2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet review

All in all, the RS5 Cabrio is for RS-line enthusiasts; we love it, but there are smarter buys out there

I'm surprised to find I have mixed feelings about this 2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet, as I've always admired both the A5 and especially the S5. The coupe version's muscular exterior is one of my favorites compared to other sports coupes and sedans, and the S5 in particular is notably fun to drive.

Step up to the RS tuned by Audi's in-house Quattro GmbH performance freaks and, not having driven an S5 in quite some time, the 4.2-liter normally aspirated V8 engine stands out immediately as the star of this show. It cranks out 117 additional horsepower compared to the S model, though torque drops by 8 lb-ft.

2013 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive review

We all could agree that the B7 is a rocket

The latest 7-Series is really special. Decent chassis and a great lineup of engines make the 7 a blast to hustle and a joy to cruise the freeway in. With the Alpina B7, you just turn that up a notch or two.

The interior is a little showier, the exterior styling is a touch more flamboyant and -- at least in our case -- you get purple-ish paint. That's hilarious, because with 540-hp and almost as many torques, this thing will generate enough forward momentum to force slower traffic into the right lane as if by magnetic force -- and then you've got this massive purple thing just screaming by people, at the state-mandated maximum speed, of course. For other drivers, it must be like suddenly catching sight of a purple train (see what I did there?) rolling up in the left lane.

2013 Chrysler Town & Country Limited review

The T&C offers an upscale alternative to those in the minivan market

When the current Chrysler minivan came out five years ago, it was packed with innovative features. There were the Stow 'N' Go, Swivel 'N' Go seats, tailgate rear bench, a table that popped up in the middle, handy kid-monitor rear view mirror, rear seat entertainment galore and a host of other features. It was the ultimate family van. Five years later, as the competition has evolved around it, it is still up there with the best of the class.

2013 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged review

The new Land Rover tips the scales at 700 lbs less than the outgoing model, weighing 5,701 lbs

I love this 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged. Not going deny it. I drove it in rainy and muddy Morocco on the preview. From that experience I wrote things like “we weren't impressed that the truck handled it all [I was referring to the nasty Moroccan roads made worse from all the rain]. Of course it did -- we expected nothing less. What did impress us was the ease and smoothness with which it took everything we could throw at it on road and off. It drives like the best luxury cars…”

2013 Honda Pilot Touring review

A 3.5-liter V6 making 250 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque propels the Pilot

When Honda rolled out the second-generation Pilot, they made it a point to make it look more like a truck. Hence its squared-off appearance that's reminiscent of the full-frame midsize SUVs of old. Personally, I have a soft spot for things like the Toyota 4Runner and previous Nissan Pathfinder, so I think Honda's decision to make the Pilot a little manlier was cool. It will be interesting to see what Honda does with the next Pilot, which I expect to land in the next year or so. Will they follow Nissan and soften it and make it more crossover-ish like the latest Pathfinder? Or will they stay boxy? I'm guessing the former as that will appeal to a wider range of people

2013 Volvo S60 T5 review

The 2013 Volvo S60 T5 AWD is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged I5 producing 250 hp.

I thoroughly enjoyed our long-term Volvo S60 R-Design sedan last year, but I always thought that car was rather overpriced for its size and capabilities, coming in around $45,000. This T5 version, on the other hand, strikes me as a relative value in sports sedans with a sticker right at $38k.

2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5L 70's Edition Convertible review

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5L 70's Edition Convertible is loud and a little slow. 

The Beetle is one of those cars that I would never buy, but I'm glad Volkswagen is making it. Sort of like the Nissan Cube. It's not for me.

Styling aside, it's pretty noisy with the convertible top letting in a lot of road and wind noise, which was made more painful by the fact that I had to listen to my phone through the phone speakers because there's no USB port. I suppose that's how they did it in the '70s. So where the heck is my eight-track!?

2013 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG review

The CL63 AMG comes with a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 mated to a seven-speed multi-clutch sequential manual

Boy, does this 2013 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG ever make you feel filthy rich.

In weather like we had on my drive -- sheets of rain, standing water, little visibility -- my focus was basically not sliding into a curb or another car and pranging a $180,000 worth of gorgeous Benz. Mission accomplished.

2013 Chevrolet Spark 2LT review

The Chevy Spark starts at $12,170. This one costs slightly more than that.

Underneath the bright colors, youthful pretension and eager-mouse styling of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark is a decent compact car that is as far ahead of the Aveo it replaced as the Samsung Galaxy S4 is to your uncle's Motorola StarTAC. 

2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive review

The 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive could be a good option for some city-dwellers.

The electric-vehicle market continues to shift. There's an increased interest from automakers to build EVs, despite consumers' barely matched interest to buy them. To say Americans have been cautious in adopting this latest vehicle technology is an understatement. Threats of fires and high entry costs have made electric cars unappetizing during a time when many in middle America cannot afford a $40,000 car, regardless of how good the gas mileage is.

2013 Ram 1500 drive review

The 2013 Ram 1500 parked at a wind farm.

The 2013 Ram 1500 still looks like a traditional full-size pickup truck, but the redesigned model has undergone a major makeover—with an eye toward fuel economy.

To achieve the desired fuel-economy improvements, Chrysler engineers combined a redesigned 3.6-liter engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission, introduced start/stop technology that shuts down the engine at stops, improved aerodynamics, reduced the weight of the truck by nearly 130 pounds, added electric power steering and optimized the engine's fuel delivery.

2013 Scion FR-S review

Want to drift? The FR-S can do that, too, thanks to its chassis setup.

If I had to choose between this and the Subaru BRZ, I would take the Subie. They're both a blast to drive, and offer serious competition to everything from the Hyundai Genesis Coupe to the Nissan 370Z -- and it's great to have all of these options on the market these days. But I'd go with the BRZ for the interior interface. The whole audio system setup is a series of complex maneuvers to get simple things done, which is enough for me to be turned off.

2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S review

The boxer six-cylinder engine was excellent with linear power delivery

I know all the “Porsche’s are for tools” stories. How Porsches are for jerks trying to compensate for something. I’ve heard ’em all. Here’s the thing about all that: This car drives so damn nicely, it’s hard to talk someone out of getting one. Jerks be damned.

2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR review

The Evo is a great track car, but doesn't make the best daily driver

I've had several occasions to drive the current-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, and it's always a love/hate experience. In its element, dicing through cones or cutting apexes on a track, the Evo manages to vanish from around its driver. You can perform a maneuver, work some automotive magic and at the end be surprised it was so easy to do well. It's natural to credit yourself because the car is so silly competent that it never seems to be working hard; the result is you think you're a hell of a driver.

2013 Lincoln MKZ review

Exterior styling was a bit polarizing, but it grew on us over time

I generally liked this 2013 Lincoln MKZ. I get the launch was a disaster, with the models coming out of Mexico not up to snuff in terms of quality. I also get the sense that Ford has completely lost its way with Lincoln and marketing luxury cars for the most part.

2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster Drive Review

Lambo doors

My god man, just look at it: It is the sharp-edged, air-slicing scimitar of speed, slicing its way through the atmosphere with efficiencies only dreamed of in the era of the Countach, Diablo and Murcielago. The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 roadster is a 217-mph argument against restraint. With a shape inspired by a combination of stealth fighter and (we are not making this up) an Italian beetle, and with a monstrous V12 you'd expect on a rocket ship, this beast is the fitting halo successor to the Lamborghini line. 

2013 Kia Sportage SX review

I like the 2013 Kia Sportage SX just fine. I really like the design inside and out (a woman at the gas station said it looked “hot”). Peter Schreyer is doing some really good work at Kia.

We all liked the looks of the Sportage, one of the best designs in its class

The four-cylinder turbo provides decent poke off the line but doesn't really get with it until the tach swings beyond 3,000 rpm. It's a wee bit like an on-off switch in terms of the turbo spooling, in fact, but eco mode helps smooth things out somewhat. A rating of 260 hp is a stout number for a four-cylinder. 

2013 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 review

The 2013 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 is a nice counterpoint to the Ford Focus ST we had in our fleet a few weeks ago. They're both around $28k, have similar outputs and accoutrements, etc. But where the Focus ST felt pretty refined, considering its capabilities, the Mazda, by contrast, felt pretty raw -- in a good way. The clutch pedal will bite you if you're not careful; the shifter is crisp; the car is noisy. 

After some time, we got over the gaping, smiling and obnoxious grille in the front

Even so, torque steer seemed a bit more manageable in the Mazda despite its somewhat higher output (263 hp and 280 lb-ft to the Ford's 252 hp and 270 lb-ft). It still gets a bit squirrely when the turbo kicks in the lower gears, but you feel ready for it somehow -- perhaps the car communicates a bit better thanks to all that noise. 

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI review

This 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI is possibly the most fun I've had in a Beetle ever. And I never liked these things, either. 

Our Beetle stickered in at $26,990, with most of the goodies included in the base price

It's all about torque. This diesel has a lot of it and it's a small car. You need to get into that turbo range, and I think that's why I stalled it. But once you get going, it's quick. Not, GTI quick, but quick in the mid-rev ranges, when you get up high in the tach, it loses steam. But that's diesel.

The wheel was a bit skinny for my hands. I felt like I should be driving it with two fingers. On the plus side, it is a VW, so it handles better than many of the cars out there. The shifter action was sufficient, nice and solid, with no flex and no notchiness. 

2013 Jaguar XJ AWD review

We are fans of the XJ's overall design and looks

A while back I visited the largest Jaguar/Land Rover dealer in the country, Prestige in Paramus, N.J. I remember a sales guy telling me he couldn't wait for the all-wheel-drive Jags. “At least they'll give us a chance. Right now, with rear-drive only, we don't have anything to compete with Benz, BMW or Audi. We're basically shut out of the whole northern part of the country.”