The Fiat 500 is living proof that a high-end lifestyle doesn’t always mean driving the biggest and most powerful four-wheeled machines on the planet.

Download 2011 Fiat 500 by Gucci

Getting an award is quite an honor, but getting the title of Japanese Car of the Year is apparently something that warrants a little more than a simple thank you.

Download 2011 Honda CR-Z Memorial Award Edition

British tuning firm Merdad has been rolling out tuning programs for the Range Rover Sport for quite some time now and it figures that with their popularity getting stronger and stronger, the easy answer would be to continue their roll and translate their latest program for the newest crop of Range Rover Sport models to come out of Land Rover’s production facility.

Download 2011 Range Rover Sport by Merdad

For 2010 the Lincoln MKX is offering available all-wheel-drive, standard heated-and-cooled front seats and available heated rear seats. And for 2010, its 265-hp engine and six-speed automatic transmission have been extensively refined to increase fuel mileage. Prices for the MKX start at $38,345 for the FDW version and at $40,195 for the AWD version.

Download 2010 Lincoln MKX

Since it was introduced in 2009, the Mercedes SLS AMG has become a favorite among tuning companies, so much so that we’ve seen enough unique iterations of the Mercedes supercar to last us a few lifetimes.

Download 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG "MKB P640" by MKB

The Skoda Superb isn’t exactly the king of sedans, at least not for us Americans who have never driven in one and most likely will never even see one in the flesh. Of course, the sedan is a little more popular over in Europe, and now it’s received another piece of ammo in its small bag-o-guns.

Download 2010 Skoda Superb 1.6 TDI CR

OMG! The winningest team in Formula 1 and the company that best translates that racing technology to its road cars has gone off the reservation and built an all-wheel-drive wagon with a suspension that goes up and down like a Range Rover's. Not even Nostradamus saw this coming. The Mayans were right -- the world is ending in 2012!

Download First Drive: 2012 Ferrari FF

Once you get to know the Kizashi, you'll like it. Value-packed and honest, ours has features like an iPod jack, making it easy to control music through the stereo system, and Bluetooth. The cabin isn't all that exciting, but the car as a whole continues to win over the staff.


Download Long Term Update 6: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS

For roughly 40 nights a year, a small patch of blacktop in Downtown Los Angeles becomes the most sought after real estate in Southern California. It's a parking lot across the street from the Staples Center, home of the L.A. Lakers NBA team, and unless you're a season ticket holder or Kobe Bryant's mother you're not getting in. Or so we thought.

Download Full Test: 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

Although it's raining in sheets, we're sitting in the new 2006 Volvo C70 with the top down. The jungle-covered Hana Highway was dry and sunny a minute ago, but the weather changes fast on the rainy side of Maui.

Download First Drive: 2006 Volvo C70

If being noticed is your thing, the 2007 Lexus ES 350 isn't the car for you. It disappears into Southern California's mass of suburbia like a Caprice in Detroit. It's not an image car. So Newport Ned, all blue chips, high horsepower and big ego, won't want one. But his mother, Newport Nancy, probably will. She's more concerned with comfort than visibility, more worried about the way the journey feels than being noticed at the destination. She's practical, enjoys a smooth ride, an agreeable seat, the perfect temperature and easy listening.

Download Full Test: 2007 Lexus ES 350

Keith Brantley’s 2009 C63 AMG has affectionately been dubbed the “Red Brown Arrow” by none other than AMG, Mercedes Benz own in-house tuning division. As anyone even vaguely familiar with the marque will attest that is not something to be taken lightly, then again not much is in Affalterbach, Germany.

Download Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Record Claimed by Modern Horsepower

Somebody from Mercedes-Benz must have seen Tom Cruise couch-jumping on Oprah. Everyone figured the G500 would die the instant this new 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 hit dealers. It sounded logical. The G500 began its life as a military vehicle four decades ago. No one in their right mind would choose it over the state-of-the-art GL450.

Download Full Test: 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450

What has been dubbed the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force, is taking to the streets of New York City in the new 2012 CLS 63 AMG to spot “stylesetters” with fresh, creative design looks and arresting appeal. Stylist Brad Goreski and a team of Fashion Enforcers are on duty for five days during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week carrying out its mission.

Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Patrols New York Streets for Fashion

The folks over at PickupTrucks.com appear to have a video of what might be the 2012 Toyota Tacoma truck. The 2012 Tacoma is expected to be a refreshed model, but it’s almost impossible to distinguish the truck from the video from the 2011 model. Judging from screen shots below, the front end is definitely tweaked, but the side and rear end look identical to the current model.

Download Leaked: Could This Be The 2012 Toyota Tacoma?

I've never wanted to own a Porsche 911, though they are great fun to drive. They're even wilder to ride in with a pro like Walter Rohrl flailing away at the helm. Such rides sometimes make me wonder if the "laws of physics" are open to creative interpretation like our Constitution. But two mechanical engineering degrees tell me they're not, hence, in my mind no proper racebred chassis should have its engine cantilevered off the rear axle (or the front). Yes, the 911's setup loads the rear tires for better launch acceleration and provides slightly better weight distribution under hard braking, but if this arrangement is superior, why doesn't anybody else in racing use it? I'm willing to bet that a mid-engine Cayman could spank a 911 on the Nürburgring if equipped with equivalent power, tires, and chassis optimization. So is it just pig-headed German stubbornness keeping the Cayman down?

Download Perverse Polarity