MotorMouths

The CTS-V is a lot of money for a Cadillac, but you’re getting a world-class performance car with looks that you will never, ever see coming from Germany, Japan, or South Korea

The Fiat 500 ABARTH is a bona-fide performance car that is very fun to drive, has some exclusivity, and won’t bust your budget with monthly payments or at the gas pumps. In today’s economy, that might be a winning combination.

If you want the most outrageous, most fun Camaro, you really cannot go wrong with the ZL1. Were it not for the engine noise, the subcompact-sized back seat, and fuel consumption, I could see myself driving one of these every day.

It’s a little expensive in F Sport trim, yet the sport model is the only way I’d want to buy the GS. It looks better and drives dramatically better than the base car and nearly on par with the 5 series, while undercutting the latter by thousands of dollars.

The 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is nothing short of a home run. Long live the King of the Hill.

This is not a car for everyone. It’s expensive and less practical than some other cars. But if you want to make a visual statement, with the R8-faced, sleekly-profiled, high-tech A7, you’ll likely be very happy with your choice.

The 2011 Mustang GT runs like a thoroughbred – not like a roughshod feral horse of Mustangs past. It’s a horse that loves to run, and doesn’t mind being ridden hard and put away wet.

For the newest Charger, Dodge has chosen to infuse the latest iteration of its large sedan with a dose of retro design cues. And despite the size and weight, it can hustle quite well.

If you buy an Equus, don’t expect quite the same attention to detail that Lexus offers, but your payments will be smaller and the experience will be remarkably similar. A $10,000 price disparity might just make some buyers forget about refinement.

If you like the Fiat 500′s style and just want a bit more, take an Abarth for a spin. It’s far from a perfect car, but it will most likely put a smile on your face. Isn’t that what driving a sporty car is all about?

For those who aren’t bothered by paying twice as much to fuel their car, and can afford to feed it premium unleaded several times a week, the CTS-V coupe is a stylish, extremely capable car with more muscle than some race cars.

The Jetta TDI is all the car an American family of four needs. This is a car that I tried to talk my wife into buying with our own money.