Remember the Nissan NX of the mid-’90s? The tiny, econobox-based sportster was as cute as a bug and spent its brief lifespan mixing it up with other long-gone, sporty front-wheel drive affordables like the Mazda MX-3, Honda Civic CRX, Toyota Paseo and even the Hyundai Scoupe. While there were... 

There was a time when Buick was the brand of choice for doctors, lawyers and politicians. Its cars were elegant enough to show success without being overt signals of wealth, they were the epitome of inconspicuous consumption. But that was a long, long time ago. Buicks of the last 30 years look like... 

If you checked Ford’s bloodstream right now, you’d probably find trace amounts of Ritalin floating along with the 5w-30. The company is an absolute blur of product development – churning out new models (Fiesta), entirely reworking staples (Focus) and honing beloved and established products... 

Chas Murphy, until recently the U.S. product manager for Audi’s TT, R8 and RS sports cars, said of the R8 V10 Spyder: “You have to drive the car. It can’t be put into words.” Well, we drove it over the hills and through the woods of the Cleveland (Cali, not Ohio) National Forest,... 

There’s a sect of motoring nihilists out there who would have us all believe there isn’t a single thing in the automotive universe that hasn’t been done before. It’s the “Simpsons did it” meme on methamphetamines, though instead of a yellow animated family, our cast... 

Lexus likes to say that it pursues perfection. Toyota’s luxury brand has been playing the hybrid game for a while now with converted gas-powered models like the LS, GS and RX hybrids, and few would argue that these models represent the zenith of what a luxury hybrid can be. For that, Lexus finally... 

Whether we like it or not, even niche automakers are expanding their lineups to appeal to a broader range of shoppers. This may seem like automotive blasphemy, but think back a few years ago when Porsche introduced the Cayenne. We all threw temper tantrums and hugged our 911s, but now we begrudgingly... 

Remember when economy cars offered few concessions beyond roll-your-own windows, rear window defrosters and AM radios? It was only a handful of years ago that features on our 2011 Ford Fiesta SES tester would’ve qualified it for premium car status – if indeed items like Bluetooth, SYNC, a capless... 

Drop the term “Big Benz” in conversation and most people assume you’re talking about the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. While the full-size flagship sedan has – deservedly – earned that moniker over the years, when it comes to sheer size and volume, the GL-Class is truly Benz’ behemoth.... 

Until now, General Motors hasn’t exactly taken the small-car market seriously. While Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have built their empires on the hoods of pint-sized, fuel-efficient transportation, history has shown the captains of Detroit tend to offer up parts-bin afterthoughts. Cars... 

The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn’t command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we’d wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer. The... 

There was a time was when any serious discussion of “hot hatches” – small, lightweight economy cars pumped full of go-fast parts and body modifications of dubious taste – always included the Honda Civic Si. Back in the day, the D16Z6-engined Si would routinely do battle against the Volkswagen...