MotorMouths

The front-wheel-drive Acura TSX is stylish, comfortable, and economical to drive with either the four- or six-cylinder engine. It’s hard to beat.

The Bentley Continental GT V8 presents a slight contradiction. It’s more blatantly aggressive than the familiar W12, yet it’s based on a foundation of less conspicuous consumption. By price point, the Continental GT probably pegs the top end for daily drivers.

If sporting, on-pavement driving dynamics are the priority in a luxury SUV, the X5 is a great place to start. If family friendly utility and minimal aggravation are most important, it may not be.

The ATS is fundamentally solid and inherently balanced. Its three engine options start near the tip in terms of output and technology. The car offers rear- or all-wheel drive out of the box, and its power-to-weight ratios are best in class.

The Cadillac CTS-V Series coupe is a fabulous combination of sporting entertainment and coddling everyday transport.

The ZL1 is the horsepower king of the pony cars. In some respects it’s a bargain, and when you consider its civility, quite an achievement. It’s remarkable for its mix of everyday civility and track capability.

The 2012 Mustang line delivers more features and more refinement than any so-called pony car line-up before, not to mention a whole lot of performance per dollar.

Who among the Mustang faithful wouldn’t want the fastest and arguably best Mustang ever? The 2011 GT500 is fabulously fast, ruggedly handsome and imposingly obvious.

The 2011 GT500 is fabulously fast, ruggedly handsome and imposingly obvious. It has leading-edge technologies that pony cars aren’t necessarily supposed to have.

The GMC Terrain is best suited to young families or active couples. It seats five in a well-designed, nicely finished cabin, with state-of-the-art powertrains, advanced safety systems and convenience features, and class-leading fuel economy.

The Santa Fe Sport is attractively priced, with a substantial feature-for-feature retail price edge on key competitors, and it will go toe-to-toe with best that Ford, Honda, Toyota or Volkswagen have to offer, regardless of price.

The Santa Fe Sport is an excellently sorted automotive appliance: functional, economical to operate, smooth, quiet and practical. It’s almost never annoying and it’s engaging to drive. The Sport will go toe-to-toe with the best any mainstream manufacturer offers.