Test Drives, Trends & Events

The 2009 Lexus LS 460 is a full-size luxury sedan with a mid-size luxury sedan price tag.

The full-size luxury sedan market is full of players but attention seems to focus on two main stars: the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series. Both are filled to the brim with leading-edge technology and both are luxuriously appointed inside. Both have large and potent engines and both are leaders in an exclusive category. There are other choices in this category that don’t seem to get the same level of respect, but the 2009 Lexus LS 460 is one car that offers similar levels of comfort and luxury at a price as (relatively) subdued as its exterior styling. More...

The 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI with Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) goodies is enjoying the sun at the NADAguides.com office.

Subaru has a long history of building quality sedans and wagons that come standard with a good all-wheel drive system and a reliable engine. The average Subaru today is a very useful and safe vehicle that can provide driver and passengers with the occasional thrill thanks to the all-weather handling capabilities and fun turbocharged motors. There is a car in this family that takes this “fun” to another level. The 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI is not simply a fun car, it is a rally-racing bred, all-terrain conquering, lunatic car that smashes through the “fun zone” taking its occupants straight to 11. More...

The 2009 Land Rover LR2

Instead of a home makeover show, I would like to see a car makeover show. Not of the “Pimp My Ride” variety, but one where a manufacturer takes a vehicle and transforms it into something better. They turn it into a vehicle that is both better looking and performing. Land Rover had done just that. In 2005, they sent their Freelander to SUV modeling school and it came out the other side as the 2008 LR2. I have the key fob to a 2009 Land Rover LR2 HSE and I am ready to see how she struts. More...

The 2009 Infiniti FX50 is a crossover SUV that thinks (and acts) like a sports car.

Close your eyes and stick out your hand. I am going to put a set of keys in your palm and give you some quick stats about which car they belong to. A seven-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and downshift rev matching. This is linked to a 5.0L DOHC V8 engine pushing out 390 horses and 369 lb-ft of torque to an Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. Dual stainless steel exhaust pipes bellow out a raucous symphony and large brakes to bring the large wheels and tires to a stop. What kind of car is this? Trick question, it’s not a car; it is the 2009 Infiniti FX50 – a luxury crossover SUV. More...