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The XL7 is a perfectly adequate crossover in the same way an Equator is a perfectly adequate truck. The XL7 isn't a very luxurious vehicle, but it does everything most families will need and the price can be quite reasonable.

At first glance, I thought that our red test car priced out at $29,520, and I said to myself, "Yeah, that's about right for this V-8 pony car." But then I looked farther down the spec sheet and realized that the as-tested price is actually $36,210! And I immediately thought of the all-new, 2009 Nissan 370Z, a much more modern car that is similarly priced (starts at $30K, easily rises to mid- or high 30s with options). I realize that, to Mustang fans, comparing these two cars is an apples-to-oranges affair. But let's face it: they're both rear-wheel-drive, two-door sports cars that are accessible to the common man, so they're worth considering side by side. And for my $30,000 - or $36,000 - I'd take the tight and taut Nissan over the live-axle, old-tech Mustang any day. However, the new Mustang just debuted at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. Once I drive it, perhaps I'll change my mind.

While Hawaii has long welcomed eco-tourists to its shores, the state's motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono," can now assume new meaning. The phrase translated means, "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness." Since so many environmental leaders view their role in this world as righteous, they should be applauding the state's recent move to allow a private company to begin installing an infrastructure to support EV-motoring. The state expects to have multiple battery charging and battery exchange stations in operation by 2012.

We hadn't much hope for Buick's reinvention, seeing as most concept cars from the stodgy division were either pie-in-the-sky convertibles or coupes with gullwing doors. That changed last year, when the General unveiled a concept at the 2008 Shanghai auto show. Called Invicta, it was a mid-size sedan that was both clean and contemporary - adjectives not used on a Buick since the 1995 Riviera. Better yet? We were told it was close to production.

Those of you who read our magazine religiously might recall the time columnist Ezra Dyer raced - and beat - a FedEx truck from New York City to Miami. In a Bentley Continental GTC. It was, he concluded, "a car that fell out of the awesome tree and hit every branch on the way down." It appears the awesome tree has since grown a few more branches: meet the Bentley Continental GTC Speed.

Roughly one in five Lexus RX crossover SUVs sold is a hybrid, and with the debut of the third-generation RX - the second-generation RX hybrid - company officials expect that percentage to remain about the same. Overall, the new RX represents a careful evolution of what is, after all, the brand's most popular model, and the hybrid model commendably moves a bit more in the direction of fuel efficiency.

I remember all the Charger purists who, back in 2005, argued that the new Charger wasn't a proper "muscle car." In their defense, they hadn't seen one with a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 underhood, and I do believe the Charger is at its hairiest (and, arguably, its best) when decked out in full SRT8 trim. Adding another 57 hp transforms the sedan into a veritable hammer of the gods. Sadly, those gods-apparently miffed that something was missing from their toolbox-sent me plenty of snow and ice to drive in.

In 1984, when gasoline was suddenly cheap again following the 1970s fuel crises, Pontiac's slogan was, "We Build Excitement."

Wow, the base MSRP for a front-wheel-drive CC 2.0T is $2000 LESS than a similarly equipped Passat? It seems that the Passat range has been reduced only to front-wheel-drive models equipped with the 2.0T turbocharged four-cylinder engine; all-wheel-drive 4Motion and VR6 models have been nixed, yet reappear in the CC range.

Land Rover is a funny brand. Its flagship Range Rover doesn't sell in astounding numbers, but the company surely rakes in a healthy profit each time a Master of the Manor purchases one, and its customers are incredibly loyal. The LR3 is a very nice SUV, and the Range Rover Sport might be the coolest-looking sporty SUV around.

Enthusiasts across the land depressed by the ever increasing curb weight and dimensions of new vehicles can breathe easy today. The 2010 Cadillac SRX is actually a little smaller than the car it replaces, and it boasts some impressive new technology under the hood.

Volkswagen is continuing its diesel story in the United States with the 2009 Volkswagen Touareg TDI. VW sold its first diesel vehicle in the U.S. way back in 1997 and introduced the turbo-diesel engine to the States in 1992. The latest chapter in this story is the 2009 Touareg with the 3.0-liter V-6, which will be available in the spring of 2009.

This Aveo is an interesting vehicle. Unfortunately, the XFE Cobalt starts at $16,330 (plus destination) and returns better fuel economy on the highway (25 city/37 highway and a combined 30 mpg) and gives you a little more power. Since I drive mostly highway miles, I'd much rather fork over the extra cash and get a Cobalt.

Back in the summer of 2003, after polarizing Japan for three years as the Toyota bB, the defiantly quadrilateral Scion xB polarized America. Those who got it, loved it; those who didn't, definitely didn't. Like it or not, though, the xB birthed a new brand and stoked its youthful target demographic. Fast-forward almost six years, and we prepare to welcome to America the 2010 Kia Soul, a kimchi-flavored take on the xB and, without question, the wackiest thing to come out of Korea since M*A*S*H. It's similar to the xB in size, specification, and price, and it's identical in aim. Can it cause a similar commotion?

This diesel R-class makes a lot of sense, but the EPA numbers seem very low. I had to go to fueleconomy.gov to verify that they were correct. I easily saw 30+ mpg indicated on my commute home and an average of 24 mpg after a lot of spirited driving and running around town. The new EPA ratings seem to be giving diesel vehicles the short end of the stick.

I *heart* this thing! Yeah, it's huge and heavy, but it sounds great, looks great, and goes like stink. The steering is inexcusably numb and slow. The clutch will break your left knee, and it transmits driveline vibes to the pedal - audibly - through the throw-out-bearing. I've never heard a clutch pedal sing before. The shifter is way too high-effort but is bolt-action precise and fits the personality of the car. Engine management and ESP are tuned so well around the car's numbness that you don't even know when you're sliding. I love the pillowy ride but surprisingly not-awful body control. I hate the nav interface and the turn signal indicators in the corners of the cluster. The brakes feel okay, but started smelling a little before I expected them to. The ratios are so close together that you find yourself shifting constantly; the soundtrack is unreal. If only all transmissions were geared like this. What a fun, fun, hot car. It drives as fun as it looks, and that's pretty damn impressive.

Ready or not, electric cars are coming. Mini is the latest brand to join the kilowatt club with a clever conversion called - minus Verne Troyer's blessing - the Mini E.

Gee, I remember when the Nissan Pathfinder was, like, a super-desirable, chic import SUV. Now it's just one competent SUV in a huge class of them.

Right car, wrong timing? At a glance, it would seem that way. The new Audi S4 arrives in the midst of a global economic slump. It was unveiled in October at the Paris show, where hybrids and electric vehicles stole the limelight, and it unashamedly advertises the motto Vorsprung durch Technik (Advancement through Technology) when everybody is talking low emissions and high mileage. Look closer, though, and the new S4 emerges as a surprisingly sensible proposition. It is expected to cost about the same as the car it replaces and it bristles with torque, yet it should deliver about 24 mpg overall (EPA figures haven't yet been released). At the same time, it's a tour de force that employs trick steering, chassis, and driveline setups to beam you from point A to point B quicker than some of its rivals.

It costs $100,000 more than a regular SL65 AMG, so buyers of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series had better get a little somethin' for their money. And they do-with carbon-fiber body panels, a fixed roof, and styling that makes the Black Series look as though it's an escapee from a DTM race.