Unfortunately besides the awesome radio, nav, and seats, the rest of the interior was somewhat lackluster. I'd like to see a bit more in a $55,000 car. The aluminum trim's finish is not uniform, the cupholders were not very user-friendly to passenger or driver, and the overhead map lights didn't have covers over the lenses; they look like they were hijacked from a GM truck. Plus, what looks like a huge police light hangs from the rearview mirror. I looked for the button to activate it so cars would get out of my way, but to no avail.

At a Glance
Plus +
Smooth ride, big power, soothing atmosphere

The engine we do get, the petrol V6, is an aging warrior, still adequate for the job but flagging somewhat in the face of the newer and more advanced power units. Still, it kicks out a goodly 265 max horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque. Funny enough, to really make it effective for sporting driving it needs to be kept on the boil-much like, say, a turbocharged four-cylinder-with the indicator needle locked into the middle to upper regions of the tachometer. Think north of 3500 rpm. Thankfully ours is equipped with the six-speed manual do-it-yourselfer, so tach needle location can be dictated readily and on demand. The shifter itself is light yet well balanced, positive in its engagement and effortless in its actuation. Signature Audi gearbox goodness. The clutch stroke is a little long, making swift gear engagement tricky at first. But you get used to it. The brakes are really very good, with great pedal feel, and stand up well to repeated heavy stabs when throwing the hefty A5-almost 3,700 pounds' worth-into tight mountain-road bends. Braking endurance also may have to do with the Quattro all-wheel-drive system's road-holding ability, which often allows you to stay pretty hot and save the brakes when diving into corners. Chasiss balance has something to do with this as well, since the A5 touts nearly evenly split front-to-rear weight distribution (48 percent front, 52 rear). And you just can't mess with Quattro's corner-exiting ability, laying traction from all four wheels via standard 40/60 power split.

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.

Car-gazers say the darndest things. With a new car, an owner might expect the usual questions about engine, power and price; when they come, you calmly set your jaw and rattle off the stats. Once in a while, though, you come across a comment so out there that it could only come from fad, from that angle of mystique or trend you're simply clueless about.

I've seen a Passat or two and thought: "Seems like a nice, normal car." But I didn't know much about it-or care. Then european car acquired this 3.6-liter V6 version with a six-speed Tiptronic transmission and all-wheel-drive. This sounded like a little more fun.

While the stock brakes on our long term MINI Cooper S were more than adequate for daily driving, we felt we could use a little extra stopping power for the canyon driving and occasional track use the car sees. We didn't want to go all the way with a big brake kit, as we wanted to stay with 17-inch wheels. We also wanted to see what we could do at minimal cost and effort.

Let me cut to the chase. The Z4 M Coupe is my favorite long-termer so far. I realized this about 10 minutes into the drive. The cabin is ergonomically sound, with everything within reach and easy to figure out, including the navigation system. The carbon-look leather stitching is an especially nice touch through the interior and I've absolutely fallen in love with the fat steering wheel.

The Q7 has now been with us for a full 12 months, during which it has seen every conceivable situation. Whether it's slogging through mud on its way to the ranch or stuck in hideous L.A. traffic, this machine has proven to be virtually unstoppable, possessing the durability of an Abrams tank.

When I last wrote about our MINI, I had just returned from the cross-country drive and absolutely loved the car. We've now covered more than 10,000 miles in just over three months and, while still in love, I've noticed a few things. First, gas mileage took a fairly serious nosedive once it hit the Left Coast. On long trips, we're struggling to eke out 33 miles per gallon-still an amazing number, but not the 36 to 37 averaged cross-country. We'll blame that on our 91-octane gas. Surprisingly, we haven't noticed a reduction in power, just economy. In the mixed use of daily commuting, we're averaging an impressive 31 mpg.

History loves its heroes and usually forgets its failures, other thann as answers to trivia questions. Consider the current Volkswagen Passat. Its ancestor hit these shores as the Dasher in 1974 and I can attest to its weirdness. I worked at a VW dealer at the time and my daily ride was an early Cal Look, big-motor Split Window; it had eight-spokes (not BRMs, which would have been cooler), but my Bug was super-quick.

I've had a hard time coming to terms with this. It's not that the Q7 isn't laden with typical Audi quality-solid, comfortable, extremely well built-but the world didn't need another big vehicle. And the Q7 is bigger than you may think: nearly two-and-three-quarter tons for the V8 model and more than 16-and-a-half feet long. That's about 500 pounds heavier and a full 12 inches longer than a Porsche Cayenne S.

There's no denying the sex appeal of the Z4 M Coupe. Women wonder if you're James Bond, men spin their heads lustfully when you pimp it down Main Street. It's not that the car looks particularly exotic-it just looks different. There's nothing on the road anything like this radically proportioned Coupe. The same was true of the first one.