The new, sixth-generation Jetta was launched as a conquest car. It’s a cornerstone, maybe the cornerstone, of Volkswagen’s strategy for world automotive domination, that is, to be the biggest car company in the world.

You could spend days trying to figure out where the 550i GT fits in BMW’s lineup and whether or not there’s a need for it. It’s not a wagon, nor is it a crossover SUV. It’s called a 5 Series but it’s based on the 7’s longer chassis. If you must, and BMW would rather you didn’t, you can group it with newcomers like Toyota’s Venza and Honda’s Crosstour, wagon-esque cars with higher rooflines and hatches. And, after you’ve exhausted yourself trying to pin it down, only one question remains: Does it drive like a BMW, because, if it does, then many of those questions become irrelevant.

The latest addition to our long-term fleet is possibly the most unique car we’ve ever had. Is it a car? Is it an SUV?

At A Glance

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Slick and sleek looks

At a Glance

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Awesome sport seats, superb manners, way too fast

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Way too fast

Our A5 continues to seduce drivers with its smarmy blend of substance and style. You can hear it, the moment they sit behind the wheel, a sort of half-gasp as they scan the cockpit.

"Oh yeah...this is nice"

At a Glance Plus + Excellent seats, great ride comfort, mind-blowing acceleration, thrifty fuel bill

At a Glance

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Instant torque, build quality, well-sorted suspension and, of course, fuel economy

At a Glance

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Top-notch interior, that signature "new Audi" smell, brand-new UHP rubber to burn

At A Glance
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Straight up performer, amazing entertainment system, canyon god

At a Glance
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Smooth ride, big power, soothing atmosphere

Never underestimate the power of great design. Take our long-term A5. All in all, it is a completely stunning example of the emotional response great exterior design can generate. Aside from the odd exotic, or R8, there may be no more visually striking vehicle on the road-and certainly not in this class. With the A5 and S5, Audi chief designer Walter da'Silva has taken the brand's new family design language and effectively booted it through the uprights.

The Brits are fond of what they call "soldiering on," a determined forward motion of stoically trudging ahead.

Horsepower is overrated. There. I said it. Horsepower always seems to be the major selling point, whether you're talking economy cars or super sports cars. Horsepower's basic definition is X amount of work done over a given period of time. So typically even your highest horsepower engines reach peak power late, often very late, in the rev range.

After a few months of having it in the ec stable, my turn finally came to drive the Jetta TDI everyone was raving about. Who knew that such a benign and understated vehicle could be hiding such a fantastic engine? You certainly can't tell from the noise because there really isn't any.

You tend to get a feel for your car's fuel consumption rate. Without even looking at the gauge you can tell how much gas you've got left and how long until the next fill up.

With the XF, Jaguar has set upon a pair of daunting tasks: first reasserting itself as a leading force in the premium luxury sedan segment, then re-taking market share from a cadre of firmly entrenched German adversaries. After a couple of months with the car, we've got to think one of those tasks should prove to be somewhat more challenging than the other.

It's been more than one year with our Passat 3.6 4Motion and is now past due to bid her goodbye. Volkswagen was kind enough to let us keep the car until our latest VW steed, the '08 Jetta TDI, arrived in our stables-and then some. Believe me, we weren't pushing the issue. The Passat is, holistically, one of the best cars we've seen roll through here.

Our MINI just hit the 30,000-mile mark and is going as strong as ever. The whole staff has fallen in love with the diminutive asphalt carver and we can't imagine life without it.

Despite inhabiting a rather small, isolated island, the Brits are pretty damn sharp. Both their aircraft and automotive industry are punctuated with stunning achievements, from the Supermarine Spitfire and Concorde to the Mini Cooper and McLaren F1. Oh, and don't forget radar. They invented that too.

I don't eat red meat. Beef, pork, buffalo, venison... if it has four legs I pretty much can't eat it. But it's not a political statement, and I don't care if you eat it. I simply can't do it-I get sick. Unfortunately, I have a deep lust for cheeseburgers. I've tried veggie patties and soy burgers, but they just don't cut it.

"You just go along figuring some things don't change... like being able to drive on a public highway without someone trying to murder you. Then one stupid thing happens, and all the ropes that kept you hanging in there get cut loose. And it's like there you are, right back in the jungle again."-David Mann, Duel

We've all been there- trying to tell someone how good their cooking is while a full plate still sits in front of you. You can expound all you want on the virtues of culinary creativity, but the real answer lies in how much you eat. Everyone that has driven the MINI has said how much they love the car, but the real story is how much it's been driven. Our year with the little turbo hatch isn't quite up yet but we have already set a new record for miles on an ec long-term tester. We just turned the quarter century mark and it's time to celebrate with a few select aftermarket parts.

A shocking dose of reality got jammed up my nose; as painful as a 5-hour-long ice cream headache. I got stuck in a rental car. And not just any rental car, but some soulless domestic product that litter airports like dead flies.

The MINI's advertisement boasts L.A. to San Francisco on one tank of gas. Since I had it for the weekend, I figured why not give it a try? On a holiday weekend, however, I should add an addendum, "If you can get out of L.A." (the test was immediately ruined by three hours of standstill idling). It's true that our long-term gas mileage stat has been sullied by too much city driving-it's not the most pious choice in the conservation effort. Still, for the numbers, it's not nearly as boring either. When it comes to the practice of hypermiling, you can't find a car that's even half as much fun to drive.