First Drive: 2010 GMC Terrain

To align its menu of trucks and people movers with rising interest in smaller, more fuel efficient transportation, GMC has broomed the hoary Envoy in favor of a fraternal twin to Chevy's Equinox called Terrain. This brings an efficient four-cylinder engine into the lineup, highway mileage topping the crucial 30mpg barrier, and a fresh load of tantalizing creature features.

RIGHT SIZED FOR TENUOUS TIMES

From GMC's point of view, Terrain is a compact. That assessment references the huge Acadia and Yukon XL residing across the showroom. However, Terrain is considerably larger than the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 that dominate the small SUV category so, in the greater scheme of crossovers, it's a midsize.

DESIGNED BY A RECOVERING CORVETTE ARTIST

Blocky proportions, a chunk of bling at the leading edge of the hood, oversized headlamps, and exaggerated fender flares seem contrived to make Terrain appear larger than it is. GM's crossover vehicle chief designer John Cafaro Jr., a major contributor to the C5 Corvette, calls the look "tailored toughness." Riding on a 112.5-inch wheelbase, Terrain is half a foot shorter and two inches narrower than the Envoy it replaces but more than 10-inches longer than a Ford Escape. While this sounds large enough to squeeze in three seating rows, GMC resisted that urge. With three other models in the lineup offering team-hauling capacity, Terrain is secure in its role as a five-seat crossover.

In spite of the genetic makeup shared with Chevy's Equinox, Terrain's exterior is sufficiently distinctive that there's little chance the two will be confused on the street. Chevy bow ties are worn over body color grille bars while GMC's red ID badges sparkle inside chrome presentation frames.

Terrain's unibody has a single piece side stamping to assure tight, consistent door gaps and panel fits. High-strength steel is used for enhanced stiffness, resistance to squeaks and rattles, and to save a few pounds of weight. Six air bags - including side curtains that protect all outboard occupants during a lateral collision - are standard along with ABS and StabiliTrak electronic stability control.

PROFESSIONAL GRADE CABIN

Entering the Terrain involves a climb up over thick door sills even though there's no real attempt here to provide off-road prowess. Like most crossovers, Terrain's powertrain sits sidewise and focuses most of its energy on propelling the front wheels. When the optional all-wheel-drive powertrain is selected, the rear wheels go to work only when necessary with torque delivered through a Getrag-supplied computer-controlled coupling positioned downstream of the 6-speed automatic transmission.

An especially handy interior feature the Terrain received from Equinox is a MultiFlex rear seat that slides nearly eight inches fore and aft to trade legroom for cargo space on demand. Unfortunately, the split rear cushions are stuffed to the point they don't fold fully flat when it's time to haul a new big screen home from the mall.

Offered in SLE and SLT trim levels with a slew of optional upgrades, Terrain is available with two grades of cloth or perforated leather upholstery. The uplevel instrument panel pads are neatly molded and stitched with contrasting thread. There are storage areas aplenty and the center armrest is configured to swallow a laptop computer. HVAC, entertainment system, and navigation controls are logically arrayed and clustered at a convenient height above the center console.

The most notable faux pas is a button on the shifter for manual gear changes. This feature will see little use because the lever is located too far aft for handy reach and there's no redline indicated on the tachometer.

New Cars for 2010: AsiaThe situation for the Asian automakers is hard to characterize. Mighty Toyota has stumbled while plucky Subaru has never looked

The situation for the Asian automakers is hard to characterize. Mighty Toyata has stumbled while plucky Subaru has never looked stronger. Unsurprisingly, the Koreans continue to expand aggressively. Still to come: the Chinese, but will they buy an existing nameplate or set sail with one of their own?

HONDA Last year saw the timely introduction of the Fit and the Insight hybrid. This year, Honda seems to be putting its faith in crossovers. In addition to the Acura ZDX, an Accord-based wagon will be making its way to dealers this fall.

Here's the new reality: We have a bulging generation of aging hipsters with active lives who don't want to drive with their knees up around their ears, and they want easy access for kayaks, geraniums, and occasional adult friends. And there are still a few people out there with money who want to be pampered in a cool-looking ride. But this idealized baby-boomer buggy can no longer look like a big SUV or a minivan, which makes the Acura ZDX a striking choice.

Without the exotic full-width, full-length panorama roof and the concealed rear door handles that give it a coupelike profile, the ZDX would look like it had been hit by the BMW X6's ugly stick. Having been prejarred by the X6, it's easier to accept Acura's wild fastback crossover.

The ZDX is a luxury leap for Acura, sure to be more of an image statement than a volume leader. Once you duck through its hunkered-down portals, you'll find an utterly glamorous, leather-lined cabin with a ton of headroom, at least for the happy couple up front. The seat leather is truly special - ironed to a smooth, buttery finish. The dash is a horizontal stack of lovely layered materials - rich chocolate leather and a slice of brushed aluminum in our test car - running from door to instrument binnacle. The headliner is thick, and the carpeted cargo area behind the three-passenger rear seat has a covered sub-trunk that will hold a case of wine. Check the seams of the doors, the hood, and the power liftgate, and you'll find no spot welds or rough metal edges.

There's no roughness in the driving experience, either, since the ZDX is based on the Acura MDX's platform and is powered by the same 300-hp, 3.7-liter V-6. A new six-speed automatic is operated with a set of perfectly placed aluminum paddles that feel great and work better. Even in auto mode, aggressive acceleration is met with crisp shifts almost at the rev limit. We dialed up Sport mode for a run west out of Carmel Valley on G16, and the heavier steering effort and firmer suspension dampening (part of the optional Advance Package) helped us to neatly slice through the long series of tight turns as the road narrowed and grew rough. Even in base trim, the ZDX hugs the road and is blessed with Acura's trademarked SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive), which sends varying amounts of torque not only from front to rear but can send 100 percent of available torque to the left or right wheels.

The Technology Package, which loads on the electronics, is the other of the two optional ZDX trims. Cue the premium ELS ten-speaker, 435-watt sound system, with USB, Bluetooth audio streaming, the ability to link six iPods, fifteen gigabytes to store ripped CDs, and voice-activated song recall, and you won't want to leave the cocoon. Think of your favorite boutique hotel, and Acura will nod sagely.

Great Drive: 2010 Audi R8 5.2 V10 - Shooting Star Bernd Rosemeyer

Bernd Rosemeyer drew his final breath in a wooded area adjacent to the Frankfurt-Darmstadt autobahn in Germany. The end came not after a long life blessed with fond memories and adoring grandchildren but as the sudden eclipse of the silver arrow racing era's brightest star.

Fans of the 1934-39 period, when Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz ran wheel-to-wheel at 200 mph in 500-hp single-seaters, so relish Rosemeyer's verve that we'll exploit any excuse to revisit his life and times. Here's mine: celebrate the centennial of Rosemeyer's birth and Audi's beginning with a 1500-mile tour of Germany in an Audi R8 powered by a 5.2-liter V-10.

Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov was an early witness to the Rosemeyer legend. In 1930, he spotted a fair-haired, blue-eyed young man standing upright on the seat of his motorcycle while it hummed down a cobblestone street in Berlin. Rosemeyer - the fearless rider from Lingen, Germany - and Duntov quickly became friends. They swapped tales of derring-do and practiced the fine art of high-speed, two-wheel slaloming through elevated train supports.

Ten days after his twenty-fifth birthday, Rosemeyer was invited to a tryout session for new recruits held at the Nürburgring. Although he lacked any four-wheel racing experience, Rosemeyer had gained the attention of Auto Union team manager Willy Walb because of his eight motorcycle victories, two of which were earned aboard a 500-cc DKW, one of the four brands in the Auto Union combine.

Dressed for the occasion in a suit and tie, Rosemeyer demonstrated a natural affinity for the loose-tailed Auto Union racing car. He was the second fastest of twelve candidates on the Nürburgring's 4.8-mile Südschleife (southern loop) and the third quickest of the top five prospects on the daunting 14.2-mile Nordschleife. Impressed by the total novice's performance, Walb signed Rosemeyer to the team as a cadet driver.

In only his second race - also at the 'Ring - Rosemeyer proved the wisdom of Walb's decision by leading two of the eleven laps of the 1935 Eifel Grand Prix in adverse conditions. Part of the course was wet, Rosemeyer's windshield and goggles were damaged, and his V-16 engine had a severe misfire. Nonetheless, the cadet finished only 1.9 seconds behind grand master Rudolf Caracciola's Mercedes-Benz. To admonish the upstart, Caracciola presented Rosemeyer with a swizzle stick and suggested that he make better use of his head in the future. Payback was swift in coming. In 1936, the fiery Rosemeyer won two GPs held at the Nürburgring; the smug Caracciola was sidelined by mechanical problems on both occasions

Review: 2009 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro

Front-wheel-drive layouts worked better twenty years ago, when cars were lighter and engine output was akin to a couple of ponies on quaaludes. Today's obese modern cars require serious, purebred muscle to haul them around, and as a result, quick front-wheel-drive cars suffer from easy-to-provoke wheel spin and steering that's been novocained to mask torque steer. Point a powerful front-wheel-drive car up one of San Francisco's famously steep grades and try--just try--to get moving without squealing the front tires. Now try it in the rain, or--heaven forbid--snow.

Audi solved this dilemma years ago by sending some power to the rear wheels and calling it Quattro. The A3, which is the Volkswagen GTI's lower-roofed, more luxuriously appointed cousin, was heretofore available with Quattro only when paired with the optional 3.2-liter six-cylinder. For 2009, the four-wheel-drive A3 can be ordered with the more fuel-efficient and less expensive 200-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder and dual-clutch automatic.

The result is an upscale GTI that won't roast the front tires. The A3 Quattro handles even better than the VW, too, thanks to its improved balance, lower overall height, and available magnetorheological dampers. It exhibits almost no torque steer, and it suffers from none of the GTI's syrupy brake-pedal feel.

The A3's for-2009 evolutionary face-lift includes the de rigueur LED daytime running lights (when equipped with xenon headlamps). The front-wheel-drive Audi carries a price premium of about four grand over the GTI, and the four-wheel-drive system adds another two grand. Our fully loaded test car was priced at a hard-to-swallow $41,700, but the diminutive Audi had no problem swallowing four adults and $265 worth of groceries. Even with all the extra weight, San Francisco's most ardent leadfoot couldn't coax a squeak from the Audi's front tires climbing and hill-hopping the city's steepest inclines. The same silence wasn't exhibited by his passengers, of course.

On Sale: Now
Price: $31,325/$41,700 (base/as tested)
Engine: 2.0L turbocharged I-4, 200 hp, 207 lb-ft
Drive: 4-wheel

First Drive: 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

It comes as no surprise the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport shares its upgraded engines and transmission with the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover. The Range Rover and Range Rover Sport have always been very similar with the main difference being the slightly more rakish exterior on the Sport and more demure handling on the regular Range Rover. Now there are even bigger differences between the two Range Rovers.

Aging Gracefully
Though the appearance changes for all 2010 Land Rovers are pretty slight, the Range Rover Sport is perhaps the easiest to tell apart from its predecessor. The LED headlights are sure to impress valets and two-bar grille looks a bit tidier than the outgoing design. There are new front fenders, but they are hardly revolutionary in design. Out back new taillights and a redesigned bumped balance out the changes to the front. The wheel arches have been redesigned to improve aerodynamics and highlight the 19- and 20-inch wheels.

The Real Treat is Inside
Of course owners will spend a lot more time inside the range Rover Sport than admiring the outside, so it makes sense that the majority of the design upgrades are in the cabin. We're thrilled that the Range Rover Sport now looks as upscale as its price suggests, with an abundance of soft-touch plastics, softer leather, and wood trim. Additionally, the entire infotainment system is much more intuitive and half of its buttons have been eliminated. Optional adjustable side bolsters help the front seats fit drivers of all sizes and the seats are more comfortable to boot.

More Tech Toys
Like the other 2010 Land Rovers, the Range Rover Sport has a lot of optional gadgets. The surround-view camera system is very helpful during off-road excursions, though Range Rover Sport owners would be wise to use it during parking maneuvers to keep those big wheels free of scuffs. High beam assist allows the vehicle to automatically switch between high and low beam headlights as traffic allows. The hard drive navigation system is much faster than the old system and iPod integration is very good.

A fancy, 5.0-inch TFT display is situated between the speedometer and tachometer, but currently it can only display basic information about the vehicle. We hope a software upgrade will allow information about what song is playing, or navigation directions, to be displayed in this location. It can be much less distracting to look down to the instrument cluster for navigation info rather than looking down and to the right at a nav screen. Such an arrangement could also allow navigation information to be displayed to a driver and infotainment information to be displayed to a passenger, or vice-versa.