2007 Automobile All-Stars

Why are 3-series BMWs so well loved? They are not the best in any single attribute, whether speed, acceleration, fuel economy, space, comfort, quality, or appearance. But they are better than all others at doing everything extremely well, because they've been

There's typically quite a bit of turnover on annual lists of automotive favorites, for the simple reason that cars are always getting better and last year's star might be this year's incentive-laden also-ran. But the Chrysler 300C, three years into production,

This nutty truck is the perfect choice for that one useful vehicle in the automotive connoisseur's dream garage. We're sure Honda's design team wasn't thinking nutty when they penned the Ridgeline's oddly carved front flanks, but then, we're not sure what they

It's dj vu all over again. More than a decade ago, I was tasked with writing a cover story for the U.K.'s Autocar magazine, an article whose headline roared something along the lines of "The Best Luxury Car in the World!" We had gathered together in Michigan

The Mazda 3 is simply one of the best small cars in the world, absolute proof that small and inexpensive does not have to look or feel it. Mazda's wildly popular 3 is more spacious than a Honda Civic and more stylish than a French car, and it's one of the few

At a time when every new car is bigger, heavier, roomier, more comfortable, more luxurious, more tech-laden, and more removed from the act of driving, the Lotus Elise is an All-Star because it's none of these.

Ever since interest in front-engine, exotic sports cars revived, we've been waiting for a truly memorable automobile, something that would capture the spirit of our time, just as the Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona did in its time. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is that

If the BMW 3-series is the Goliath of entry-luxury sport sedans--and who would argue that it is not?--then the latest Infiniti G35 is the closest thing to a David that BMW's competitors have yet produced. Many stones have been slung at the giant Philistine's f

It is, for all intents and purposes, a Boxster with a roof welded on it--albeit a Boxster claimed to be twice as torsionally stiff as before and whose engine resides behind an interior bulkhead, making it seem even closer to the driver. Those differences alone

We love the way that the Corvette Z06 cocks its blue collar and thumbs its NACA duct to run with blue-blood sports cars that cost up to four times as much. Skipping an exotic layout, overhead camshafts, induction boosters, and ground-effect bodywork clarifies

More cars with earth-shattering performance have been launched in the new century than we can shake a multiprofiled camshaft at. Yet, too often, supercars aren't the most super cars. Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year, the delightful 2007 Volkswagen