s a race, we humans are obsessed with the notion of “best.” Whether it’s generations of on-point marketing or a strand of latent genetic code that pushes us to shack up with a better mate, we just can’t shake the disposition. It’s what drives our society forward – the... 

Would you describe yourself as an optimist? Someone who can always find the good in something that others fail to see? It’s an admirable quality, and one we’re going to try and keep in mind while putting down our thoughts on the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder. We could write a thousand-word essay... 

Miami’s a giant concrete brothel; a municipal madame hosting sweaty assignations that pair every income with its choice of cruise, cuisine, club, narcotic or panorama. We were there on a quest for a quest, anxious Lancelots after a late night run in a Series II E-Type over the A1A – yes, the... 

You don’t have to take a trip to Egypt to know what the pyramid of Gisa looks like. It’s an amazing feat of engineering, the construction of which continues to confound scientists to this day. But while Gisa is a true world wonder, Egypt is also home to many structures that were never completed.... 

It was fun to own a truck for a while, but fuel prices and a global recession eventually caught up to the recreational truck owner. Sales of the Ford F-Series came in at 413,000 units in 2009, while 2010 improved to 528,000. Combined that adds up to roughly the same amount of trucks Ford sold in ‘05... 

Armchair quarterbacks have been quick to charge Toyota with losing its engineering nerve, labeling it a brand content to churn out safe, middle-of-the-road milquetoast offerings for every segment in which it competes. Admittedly, this isn’t the same company that once marketed a supercharged, mid-engined,... 

No one needs a 503-horsepower SUV capable of 155 miles per hour. In the real world, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG makes no sense whatsoever. But you want one all the same. We understand. All it took was one glance at its massive tailpipes out back for us to fall in love. The ML63 is fitted with equal... 

Though it’s cleverly disguised as an automobile, don’t be fooled. The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is the world’s ultimate portable smoke generator. The fact that it can pull double-duty as a method of transportation is nothing but a quirky side benefit to its purpose in life. Consider... 

Of the many hurtful similes one can hurl at a vehicle, few are more insidious than drawing design or driving parallels to the oft-maligned American sedan. Thanks to the dark days of the ’70s and ’80s, once proud nameplates like Imperial, Impala and Galaxie were either completely forgotten... 

You are no doubt familiar with the Transit Connect, the panel van that Ford began importing from Europe in mid-2009. You’ve probably noticed them in your neighborhood with things like custom cakes, cable companies, cat groomers and cleaning services advertised on their flat, windowless sides.... 

Nobody remembers the 2010 Kia Optima, but just like that, the 2011 model may be the mainstream sedan to beat. While some consumers – the uninformed and brand-bigoted – might remain skeptical, the 2011 Kia Optima is the new benchmark. How could the Optima go from warmed-over also-ran to the segment’s... 

There was a time when body-on-frame SUVs dominated American roads, with nearly every major automaker offering some kind of four-wheeling fighter to suburbia’s off-road pretenders. Nissan was no different, and at its peak in 2000, the eminently capable Xterra sold some 88,000 copies – the same...