Pitting the ghost of Nicolae Ceausescu against the legacy of Lee Iacocca, an electric vehicle based on Romania’s Dacia Logan pickup has made its debut at a former Chrysler dealer in Iowa.

Download Electric Dacia Debuts in Des Moines

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

As if Kias weren’t inexpensive enough, now the South Korean automaker has created two special editions based off of their c’eed and pro_cee’d models. They’re called the VR-7 Special Editions and they are currently on sale.

Download 2011 Kia VR-7 Special Editions

Volvo is offering its American customers a cheaper entry level model for the S60 line-up. It’s called the T5 and is priced at only $30,795, which is $450 less than the previous base model and $7,000 more affordable compared to the initial top version.

Download 2012 Volvo S60 T5

You're sitting a stoplight in your new 263-horse Mazdaspeed3. The street ahead is clear. When the light flashes green, you're going to excuse yourself from the rest of the herd rather rapidly -- including that brand-new 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i right next to you. Dispatching it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Well, you had better hope whoever is behind the wheel of that crossover doesn't have similar aspirations. Because while you artfully Fred Astaire the Mazda's pedals, balancing wheelspin and boost to maximize acceleration, they'll merely slide the transmission into sport mode and step on the gas. Then the X3 will reach 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, matching your Speed3.


Download First Test: 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i

Hyundai's Genesis sedan is much improved for 2012, yet its position in the market won't change one bit. The Genesis will continue to give engineers and product planners at Mercedes-Benz and Lexus fits, thanks to the sedan's upgraded V-6 engine, revised suspension tuning, and a new eight-speed automatic transmission -- not to mention the 429-horsepower R-Spec model.

Download First Look: 2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan

"Delightful." Thus spoke Kim Reynolds, our handling and ride quality guru, when I asked him how Fiat's ballsy little 500 was to drive around our patented figure eight. Mr. Reynolds' seal of approval is high praise indeed for the diminutive newcomer, as I've seen Kim yawning while climbing out of ultracars worth several hundred thousand dollars. No, really. So why the big love for such a tiny car? Well, in a teensy-weensy Italian nutshell, the 500 deserves it.

Download First Test: 2012 Fiat 500

When the Mazda Cosmo Sport broke cover in Japan in May 1967, its combination of drop-dead good looks and the world's first production rotary engine placed it in a segment all its own, lending it instant cult status. The coupe seemed a decade ahead of its time. It even appeared as a state-of-the-art patrol car in the futuristic 1971 Japanese TV series "The Return of Ultraman." As the show's protagonist cruised down deserted Tokyo streets, passing boxy, nondescript 1960s sedans, his Cosmo Sport looked like a road-going spaceship ready to blast off.

Download Driving the Mazda Cosmo Sport

If the engine is the soul of every car, then the 2007 Audi RS 4 has more character under its hood than most performance cars possess from tip to tailpipe. With 4.2 liters of direct-injected aluminum fury, its V8 makes 420 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, and revs to an unbelievable 8,250 rpm.

Download Full Test: 2007 Audi RS 4

Tuesday marks the start of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and it wouldn’t be right to cover the show without highlighting Swiss Tuner extraordinaire Mansory’s work on the SLS AMG. While at first glance the styling is more reminiscent of a Ferrari 599 than a Merc, we can assure you that the car in the photos is indeed the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The custom carbon Cormeum Mercedes SLS AMG will be limited to a production of a mere 15 cars, and it will offer drivers 600 HP with a future possibility of 800 HP.

Download Mansory Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gets Carbon Makeover for Geneva

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.

Download First Drive: 2007 Volvo S80

When it comes to what’s under the hood, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG launches with a name that is now more misleading than ever. AMG’s “63” moniker, after all, never was entirely correct: At 6208 cc, the last-gen CLS63’s naturally aspirated M156 engine missed the 6.3-liter mark by less than a 10th of a liter. And now, most AMG “63” cars are having their 6.2 replaced by a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 dubbed M157.


Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG - First Drive Review

The previous-generation Legacy was a great driver’s car, especially within the family-sedan market. Standard all-wheel drive offered all-weather security and the chassis felt lively, but the car suffered from weak fuel economy and a tight back seat. Indeed, the shortcomings made it seem as though Legacy buyers were making a sacrifice simply by purchasing the car, opting to join a secret Subie society instead of purchasing a more sensible, practical model from another manufacturer.


Download Subaru Legacy - First Drive Review

Video shows the import Z06 hitting the 333 km/h mark (207 mph) on roads made for domestic muscle like the M5

Download Corvette Z06 hits 333 km/h

Road Test editor Scott Mortara headed down the quarter mile in the bright-yellow Boss 302 Mustang, steadying his speed for Motor Trend's standard brake test, just as he's done a thousand times before. Back in the day, before anti-lock brakes and stability control systems and decent tires, you never knew quite which direction the car might be facing when you finished a brake test. These days, though, it's fairly simple: At about 70 mph, you grenade the brake pedal and hang on. The electronic nannies keep the cars nice and straight, and our sophisticated on-board data-logging equipment automatically captures the distance it takes to decelerate from 60 mph to a standstill.

Download The Big Picture