The 2010 BMW 535i GT

For a trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie decided to drive the GT long-term 535i. "It is curious that he would stay with BMW on a cruise, but that's exactly what the GT 535i is, .. this car behavior is nothing like a BMW driving machine last approach has clearly changed for this car as a cruise, it's nice enough. The eight-speed auto, the engine is turning a relaxed 2000 rpm at 80 mph, and the lack of wind and road noise is impressive. 

"The refinement of the roll, combined with high H-point, makes the car looks deceptively slow, you feel like you're chatting over the freeway to look and see the speedometer needle tickling the 90 mph mark Optimal time. baling radar detector if you are planning any long trip. " 

He noted that in his trip, the BMW average of 24.7 mpg. On the other hand, thinks that style is a missed opportunity. 

The 2012 Audi A6

The sun barely rose in the hills near Santa Ana, Sicily, and my driving partner is launching new vehicles from Audi, the A6 2012, from corner to corner with all his considerable strength. We are winding through innumerable precipices and cliffs and I can not help thinking to myself, "What a fabulous way." I'm about to tell my friend and pilot who comes to us at the next corner is what looks like an excavator, when suddenly is filled in the last four blocks of Ringer. Sheep! About two hundred of them! He headed straight for us at the request of the excavator. There, the A6 is found, lost in a sea of bleating, sheep bell ringing, the two laughing. Maybe this is not a path so hot after all?

However, where Audi has brought me and 800 journalists to drive its freshest product. If you are getting a little touch of déjà vu, forgive yourself. Audi apparently folds more than ever to the Germanic dictate "one sausage, three lengths." I do not mean that there is something wrong with the A6, only that the new A4 looks like a big car and / or small But A8 A6 is significantly more conservative than the A8, a sports car feel. a face only a graphic designer could love. (Or possibly an architect.) The A6 seems to lead to suit a family, disturbed by a new measure.

When asked about this, Audi says that if you want wild extroverted style, do not hesitate to buy a A7, the first incursion of profitable automaker and no grammatical sense "four-door coupe" territory. Audi comes to call potential customers A6 conservative (or mate), rather than argue that this is the kind of people not looking to make a splash or a statement. Have arrived and do not need to know about it. Okay, then. However, there is something attractive about in the middle of Audi, although it just does not look very new. There is a great similarity to the exit, the sixth-generation A6 (making the new car of Audi's seventh-generation C-segment car, if you believe that mere public relations history of the 1968 100 was, in fact, first A6). The 2012 A6 is an inch shorter, a little wider and a lighter skosh than replaced, and the wheelbase reaches a length of 3 inches. But style does not break any new arguments. There is some good news: it is lighter.

The 2012 Toyota Yaris Japanese Spec

Sales of the Toyota Yaris (Vitz in Japan called) took a header last year in the U.S. market, dropping nearly 40 percent in 2009, which was one of the worst years in sales forever. To say that Toyota have to give your car a little bit of love is an understatement, which makes U.S. debut the new 2012 Toyota Yaris all the more important.

"We have to stand out more," says the deputy chief engineer Yoshinari Toyomura. "That's one reason why the new Yaris has grown in size and taken on an edgier look compared to its predecessor."

We recently had the opportunity to review the Japanese version of the specifications of the new car, and immediately saw what he meant Toyomura. The new big shot in the B segment is 3.5 inches long with a wheelbase that gains of 2 inches. Toyota expects the new car more aggressive edges will appeal to a wider audience (ie men). The car feels great, but the company's efforts to minimize costs and improving packaging met with mixed results.

The range of engines are the new versions of the variants of gas 1.3-liter and 1.5 liters and a revised 1.4-liter diesel for Europe (expect 1.5-liter version to continue as the base engine of the U.S. ., although a 1.8-liter and a hybrid model is also rumored). Highlights of the collection is undoubtedly the car we've tested: the Smart-Stop 1.3-liter package. Taking only 0.35 seconds to restart smoothly after shutting the engine idling, smart scale works to improve fuel economy by some 2 mpg, achieving 61.5 mpg mpg on the Japanese cycle. However, the start-stop is only offered in 1. 3 liters, due to its hefty price tag $ 700. Most notably, the VSC and TRC traction control, which are standard on the 1.3-liter, not even offered as options on other models, although we assume that will change for the version of the U.S. market.

The 2010 Mazdaspeed3

Complaints of torque steer aside, the Mazdaspeed3 has proven to be a very nice long-term fleet. Staff enjoy Mazda's response to its excellent handling, and flexible cabin. This is a great car to drive on a winding road. However, many still are not sure of the speed version of the Mazda3 as viable daily driver, pointing to the interior noise, hard way clutch as a "switch on / off", and lower internal complaints.

Online associate editor Kong Benson said: "I am still perplexed as to why this vehicle does not have a coolant temperature gauge. Controlling the operating temperature, especially for something turbo, should be a key factor that determines ability, and Mazda seems to have thrown it out the window. Furthermore, it was really blinded by sunlight bouncing off the decorative plates doorway? "

The 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster

It was the first time online Associate Editor Mike Febbo in this long Termer. "Power and torque are great, so good, in fact, that we will gladly give close-ratio gears for longer and more fuel efficient six. I did an average of 21.5 mpg on the highway. Grip is phenomenal. The car runs amazingly well on smooth surfaces, but the blows in the middle of the corner is an adventure at full speed.

"A small whoopdee amid a high-speed sweeper results in the back jumping around like a mechanical bull. The most automobiles would absorb a small processor, the Z becomes a big hula, turning 80 kilometers per hour. The most big shock was that the Z bulging hips do not really seem to throw the car off the line. Despite the complaints, I love this car. As a daily driver, the 370Z it would be really decent, if there was another car with a trunk. "