MotorMouths

The BMW X5 remains a surprisingly agile and entertaining way to transport the family. The new, more-powerful engines will only enhance its appeal.

If a 7-series customer believes he needs a car more powerful than the 750i but doesn’t want to step up to the 12-cylinder 760Li—which we think he should—and also wants 15 percent or so better fuel economy, BMW has just the model.

People turn and stare, elbow their friends without taking their eyes off of you And when you’re driving a Camaro SS automatic, obliging oglers with a burnout is easy as pie.

Although hardly a drag racer, the Ford F-150 Raptor 6.2 had nobody asking for more power. Its $3000 premium over the base engine is the most essential of all Raptor options.

Pay almost $140,000 for a 550-hp Cayenne Turbo S and you get space for five people and their luggage, rocket-propelled acceleration, and admirable back-road manners.

The Touareg is a lingering taste of VW’s semi-precious recent past—a little bit upmarket in both content and pricing. This SUV does maintain the image of the people’s car as an upmarket alternative.

The Subaru Forester is competent in all matters, excellent in none, and very odd-looking. It also may be the perfect first car. It’s a good, safe car that presents little danger to wallets.

Tiguan prices start higher, but Volkswagen’s CUV is more enjoyable to drive. It’s already a huge success in Europe, which makes U.S. sales just icing on the cake.

Cut off Samson’s locks, he loses his strength. Cut off the Mustang’s roof, it loses its sharp edge. That likely doesn’t matter to convertible buyers. But we think the ragtop gives up too much of the Mustang’s sportiness.

Ask hybrid owners: it’s not about saving money—it’s about the fuel economy. And the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI’s is pretty impressive.

We expect that the 2011 Chrysler 300 will receive more of a face lift than a thorough re-engineering, which we find somewhat disappointing. In spite of this, the 300 remains a comfortable and competent car.

Stylish and spacious, Chevrolet’s Equinox is a competitive vehicle hamstrung by a pretty severe weight problem. And frugality is a chief reason people buy a vehicle this size over something larger.