MotorMouths

What we’ve got here is a pretty compelling, good-looking, sporty handling, inexpensive crossover. Like its cousin the Hyundai Tucson, this represents great value when compared to competition like the RAV4, CR-V and Escape.

The Bentley Supersports Convertible is a dreamboat, a car that can not only wow you with potency, but sooth you with straight-up luxury. And that top goes all the way down. Did we mention the organ pulls? As we often say in these situations, man, oh man, do we wish we were rich.

Ride, handling, acceleration and even interior aren’t the point of the Cadillac CTS Coupe. Style is, and in that regard Cadillac has grand-slammed it. All of the competing Germans and Japanese two-doors simply can’t hold a candle to the Coupe’s glorious lines.

We can’t think of a single area where the similarly priced but slightly more expensive Chevy Camaro SS beats the Mustang. Speed, handling, soundtrack, brakes, interior, fit and finish – you name it, the Mustang’s the superior sports car.

The Mustang V6 could be the most significant car released this year. Ford’s transformed an uninteresting rental appliance into a legitimate performance car and kept the price down.

When you put everything together – that motor, that transmission, that suspension – on your favorite back roads, magic happens. If the E63 AMG is not the very best car currently on sale, it’s awfully close. Superlative is only the half of it

For the corner-carving set, there’s no question that the lighter, much more tossable M37S is the Infiniti to get. However, if big, wafting, luxurious road trips are your thing, you’ve got to choose the M56S.

The IS 350C F-Sport has that all important X-factor. Valets went gaga over it, while our friends’ wives loved it even more. As for us, we just couldn’t get past the dated interior, the lousy transmission and the money.

If the Mazdaspeed3 existed in a bubble where its only competition was the Mini Cooper S and the Volkswagen GTI, the Speed3 would be the king of the winding road. But back to monkey wrench hurling reality, the Subaru WRX is a more capable, more enjoyable corner carver.

The Maxima SV Sport is a roomy, nearly-luxurious, semi-athletic steed. If we woke up tomorrow and discovered we owned a copy, we’d be happy. But would we pay $38,000 for one? Short answer: No. There’s nothing really wrong with the car, save for its sticker.

While not our first choice in performance machines, the 2010 Hyundai Tucson might in fact be our first choice if we needed a small crossover.

The 2010 Volkswagen GTI MkVI has a lot going for it. As far as hot hatches are concerned, none of the competition offers the same mix of refinement, sophistication and driving good times that the GTI does.