MotorMouths

The base model Q5 looks a little plain compared to the ritzier V6, but purists will admire the turbo 4’s honest lack of pretense. It represents one of the best deals in the Audi catalog.

The CTS Coupe is a lot like a Chanel stiletto heel, entrancing to look at but hard to live with. If you want to get noticed, this coupe will serve you well.

The Wrangler Rubicon is a marvelously idiosyncratic vehicle that has lost none of its charm since 1941, but rather gained a lot of everyday practicality in the intervening years.

The FJ is an iconic vehicle that looks like nothing else on the road. If you need practical, stable transport that seats four, the FJ fills the bill at a reasonable base price.

If you could design a microcar to behave like a real car, then you’d have a Scion iQ. It proves that microcars do not have to be slow, demeaning or impractical.

The X6 is a high-powered, responsive SUV that looks like nothing else on the road, so if appearance trumps practicality than by all means buy one.

The Mazda 2 is sure footed, its steering feedback immediate, directional changes accomplished without protest. Budding sports car drivers will find this Mazda to be a zoomy antidote to the family sedan doldrums.

The MKT’s sweet spot is its ability to transport large groups in refined comfort. There’s little slop in the handling of this AWD brute.

The Hybrid Cayenne is the flower child of a new, greener generation of Porsche engineers. How does a 4,400 pound off-roader with a 7,700 pound tow capacity manage mileage figures you’d expect from a sports sedan?

Is the new Passat a legitimate VW in terms of fit, finish and quality? The answer is an unqualified yes. The problem lies under the hood; the trade-off in performance is too great for the payback at the pump.

The hybrid payoff with the HS comes not in its less than sparkling performance or handling, but rather at the gas station, where you’ll be a less frequent visitor than ever before.

The Optima Hybrid is close to being a tremendous value. If the powertrain engineering team manages to tame the crudity of the drivetrain in transitioning from gas to electric modes, then this Kia would instantly become a best in class value.