This has been a long time coming. We almost bought a used 911 back in 2007 when we started buying fun modern classics for our long-term fleet, but a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS caught our eye and our dollars. After that we were shopping 911s when we bought a 2002 BMW M3 (E46). And again, we were cruising for Porsches on eBay last year when we bought our 2002 Chevy Corvette Z06, which we still own.

Hollywood loves a sequel, and now it's the Italians' turn. Fiat is reentering the North American market and it's promising that things are going to be different this time. The first model to arrive is the 2012 Fiat 500, a remake of the classic Cinquecento produced from 1957-'75.

Automotive manufacturers have tried it several times over the years. The practice was a matter of survival for some (Audi), and for others it was a schizophrenic fit of badge-swapping and marketing spin. Most of them regretted doing it. Volkswagen changed the name of our beloved Rabbit to the Euro-market Golf, to Rabbit, and back again to Golf. More recently, Ford tried changing the name from Taurus to 500 and back to Taurus. Whoops.

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta got off to an inauspicious start. When we first drove the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SEL we said, "The reason it's hard to love and fully recommend the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is because it's a step backward in a number of ways. The cost-cutting scissors were out in force this time around and it's all too obvious where money was saved."

After you see the commercials for the 2012 Honda Civic Si, you might think the car was built by over-caffeinated Japanese animators for equally restless gum-chewing teenage girls who dabble in ninja work when they tire of hanging out in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. Anything but subtle, the marketing message appears to target a buyer raised on video games, Red Bull and manga. Ironically, inspiration for the new Si came from a farther-flung blend of kookiness: yoga and Pilates.

Is it them? Or us? There was a time when a new Honda Civic was an event, a chance to see automotive innovation from a plucky company that could outwit rivals twice its size. But the cautious nature of recent Civic launches inspires the same enthusiasm we reserve for a new Rolling Stones album: might be a few good riffs left in the tank, but about as dangerous as a Trader Joe's soy loaf.

All hell is about to break loose. Flat-foot the throttle and swing the tachometer needle past six. Don't worry, the engine will settle back to a tick above four with a mellifluous burble. Wait for the boost gauge, which "goes to 11," to stop climbing. Breathe deeply.

Two years ago, Ford brought a then-new 2009 Ford F-150 to the North American truck market. A 6-inch boost in wheelbase accommodated both bigger cabs and longer rear springs, which in turn provided more hauling capacity and a smoother ride. A new six-speed gearbox improved drivability and fuel economy.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid is dead quiet as it waits on the Inside Line test track, its start-stop mode engaged. Throttle wooded, the hybrid Cayenne's electric motor hums to life, and a fraction of a second later, the shrill roar of the supercharged, direct-injected V6 fills the air.

Let's not extend the suspense any longer. The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is a fantastically compelling machine. It is fast — faster in real-world terms than the M3 on most roads. It has a truly brawny engine that sounds great at wide-open throttle, handles with all the precision expected of a car wearing the evocative M badge, and is super practical given its performance brief.

It took one full-throttle upshift into 4th gear while tracking away from an apex to remind us that the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is a monster. The gear slams home with such authority that the ass end instantly jerks sideways a couple of feet before the Aventador can scramble the appropriate countermeasures to prevent its V12's avalanche of power from having its way with the car's carbon-fiber chassis, huge tires and the surrounding countryside.

We're in the Fiat booth at the 2011 New York International Auto Show and, despite having seen Fiat booths at a few other domestic shows, it's still slightly surreal. We're surrounded by at least 10 examples of the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 — the only Fiat on sale in the U.S. at the moment — when a local TV news reporter comes over and things get even stranger.

Imagine you're running along a country road at the wheel of a Porsche Boxster. One second, there's the glorious sound of a flat six-cylinder engine — a faint mechanical thrashing overlaid with the thrum of bass exhaust — behind your shoulders.

Driving a grand coupe like the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 instills mixed feelings. First, it makes us keenly self-conscious. Like it or not, cars like this say something about their drivers. And no matter now spectacularly awesome they might be, there's no ignoring a machine so massive and so pricey.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe arrives bearing more than the usual degree of expectation. And not without a reason. The C63 AMG sedan, with which it shares its weapons-grade engine and the rest of its mechanical package, is one of AMG's finest pieces of work. So when we saw the new C63 coupe for the first time at last month's New York auto show, we got the feeling it was going to be something special.

We like the 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe. We really do, but we just don't love it the way we want to — or the way we used to.