The all-new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid -is the most fuel-efficient luxury car in America. It features 39 combined mpg.The front-wheel-drive 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is also, on average, more than 50 percent more fuel-efficient than other luxury cars. On top of that, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid delivers over 700 city miles on a single tank of gas.
Lincoln has always been synonymous with luxury. In fact, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has more standard luxury. Features include the SYNC® voice-activated communications and entertainment system, walnut swirl or olive ash wood trim and Bridge of Weir leather-trimmed seating. This leather employs a chromium-free tanning process and can be recycled at the end of its life. And the wood trim comes from forests that are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

The 2011 Lincoln MKZ features the standard dual-LCD SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide that provides feedback on fuel efficiency and your driving performance. It has a full-color display with leaves that appear or fade in real time based on short-term driving efficiency. As your driving becomes more efficient over the long term, flower blossoms appear in the display.

With its prominent new Lincoln split-wing grille, oval chrome exhaust tips and dynamic lines, the 2011 Lincoln MKX creates a striking image.

Inside, luxury abounds. Standard leather-trimmed seats and available wood-trimmed accents come together to create a rich ambience. Lincoln MKX features standard heated and cooled front seats. It is the only vehicle in its class to offer these seats as a standard feature.A heated steering wheel is also available to keep your hands warm in the coldest of weather.

Perhaps what stands out most in this vehicle are all of its advanced features. There's standard MyLincoln Touch™ that, combined with the SYNC® in-car connectivity system, will forever change the way you interact with your vehicle. Manage your phone, entertainment, climate and available navigation features by using the intuitive steering wheel controls, eight-inch LCD touch screen or via voice commands. Available adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support automatically adjusts your speed to help maintain a preset distance from the vehicle in front of you. The available Navigation System with SIRIUS Traffic™ and SIRIUS Travel Link™ not only gives you turn-by-turn directions, but also provides traffic alerts, gas prices, weather forecasts, sports scores and more.

The 2011 Lincoln MKX excels in the performance category, featuring best-in-class standard 305 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque.† Plus, it delivers unsurpassed EPA-estimated FWD 18city/25 hwy mpg.

The 4.7-liter, V8 engine gets 444 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Each angle on the front and sides of the car was calibrated to ensure the most efficient airflow around the car, Alfa says, and it shows: It'll do 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 9.7 seconds.

The front mid-mounted 6-liter V12 engine produces 470 bhp, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. The engine is hand-built in Köln, Germany, and features a six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission.

Mulsanne is inspired by the company founder W.O. Bentley's crowning achievement, the 8-liter auto first shown at the 1930 London Motor Show. A 6 3/4-liter, V8 engine gets 505bhp; inside, exotic woods, leather hides and solid stainless-steel brightware are hand-crafted for maximum luxury

Peter Mullin, one of the most famous car collectors in the world, has opened his own automotive museum in Oxnard/California. The Museum celebrates French Art Deco cars - amongst the numerous vintage Bugattis on display the recent Bugatti history is featured the four iconic Bugatti Showcars: the EB 118, EB 218, EB 18/3 Chiron and the Veyron 16/4. Bugatti is thrilled to have the Mullin Automotive Museum as the perfect ambassador for these unique vehicles in their most important market in Southern California. The museum is located north of Los Angeles.

So there we were at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, ogling a new, preproduction metallic black (or really dark charcoal gray) 2011 BMW 550i, and our BMW pal said, "Hey, like to take it for a drive?" Got any more stupid questions? Gimmee that keyfob, Please. Scott Evans already for you, so we'll focus on the actual piece in hand and the driving experience. The exterior design is ultrafresh and looks like a modern BMW without some of the overdetailing from which many of them have suffered. It's better balanced-looking than the outgoing 5 Series, but would never be mistaken for anything else. Underhood is the new, 400-horse, twin-turbocharged V-8, backed by ZF's new, and super high-tech, eight-speed automatic transmission.

This car isn't quick; it's genuinely fast, and smooth. We criticized this engine in the new 7 Series for a less than even acceleration curve and slightly jerky throttle response, but no such problem here. Perhaps BMW has evened out the engine's power delivery, or maybe the new trans calibrates the problem away. But the biturbo V-8's got power everywhere on the tach and is easy to drive slowly and smoothly and really gets with the program when you've got your toes into it. There's no turbo lag or jerkiness, just smooth power from a relatively low rpm, as there's meaningful boost available at low rpm. This powertrain makes that silky, turbinelike whirr we've come to expect from BMW V-8s, and it doesn't disappoint. While the result is exceptional, one wonders if this much expensive turbocharger hardware is needed or warranted to produce 400 horsepower. There are other V-8s that make as much power without all the technical complexity. Whatever, it sure works. As is typical of today's ZF automatic transmissions, this eight-speeder shifts smoothly without being mushy, and always seem to be in the right gear want a different one, just order up- or downshifts via the steering wheel paddle-shifter, or the throttle.

The Bentley Mulsanne doesn't look like a retro car, but it is. Unlike, say, the New Mini, the New Beetle, or even the New Mustang, the new Mulsanne is not a skin-deep styling homage to an iconic ancestor. Even though it drips with 21st-century technology - composite body parts, an eight-speed automatic transmission, computer-controlled air suspension, a 60-gig hard drive that drives the sat nav, audio/video, data, telephone and Bluetooth connectivity - the new Mulsanne, which replaces the flagship Arnage sedan, is old-school to its very soul.

It is the Bentley that was never meant to be, done the way Bentleys were always meant to be.

"I have been in this industry for 30 years and I have done a lot of cars," said Bentley Chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen at the global reveal of the Mulsanne at Pebble Beach last August. "And this is all I can do." For Paefgen and his senior management team, including engineering chief Ulrich Eichhorn and designer Dirk van Braeckel, the new Mulsanne represents nothing less than the sum total of their considerable automotive knowledge, experience, and car-guy passion. "This is the first big Bentley since 1930 [before the company was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931] designed, engineered, and built as a big Bentley," says Paefgen proudly.

With the modern automobile's mass generally increasing year by year, it is often said that the mark of a good vehicle is its ability to shrink around the driver -- to drive like a smaller, lighter car than its lengthy list of standard equipment and safety features would suggest. Here, on the impossibly tight and windy sections of Malibu, California's famed Mulholland Drive, the 2011 Jaguar XJ L Supercharged -- Jaguar's newest flagship luxury sedan -- does exactly that.More than 4000 pounds and 206 inches of luxury sedan isn't exactly in its element hustling the fine, treacherously narrow line between jagged, rocky canyon walls and perilously steep drop-offs, but the Jaguar is sure-footed and well-composed. The winding ribbon of well-traveled gray asphalt seems custom-made for a 7/8ths scale car -- a diminutive Lotus Exige, perhaps. Still, the long-wheelbase, aluminum-framed XJ is up to the task, turning in with precision and quickness decidedly against the norm for the executive transportation class. But then, Jaguar has never been enamored with the norm.

The 2007 Chevrolet Volt concept dazzled, even more than General Motors expected. For 2010 production, however, it has to use existing component sets, which naturally make the Volt more mainstream and cheaper to build. The changes also give the car lower drag, more cabin space, and a tighter turning circle. The designer of both vehicles, Bob Boniface, says that concept cars are "not a contract with the general public" and that the commercial product is a much better car. We tend to agree with him. Polarizing design can impress but lose sales. GM needs this car to succeed. So do we all.

From Concept to Production

1 The deeply inset grille and the sharp crease from the lower lamps were terrible for aerodynamics, and the recessed lamps were neither adequate for illumination nor legal.

2 Multiple hard surface-change lines on the front of the concept tended to confuse and retard oncoming air molecules. Smoothing the front end helps aerodynamically and simplifies production.

3 Saab 99-like, the tank-slit wraparound windshield was deemed likely to compete with plans for future Saab products. But GM may sell Saab anyway.

4 The sharp break from windshield to roof was likewise considered too Saab-like, and it was also aerodynamically undesirable, thus the change to uninterrupted flowing glass.

5 Big bulges for oversize - 21-inch - wheels were another drag-increasing styling element that had to go for the production car.

6 The grille shape was retained, but air flows into the engine compartment only through peripheral slots around the grille shield, which retains its diamond texture. Most air enters below the bumper.

7 Headlamps had to be bigger for adequate lighting, and wrapping them around the front end let side markers be incorporated.

8 The impossible-to-clean transparent fairings from the show car have been replaced by painted sheetmetal, which visually extends the height of the side glass.

9 These 17-inch wheels look much like the show car's 21-inch units, but in fact, they have been refined to reduce aerodynamic drag. Small details count when there's not much power available.

10 The continuous sweep of glass from windshield to roof is excellent for aerodynamic drag reduction, but it also gives the car a softer, safer appearance, desirable for a family car.

Ironically, it's only years after the big divorce that the Jeep brand finally benefits from the DaimlerChrysler marriage. An all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee debuts for 2011, and it now shares its underpinnings with the Mercedes-Benz M-class SUV. Better late than never, we suppose.

A new 3.6-liter replaces the previous 3.7-liter as the base V-6. It produces 280 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque (up significantly from the old lump's 210 and 235) and returns 11 percent better fuel economy, thanks in part to variable valve timing. The optional 360-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 returns to the playground, and both engines are paired with a five-speed automatic transmission and either rear- or four-wheel drive.

An optional Quadra-Lift air suspension (inherited from Mercedes) can raise the Grand Cherokee's ride height, increasing approach, departure, and breakover angles for even more off-road credibility. No longer constrained by the Commander, Jeep's mainstay family hauler has room to grow--and so the new Grand Cherokee is 1.8 inches longer, 3 inches wider, and, most important, rides on a wheelbase that's 5.3 inches longer. That last measurement contributes to a significant increase in rear-seat room, a welcome improvement over today's cramped bench. Jeep promises more soft-touch plastics and a higher quality interior, as well as an available Alpine sound system.

The BMW X6 is a powerhouse of a hatchback vehicle that is a whole lot of fun to drive, but which has always cost a whole lot of money as well. A little odd in its class for all that it offers and its seeming indecision, the X6 is a blend of cars from many different styles and arenas.

Specifications

BMW has released some details for the future of the X6 and from what we’ve seen so far, these are the specs you can look forward to in mid 2010 when it hits dealerships:

• Pricing: An MSRP just shy of $56,000 is expected for the base model.
• Engine: An N55 single-turbo inline-six engine at 3.0 liters and a prodigious 300 horsepower will be found under the hood of the new X5.
• Fuel Economy: Fuel economy for the X6 was horrible in 2010 at 15/21 or even 13/18 miles per gallon, but is expected to improve thanks to the new engine and transmission configurations.
• Acceleration: The right trim of the new X6 is expected to get zero to sixty miles per hour in five seconds flat.
• Transmission:A ZF-sourced automatic eight-speed transmission will be new and is expected to improve the efficiency of the X6’s engines.
• Car Safety Features: Crash test results were not made available by the government for the 2010 X6 but safety features are plentiful and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the X6 “Good”, its highest rating. This year the X6 gets side-view cameras as an option and a lane-departure warning system.
• Warranty: BMW warranties all of its cars for 4 years/50,000 miles

For now, much of the buzz surrounding the Porsche brand has to do with the release of the automaker’s first four-door sedan, the . However, when the highly anticipated 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera debuts in the fall of this year, it is sure to steal the spotlight. In addition to small but significant changes to the powertrain and curb weight, the 2011 Carrera will also sport a redesigned back end, complete with an all-new, speed-activated spoiler. Read on for additional details on the 2011 Porsche Carrera in our initial auto review.

Specifications

Many of the details we have so far on the 2011 Carrera are only speculative, but here are the specs that are most likely for the new model year:

• Pricing: the 911 Carrera should start at about $78,000 MSRP and around $70,000 invoice
• Fuel economy: Porsche has not released any data on fuel economy car ratings for the new Carrera, but they will likely be similar to the current city/highway rating of 18/26 mpg
• Engine: Porsche insiders indicate that the carmaker will enhance both the power and displacement of the 2011 911 Carrera’s engines, possibly offering an inline six-cylinder with 350-360 horsepower on the base model and a 400-horsepower inline six on the S model
• Drivetrain: the existing options of a six-speed manual transmission and a seven-speed PDK manual/automatic transmission will probably remain the same, and Porsche will continue to offer all-wheel drive on one or more Carrera models for 2011
• Acceleration: standard model completes 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds; Carrera S completes 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. Times may get a bit faster in 2011 due to a lighter-weight body and stronger powertrains.
• Model lineup: 911 Carrera (coupe or cabriolet); 911 Carrera 4S (coupe or cabriolet); 911 Carrera 4 (coupe or cabriolet); 911 Carrera S (coupe or cabriolet)
• Car safety features: existing safety equipment, such as dual front and side airbags and stability control, will transfer to 2011 Carrera
• Suspension: active suspension management system optional
• Competitors: Mercedes-Benz CL; Mercedes-Benz SL; Jaguar XK; Nissan GT-R
• Warranty: four-year/50,000-mile limited warranty

The Dodge Challenger is expected to see some changes over the next model year. There may be a few changes to the features, but the styling is likely to remain the same. The biggest change to expect in the 2011 Dodge Challenger is in the top-of-the-line SRT8 engine. The exterior is likely to remain the same. New Challengers are scheduled to hit the dealerships in the fall of 2010.

Specifications

This is what we know so far about the specs of the 2011 Dodge Challenger:

• Pricing: car pricing for the 2011 Dodge Challenger has not been announced yet, and is not likely to be available until shortly before the release this fall. The base model should cost around $24,000. The upgraded R/T trim is likely to cost about $32,000, while the SRT8 trim may cost $44,000 or more.
• Fuel economy: the gas mileage on the new Dodge Challenger has not been released yet; new engines could change the gas mileage. Dodge is likely to use new Pentastar engines that it claims are more fuel efficient than the 2010 engines. If that is the case, the SE model should get better than 17 city/25 mpg highway.
• Engine: three engines are expected: the base SE model should get a 3.6-liter, 280 horsepower V6; the R/T trim should receive a 5.7-liter, 376 horsepower V-8; the SRT8 trim should come with a 6.1-liter, 425 horsepower Hemi V-8 engine.
• Acceleration: some auto reviews have suggested that the current Challenger’s base model has an engine that lacks oomph; the 2011 Dodge Challenger has a more powerful base engine, which should improve on its acceleration. The vehicle has not yet been tested for its 0 to 60 mph times.
• Car safety features: safety features should be similar to the 2010 model. The 2011 Dodge Challenger may include car safety features such as antilock brakes, traction control, antiskid control, and side curtain air bags.
• Suspension: suspension offers a smooth ride.
• Warranty: three-year/36,000 mile basic warranty; five-year, 100,000 mile powertrain and corrosion warranty; three-year/36,000 mile roadside assistance.

"This car's so quiet I'm falling asleep." That sentence has probably been uttered in a Buick before. But not in a Buick cruising along a German autobahn. At 130 mph.

"Hey, this feels pretty nice." Someone's probably said that before in a Buick, too. But not in a Buick hammering around the legendary Nurburgring Nordschliefe. That's because no Buick in history has had its chassis tuned on the same bit of road utilized by the likes of BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi to get their cars handling right.

The 2010 Focus is a 2- or 4-door, 5-passenger family coupe, or family sedan, available in 6 trims, ranging from the SE Coupe to the SEL Sedan.

Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 140-horsepower engine. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.

The 2010 Focus is a carryover from 2009.

There are classics in car design, such as ford's Mustang and porches 911, whose shapes have persisted with subtle variations for forty years. jaguar's XJ sedan is almost equally long-lived, but sales have dropped as it passed through many iterations that were all much too closely based--even the last all-aluminum model--on Sir William Lyon's original design. Now, finally, the XJ has a completely new shape, impressively handsome and vastly better, in terms of space and comfort, than any of its forebears.

The initial presentation to the American press at Hedsor House, an archetypical English stately home, was the best I've experienced in half a century of seeing new cars before their public showing: we were marshaled onto a second floor balcony overlooking the home's beautiful park and its long driveway. Two of the new cars--one of each wheelbase--approached and moved smoothly around the area so we could see them from every direction while Jaguar design leader Ian Callum talked about their design. Given that it is impossible to properly judge a new design until you have seen it in motion, this was a brilliant way to present a vitally important product.

With GM cutting its number of brands in half, those who remain in the General's employ now have both the opportunity and the obligation to define their roles, build unique products, and sell lots of cars. As one of GM's four surviving brands, buick owes a debt of gratitude to the Chinese market, where it is considered a premium marque. In the United States, the brand urgently needs to develop a similar cachet, and the 2010 Buick la Crosse is an effort to do just that.

Give KIA credit; it's not afraid to take on a monumental task. The ambitious Korean automaker didn't start selling cars in the United States until 1994, and a mere fifteen years later it offers a full range of vehicles, from the entry-level Rio sedan to the seven-passenger Borrego SUV to the spunky, funky Soul "urban passenger vehicle." As with almost every other carmaker, its sales are down this year (although Kia's 6.8 percent drop looks positively paltry compared with the double-digit dips suffered by most of its competitors). The faltering economy hasn't stopped Kia from forging ahead with its product plans, however. In fact, the automaker boasts that not only have there been no cutbacks, but in May, it spent more money marketing its products than during any other month in company history.

For 2010, the Range Rover gets a variety of upgrades aimed at improving the driving experience: both available engines have an extra dose of horsepower, the interior is even more luxurious, and the level of technology, both inside the cabin and under the skin, is more impressive than ever.

The Look

We'll forgive you if your eyes can't detect the slight changes in appearance from a distance. In addition to a revised grille, LEDs around the headlamps and taillamps, and slightly different side gills with LEDs that function as turn indicators, the fog lights move from the front bumper down to the sides of the air intake. The current Range Rover has aged quite well, so only minor changes seem appropriate.

The Honda CR-V is one of the best-selling cars in its class and one of the best-selling cars in the entire market. However, Honda has made some significant changes to the powertrain to help it compete with more fuel-efficient models like the Toyota RAV4. The 2010 CR-V goes on sale today.

Horsepower has gone from 166 hp to 180 hp for 2010 and mileage actually improves by 1 mpg for both front-wheel and all-wheel drive models. Those ratings are now 21/28 mpg city/highway and 21/27 mpg city/highway respectively.

In the looks department, the CR-V gets a new grille and front bumper treatment that does alter the look quite a bit compared to some other facelifts we see. The rear refresh is much less significant with new yellow turn signal indicators and a slightly different lower rear bumper.

While the interior looks the same in terms of layout and design, Honda says it has improved the quality of its seat fabrics and improved small things, like a new door handle that now has a rubber grip. The armrests for both front occupants have also been widened.

Honda says the radio controls have been altered but we have no images of them. The stereo and information display between the gauges also gets a new blue backlight instead of black.

As if it didn’t have enough on its plate, Toyota is now coming under scrutiny for denying an extended warranty to owners of 2001-03 . Toyota began an inquiry into the issue last August after more than 300 complaints were filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The complaints involved the vehicle jerking, failing to accelerate or suddenly slowing down. Many of the complaints included descriptions of the transmission failure as “dangerous” and “scary.”It’s important to note that drivers can severely damage their transmissions just by driving poorly and that the transmission is covered under Toyota’s powertrain warranty of six years or 60,000 miles.

No stranger to minivans, Toyota has thrown a lot of darts at the board with the redesigned 2011 Sienna. Features run the gamut from functional — the Sienna is the only minivan with optional all-wheel drive and is the first in a long while to offer a four-cylinder engine — to pie-in-the-sky: Loaded models can have dual moonroofs and rear lounge seats with footrests. There’s even a sport-tuned Sienna SE for parents inclined to carve corners en route to Sally’s slumber party.

It’s a good thing the minivan behind the frills stands up. Though flawed in a couple key respects, the Sienna’s fundamentals are sound. Toyota seems to think the minivan segment is headed for a rebirth. Sales indicate that the top players in the minivan segment are holding their own with three-row crossovers.

I’m skeptical a larger surge is in the cards. However, if you’re not high-tailing it out for a crossover, this particular minivan deserves a look. We had a chance to drive the Sienna in California, and we’ll have full review of the model, which hits dealerships in February, up on Monday, including our impressions of the sport-tuned Sienna SE. Below is an early take on that review. We'll have a full photo gallery and video tomorrow.

The 2010 Lexus RX 450h came so close to earning a rave review from Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. He found the crossover an immensely enjoyable vehicle with good mileage, an impressive interior and a price tag most shoppers in this segment can stomach. What held back the RX 450h? Thomas says Lexus might want to work a little harder on that hybrid drivetrain.

When Acura first rolled out the RDX, it hit a juicy vein in the compact luxury SUV segment that had yet to be overexploited. These days, nearly every luxury automaker has an entry-level crossover with a relatively low price tag. Does the RDX manage to distinguish itself even though the competition has caught on? For the answer, check out the full review of the 2010 RDX by Cars.com reviewer David Thomas.

When Acura first rolled out the RDX, it hit a juicy vein in the compact luxury SUV segment that had yet to be overexploited. These days, nearly every luxury automaker has an entry-level crossover with a relatively low price tag. Does the RDX manage to distinguish itself even though the competition has caught on? For the answer, check out the full review of the 2010 RDX by Cars.com reviewer David Thomas.

The 2010 Subaru Outback was displaced this week as the most read car review, and the all-new 2010 Hyundai Tucson ascended to the top spot. Drivers must still have winter weather on their minds because the top five were rounded out by SUVs and crossovers, while the acrobatically named Suzuki Kizashi debuted in the middle of the pack. Remember: Every time you read a review, you are in fact voting in our eyes.

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h is a hybrid sedan that gets an EPA-estimated 35/34 mpg city/highway, which sounds well and good. Cars.com reviewer Mike Hanley wonders if this will be enough to entice luxury hybrid shoppers. After all, the HS 250h carries a hefty price tag in the $35,000 range, and the ride quality doesn’t quite cut it in the luxury market. Read Hanley’s full review to find out if the Lexus sedan can overcome these deficits.

While Acura has had a winner with the TSX, this year it added a powerful V-6 engine, which makes for a curious choice, according to Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. The V-6 pushes up the price of the TSX, putting it into competition with the larger Acura TL. Thomas explains why this could wreak some havoc in the Acura lineup and why looking at the four-cylinder TSX will still make a lot of sense to car buyers in search of a fun midsize sedan for under $30,000.

The 2011 Kia Sorento has shown improvements in leaps and bounds, according to Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. Combining ample cargo room with a low sticker price, the Sorento makes a compelling case for itself over the competition. Check out Thomas’ full review to find out what the Sorento gets right, and where it might turn off some car buyers looking for a smooth driving experience