguably, this year. Styling cues are now shared across the MKS sedan, the MKZ sedan, the upcoming MKT seven-seat crossover, and even the C concept from this year's Detroit auto show, but the MKX is the odd man out.

Chevy's Colorado and GMC's Canyon are the Rodney Dangerfields of the mid-size pickup category. During their first five years of existence, they earned all the respect they deserved: nada.

When you sell as many variations of a vehicle as Ford does with the F-150, there are bound to be a couple of stinkers in the mix. This extended-cab truck with a 6.5-foot bed just isn't the best example of the 2009 F-150. I've probably driven seven different 2009 F-150s, and all of them felt better to me than this one does. Most of the other trucks were crew-cab models, so it's possible a lot of my complaints are due to the lack of a B-pillar in the cab. Overall, the truck just felt a little floppy, and there was far too much dive under braking. And the 5.4-liter V-8 is nothing to write home about.

Our test BMW 328i sedan was equipped with performance rubber, which made it pretty much worthless in the snow. We ran our Four Seasons BMW 330i sedan with Dunlop Winter Sport M3 winter tires and the car performed flawlessly in the white stuff.

Attention, Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini LP560-4, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG: Here comes your nemesis.

Attention, Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini LP560-4, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG: Here comes your nemesis.

After driving the BMW 335d the other day, I noted that if I hadn't known better, I would have thought I was sitting behind an ordinary gasoline engine. Listening to the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, it's hard to discern whether there's any engine. Even when I lead-footed the car around the David Zenlea Winter Proving Ground - aka: the snow-covered parking lot near my apartment - I could scarcely hear anything other than the subdued hum of the HVAC.

Miles to Date: 27,669
Months in Fleet: seven

I got into the Infiniti G37S sedan expecting the vague, unnatural clutch-to-throttle relationship we'd complained about in our Four Seasons G37S coupe, but I was shocked to find no such issue. Clutch take-up felt much lower and had a much clearer engagement point than I remember from the coupe. Did Infiniti address the issue for the 2009 model year? (A brand spokesperson says no.) Was our coupe a "Monday car"? Has my recollection of that car simply been exaggerated by hearing so many other staff members whine about it? I suspect the answer is a combination of all these factors, but I nevertheless came away liking the G37 more than I remembered.

Just what is in a name? When it comes to the Lexus IS-F, it depends on who you talk to. Some say the letter F comes from the original prototype for the Lexus LS400. When the first model for the Toyota luxury brand was being developed, the project was call F1 or circle F. Because the LS400 wasnt sold in all markets, the more official story on the nature of the IS-F nomenclature is that the hot Lexus was developed at Fuji Speedway, hence the name with the letter F. Either way, Lexus finally builds a proper sports sedan and we've got our hands on a nice blue one for a whole year.

With the exception of the Volkswagen Routan, it seems I've driven virtually all the various styles of minivans Chrysler builds. That said, I think I liked this SXT the best - no, it's not as ornately equipped as our last SXT or our Four Seasons Town & Country, but I still found plenty to like.

Symptoms of a split personality usually call for a visit to the shrink. But at Porsche, vacillating between mid-engine and rear-engine convictions has proven healthy for the soul.

Maybe it's time for somebody to fire up the old Detroit Electric automobile company. That entity was the last major producer of electric-powered vehicles from Detroit, and its last car was delivered in 1939. With all the electric-car news from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, maybe it's time for somebody to pull a Phoenix move and get the company started again.

It's a like pumping 91 octane fuel into your muscle car that gets 14 mpg and exhales through pipes without catalysts ... that's the feeling your author gets as he ejects another set of AA batteries from his camera or other digital device. Even when I toss them into the recycling bin, I feel guilty for somehow contributing to the ill health of Mother Earth.

At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, GM's Mr. Rick Wagoner took center stage with a near-production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt (and the Volt's battery array, to Rick's right). The Chairman announced the following:

Though we rarely meet a Porsche we don't like, the 911 GT3 - a hardcore, track-tuned version of the legendary sports car - has always occupied a soft spot in our hearts. That likely won't change, as the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 has grown in all the right places.

The recently face-lifted M-class has enough sparkle and presence, what with its redesigned front bumper, flashy new headlamps, and shiny nineteen-inch wheels, to satisfy all who yearn for the three-pointed star. This ML320 BlueTec replaces the previous ML320 CDI and is powered by Mercedes-Benz's all-new, so-called "clean" diesel, the first modern diesel engine from Mercedes that is approved for sale in all fifty states, including super-picky California, because it uses an AdBlue exhaust injection liquid that reduces NOx by some 80 percent. That is quite an achievement.