By http://www.caranddriver.com

Adding a manual transmission makes the robotic TL more human.

When designing the manual transmission for the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD, engineers actually measured the shift stroke of its competitive cars. Obviously—why else would Acura tell us this?—the TL has the shortest throw in its class at 3.5 inches. Engineers also measured clutch pedal engagement and disengagement effort. We’re fans of short-throw shifters and smooth clutch pedals, but going so far as to quantify those normally subjective qualities is something we don’t see very often. We’re not about to complain, though, given Honda/Acura’s reputation for slick-shifting manuals. Take a test drive of an Acura TSX or a Honda Civic Si or S2000 if you doubt us. (more…)

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BY MARK GILLIES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM DREW

Six-packed: Mazda’s new family sedan offers more of everything, except excitement.

No matter how much we liked the old Mazda 6, introduced in 2002 as a 2003 model, it was always at a disadvantage in the mid-size-sedan market because it was a little undersized.

For 2009, Mazda has rectified that matter with the new 6, which is bigger in every dimension. The wheelbase has gone up by 4.5 inches, to 109.8 inches. Overall, the car is 6.9 inches longer and 2.3 inches wider, at 193.7 inches and 72.4 inches, respectively. The maximum interior volume has increased from 96 cubic feet to 102 cubic feet, and the trunk volume is about 10 percent bigger, at 17 cubic feet. From being the minnow of the mid-size pack, the 6 is now one of its whales. (more…)

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BY PATRICK BEDARD, PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM DREW

Dearborn’s dreamboat was the MKR, a 2007 concept with an unforgettable face, warming the crowd for this near-luxury MKS.

To your list of things that will never happen, you can add one more: The hot-blooded pilotes of this staff will never rank this new Lincoln above a BMW, any BMW, in a comparison test. But the Supreme Court is not the only enclave of divided opinions; the contrarians among us think Ford has something going on here. (more…)

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BY ALISA PRIDDLE

Does Nissan need a Miata fighter?

Nissan is trying to figure out if there is room in the market for an entry-level sports car that is smaller, more lightweight, and more affordable than the 350Z.

The Japanese automaker is interested in a front-wheel-drive sports car that could compete with the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Pontiac Solstice, and Saturn Sky, Nissan North America vice-president in charge of product planning and strategy Larry Dominique tells Car and Driver in an interview. (more…)

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BY MARK GILLIES

In case the F430 wasn’t fast (or good) enough.

The great thing about the 430 Scuderia”a faster, lighter, and even more compelling version of the F430”is that Ferrari didn’t have to make it. Automakers create new versions of their existing models to stimulate sales, but with North American waiting lists at two years for the F430, Ferrari didn’t need to drum up showroom traffic.

Ferrari people say the primary reason for building the Scuderia is that it showcases the company’s racing technology in a street car. Another reason is that, historically, Ferrari has built more extreme versions of its entry-level sports car, going back to the F355 Challenge in 1995. And Lamborghini, its northern-Italian rival, has just introduced the Gallardo Superleggera, while Porsche, its perennial competitor, is continually making go-faster versions of the 911. (more…)

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BY PATRICK BEDARD, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL

Swedish Sportswear: The Volvo S40 four-door went in for spa treatment, came out 200 pounds lighter and looking absolutely Milano.

If a new model looks like fun”and this sparky little Volvo bobtail surely does”then its maker is figured to be shining up to the Hip, Hop, Kickin generation, those active lifestylers still 20 years short of their first wrinkle. And as it happens, Volvo admits to wistful longings for the 28-to-38 crowd”They don’t call, they never drop by!

But take it from us, there’s nothing about this perky C30 that’ll turn off the Modern Maturity set, starting with the base price of $23,445. A Volvo in sportswear is still a Volvo. (more…)

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BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JORDAN BROWN AND THE MANUFACTURER

The difference between paper and pavement is staggering.

Sixty mph in 4.8 seconds. A quarter-mile time of 13.6 seconds at 102 mph. Braking from 70 mph to a stop in 162 feet. On paper, it looks like this test subject is a mildly interesting performance car with an above-average ability to go and a somewhat ordinary ability to stop.

On pavement? Oh, on pavement the whole script flips. It isn’t until you whirl the wheel of the car to which those numbers are attached that you realize what an incredible machine you’re piloting. It amazes like a Dwyane Wade drive to the hole; nothing should be able to move the way it does. It is, in short, breathtaking. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN J. SEGAL

The quickest BMW you can get that doesn’t start with an M (until the 135i arrives, that is).

It used to be easy to write about the BMW 3-series. For the most part, we knew what we were gonna say before we ever got in the car. On the other hand, there were nuances about the character of the car that were extremely hard to put into words to convey just how good these cars feel. But we’d try, and it usually came out in the form of unbridled praise for perfect steering, elegant interior simplicity, and a brilliant ride-and-handling balance.

Maybe BMW got bored of hearing the same thing over and over again, because suddenly we had to come up with new words to describe the 3: controversially styled, technologically overwrought, and now this: quicker with the automatic. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLLY REICH AND THE MANUFACTURER

We’re not getting this V-8 diesel here, but we can tell you that the current Q7 flagship lacks soul and that Audi’s B&O doesn’t stink.

At the tail end of our first drive experience of Audi’s mouth-watering A5 and S5 coupes, we were thrust into the driver’s seat of something entirely different in pretty much every conceivable way: the newly minted Q7 4.2 TDI. Some of us rolled our eyes at this, since this particular oil burner, positioned as the current flagship of the Q7 line in Europe (until the V-12 TDI launches), won’t be making it stateside any time soon. (more…)

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BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID DEWHURST AND THE MANUFACTURER

Toyota sharpens its dull knife.

The all-new 2008 Toyota Highlander is boring.

Seriously, we haven’t been this bored driving an all-new car since, well, the original Highlander was introduced for the 2001 model year. Yes, with its new version, Toyota has addressed customer complaints regarding the previous model’s lack of style, space, and horsepower. But somehow, in spite of those improvements, the 08 Highlander exhibits no more charisma than Al Gore hosting a paint-mixing seminar. (more…)

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