MotorMouths

With diesel now roughly back at parity in price with gasoline, the Audi A3 TDI will soon offer a premium compact with good handling and excellent fuel economy.

In terms of raw capabilities, these new Heavy Duty Silverados edge the Fords in most categories, but not by any amount big enough to be truly meaningful. What may tilt the scales toward GM, however, is its superior ride quality, engine refinement and features like smart exhaust braking.

The new Prius is no longer just an appliance for commuting. It’s almost fun to drive. Toyota just needs to apply some more of its Kaizen philosophy of continual improvement to the ride and handling and we can call it good.

The EcoBoost’s fat and flat torque curve gives the 2010 Lincoln MKT a response that is almost diesel-like, albeit without the attendant soundtrack.

If you live in warm southern climes and you do a significant amount of urban driving, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is an excellent choice.

The F-450 can easily handle just about any task you put to it – as long as its massive rear wheel arches will fit. We were able to average around 15 miles per gallon – rather impressive for an 8,000 pound truck with the frontal area of a pole barn.

Despite its newfound refinement, the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD still isn’t a truck we recommend as an everyday personal-use vehicle That said, it’s a much more manageable beast to maneuver than any duallie HD pickup.

In terms of raw capabilities, these new Heavy Duty Sierras edge the Fords in most categories, but not by any amount big enough to be truly meaningful. What may tilt the scales toward GM, however, is its superior ride quality, engine refinement and features like smart exhaust braking.

The Volt is real and it certainly appears to work. Whether it can actually hit 40 miles on a charge, what mileage it will get in charge sustaining mode and how long the battery will last are questions that remain for another day.

After a brief First Drive, we liked the Insight, but after a week behind the wheel on our home turf, we quickly came to realize the Honda hybrid’s limitations and flaws.

The ZDX has arguably the best implementation to date of Acura’s design philosophy and generally very good driving dynamics despite its compromised package. In the end, though, the rumblings in our gut are closer to cramped discomfort than excited butterflies.