MotorMouths

If you’d like to have a hot-hatch based on the last 3-series, but with BMW’s latest generation of engine and transmission, the X1 xDrive28i makes one hell of a package. Even if it’s not the quite hot hatch you’ve wanted all these years.

The Infiniti M56 is one top performer among a rarefied set of highly capable competitors. Maybe the M’s more dramatic styling will finally earn it the public recognition and votes that it deserves.

A sports car it most certainly is not, but if you need to cover huge amounts of ground quickly, comfortably, safely, and in grand style, the SL remains a remarkably comfortable and capable, if not rewarding, grand tourer in a class of one.

The hybrid system’s reduction in fuel consumption is, sadly, rather imperceptible. BMW should make no mention of the ActiveHybrid 3’s hybrid system at all, selling this instead as the top-of-the-line 3-series — after all, the margin may be slim but this is in fact the most expensive, quickest, and most economical 3 you can buy.

The newfound interior refinement and better looks of the 2010 Volkswagen GTI are worth it, because this is undoubtedly the best GTI yet.

The GT500 is muscle-car brash. It’s neither rewarding nor particularly involving, but it’s unbelievably fast. If cheap speed is your thing, boy, does Ford have a Mustang for you

In quantifiable terms, the 2012 model is leaps and bounds better than any previous 911. It sounds even better, it rides even better, it feels even better, it’s even more comfortable, better equipped, and it’s far better looking. It is a better car, but it’s not a better 911.

The 640i Gran Coupe is a stunning example of how you can take a bunch of off-the-shelf parts, throw caution to the wind, and build a car that’s better than any of the products it’s based on.

If 40 is the new 30 and Gaga is the new Madonna, then 2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe is the new M3. And that’s just fine. If there’s not a waiting list already, it’s because y’all haven’t driven one yet. (In other words, place your order now.)

This M5 has got almost all of the refinement of the current 5-series, all of the tech features, gorgeous styling, and elegant interior. And then it’s got razor-sharp handling and the best steering we’ve seen in a 5-series in a long time, if not ever.

Added to the list of firsts — Ferrari makes a shooting brake, Ferrari makes a four-wheel-drive car — is the first time Ferrari has ever handed over the keys to a journalist, in the snow, and not been concerned in the least. This is Ferrari’s coolest car in a long, long time.

The Jaguar XJ is luxury without the excess plush. It’s performance without being abrasive. Elegant without being derivative. Modern without being ostentatious. Sinful without being illegal. And now, it’s wrapped in a cover that tells exactly what’s inside.