2012 BMW 650i Coupe

What an absolute beauty this 2012 BMW 650i coupe is--a rolling piece of bad-boy automotive sculpture. The proportions, the lines, the stance, the height, the low roofline, the paint—everything about the car tells me that the designers and stylist won a lot of the arguments when it came to drawing up the plans for the 6-series. Not that the engineers didn't get some of what they wanted--a long, low hood for a massive powerplant, and a low, wide stance to give the car pitch-perfect handling and ride. The car is really stunning from virtually every angle--so much so that it takes a while to register that this is such a big vehicle.
Settle in behind the wheel, and that's when the supersize of the coupe begins to strike you--the long hood, the wide cabin and the ample interior room (at least for the front seats). But once the car is rolling and up to speed, especially when running in sport mode, there's ample road feel and direct control to make the car feel much more nimble than its size might suggest. The car rips off the line and has ample reserves to dial up instant acceleration, even at higher speeds.

New Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG revealed

Mercedes-Benz used Tuesday’s second Formula One test at the Barcelona circuit in Spain as the backdrop for the unveiling of its latest road-going performance car, the SL63 AMG.
Set to go on sale in North America in July, the two-seat roadster was revealed by the Mercedes AMG Petronos drivers, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, fresh from unveiling their team’s new F1 car, the MGP W03.
In line with its standard sibling, the SL63 AMG eschews steel construction for the first time, adopting an aluminum and magnesium structure that, in combination with a carbon-fiber trunk lid and vacuum die castings within the chassis, is claimed to bring a significant 276-pound reduction in curb weight, at 4,068 pounds.
The new car is differentiated from lesser versions of the sixth-generation Mercedes SL through an extensive body kit developed at AMG’s headquarters. It’s an aggressive and rather purposeful-looking machine, lacking the elegance and grace of earlier go-fast versions of the German carmaker’s upmarket roadster.

Fisker expanding into Canada

The Fisker Karma sedan will soon be available in Canada.
The California-based electric-car manufacturer has partnered with the Dilawri Group, Canada's largest automotive dealer group, and the Field Automotive Group.
“Both Dilawri and Fields have the premium-brand experience we want and that the customers expect,” Matt Malfitano, director of North American Market Operations at Fisker, said in a statement.
Initial locations will be in Toronto, Calgary, Alberta and Vancouver. Fisker plans to expand operations as Karma production develops.
The Canadian government, a proponent of plug-in vehicles, has said it hopes to have 500,000 on the roads by 2018. It offers incentives of $5,000 to $8,500 to plug-in-vehicle buyers.

2012 Cadillac CTS Premium Collection

 I picked up the 2012 Cadillac CTS after spending a long (read: Disney World long) week in a rental Mazda 6, so the Cadillac's Touring-package Alcantara steering wheel and Recaro buckets were a welcome change from urethane and soiled fabric. That's not a knock on the 6--it was a base rental mobile and did its job well. But the difference in the two sedans was night and day, as it should be for about double the price.

Interesting, then, that the luggage we easily stowed in the Mazda's trunk took up all of the Cadillac's trunk and its rear-seat floor space, and the spot between the kids' car seats. Art and Science don't necessarily translate into cargo space and interior room--the CTS is a relatively cozy fit for a family of four, though the appointments are first-rate.
On the road the CTS performed well but overall was somewhat forgettable. The engine, transmission, handling, road noise--everything about the driving dynamics was competitive, but the Cadillac didn't really stand out in any particular area. It just didn't inspire the same joie de virve that I've experienced behind the wheel of an Audi A4/A6 or even an Acura TL.

2012 Kia Sorento SX

This 2012 Kia Sorento SX is strong. It looks good inside (but it could use a little color in there) and out, there's good pep from the responsive V6 along with decent mpg figures. And it's a pleasant driver. A passenger jumped in last night, looked around and said, "This is a Kia? Wow!"
All signs points to Kia being on a rapid ascent.
The Sorento rides well on the freeway, planted and secure with good steering weight. The ride is just a wee bit stiff around town but nothing off-putting. And I was happy with the six-cylinder's 276 hp. However, I would like to drive a four-cylinder version back-to-back to see how it stacks up.
Are there more engaging SUVs? Of course there are. Are there more engaging SUVs with seven seats? Probably, but this is a damn fine all-around package.

Ruf XL: A longer Porsche Panamera for the Chinese market

The Chinese love their rear-seat legroom. The workhorse of Shanghai taxi fleets is an extended-wheelbase Volkswagen called the Santana; think 1980s Quantum with longer rear doors. Audi's Chinese division designed and builds a long-wheelbase version of the last-generation A6. Rolls-Royce has made a full-court press into the Middle Kingdom with its Ghost EWB, launching the extended-wheelbase car at last year's Shanghai show.
So when Alois Ruf decided to take on China, he did it by following the path of least resistance--by creating a long-wheelbase version of the Porsche Panamera.
Famous for purchasing Porsche bodies-in-white, screwing on his own VIN plate and exacting gobsmacking levels of performance out of his erstwhile 911s, with the

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: Drive review

The new ZL1 is the ultimate factory Camaro--now and probably ever. It's certainly the most powerful, with 54 percent more horsepower than the infamous COPO-option, big-block 1969 Camaro ZL-1. Development engineers say one-third of the ZL1's parts are unique, compared with the current fifth-generation Camaro SS. All of those unique parts, save the ZL1's Alcantara dash insert, were upgraded to improve performance.
It starts under the hood with General Motors' supercharged, 6.2-liter LSA V8. Familiar from the Cadillac CTS-V, the LSA is similar but not identical to the LS9 small-block in the Corvette ZR1, and its distinctions go beyond a smaller Eaton twin-scroll supercharger. The ZL1 engine is assembled in Silao, Mexico, while the Corvette LS9 is hand-built at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich., with titanium connecting rods and valves and dry-sump lubrication.