If you’ve ever owned a toy Tonka truck and had even the slightest amount of fun with it, driving a big diesel pickup is incredibly fun. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to pull any trailers or really do anything to make this Ram break a sweat during the few nights I had it.inline_mediumwraptextright32217045/reviews/editors_notebook/1002_2010_dodge_ram_2500_heavy_duty1002_04_z+2010_dodge_ram_2500_heavy_duty+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Cabbies, rejoice: Ford has a replacement for your aging Crown Victorias, although it may not look anything like the bulbous body-on-frame sedan you've come to adore.inline_mediumwraptextright28024375/green/news/1002_2010_ford_transit_cng_taxi2011-ford-transit-connect-taxi-front-three-quarters-static.jpgTrue

Ford has already pledged a Focus EV for our market in 2013, but the first step on the Blue Oval's road to electrification is this: the 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electricinline_mediumwraptextright28024870/green/news/1002_2011_ford_transit_connect_electric_vehicle2011-ford-transit-connect-electric-front-three-quarters-passenger.jpgTrue

Nissan hasn't really marketed it as such (and I commend them for that), but the EX35 could easily be considered part of the "premium four-door crossover coupe" crowd, along with the likes of the BMW X6 and the Acura ZDX. Of course, the attractive first-generation Infiniti FX35/45 could also be lumped into that group, if not for the fact that adults can actually fit in the FX's back seats.inline_mediumwraptextright32218137/reviews/editors_notebook/1002_2010_infiniti_ex35_journey_awd1002_08_z+2010_infiniti_eX35_journey_aWD+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

The parade of updated 2011 Ford Mustangs will march on at the Chicago auto show with the Shelby GT500 receiving a handful of revisions highlighted by a new aluminum block for the 5.4-liter engine. By switching from iron to aluminum, Ford engineers have shaved an impressive 102 pounds from the engine's weight. There's also an upsized intercooler that lowers intake temperatures and a new exhaust that delivers a heartier growl. Those two changes allow output to rise 10 hp to 550 hp while torque remains unchanged at 510 lb-ft. A six-speed manual is still the only transmission.inline_mediumwraptextright32225952/features/news/1002_2011_ford_shelby_gt5002011-ford-shelby-GT500-convertible-front-three-quarter.jpgTrue

While BMW spent last year adding upgraded engines to its lineup, the X5 sat untouched, forced to enjoy only the 3.0-liter diesel found in the xDrive35d. A potent mill, yes, but the other Bimmers received a more efficient, single turbo inline-six; if they didn't, more power came to their twin-turbo setup. A 400-hp twin-turbo V-8 headlined the X6, while the M versions of it and the X5 boasted a silly 555 hp. Now, the standard X5 gets its turn: Along with an exterior refresh, the 2011 BMW X5 receives two new powertrains.inline_mediumwraptextright26792627/features/news/1002_2011_bmw_x52011-BMW-x5-front-promo.jpgTrue

Months in Fleet: Eleven
Miles to Date: 37,876inline_mediumwraptextright15849116/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1002_2009_bmw_750li_february_update0904_01_z+2009_bMW_750Li+profile_view.jpgTrue

It’s bound to happen. Somewhere at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, a secretary will sign the DHL delivery slip for an enormous crate sitting in the parking lot. When a crew of overall-clad Porsche workers finally dismantles the box, the gift inside will be revealed: a 2010 Aston Martin Rapide with a pretty red bow on the windshield and a teensy, handwritten card that says, “Now zis is how you build a four-door, suckers. —Bez.”inline_mediumwraptextright26780900/reviews/driven/1002_2010_aston_martin_rapide1002_03_z+2010_aston_martin_rapide+side_view.jpgTrue

The third generation of Audi's aluminum-spaceframe flagship, the A8, has now been unveiled. The standard-wheelbase model, seen here, and the long-wheelbase variant (set to debut in a few months time) will both arrive at North American Audi dealers this fall, for the 2011 model year. An enhanced powertrain, an innovative new electronics interface, and an evolved design are highlights of the new car.

You don't need a high-riding SUV or crossover to get the winter traction benefits of four-wheel drive. There are a myriad of sedans, wagons, coupes, and even convertibles that offer four-wheel drive (usually called all-wheel drive in passenger cars) either as standard or optional equipment. We've gathered up a complete list of AWD passenger cars; the list is long and the choices are many. Although the advantages of four driven wheels are obvious in slippery road conditions, the technology comes at a cost. There is usually a cost premium associated with all-wheel drive, and almost always a fuel economy penalty as well. So for each car listed, we've indicated the extra cost of the all-wheel-drive option, or the cost differential compared with the equivalent two-wheel-drive model, as well as its EPA gas mileage ratings, and the fuel economy penalty versus the two-wheel-drive version of the same car.inline_mediumwraptextright26695829/features/news/1001_awd_vehicles_winter_wondercars1001_19_z+2010_cadillac_cTS+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Can we have another one of these for a year? I'd not been in an R8 since our V-8 Four Seasons V-8 model left late last summer, and quickly recalled just how much I loved it.inline_mediumwraptextright26756345/reviews/editors_notebook/1002_2010_audi_r81002_01_z+2010_audi_r8+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

De Tomaso Mangusta is not the first answer most people give when asked to name a late-1960s Italian GT. But in terms of street presence and raw sex appeal, this lesser-known exotic gives away nothing to its more widely recognized contemporaries from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati. Seen today, this Giorgetto Giugiaro masterpiece looks like a long-forgotten Hot Wheels car sprung to life. Upon its debut at the Turin auto show in 1966, its impact was even more dramatic.inline_mediumwraptextright27615934/features/collectible_classic/1002_1967_1971_de_tomaso_mangusta1002_01_z+1967-71_de_tomaso_mangusta+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

To build a rally track, you need only a forest and a naive belief that you can build a dirt road simply by removing a few trees. As luck would have it, I have access to some woods - thirty acres of them, up in Maine. When my parents moved there in 1979, the place was idyllic. Now, there's a giant gravel pit across the street.

You might live next door to the Nürburgring, but that doesn't mean you can take a lap whenever the fancy strikes. But what if you built your own track where you could drive as much as you want, whenever you want, in your own automotive Disney World? That's the dream, right there.inline_mediumwraptextright31781751/features/racing/1002_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_earl_of_good_woods1002_01_z+subaru_impreza_wRX_sTI+private_rally_playground.jpgTrue

I eagerly await Toyota's return to building proper sports cars with the FT-86. But in the meantime, this Scion tC is one or two improvements away from being a fantastic enthusiast's bargain.inline_mediumwraptextright32173503/reviews/editors_notebook/1002_2010_scion_tc1002_01_z+2010_scion_tC+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Months in fleet: three
Miles to date: 8978inline_mediumwraptextright31468371/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1001_2010_audi_q5_32_january_update0911_04_z+2010_audi_q5_3_2+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

The truly cool thing about internal combustion engines is there's always another creative way to skin the power/efficiency/emissions cat. Fiat's Multiair technology is a prime example. Even though variable valve timing (VVT) was first used here thirty years ago (by Alfa Romeo), Fiat engineers invented a clever twist on the idea which is already in production for Europe and will surely be used future Chrysler engines.inline_mediumwraptextright32058999/features/news/1001_fiats_multiair_engine1001_01_z+fiat+multiair_engine.jpgTrue

I drew Lincoln's flagship when I requested something, anything, with all wheels driving to get me through an impending storm. I foolishly drove the MKS into the teeth of a Michigan snow squall to attend a Cadillac-LaSalle Club meeting in a town an hour away. Much to my chagrin, this car ate up the slippery pavement and wriggled its way through slow-moving traffic as if it were equipped with spiked treads. Actually, it was equipped with ordinary all-season radials instead of the real winter tires that are most appropriate for our crappy weather. While accelerating from stoplights and while cruising at the speed limit, this car demonstrated impeccable traction and stability. During heavy throttle indulgences, the 355-hp EcoBoost V-6 causes the front wheels to hunt and peck for the right path, but that's a minor fault considering the adverse circumstances I encountered. On several occasions, it struck me that a return to Colorado's Loveland Pass in the dead of winter would be the real acid test for the MKS (see 6versus8.com). With EcoBoost eliminating the loss of power attributable to altitude and an all-wheel-drive system where the front wheels do most of the work, I think this car climbing a snow-covered mountain might finally overcome BMW's 5-series (even one optioned up with awd).inline_mediumwraptextright32131146/reviews/editors_notebook/1001_2010_lincoln_mks_ecoboost1001_01_z+2010_lincoln_mKS_ecoBoost+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

There didn't seem to be a lot more that Ferrari could do with its V-8 berlinetta lineup. Over the past decade, the cars got better and better, further cementing Ferrari's role as the producer of the world's most desirable sports cars. The startlingly good 360 Modena began it all back in 1999, and each successive iteration of the mid-engine masterpiece from Maranello raised the bar: The 360 Challenge Stradale. The F430. The 430 Scuderia. And, most recently, the hyperfocused Scuderia Spider 16M. These cars became the backbone of Ferrari's resurgence by translating the automaker's hard-fought Formula 1 racing expertise into products that tantalized auto enthusiasts everywhere, rewarded the lucky few who owned them, and strengthened the ethereal aura around the brand. Ferrari created the gold standard in sports cars, a lineup that competitors as varied as the Ford GT, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Porsche 911 GT3, and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage sought to assail. But in the tussle for sports car supremacy, Ferrari always managed to end up at the top of the heap.inline_mediumwraptextright32007216/reviews/driven/1002_2010_ferrari_458_italia1002_01_z+2010_ferrari_458_italia+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Nissan's Sentra SE-R is a bit of an anomaly as a bridge between the compact and sport compact segments. At 177 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque, it's at least 23 hp shy of being considered a true sport compact. Rather than a Honda Civic Si, the SE-R compares more closely to cars like the Mazda 3 and Kia Forte with their optional engines.inline_mediumwraptextright32132889/reviews/editors_notebook/1001_2010_nissan_sentra_ser1001_01_z+2010_nissan_sentra_sE-R+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

It's no secret that Spyker is looking to become into a more grown-up automaker, what with its unprecedented bid to take control of Saab from General Motors. But even if that effort fails, we can expect to see more from the plucky Dutch sports car builder in the form of the new C8 Aileron.inline_mediumwraptextright27885418/reviews/driven/1001_2010_spyker_c8_aileron1001_03_z+2010_spyker_c8_aileron+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

The Honda Accord Crosstour is a spectacular example of automotive social media marketing gone wrong. When the car was revealed on Facebook, virtually everyone posted horrible things about it on Honda's page. One of the (very) few people to say something positive turned out to be a Honda employee, and the social media crowd had a field day with that bit of news. The debacle certainly got the Crosstour name out quickly, but it might give reason to think about the notion that there's no such thing as bad publicity.inline_mediumwraptextright27867883/reviews/editors_notebook/1001_2010_honda_accord_crosstour_exl_4wd1001_01_z+2010_honda_crosstour_eX-L_4WD+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Last fall, we joined Continental Tires at the Nardo proving ground in Italy, where eighteen tuner cars were invited to show off their top speeds on the 7.8-mile circular track. With our archaic speed limits in the United States, we often forget that you need serious tires to survive serious speeds. And serious speeds were definitely part of this program-have a look.inline_mediumwraptextright31799919/features/news/1002_rubber_ratings_tires_and_top_speeds1002_01_z+continental_tires_at_nardo+tuner_cars.jpgTrue

When you're seated in the back of the BMW 5-series Gran Turismo, it's not hard to imagine that you're in a car from the future. Your surroundings are very swoopy, the confines cozy but very open-feeling, thanks in large part to the glass all around you. If you need a break from the future, watching a movie or reclining a heated/ventilated rear chair for a nap is simple.inline_mediumwraptextright26664962/reviews/editors_notebook/1001_2010_bmw_550i_gran_turismo1001_07_z+2010_bMW_550i_gran_turismo+rear_interior.jpgTrue