2013 Acura ILX: A Civic In Drag For The NQR40s

Richard Read 2
During the next few years, no automotive segment will be more contested than the entry-luxury market. I’ve taken to calling these drivers the NQR40s, or not-quite-rich, under 40s. They’re young, not exceedingly wealthy, but they can certainly afford cars with above-average price tags. Like our own tribe, they tend to be tech- and design-savvy. Make it fun, urban-appropriate, and a bit daring, and you’ve got the perfect package for most folks in this demographic. (Or us, for that matter.) [...]

2013 Mazda CX-5 Pounces Like A Cheetah

Sam Gomez
Back when The Love Boat sailed the Seven Seas with a heavenly host of Charlie’s Angels, you could get a good small car for about $5,000. As we entered the gay 90s with Hillary and Bill Clinton, the size of our cars increased, and starting prices doubled to about $10,000. Now, in the day of sequestration and Inauguration Day lip-synching, the size of a good small car has doubled once again — this time to around $20,000. [...]

2013 Ford Fusion Is A Mix Of Mother America & Father Europe

Casey Williams 4
Ford’s new mid-size Fusion is an odd mix of Mother America and Father Europe. That’s in direct contrast to the last-generation Fusion that was essentially a Japanese Mazda6 underneath. There was precision to its moves that was wholly in line with its underpinnings. It was especially nice as a hybrid. Only one problem: except for its brash, flashy chrome grille, its design was B-O-R-I-N-G. [...]

2013 Geneva Auto Show: Aston Martin Rapide Bertone Wagon

Nick Kurczewski
This definitely isn’t your grandma’s old Vista Cruiser, your eclectic uncle’s Saab 9-5 Aero wagon, or even that sublime Audi RS4 Avant you’ve been hoping would finally be sold stateside. No, in the world of station wagons, the Aston Martin Rapide Bertone pretty much stands alone in terms of looks and outright desirability. It also helps that, as of this moment, there happens to be exactly one these wonder wagons in existence. [...]