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I took the Kia Soul for a 10-mile blast around Ann Arbor. First things first, the car looks great. It's obvious that Kia is trying to imitate Scion with the Soul's styling, but who cares? It's cool. Our test car's red interior is a bit much, but it works. It's great to see a Korean company having some fun with its designs.

We can thank advertising for our belief that crankcase oil loses its efficacy after only 3,000 miles. Sure, if you driving style is purely short trips (so the engine never warms) in harsh climates (extreme heat/cold plus dust), and you rev the wee out of your motor from the moment you key the ignition, you may need to change your oil every 3,000 miles.

The familiar sedan you see here is the most fuel-efficient BMW sold in the United States since the 13-hp Isetta of the late 1950s. And before you look at the specs, where you might expect to see some yawn-inducing straight-line performance numbers, we should point out that the 335d will whup the first- and second-generation M3s in a stoplight drag race. In fact, the 335d nearly keeps up with the muscle-car 335i, a twin-turbo bully of a 3-series that gives the current M3-V-8 and all-a run for its money.

I drove 270 miles in the TL. Trip computer indicated 25.5 mpg. I was using the cruise control most of the time, with speeds between 70-75 mph.

It was a bit odd driving the 2009 Ford Fusion on the day that the 2010 Fusion was (partially) revealed at a preview event. We now know that Ford debuted a car without any huge changes at the L.A. auto show in November. And that's all right; there isn't much about this Fusion that needs to be changed.

I first drove the newest Mercedes-Benz C-class in Europe in the summer of 2007. I was impressed. The steering was a big step up from the old car's yet the baby Benz still felt like a proper Benz. My impressions of the car in the USA later in 2007 weren't as good. I found the ride quality a bit harsh on U.S. roads, the interior plastics not up to spec, and the steering not as linear as the model I tested in Europe. This latest C-class test car reminded me that the small Mercedes is indeed a very nice car. Sure, I prefer the way the newest BMW 3-series drives when pushed, but this latest C-class runs the BMW much closer than ever before. I'd still like to see nicer dash materials, and the seven-speed automatic transmission is sluggish, but if you want a Mercedes but don't want to spend big money, the C-class delivers.

There may be no better way to pay tribute to the end of the modern SLR - as well as its racing forbears - than with the new 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss.

I've always been a huge fan of the Lotus 7 replicas, and it's great to finally have one of the best examples in the office. Caterhams have a huge cult following and a blast in this R400 shows why. Once you squeeze into the tight seat and try to fit your shoes into the pedal box (racing shoes are your only option), the car is actually quite comfortable. The ultra-light weight helps give the R400 amazing ride quality even over rough Michigan roads. The clutch is very aggressive and the engine likes revs when you are pulling away from a dead stop. The combination of a very high power-to-weight ratio and short gearing gives the R400 incredible acceleration. Caterham quotes a 0-to-60-mph time of 3.8 seconds and that doesn't seem overly optimistic. The unboosted brakes work well, but you have to be careful trying to fit your feet on both the clutch and the brake pedal at the same time. The steering is quick and accurate but not nervous.

Is this the next Subaru Legacy? According to corporate sources, the Subaru Legacy Concept - which will debut at the 2009 Detroit auto show in January - is our first look at the Legacy's next design direction.

A 187-horsepower four-cylinder lugging around a two-ton SUV? Why not? The four-cylinder Highlander may not be overly powerful, but it was perfectly adequate for my daily commute. That the Highlander is even available with a four-cylinder is news, as last year it came only as a V-6 (or with a hybrid powertrain). Obviously, the four-cylinder option is a reaction to the wildly fluctuating gasoline prices that we saw in 2008, and the fact that it will get an estimated 27 mpg on the highway doesn't hurt. However, buyers will have to sacrifice 4WD if they opt for the four-cylinder, because it's available only with front-wheel drive.

The biggest news about the 2010 Ford Fusion-a more thorough than usual mid-cycle refresh of a car introduced in 2006-is the addition of a full hybrid version. The Fusion Hybrid uses an evolution of the powertrain in the Escape Hybrid, and it promises to be the most fuel-efficient mid-size hybrid sedan, besting the hybrid versions of the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry, while falling short of smaller fuel-sippers like the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius.

The biggest news about the 2010 Ford Fusion-a more thorough than usual mid-cycle refresh of a car introduced in 2006-is the addition of a full hybrid version. The Fusion Hybrid uses an evolution of the powertrain in the Escape Hybrid, and it promises to be the most fuel-efficient mid-size hybrid sedan, besting the hybrid versions of the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry, while falling short of smaller fuel-sippers like the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius.

Well, this is certainly a diesel car that most Americans could love. It has lots of torque, of course, but also more revs than you'd expect. My biggest impression of the powertrain is the linearity of the power delivery and the elasticity of the throttle - the accelerator pedal has a lot of tension in it, which is good.

Fewer automakers will display their wares at the 2009 North American Auto Show in Detroit, but Mercedes-Benz still plans on attending - and it's bringing three concepts, to boot. The Mercedes-Benz BlueZero concepts, which will make their world debut at the Detroit show, give a sneak peak at an upcoming production vehicle.

Car design has been driven by exterior design. That's all designers wanted to do," says GM's Chris Webb, who is responsible for exterior colors for all GM vehicles. "But the average person isn't a gearhead. They're consumers of a product, and they spend more time in than looking at it. At last our industry has said, 'Ah, we get your point now.' Fashion designers, furniture designers, all sorts of people are being hired to help reinvigorate car interiors.

Now that this past summer's oil-price shock has awakened a new desire in Americans to find a cheaper way to fill up, we should finally see a larger-scale movement toward a fuel that's not only less expensive than gasoline but is also cleaner burning and sourced largely from within North America: compressed natural gas (or CNG). Yes, good old natural gas - the same stuff that provides heat to 52 percent of American homes - also works as a fuel for cars, and the good news is that the technology to make it happen already exists.

Just a beautiful, composed, powerful, lush car - the proverbial velvet fist. Power delivery is immediate as are the brakes, which are very nicely modulated.