From the hood scoop to the chiseled sheetmetal, the new M3 coupe is both restrained and extroverted, in true German style. The Melbourne metallic red paint-a reasonable $550 option-two pairs of chrome tailpipes, and a carbon-fiber roof complete the subtle yet conspicuous high-performance look. The options boxes were liberally checked on this car bringing the price to just over $66,000. It’s worth noting that this M3 coupe was fitted with the standard-issue wheels instead of the bright aluminum wheels that come as part of the $2500 competition package included on this car. Although I’ve only seen them side-by-side in pictures, I think I prefer the standard gray wheels as they temper the M3s conspicuous half.inline_mediumwraptextright0033358929/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_bmw_m3_coupe1005_11+2010_bMW_m3_coupe+side.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 BMW M3 Coupe – BMW Luxury Sport Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

Audi is determined to become the world’s number one premium carmaker, and the only way the brand can reach this goal is by entering new segments of the market which generate plenty of added volume. True, there is still some potential to be drawn from new niche models such as the A7 Sportback, but the big numbers are created elsewhere-for example, by extending the A3 family (with a sedan that should do well in the U.S. market), by getting the new A1 range on the road (sales start this summer in Europe), and by reviving the A2.inline_mediumwraptextright0027738455/green/news/1005_2013_audi_a21005_05+2013_audi_a2_illustration+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2013 Audi A2 – New Audi Electric Vehicle – Automobile Magazine

With the simultaneous launch of the 5-series Gran Turismo and the Panamera, BMW and Porsche have created a new vehicle category. No, the segment doesn’t require the vehicles be ugly, that’s just a side effect. Instead, the new breed is characterized by sporty driving dynamics, luxury equipment, rear-seat opulence, and a slanted back that is as much about style as it is about functionality.inline_mediumwraptextright0027607406/reviews/driven/1004_bmw_550i_gran_turismo_vs_porsche_panamera_s1004_39+bMW_550i_gran_turismo_and_porsche_panamera_s+side_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: BMW 550i Gran Turismo vs. Porsche Panamera S – Luxury Sport Sedan Comparison – Automobile Magazine

It’s not a Mercury, but I can’t help but think this Touareg is a bit of a cougar. You know full well that it has received plenty of cosmetic surgery over the past decade, but it’s hard not to find the end product-especially with this monochromatic paint scheme-at least somewhat attractive. I’m not the only one, either; before I even left our parking garage, two bystanders commented on the Touareg TDI’s good looks.inline_mediumwraptextright0033392817/green/reviews/1005_2010_volkswagen_touareg_v6_tdi1005_02+2010_volkswagen_touareg_v-6_tDI+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Touareg V-6 TDI – Volkswagen Midsize SUV Review – Automobile Magazine

Wow, this clutch is vastly superior to our departed Four Seasons Jetta TDI’s. There’s good feel, although I could do without the pulsating sensation that comes through the pedal all the time, and it’s easy to take off smoothly, which was never the case with our Jetta.inline_mediumwraptextright0029164864/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_golf_tdi1005_06+2010_volkswagen_golf_tDI+side_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI – Volkswagen Sports Hatchback Review – Automobile Magazine

Sometimes it’s important to ignore your instincts. Say, for instance, you’re going 130 mph down an empty stretch of highway in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG wearing European plates, and suddenly you see blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror. Instinctively, you’re going to breathe in sharply and let off the gas. Which is silly. The only rational thing to do in this situation is to let the patrol car – a dark blue Dodge Charger emblazoned with the seal of the Policía Federal – fly by and then lay back onto the throttle to stay on his tail. Welcome, amigos und Freunde, to Mexico. At least, that is, the version of Mexico brought to you behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz’s newest halo car.inline_mediumwraptextright0029015053/features/great_drives/1006_2010_mercedes_benz_sls_amg_panamericana1006_01+2010_mercedes-Benz_sLS_aMG+interior_and_200SL.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – La Carrera Panamericana – Automobile Magazine

The most outstanding feature of the Altima is its powertrain, as the continuously variable transmission smoothly transmits the substantial 270 hp produced by the V-6 engine to the pavement. The exterior styling is nice but doesn’t stand out in any meaningful way, and much the same can be said of the interior. In a category that is still dominated by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord powerhouses, and with the recently redesigned Ford Fusion and Subaru Legacy also making a place for themselves, the Altima seems to have become somewhat lost in the shuffle.inline_mediumwraptextright0027719156/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_nissan_altima_3_5_sr1005_02+2010_nissan_altima_3_5_sR+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR – Nissan Midsize Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

I sometimes pick up my buddy Jim at his house on Monday evenings and drive him to a core-training class we’ve been taking. One time recently, I picked him up in a Jeep Compass. As the owner of a first-generation Volkswagen R32 and an Audi A4 Avant, he was not impressed. So you can imagine his delight when I pulled to his curb in this topaz brown metallic Porsche Panamera. He leaped into the front passenger’s seat and said, “Now THIS is more like it!”inline_mediumwraptextright0029137789/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_porsche_panamera_s1005_11+2010_porsche_panamera_s+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Porsche Panamera S – Porsche Luxury Sport Sedan – Automobile Magazine

That’s a typical sequence of mind-sets one is likely to go through when approaching two no-holds-barred supercars like the wild Porsche 911 GT3 RS and its equally exciting new soulmate, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. Even Walter Röhrl, the lanky superstar who can beat God around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, freely admits that the sharpest street-legal scalpels still stir his stomach whenever he approaches them, ignition key in hand.inline_mediumwraptextright0029132311/reviews/driven/1006_lamborghini_gallardo_superleggera_porsche_911_gt3_rs1006_17+2011_lamborghini_gallardo_lP570-4_superleggera+2010_porsche_911_gT3_RS.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Porsche 911 GT3 RS – Exotic Sport Coupe Comparison – Automobile Magazine

EDITOR’S NOTE
Joe DeMatio
Deputy Editor
Automobile Magazine

CorvetteBlogger.com recently posted a video of Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter lambasting Automobile Magazine for our story on the next-generation Corvette. Juechter implies that our article was sensationalist and misattributed information to him. Automobile Magazine stands by its story.

It is a bit rich that, at this juncture, Mr. Juechter stands in front of a Corvette crowd and says about Automobile Magazine, and about print automotive enthusiast magazines in general: “Don’t believe any of what you read. Most of it will be wrong. They may guess on some things luckily, but most of the time it will be wrong. It can be attributed to me and be totally wrong.” Well, when 75% of the article is verbatim quote from you, Mr. Juechter, is the article 75% wrong?

Mr. Juechter wishes to dismiss the entire category of automotive enthusiast print magazines out of hand. This is a strange approach, given that Automobile Magazine and its competitors play a major role in promoting Corvette enthusiasm, even now when, as Mr. Juechter readily admits, the next-generation Corvette is still years away.
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It was 12:45 a.m. and I was bounding down a very dark two-lane country road. Traffic cleared and I hit the high beams. Whoa! These are really, really good: bright as day, very good reach, very strong, uniform beam. A few days later, I drove a Porsche on the same stretch of road, also at night. I didn’t find its headlights to be any better than the Impreza’s. Very impressive.inline_mediumwraptextright0029053768/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_subaru_impreza_25i_premium1005_06+2010_subaru_impreza_2_5i_premium+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium – Subaru Midsize Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

There’s not much new to report on the VW Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country that was foisted on Volkswagen of America by a previous executive regime. Volkswagen’s U.S. dealers have no choice but to hold their noses and try to sell the darn thing. It’s a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it’s a pretty good one. But it’s not much of a Volkswagen.inline_mediumwraptextright0033269196/reviews/editors_notebook/1005_2010_volkswagen_routan_se1005_01+2010_volkswagen_routan_sE+side_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Routan SE – Volkswagen Minivan Review – Automobile Magazine

For obvious reasons, Automobile Magazine comparisons typically round up cars with similar base prices. If the scientific method works for scientists, surely it’s good enough for us. Consistent as these apples-to-apples tests are, though, they don’t always reveal the complexities that go into buying a car in the real world, where varying levels of equipment and add-ons can quickly muddy our neat and simple categorizations. Take for instance, three small sporty hatchbacks currently in our fleet – the Suzuki SX4 Sportback, the Mini Cooper, and the Volkswagen GTI. On paper, they’re three completely different cars in three different price segments. But look a little closer The SX4, loaded with navigation, Bluetooth, bigger wheels and other extras, carried an as tested price of $18,513, which is within a grand of a base Mini Cooper. The Mini, for its part, came with a slew of options that shot its sticker to $25,000 – about a thousand dollars more than the base price of a two-door GTI. Each of these vehicles fares very well when compared strictly to competitors in its traditional segment, but we couldn’t help but wonder how they’d match up in a clearly unfair fight, the sort that breaks out all the time when real people go shopping for real cars.inline_mediumwraptextright0029060770/reviews/driven/1005_small_car_comparison1005_02+2010_suzuki_sX4_sportback_vs_2010_mini_cooper+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Small Car Comparison – SX4 Sportback vs Mini vs GTI – Automobile Magazine

The Lexus GS450h is proof that there is such a thing as too much torque. The hybrid system teams up with the 3.5-liter V-6 to produce V-8 levels of power to the tune of 340 horses. The problem is that the accelerator pedal is so sensitive that the torque is available at the slightest — and I mean the slightest — twitch of a toe. That may sound cool, but it’s actually extremely annoying in this Lexus and makes the GS hybrid very difficult to drive smoothly at steady speeds. Surging to 60 mph from a standstill in 5.2 seconds (according to Toyota) is pretty impressive for a largish luxury sedan that’s EPA rated at 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.inline_mediumwraptextright0033266391/green/reviews/1005_2010_lexus_gs450h1005_05+2010_lexus_gS450h+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Lexus GS450h – Lexus Hybrid Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

It arrived thirteen years after the Ford Model T, but the 1922 Essex Coach proved that there was still room for more revolution with the automobile. While Henry Ford brought motoring to the masses, Hudson’s Essex brand put the comfort and dignity of a closed cabin within reach of the common people. At its debut, the Coach cost $300 more than a comparable open-air Touring model, but the price soon fell to the point that the closed car was actually cheaper. Sales took off, and Hudson’s affordable companion brand led the company’s sales.inline_mediumwraptextright0027286988/features/collectible_classic/1005_1937_terraplane_series_71_deluxe1005_01_z+1937_terraplane_series_71_deluxe+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 1937 Terraplane Series 71 Deluxe – Collectible Classic Car – Automobile Magazine

Back in February, our monthly update included a number of comments from drivers comparing our Mazda 3 to our newly arrived long-term Volkswagen GTI. Most of those comments favored the GTI, but this month, technical editor Don Sherman lays out his preference for the Mazda 3. “I strongly prefer the driving joy available here versus the competent but sedate VW,” he wrote. “This buggy is raring to go with ample power, quick response, and lots of grip. Yes, there are flaws – a notchy shifter, hanging throttle, bad seats – but the daily fun-to-drive payoff is superb.”inline_mediumwraptextright0029063965/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1005_2010_audi_q5_3_2_april_update1005_03+2010_mazda3_s_sport+rear_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Mazda3 s Sport 5-Door – Mazda Hatchback Long Term Review – Automobile Magazine

The first thing I noticed about this Mini is its adorable cream, black, and silver color scheme, which I love. The second thing I noticed is that this Mini Camden Edition talks to you! Start the car and a male/female trio starts chatting through some unseen speaker. It all starts as soon as you insert the flat round key and push the start button. Usually the woman chirps in first with some sort of comment like “All systems go!” and an admonition to fasten your seatbelt. All of them have British accents. Here’s a sampling of other conversations I got to listen to. They can be switched off, but I was curious to see how large of a conversational vocabulary is built into the car; quite large, it seems:inline_mediumwraptextright0029004970/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_mini_cooper_camden_edition1004_04a+2010_mini_cooper_camden_edition+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Mini Cooper Camden Edition – Mini Compact Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

Congratulations to the budding Warren Buffetts and the junior Steve Jobses who preserved their slice of the entrepreneurial pie while the world’s economy crumbled. Those of you anticipating a reward for a job well done are shopping on the appropriate page.inline_mediumwraptextright0028832119/reviews/driven/1006_2011_bmw_alpina_b71006_01+2011_BMW_alpina_b7+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2011 BMW Alpina B7 – BMW Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

I admire the Suzuki SX4 for having a ride that’s more solid and composed than the Honda Fit’s. Over bumps, the Fit often feels like the cheap car it is, while the SX4 feels like something larger and more comfort-oriented, along the lines of a family sedan. The tradeoff is that the SX4 occasionally feels too loose and soft when it’s worked hard on rough roads.inline_mediumwraptextright0027568298/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_suzuki_sx4_sportback1004_02+2010_suzuki_sX4_sportBack+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack – Suzuki Hatchback Review – Automobile Magazine

Having made its entrance in the rarified environs of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and its worldwide public debut at last fall’s Frankfurt auto show, the Bentley Mulsanne is now ready to hit the streets. We’ve had a chance to do just that, but in this case the streets were the narrow village lanes, undulating country byways, and wide-open dual carriageways (divided highways) of Bentley’s home turf, in the U.K. The car won’t be rolling onto U.S. roads until sometime this fall.inline_mediumwraptextright002011 Bentley Mulsanne33255648/reviews/driven/1005_2011_bentley_mulsanne1005_01_z+2011_bentley_mulsanne+front_three_quarters_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

I spent a weekend with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE and found it to be just as appealing as the more expensive 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited that we recently had in the fleet. As the mid-priced Sonata model, the SE gets a mid-line but still appealing interior; it features seats that are upholstered with both cloth and leather. The base Sonata GLS gets cloth, while the Limited gets leather. At first the combination seemed strange but I quickly grew to not mind it at all.inline_mediumwraptextright0027622409/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_hyundai_sonata_se1004_09+2010_hyundai_sonata_sE+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Hyundai Sonata SE – Hyundai Midsize Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

Blame it all on Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov. Roughly half-way through his too-short 21 years at GM, Arkus-Duntov concluded that a mid-engined Corvette was the ideal way to keep performance on an upward swing. His experiments and project cars investigating that approach should have paved the way to a production model with the engine positioned closer to the drive wheels. Unfortunately, when Arkus-Duntov retired at the end of 1974, most of the passion for the mid-engined Corvette departed with him. While successive chief engineers have periodically toyed with the idea, none have succeeded in aligning the necessary technology with a business case and corporate politics.inline_mediumwraptextright0027593993/features/news/1004_mid_engined_chevrolet_corvettes1004_06+chevrolet_corvette_cerv_i+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Mid-Engined Chevrolet Corvettes – CERV I – Automobile Magazine

When did you start leasing the Mini E?
The car debuted in November 2008, and we opened up applications – we got about 1800 for 450 slots. We started deliveries in May and June 2009.inline_mediumwraptextright0032825136/green/news/1005_rich_steinberg_interview1005_z_06+rich_steinberg+with_mini_e.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Rich Steinberg Interview – BMW Group Electric Vehicles – Automobile Magazine

Today was the fourth time I’ve driven on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the famously challenging, 13-mile racetrack in the Eifel Mountains of Germany. I had only two laps, but they were among the best I’ve had there, and they were in the unlikeliest of cars: the new 2011 Buick Regal. Yep, a Buick at the ‘Ring. Who woulda thunk?inline_mediumwraptextright0027609932/reviews/driven/1004_2011_buick_regal2011-buick-regal-on-nurburgring-front.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal – Automobile Magazine

In 1839, Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered how rubber could be ‘vulcanized.’ Since then, the most notable tire advancements can be counted on one hand. Scot Robert Thompson invented the pneumatic tire in 1846. (Forty-two years later, Dr. John Dunlop had to reinvent Thompson’s discarded idea.) Michelin patented the steel-belted radial in 1946. Tubeless tires arrived in 1954 followed by the first run-flat designs in 1958 and low-profile sidewalls in 1968.inline_mediumwraptextright0033118674/features/news/1004_scotts_camber_tires1004_01+camber_tires+opener.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Scott’s Camber Tires – Advantages Over Conventional Rubber Tires – Automobile Magazine

At long last, Range Rover and Jaguar have found a common denominator in the sophisticated aluminum spaceframe technology recently introduced on the new XJ, and which will be shared with the next Range Rover (in 2012) and the follow-up to the Range Rover Sport (coming in 2013). Known internally as premium lightweight architecture (PLA), this weight-saving, rigid, cheaper to build and highly flexible components set later is also likely to spawn the follow-up to the XF (in 2014) and its still-to-be-determined derivatives, as well as the next-generation XK sports cars expected in 2013 at the earliest.inline_mediumwraptextright0026977745/features/news/1004_jaguar_land_rover_premium_lightweight_architecture_pla2011-jaguar-XJ-front-three-quarters-driver.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: Jaguar/Land Rover: Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA) – Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, XF, XK – Automobile Magazine

This little Ford Fiesta is big news, especially for the cynics in the room. Not because cynics prefer small cars — although perhaps they do — but because the Fiesta’s arrival in the U.S. puts to rest any lingering suspicion that Alan Mulally was full of beans when he promised his company would quit slapping new styling on the same old sleds and marketing them as all-new cars.inline_mediumwraptextright0028949209/reviews/driven/1004_2011_ford_fiesta2011-ford-fiesta-front-three-quarters-driver.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2011 Ford Fiesta – Ford Compact Hatchback Review – Automobile Magazine

When it comes to addressing the need to design eco-friendly urban transportation, automakers have proposed everything from bubble cars or automated pod-like appliances. Ford’s approach, exemplified by the new Start concept, is near and dear to our hearts: create an ultra-small hot hatch.inline_mediumwraptextright0028937755/green/news/1004_2010_ford_start_concept1004_03+2010-ford-start-concept-front-three-quarter-view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Ford Start Concept – Ford Subcompact Hatchback, 2010 Beijing Auto Show – Automobile Magazine

BMW is the quintessential example of an automaker filling every imagined gap in its lineup, no matter how small or wacky that new segment might be. Look no further than the X5, X6, and 5-series Gran Turismo sitting in a row at your local dealer if you need proof. Now it’s time for the Bavarians to show off a new design that sticks with the brand’s core values of “dynamic performance and high-quality elegance” while making the rest of us scratch our heads.inline_mediumwraptextright0033154905/features/news/1004_2010_bmw_concept_gran_coupeBMW-concept-gran-coupe-front.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: BMW Concept Gran Coupe, 2010 Beijing Auto Show – Automobile Magazine

Months in fleet: Six
Miles to date: 13,754inline_mediumwraptextright0026874404/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1004_2010_subaru_outback_3_6r_limited_april_update1002_01_z+2010_subaru_outback_limited+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited – Outback Long Term Review – Automobile Magazine

In 1985, when BMW was on a serious roll, Executive Board member Wolfgang Reitzle established the German version of a skunk works “to develop innovative, future-oriented and original overall vehicle concepts and sub-concepts away from the constraints of a specific series workflow schedule. The objective should always be to develop solutions that have the potential for series development.” Ulrich Bez, a brilliant engineer who is now Aston Martin Lagonda’s CEO, served as the new BMW Technik’s first director. To get the ball rolling, initial efforts were placed under Auto 2000 and Local Vehicle project titles.inline_mediumwraptextright0033111876/features/news/1004_bmw_technik_gmbh_25th_birthday_coming_out_party1004_01+bMW_z1+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: BMW Technik GmbH’s 25th Birthday and Coming Out Party – Gallery of Semi-Secret Z Cars – Automobile Magazine

Cadillac’s Converj concept may be not be headed to production, but that isn’t stopping General Motors from finding other uses for its “Voltec” plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept, which debuts at the Beijing auto show, suggests the automaker is looking at stuffing the advanced driveline into a compact MPV.inline_mediumwraptextright0033141804/green/news/1004_2010_chevy_volt_mpv5_conceptChevy-Volt-MPV5-Exterior-03.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Chevy Volt MPV5 Concept – Hybrid Crossover SUV, 2010 Beijing Auto Show – Automobile Magazine

If there was ever a perfectly timed vehicle launch, it was the one for the 2009 Honda Fit. Just as gas prices had reached their zenith and the economy was entering its nosedive in the summer of 2008, Honda introduced the redesigned edition of its already strong-selling subcompact. Whereas most “B-segment” cars come with a bargain-basement price, good fuel economy, and not much else, the Fit sells on its design and versatility, and it can be ordered with all manner of features usually reserved for “real” cars. For suddenly fuel-economy-conscious consumers, it was like manna from heaven, and in the months after the car’s debut, Honda had a hard time keeping Fits on dealer lots. We liked it, too, enough to name it a 2009 All-Star. And yet, we wondered if the typical American would really be happy – long-term – with such a small vehicle, especially once fuel prices went down. So, we ordered a Fit Sport with navigation and lived with it for a year. We found that the Fit certainly can be a replacement for the bigger, more powerful cars that we usually drive but not without some qualifications.inline_mediumwraptextright0027302126/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1005_2009_honda_fit_sport_wrap_up1005_01_z+2009_honda_fit+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2009 Honda Fit Sport – Long Term Review – Automobile Magazine

I knew when I signed out the Versa that it was the stripper 1.6 model, but I couldn’t stop myself from exclaiming, out loud, “What the &%$@, no radio?” when I got behind the wheel. I didn’t mind that there were manual windows and no power locks or mirrors – in fact, that’s what I expected to find in this base model Versa. But no music? The fact that a stereo system of any sort isn’t even available in this model (although it is prewired for you to install an aftermarket unit) strikes me as a gimmick, especially when you consider that this particular model comes standard with air-conditioning and has an automatic transmission.inline_mediumwraptextright0028745170/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_nissan_versa_sedan_1_61004_03+2010_nissan_versa_sedan+side_view.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Nissan Versa Sedan 1.6 – Nissan Compact Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

English tradition typically classifies a four-door station wagon as a “break,” while a two-door wagon – often resembling a sports coupe with a hatch grafted on for practicality – is usually deemed a “shooting brake.” Perplexed? Mercedes-Benz is ready to further your stupor, as the concept you see above – a crossover between those two worlds – is deemed a Shooting Break.inline_mediumwraptextright0028899322/features/news/1004_2010_mercedes_benz_shooting_break_conceptmercedes-benz-shooting-break-concept-front.jpgtrue

Photo Gallery: 2010 Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break Concept ? Mercedes-Benz Luxury Station Wagon Concept – Automobile Magazine