Subaru was one of the first to strap a turbo onto their small crossover’s engine, and the resulting Forester XT has been a great little roustabout ever since. Now Kia has joined the fun with a blown version of its successful new looker, the Sportage. Who parties harder? It’s the Korean who’ll get the looks at the latest soiree, thanks to artfully folded sheetmetal and some cool details like LED light accents. While the Forester isn’t the wallflower it used to be, its slimmer body is more likely to blend into the background. Inside it’s the same story; the Forester is nice enough, but the Sportage just looks more modern, with its mix of metal-look and gloss black trim, a slickly integrated navigation/infotainment system, pushbutton start, and some fancy stitchwork on the leather seats. Both are available with big panoramic glass roofs that add to rear occupant airiness, and have well shaped cargo areas. They’re equally well assembled of hard plastics. These two partygoers’ motivation may both by turbocharged four cylinders, but they differ quite dramatically in character. They Suby’s 2.5-liters are arrayed horizontally; this “boxer” layout (shared with Porsche’s 911) lowers the car’s center-of-gravity and integrates better with all wheel drive. It ...

The burgeoning luxury crossover class, invented by Lexus in 1988 and still dominated by their RX350 and RX400h, has seen a rash of new competitors over the past twenty-four months. Two of the most promising are from Sweden and the U.S.A. Let’s see how they fare against one another—and the benchmark Lexus. DESIGN Both the Cadillac and the Volvo simply spank the RX, which looks like a jowly and bloated version of the last generation’s svelte model. The Cadillac is edgy and festooned with lots of chrome that actually coheres into something quiet attractive. The Volvo—at least in R-Design spec—is probably the looker in the class, though. Its swooping, elegant lines are only enhanced by the 20” ‘Cratus’ wheels and various bits of silvered addenda wrapped about its coke-bottled body. Both make the Lexus seem like a frumpy old hen. INTERIOR Cadillac wowed us with the CTS sedan’s interior several years ago, which was ergonomically elegant yet dramatic in form and material. Sadly, the SRX’s cockpit is a cheapened imitation of it, with many lower rent plastics and vacuum-formed faux stitching where the CTS had real, hand-worked materials—and it is no match for the Lexus. But ...

The Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry are perennial bestsellers here in America. Taking such vehicles, which are by definition acceptable to people of wide ranging socioeconomic strata and car interest, and making them appeal to enthusiasts—a narrow demographic—is a completely different challenge for their manufacturers. Has either Japanese giant succeeded? This isn’t a strict comparison per se; Toyota doesn’t even build a coupe version of the Camry anymore, and these two aren’t even powered by the same type of engine. I was more interested in how Nissan and Toyota took inherently milquetoast machines and injected them with some spice. The Camry has been around long enough and sold well enough (#1 most years of this model’s five model years) that it is a ubiquitous site on our roads. Yet it still looks fairly fresh, with sculptural sheetmetal and a decent stance. This is enhanced by the SE model’s bodykit and honeycomb grill, and the test subject’s optional 18” TRD wheels. The Altima Coupe, freshened recently with a more chamfered hood design and more assertive grill and lights, still suffers from fender edges that have such large-radius beveling that any wheels that reside within look smaller than ...

There’s no doubt Toyota has earned its title as King of the Hybrids. They were one of the first to go down the battery-electric/gasoline engine route, and have invested in it more than anyone else. Even those of us who were skeptics have had to eat crow and admit that such vehicles as the Gen III Prius and the Camry Hyrbid under comparison here are excellent vehicles for real families in the real world. The first legitimate challenger for Toyota’s throne comes as a bit of a surprise; while many thought it would be innovator Honda, they’ve stumbled with such products as the Accord Hybrid and Insight. Instead, it’s a resurgent Ford and its excellent Fusion that poses the greatest threat for top of the hybrid heap. Let the battle royal commence! All Fusions since day one have shared a platform and engineering with the Mazda6, and it shows. There’s a level of sportiness to the Fusion that manifests even in frugal hybrid form. The steering’s got real precision and eagerness, and the chassis seems ready to play. It’s that bit more neutral and fun in corners, with a bit of sparkle that eludes the ...

One of the most startling things (for someone who is into cars) you notice when you go to Europe is the comparatively small number of SUVs—and the huge number of ‘station wagons’ as us Yanks might call them. But you get used to it, and when you return to the land of cheap gasoline, and see all those behemoths cruising our streets, you start to ask why.  Why do we need such large vehicles—especially when so many have no more room than a comparable wagon. In the weeks right after my return from such a trip, I had to test vehicles that really made me think about this: a Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon (designed for Europe primarily) and an Infiniti FX35 crossover. These test vehicles were similarly equipped, and carried sticker prices within a grand of each other. A week in each gives some fascinating perspective on the Continental mindset. They’re stats are close in other areas as well: the CTS has a 3.6-liter V6 with direct gasoline injection that cranks out 304hp and 302lb-ft of torque; the Infiniti’s VQ-series 3.5-liters numbers are 303hp and 262lb-ft. Either can be had in RWD or AWD. Both are comfy ...

Infiniti has been targeting BMW since it began selling cars twenty years ago, and the G has been in many ways its most credible weapon in that war. Choosing between these two isn’t going to be easy. One’s reaction to a car’s appearance is subjective, so I wont spend much time on it, except to say that both the G37 and 335i really don’t look their best unless they are equipped with the sports package and its wheels and tires and are rear-wheel drive. Otherwise they look a bit tippy-toe and anemic, as the increased ride height of the AWD versions undercuts the sporty mien that a fast coupe should have. Inside, the Infiniti is more adventurous, with large, swooping forms. The BMW counters by being made from materials that at least seem more upmarket, and having a more usable rear seat (the G37’s rear window crunches down on back seaters’ heads) and a larger trunk that’s easier to access. The standard front seats in both are decent; the sports seats in the BMW provide more support when you’re reeling on it. Tech-wise, the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive control interface matches the intuitiveness of the Infiniti’s, but the ...

The Honda CR-V is the best selling small SUV in America; recent time in some of its competitors prompted this round up. All are excellent vehicles and are more than up to the task of handling the role normally filled by more profligate—in size and price—midsize crossovers or traditional body-on-frame SUVs. The myriad ways each can be configured makes comparing them a bit more difficult, so we’ll talk in more generalities than we would normally. EXTERIOR/INTERIOR DESIGN While by its very nature a subjective issue, we can comment on how people respond to these crossovers. The Honda CR-V divides opinion like many of the firm’s recent offerings; some find its ‘face’ odd, and its coupe-like window framing sits a bit uneasily with its actual roof shape. In contrast, the Mitsubishi Outlander’s sharply beveled appearance draws universal praise, though it only looks correctly proportioned on the optional larger wheels. Subaru’s Forester has taken a quantum leap forward in visual appeal; it no longer looks tall and tippy, and its details are pleasantly resolved. For 2009 Toyota freshened the RAV4’s nose a bit; while hardly a dramatic departure, there wasn’t anything wrong to begin with. Like the ...

Lincoln engineers and marketing teams must have been aiming at Lexus’ best selling sedan, the ES350, when cooking up the MKS. Both qualify as ‘entry level’ luxury sedans (though the American car is the brand’s flagship and the Japanese machine the firm’s least expensive), for they are very similar in layout, feel, and function. Let’s begin with the Lincoln, as it’s release is more recent. The MKS grabs more attention, though whether that’s because its such a rare site on our roads, or just because it’s newer is hard to tell. Regardless; it is undeniably attractive, and the recent strides Lincoln has made in quality really shine under closer inspection. Details like the lower air inlet’s chrome trim and the tight-gapped window surrounds more than match up to the level of high-end materials and excellent fit and finish that are Lexus hallmarks. The MKS’ twin grill is suitably audacious, though the ‘bull’s-eye’ emblems on its front fenders serve only draw attention to its tall, front-drive stance. Inside things are very close; many of the plastics and finishes in the domestic car are equal or superior to the import’s. Touches like the carpeted lining of ...

The number of all-wheel drive sedans available in the near-luxury sector is burgeoning, driven by a desire for the all-season security of an SUV without the concomitant social stigma and thirst. Though these two new rides differ in demeanor by a fair margin, their basic mission statement is the same: give premium buyers a valid alternative the increasingly ubiquitous German and Asian offerings. Lincoln describes the MKS as an all-new, modern flagship for the brand, which has been on a bit of a roll of late. Overall, it is very well wrought. The exterior introduces the company’s new design language (courtesy of Brit Peter Horbury, who successfully transformed Volvo’s stodgy image before being given control of all of Ford North America’s styling), and successfully updates classic brand signatures, such as the split grill of the ’41 Continental. The brightwork brings subtle class, and the large footwear (17, 18, and 19-inch rims are all available) add a contemporary air, while helping it get noticed. About the only discordant note is in proportion; based as it is on the D-class front-drive architecture, the snout looks a bit long and the sides a bit short and stout. ...

The conundrum for Americans who want the practicalities of wagons and minivans without social stigma are being addressed by the burgeoning crossover contingent. Toyota was first to the party with the original Highlander in 2001; the all-new model is bigger and more powerful, as it utilizes the wonderful corporate 3.5-liter V6, here with 270hp. Improved in every way, it has more room for kids and cobber, more useful accessories and options, and a less milquetoast appearance. Mazda’s CX-9 is only a year old, and the vehicle’s only real weakness, a lack of torque, has been speedily addressed by stuffing a new 3.7-liter engine under the hood. With 273hp and the most twist of any of our trio it should be the quickest. It doesn’t feel so; the Toyota, despite offering one fewer gear than the Mazda or Hyundai, is subjectively sprightlier. But the Mazda’s tranny is the smoothest shifting and most intuitive, and it’s as quick as need be for a family hauler. The Hyundai Veracruz falls somewhere in the middle. Its powerplant is the biggest at 3.8-liters, but weakest in power at 260hp. The trio all recorded around the same ...