Sexiness, safety and evolution are the axis of the 2007 Volvo S80 sedan.

At first glance the all-new Volvo S80 looks identical to the model it replaces. The overall length stays the same, but the wheelbase is a bit longer, the track a bit wider, and it is a little more than 1 inch taller. The subtle changes in dimensions and in sheet metal give Volvo's 2007 S80 a much more aggressive stance. Coupled with new and more potent engines, Volvo continues to roll sex appeal into its models.

Aspen is 281 miles from Durango, Colorado. It's as posh as Durango is down-to-earth. Among the ski resort town's celebrity residents are Don Henley, Mariah Carey and the late Hunter S. Thompson, while Durango's foremost citizens are only famous within the mountain biking world.

California's Highway 198 is a true test of any enthusiast car. It's got a little bit of everything — significant elevation gain, differing surfaces, jumps and a big enough variety of turns to satisfy any driving geek. We drove Highway 198 in the 2007 Mazdaspeed 3, a car that brings the road to life in an entirely new way.

If you asked us to name the one thing that made the Chrysler 300 an overnight success, we wouldn't point you to its rear-wheel drive, its retro styling or its Mercedes-Benz mechanicals. No, it's the fact that Chrysler took a risk: The company bet real money that real people would spend their real money to buy this stylish, agile and unconventional sedan, and it paid off.

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We had only driven two blocks in the test vehicle, a 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line, when my wife put a damper on the enthusiasm I was mustering for this budget hybrid.

"So this is one of those rattley cars," she innocently observed.

If Paris Hilton married Paul Bunyan, the 2007 Hummer H2 SUT would be the perfect conveyance for the happy couple. Paris could still roll up to every Hollywood hotspot with her It Girl image preserved by the paparazzi-magnetic luxury truck. Paul could borrow the Hummer on the weekends, pack his pet blue ox Babe in the pickup bed and motor off to the wilderness for some off-roading and tree-chopping. And they would live happily ever after; that is, until the divorce a month later.

The call of the third-row seat is pretty strong. Strong enough for a long list of crossover SUVs to have sprouted tiny, tacked-on, kids-only third rows that eat up any hope of carrying decent cargo. Minivans seat seven of course, but bottom out your cool factor faster than a Members Only jacket. So what's a guy to do?

Running out of juice in a natural-gas vehicle (NGV) is different from your usual side-of-the-road snafu. You can't carry extra compressed natural gas (CNG) in a container. If you're stuck, neither the local filling station nor AAA can help you with this particular alternative fuel.

It might seem odd to be studying Italian while driving a Japanese SUV but we figured Honda is learning to speak a new language with its first turbocharged engine, so why shouldn't we? After one minute in the charismatic new RDX, we realized we should have been brushing up on our German. The RDX is a Japanese SUV, made for the American market, but it drives like a German sport sedan.

Freedom is only yards away. As we creep toward the exit gate of the Long Beach swap meet, a big, burly dude pulls up right next to our 2006 Chevrolet Malibu SS. He's in a '69 Malibu with a 327, not exactly period-correct Centerline wheels and a bright peach paint job. "I guess Chevy will put an SS badge on anything if they think it will sell more cars, huh?" Something tells us he's not really asking a question. Similar to such overwrought expressions like "just so you know" and "I'm just saying," this statement/question's only goal is to jab and run. Sissy.

Inside Line's long-term test of the 2006 Toyota RAV4 Limited is complete. Unlike many of the other SUVs in our fleet, it proved to be something of a challenge to rack up miles on the compact RAV4. It took 12 months to eclipse the 19,000-mile mark. Is this a personality thing, or is it just better suited to short-haul urban driving?

Inside Line's long-term test of the 2006 Toyota RAV4 Limited is complete. Unlike many of the other SUVs in our fleet, it proved to be something of a challenge to rack up miles on the compact RAV4. It took 12 months to eclipse the 19,000-mile mark. Is this a personality thing, or is it just better suited to short-haul urban driving?

A new AMG high-performance engine is expected to deliver maximum performance in all areas – and the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine driving the new CLS 63 AMG is no exception to this rule. Whether its maximum performance, torque and power delivery, engine sound, suitability for long journeys or renowned Mercedes reliability, the powerful 410 kW (557 hp) eight-cylinder engine is able to meet all of the demands which are made of it. Future challenges also include being able to achieve optimum values when it comes to efficiency too, however. Here again the CLS 63 AMG is setting standards, as evidenced by its fuel consumption of 9.9 litres (2.6 gallons) per 100 kilometres (62 miles) (NEDC combined).

Competing as part of its final development and testing program, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 claimed third place during its first attempt in the 24 Hour Dubai race (January 13-15, 2011). The gullwing model, entered by the private Black Falcon team with the starting number 7, was driven by Thomas Jäger (Munich/Germany, age 34) Jan Seyffarth (Querfurth/Germany, 24), Kenneth Heyer (Wegberg/Germany, 31) and Sean Paul Breslin (London/Great Britain, 31). After a total of 594 laps, the Black Falcon team finished four laps behind the winner. The first race for three SLS AMG GT3s in the 2011 motorsport season also marked the completion to schedule of the development and testing programme which began in 2010.

Daimler AG presents the innovative drive solutions of today and tomorrow in its role as Official Transport Partner to the 4th World Future Energy Summit (WFES). The World Future Energy Summit is one of the world’s largest and most important events for the energy and environment industries.

Mercedes-Benz Canada is pleased to announce the Canadian premiere of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition today at the 2011 Montreal International Auto Show. Exclusive to Canada, and limited to just 30 units, the C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition was designed in the AMG Performance Centre in Affalterbach, Germany and features unique styling cues and an impressive list of special equipment that have never been offered before on a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.