MotorMouths

The F-150 toes a fine line between civility and functionality and does it in an attractive, masculine package. All hail the king.

The 2012 Ford Focus is a compact car with a pulse. With its more youthful exterior and sharper handling compared to either the 2011 Hyundai Elantra or 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. And it has managed to knock both the Honda Civic and the Mazda3 off their fun-to-drive thrones.

Even with its turbo lag and aging interior in place, the 2011 GMC Sierra Denali remains an impressive truck. In terms of outright capability, the Sierra Denali is built to work.

With a tweaked body, slightly adjusted interior and nudges to the suspension and drivetrain, the 2012 Civic is effectively generation 8.1, but that just might be enough to keep the hordes at bay and Honda out of history’s dog house.

It’s clear that the 2012 Hyundai Accent is intent on eclipsing the competition. The new Korean hatch has all the makings of one of the best all-around vehicles in the segment. With plenty of power, space and fuel efficiency in a low-cost package, Hyundai has hit all the right notes.

With more power and better fuel economy than the V6 variants of the Camry, Accord and Altima, all at around $3,000 less than the majority of its major competitors, we just can’t find a coherent all-around argument against the 2011 Sonata Turbo

The 2011 Sonata Hybrid is an impressive first showing from Hyundai in the hybrid game. It has proven itself more than capable of running with the rest of the mid-size hybrids. Is it the best of the breed? We’ll need some back-to-back time to know for sure.

Despite its excellent on-road manners, the EX35 is ultimately undone by a dearth of cabin and cargo space – it’s a crossover utility vehicle without the utility.

Infiniti has made a name for itself by designing and executing some of the nicest cabins in the segment. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. This is a more efficient G, but the sedan has lost much of the umami that separates the mid-level luxury line from its Nissan counterparts.

If the luxury SUV genus is to survive for our posterity, it might as well look like the QX56. For 2011, the truck’s engineers have managed to give it the camouflage it needs to survive in a world dominated by crossovers, all while keeping the base price identical to the 2010 model.

In a world dominated by variations on the same theme, the 2011 XJL is as close to shrugging off the bland, conservative lines of the luxury sedan as you’re apt to find. It satisfies all of the prerequisites for a high-dollar automobile while still striking its own chord.

Chrysler really has done something impressive with the 2011 Grand Cherokee. They are plainly operating with a dearth of resources compared to both Ford and GM, but has managed to turn out a product capable of keeping pace, if not besting its competitors.