MotorMouths

The Silverado 3500HD is an expensive, big-time fuel guzzlers that showcase extreme exterior styling and is packed with performance-enhancing technologies that its owners will rarely take advantage of to their fullest.

Despite everything that I enjoyed about the Terrain, with gas prices nearing the $4-per-gallon mark, the Terrain’s “fuel efficiency” is a deal breaker for me.

The 2011 Toyota Avalon is almost an ideal near-premium sedan, with more-than-competitive levels of technology, power, fuel efficiency, comfort and style, all wrapped up by an equally competitive MSRP.

If you’re expecting the Tucson to be a BMW X3 with a Hyundai price tag, you’re going to be out of luck. If you’re looking for an entry-level crossover that, in some areas, delivers better-than-expected advantages, your first stop should be a Hyundai dealership.

When you compare the Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited to the higher trim levels in other mid-size sedans, fuel efficiency turns out to be just about the sole advantage. It’s really not sportier than its rivals, and it’s certainly not more luxurious.

The Enclave remains perhaps the best-looking large crossover on the road, but the more time I spent in it, the more I noticed a kind of slightly-behind-the-times content.

The LaCrosse is a relatively high-value sedan that should be on the consideration lists of any near-premium customers — and perhaps those of some out-and-out luxury buyers as well.

I’m still confident that Lincoln could score customers with a mid-size sedan that offered superior technology and “only” competitive amenities, but the 2011 Lincoln MKZ isn’t it.