pow

Huh? The biggest MINI engine is a 1.6, albeit a turbocharged one.

Naturally aspirated 2.5L sounds like a fail. Hope the 2.0T improves on what's offered on the Opels, Buicks, and Saabs, as they've been generally underperforming engines with lousy NVH.

Yep, looks like lipstick on a 2008 VUE slash fleet-only 2012 Captiva.

Plain old iPhone 4. Nothing fancy, no learning curve, as good of a camera as most point-and-shoots. Nice, functional apps. There was supposed to be Antennagate but I've never experienced any problems. edit: One downside: it doesn't work with SYNC's audible text feature. If I were to upgrade, SYNC treats Siri as an incoming call, so then I could both send and receive texts... which is pretty cool.

Nice. Could be a credible competitor to the A3, CT200h, B-class, etc.

Any rattles? Buzzing noises? Road noise? Impact harshness?

I find the EPA's mpg figures to be consistent. You might exceed the rating, you might be well below -- it all depends on your commute and driving patterns. It's pointless to compare "real-world" mpg among different drivers and different routes, so the EPA tests are the most accurate way of comparing apples-to-apples to assess how a car does RELATIVE to other vehicles. That said, what I get on my weekday commute is very close to the EPA's combined rating: I got 22 mpg in the Passat and now I get 30 mpg in the Focus (officially 26 city, 36 hwy, 30 combined). If I lived in rural PA, I may well get 43 mpg.

Very nice, congrats! The black cladding makes a world of difference... it looks more truck-like now.

I can imagine an AWD version by adding an electric motor for the rear wheels, like on the RX450h and DS5 Hybrid4. Converting it to RWD would probably require substantial re-engineering of the chassis, which wasn't designed to handle those sorts of drivetrain loads. Even if it were AWD, they'd want to replace the rear twist-beam with IRS, also costly to engineer.

Hyundai, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Engine_Manufacturing_Alliance

Hmm... http://green.autoblog.com/2011/08/30/ford-tries-to-prove-2012-focus-is-more-fuel-efficient-than-hyund/

Do you have automotive ADD or what?

I love how they conveniently ignore city fuel economy. Fixed: 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid – $26,660 / 43 mpg 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid – $29,395 / 41 mpg 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – $26,545 / 35 mpg 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE Diesel (with automatic) – $27,895 / 30 mpg 2013 Chevrolet Malibu ECO – $25,995 / 26 mpg For an extra $665, you get 65% greater city fuel economy from Camry Hybrid. And I love how they only factor the horsepower of the gasoline engine in those hybrids.

Way to treat your job creators, Alabama.

I don't view Kohls, WalMart, et al. as stores anymore -- so much as just giant outlets for China's factories, and their rejects no less.

The changes make a world of difference. Now it almost looks like a chic city car, instead of low-rent wheels for the developing world.

And the new Escape is pretty much a C-MAX allroad/Outback/XC.

Congrats! Even the base N/A model is really nice with leather and everything. If you don't mind sharing, how much is the lease?

Wow, this looks really good, and I'm not a fan of the normal LaCrosse. If they build it, I hope it's reasonably priced.

Prius has pretty much moved to the mainstream as the efficient, practical, and rational midsize family car alternative. AFAIK, it's Toyota's third best selling car, and it's set to overtake Camry in the near future. If Lexus offered an ES300h, I could easily imagine that making up half of all ES sales.

Maybe they could made a wagon version to compete against the MKT...

It's so damn tall. I covered everything aft of the B-pillar on my screen, and could easily imagine a Venza-like crossover.

What an awkward, unfortunate looking car. Sorry to sound like smk here, but this looks like a MKS/S80/RL-type second-tier luxury sedan. Its Epsilon II roots are obvious.

I'm loving the new Citroen DS5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA8GHaeckrY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nh0LAxeu1M That door panel at 0:42 is pure sex...

It certainly makes a difference in the way a car drives, and consumers notice that just after a few blocks. You don't have to be a self-proclaimed "enthusiast" to appreciate the natural steering feel and ergonomics commonly associated with RWD cars.