The Car Connection

The Basics:

Sports car handling, German engineering, Porsche styling and...four doors? The Panamera again has strayed well outside Porsche's well-trodden sports car heritage to become one of the world's best sports sedans.

The 2011 Porsche Panamera is no four-door coupe, like the Aston Martin Rapide or the Mercedes-Benz  CLS, but a true "gran turismo," with tremendous power, great handling, and ample room for four real-world adults.

But in an attempt at a traditional sedan silhouette, in combination with an actual fastback body style and the need for practicality, the design purity gets tainted just a little bit. Even the...

The Basics: Sports car handling, German engineering, Porsche styling and...four doors? The Panamera again has strayed well outside Porsche's well-trodden sports car heritage to become one of the world's best sports sedans. The 2011 Porsche Panamera is no four-door coupe, like the Aston Martin Rapide or the Mercedes-Benz  CLS, but a true "gran turismo," with tremendous power, great handling, and ample room for four real-world adults. But in an attempt at a traditional sedan silhouette, in combination with an actual fastback body style and the need for practicality, the design purity gets tainted just a little bit. Even the characteristically... Read More

The Basics:

Seen by high-end luxury shoppers as either a practical way into ownership of a prestigious sports-car brand or by longtime Porschephiles as a bit sacrilegious and a necessary evil for keeping the brand aloft financially, the Porsche Cayenne has turned into Porsche's best-selling model and is definitely here to stay. But for 2011, Porsche has redesigned the Cayenne to improve its performance on the road and track while maintaining its level of off-road capability.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne has become a little more svelte in appearance and officially gets all-new sheetmetal, but unless you take a look at a 2010 and 2011 model side...

The Basics: Seen by high-end luxury shoppers as either a practical way into ownership of a prestigious sports-car brand or by longtime Porschephiles as a bit sacrilegious and a necessary evil for keeping the brand aloft financially, the Porsche Cayenne has turned into Porsche's best-selling model and is definitely here to stay. But for 2011, Porsche has redesigned the Cayenne to improve its performance on the road and track while maintaining its level of off-road capability. The 2011 Porsche Cayenne has become a little more svelte in appearance and officially gets all-new sheetmetal, but unless you take a look at a 2010 and 2011 model side... Read More

The Basics:

We used to call them “cute-utes.” From the Ford Escape, to the Honda CR-V on to the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, a generation of small sport-utility vehicles were pitched at first-time shoppers in the hopes they’d trade up to bigger, higher-profit SUVs in the future.

Now that the SUV time-space continuum’s been disrupted by gas prices and a sour economy, these compact crossovers are growing up a little, doing the reverse of their original intent. They’re becoming a good alternative for buyers trading down from the larger utes that fell out of fashion over what seems like a matter of months.

With the 2011 Sportage, Kia’s...

The Basics: We used to call them “cute-utes.” From the Ford Escape, to the Honda CR-V on to the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, a generation of small sport-utility vehicles were pitched at first-time shoppers in the hopes they’d trade up to bigger, higher-profit SUVs in the future. Now that the SUV time-space continuum’s been disrupted by gas prices and a sour economy, these compact crossovers are growing up a little, doing the reverse of their original intent. They’re becoming a good alternative for buyers trading down from the larger utes that fell out of fashion over what seems like a matter of months. With the 2011 Sportage, Kia’s... Read More

The Basics:

The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a top performance bargain, but with improvements over the past two years, plus upgrades for 2011, the lineup just keeps getting better.

The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door coupe or convertible available in a range of performance trims, including base, Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1. It competes against the world's best sports cars and supercars, including the Nissan 370Z and GT-R, Porsche Boxster and 911, Dodge Viper, and even Italian exotics—depending on the trim chosen.

The base Corvette coupe and convertible offer sport and style, the Grand Sport kicks it up a notch with track-worthy...

The Basics: The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a top performance bargain, but with improvements over the past two years, plus upgrades for 2011, the lineup just keeps getting better.The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door coupe or convertible available in a range of performance trims, including base, Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1. It competes against the world's best sports cars and supercars, including the Nissan 370Z and GT-R, Porsche Boxster and 911, Dodge Viper, and even Italian exotics—depending on the trim chosen. The base Corvette coupe and convertible offer sport and style, the Grand Sport kicks it up a notch with track-worthy... Read More

The Basics:

With updated engines and an all-new 335is model, the 2011 BMW 3-Series improves on its formula of luxurious performance.

The 2011 BMW 3-Series is a sporty midsize luxury car available in coupe, sedan, and convertible models. It competes primarily with the Audi A4/A5 family, Infiniti G37, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, each offering a different take on the concept of a luxury midsize sports vehicle.

The 2011 3-Series goes on sale toward the end of the summer and sits between the 1-Series and 5-Series in BMW's range. The core of the range is built around 328i, 335i, and 335is models, with both rear- and all-wheel-drive models available....

The Basics: With updated engines and an all-new 335is model, the 2011 BMW 3-Series improves on its formula of luxurious performance.The 2011 BMW 3-Series is a sporty midsize luxury car available in coupe, sedan, and convertible models. It competes primarily with the Audi A4/A5 family, Infiniti G37, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, each offering a different take on the concept of a luxury midsize sports vehicle.The 2011 3-Series goes on sale toward the end of the summer and sits between the 1-Series and 5-Series in BMW's range. The core of the range is built around 328i, 335i, and 335is models, with both rear- and all-wheel-drive models available... Read More