2008 Mercedes-Benz GL Class

Last year, the Mercedes GL450 emerged as the most desirable luxo ute in a very desirable field. Facing an equally strong challenge for 2008, Mercedes responded by expanding the GL-class from a class of one to a family of three. For those who seek thrift and torque, there’s the GL320 CDI turbo-diesel, an impressive powerplant that’s currently creating compression-ignition converts in service with our long-term test fleet. And for those who find the GL450’s 335 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque a bit too tame, there’s the GL550, with a 5.5-liter V-8 generating 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet. (more…)

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BY TONY SWAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY

Trucks are still mighty popular in America, although the herd is getting complicated by hybrids and crossovers and tall wagons.

Despite a rapidly changing sales environment—escalating fuel prices and concerns about exhaust-gas content previously regarded as innocent—trucks still claim a big chunk of our new-vehicle market. Does this seem strange? If we’re worried about mpg and CO2, why do we love vehicles with carbon footprints reminiscent of the tracks left by stegosauri? (more…)

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BY JENS MEINERS


First official look at the future of GM’s mid-size car lineup.

Details are emerging on the Opel Insignia, which is essentially the next-generation 2010 Saturn Aura for North America. The Insignia replaces the Vectra in the Opel lineup and will be the first model from GM’s new Global Midsize Vehicle Architecture (formerly known as Epsilon), giving us a clear look at GM’s future mid-size car lineup. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY AND THE MANUFACTURER

We finally slap our test gear onto the potent Challenger SRT8 to see if it’s actually up to the challenge.

With so much presale buildup, we’ve told you bit by bit pretty much everything about Dodge’s old-meets-new Challenger SRT8. By now, the fundamentals should be familiar. The SRT8 is essentially a Charger SRT8 sedan with four inches cut from the middle and two fewer doors; it’s powered by the same 425-hp, 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 found in other SRT8 models in the Chrysler family; and it looks spectacular in orange. It also outguns the R/T and SE Challenger models that will be added for ’09. (more…)

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BY ALISA PRIDDLE

Audi maintains performance while increasing efficiency by 20%.

Those who assumed the 2010 Audi S4 would share its powertrain with the S5 were incorrect. Instead, look for an all-new forced-induction 3.0-liter V-6 that will generate something close to the 340 horsepower found in the outgoing S4’s 4.2-liter V-8. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER

These are the only senses the Lotus Elise Supercharged (Lotus also calls it the Elise SC 220) stimulates. Even taste: At various points during our spirited drive of the spunky supercharged two-seater along the asphalt ribbons of northern San Diego County, we found ourselves picking sand out of our hair, shirts, and, yes, teeth. And if there were a sixth sense, the Elise SC 220 would likely tickle that, too. (more…)

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Infiniti’s original FX moon buggy debuted in 2003 intending to be a sports sedan wearing a fanny pack. It handled well, accelerated smartly with the optional V-8, and looked particularly glam on its optional 20-inch wheels. It also rode as if its axles were welded directly to the body. Averaging 23,000 sales per year, the FX reached a small, mostly male audience willing to be pummeled in the name of fashion. (more…)

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BY DAVE VANDERWERP

Honda reskins and rethinks its brilliantly packaged eight-passenger SUV.

When the Pilot launched in 2002 as an ’03 model, it was a little ahead of its time. Back then, trucky, body-on-frame SUVs such as the Ford Explorer were the big sellers, and fuel economy wasn’t in the forefront of anyone’s mind. The Pilot’s innovative beginnings on the Odyssey minivan’s unibody architecture weren’t due to Honda’s superior foresight, however; the company simply didn’t have a body-on-frame platform to start with. So the Pilot launched by default as what is, in today’s vernacular, a crossover. (more…)

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BY JENS MEINERS

Affirmed class consciousness with the latest upgrade of this posh little car.

For more than two decades, the Volkswagen Golf—or Rabbit in the U.S.—has been the classless car par excellence in Europe, driven by students, the common worker, and the top executive who appreciates the anonymity of the compact hatchback. (more…)

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BY JENS MEINERS

VW introduces new vehicles for the Chinese market as it works to restore its dominance in the region.

Struggling to keep its position as the Chinese market leader and faced with the task of keeping two very different joint-venture partners happy, VW unveils two new cars at the Beijing auto show that look familiar to North American and European markets. (more…)

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