Auto News 5

The four-seat premium convertible segment has become stagnant, but that's about to change. BMW fired a new 3-series convertible at its competition for the 2008 model year, and two years later, shots are finally ringing back. The 2010 Audi S5 cabriolet - along with its less sporty A5 brother - will be among the first to join the fight, closely followed by the Infiniti G37, Lexus IS, and Mercedes-Benz E-class droptops.

Toyota's Land Cruiser is truly a global vehicle. In the past fifty-five years, some four million Land Cruisers have been sold in more than 125 countries. Originally a crude but highly utilitarian off-roader patterned after American military jeeps, the Land Cruiser has branched out to encompass a plethora of shapes, styles, and amenities. Toyota's oldest nameplate, the Land Cruiser has been built in the form of a pickup and an SUV, as a softtop and a hardtop, with two doors and four. Today, the Land Cruiser sold in America comes in only one body style and a single trim level, an eight-seat SUV loaded with at least as many luxury features as off-road items. It's exactly the sort of vehicle we love having in our Four Seasons fleet, even if the price of gas conspired against it over the course of the year.

My first thought as I sat behind the wheel of the Toyota Venza and looked around was something along the lines of, "Where did all this cheap plastic come from?" There's a surprising amount of hard plastic within reach of the driver, and yet the top of the dashboard is soft. Perhaps this is an example of Toyota's to maintain profit margins.

Finding it tough to curb your craving for V-8 power and prestige? General Motors knows your pain. To man up the lame Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon for 2009, the General blessed the engine roster with a new 300-hp V-8. The result is a mini muscle truck available in two body styles, each with a sticker price of well below $30,000. Take your pick between an extended cab with rear jump seats accessed via rear-hinged half doors and a six-foot bed, or a real four-door crew cab with a rear bench seat and a five-foot bed.