2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon

This 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic wagon is one lovely cruiser, a car that seems to induce a natural feeling of automotive calm and composure, where the unhurried drive is as important as the destination.

I find the styling rather dashing, but in a subdued way that doesn't detract from its role as a comfortable family wagon. Inside, it's pure Benz elegance, from the supportive leather-wrapped seats to the light-touch center-console opener. There's even a little sporty flair there in touches such as the flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel and paddle shifters.

The 3.5-liter engine is plenty for most needs and powers the all-wheel drive seamlessly via the seven-speed autobox. This car is steady, steady, steady.

If the car needs anything, it'd be the new steering-column setup from the ML (with the cruise-control stalk at eight o'clock) and a blind-spot-detection system to warn about smaller vehicles lost in the big B-, C- and D-pillars.

I love this car. I have long been an E-class wagon fan, and this car adds to the admiration. It's a terrific combination of space, good looks and utility, not to mention driving comfort and on-highway refinement. You pay for it, but this car delivers.

As I felt the last time I drove one, there aren't too many midsize cars this smooth, creamy and solid. The chassis is stiff, and Benz engineers tuned the suspension a bit on the soft side. This is great for soaking up our notorious potholes, but the car is not wafty at all. Still, the less you push it the better the chassis seems to like it.

The gasoline engine doesn't have nearly the torque of the diesel--that would be the combination, but it's not offered in the wagon. The interior is comfortable, I really like the seats. Some here will say they are too flat, but they fit my rear end perfectly.

The sum of the E-class seems to me to be a car for those who want a sporting wagon but still want to be coddled a little. As I said before, it's a nice car to get in to at the end of the day. The harder your day was, the more you'll appreciate the car.

This is an extremely versatile vehicle that served me extremely well for a busy fall weekend. The amount of things and people I jammed into it were truly impressive, if I do say so.

I took six adults to a football game, but we didn't travel lightly. There were two coolers, six collapsible chairs, a grill, a huge bag of bagels and various other items. One person sat in the rear-facing third row, and she wasn't particularly comfortable. Without the coolers and chairs, she would have been better off, but it's still mainly an area for children. With the sharp roofline, it's really too tight for an adult, even a slender 20-something. Upon arrival at the game, the Benz was a solid base camp for tailgating. The next day, I folded down both rows and stowed a beefy snowblower in back. That's serious multifunction capability.

After a weekend of adventures like this, it's fair to say that this wagon and others like it are up for nearly everything a large SUV might attempt. A truck or crossover can fit more things, and in a higher degree of comfort, but a wagon can do about 80 percent of the same duties.

Here's the difference: Fully loaded or not, this wagon is still an E-class--and it drives like a sports sedan. It's low- slung, tight, powerful and even a bit torquey off the line. For my own amusement, I'd like a manual, but this seven-speed is outstanding from launches and cruising on the expressway. It's an extremely well-put-together, solid car, and it never feels unnerved or wavers at speed. It's also a sharp-looking design with striking headlights and taillights, elegant wheels and a nice profile. The redesigned E-class is an athletic improvement over the previous generation, and to my eye, it's crisper than BMW's 5-series. The cabin--with the wood trim, ambient lighting and a driver seat that contours to your body during turns--really is a pleasant setting.

If you have a small family, perhaps two kids, this is the way to go for premium utility. It's far more fun than a minivan or a crossover, and it looks elegant and sharp. The fun-to-drive character of this wagon is the intangible. You get to drive a sporty, well-appointed E-class but still have plenty of capability.

2012 BMW 328i

What is it?

The archetypical sports sedan, BMW's 3-series has long set the benchmark for every automaker looking to play in the segment. Its superb agility and engaging character have defined the very act of driving for generations of enthusiasts, so when a new one comes along, we do more than just sit up and take notice. We gorge ourselves and then beg for more.

The sixth-generation car rolls out in two sedan variants to start. BMW does take some risk with the base 328i in moving to a turbocharged four-banger for power, but on paper, the 2.0-liter turbo four outmatches the 3.0-liter naturally aspirated straight-six, with 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque to the six's 230 hp and 200 lb-ft. Moreover, that peak torque hits 1,500 rpm lower in the rev range, riding flat from just 1,250 to 4,800 rpm. Along with the boost in power, BMW also claims that fuel economy improves with the turbo four, although EPA numbers have yet to be released.

The upper-trim car continues as the 335i, drawing power from the carryover 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six turning out an even 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. All cars come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, but new for 2012 is the keen eight-speed automatic, available across the board.

The sixth-gen 3-series grows a fair amount in size, too, adding 3.7 inches of length over a wheelbase stretched by 1.9 inches. The track widens, too, with an additional 1.2 inches between the wheels up front and 1.7 inches in back. Still, the extra size is more easily felt than seen, with rear passengers benefiting from an extra half-inch of knee room, while all passengers enjoy more headroom.

A host of fuel-saving measures are standard across the line, too, including an auto stop/start function that shuts the engine off at stoplights. But for those who are really serious about saving some fuel, the central Driving Experience Control switch offers an “eco pro” mode in addition to the more familiar comfort, sport and sport-plus modes. Eco pro not only reduces how much power is delivered in response to pedal travel but it also upshifts more quickly and reduces the amount of power sent to the auxiliary systems, such as air conditioning. It's also a nag. Press the throttle too much, for example, and an icon will light up on the dash advising you to lift. Still, BMW does claim that driving in eco pro mode can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

Perhaps the most notable change for 2012 affects how folks will purchase their 3-series. For the first time, BMW will offer the car in three major lines: Sport, Modern and Luxury. The lines are distinguished by their look and basic content, with unique 18-inch wheels, grille treatments and trim pieces differentiating them. High-gloss black marks the Sport models, both inside and out, while Luxury cars get chrome bits, and Modern cars see a lot of brushed aluminum. In addition, Sport models get leatherette-clad sport seats with red stitching (the other lines get standard seats in leather) and a sport-tuned suspension.

What is it like to drive?

To say that it drives like a 3-series is too easy, and yet, for those familiar with the car's classic dynamics, the sixth-gen 3-series will feel instantly recognizable.

We only had the chance to try out a 328i Sport model, equipped with the optional adaptive M suspension, eight-speed automatic transmission and optional variable steering. It's a compelling package, to be sure, the engine displaying a delightful flexibility, surging up steep mountain passes, inhaling and exhaling around bend after bend and opening up with a blare down long straights, the torque feeding the wheels well past 100 mph. The eight-speed is easy to work, with the optional paddle shifters quickly rowing up and down all those gears, each popping off in surprisingly quick fashion. It was equally a joy to work the 328i out around the Formula One track at Catalunya outside Barcelona, Spain, where the tight corners and elevation changes did a good job of mimicking the mountain passes surrounding the area--although a steady downpour turned the test into more of a slippery handling exercise than anything approaching a top-speed test. The car comports itself brilliantly; the rear-driver is as manageable on and off the throttle as ever. Dive deep into the corner, flick the wheel and feed the gas, and feel the rear end rotate around. Rinse and repeat.

The turbo four, called N20 internally, displayed no lag to speak of, but it did at times sound much like a diesel. At start-up and idle, the clack-clack-clack from the rockers and the vibrations they send through the cabin very much resemble that of an oil burner. The effect is especially noticeable when the stop/start feature is on; taking off from every stop sign sends shivers, both palpable and audible, through the car. Otherwise, it is remarkably quiet on the road, with little tire noise and less engine noise to speak of.

All 2012 3-series get a standard electromechanical power-steering system. Our test car, however, came with a new system BMW calls Variable Sports Steering. Unlike the Active Steering system found previously on BMW's bigger cars--which often acted like too much ghost in the machine--this new variable-steering system provides different ratios depending on the angle of the steering wheel, with much quicker ratios after 100 degrees. The effect is barely noticeable and only really comes into play around tight hairpins or in parking situations.

We did notice the vast difference in performance among the various modes offered by the Driving Experience Control. After tooling around in comfort mode for a while and dipping quickly into eco pro, we were content switching up to sport and just leaving it there. The throttle response is vastly quicker, and the steering is markedly more direct. Even the transmission transforms, with shifts cracking off much more promptly. Toggling back down to comfort or eco pro proved to be an exercise in frustration afterward; the car just feels sluggish overall in comparison.

Our test car also came stuffed to the gills with optional equipment, much of which we could do without. The full-color head-up display works well and can be nicely configured to show whatever info you want. The optional Surround View, however, is of less use. Getting a 360-degree view of your surroundings might be helpful when reversing, but seeing the sides of your car when it's just sitting still feels gimmicky, at best. The lane-departure-warning system gets seriously annoying after a while, but the trick trunk opener is seriously cool. Just kick a foot under the rear bumper and the trunk pops open. Sheer brilliance--and it's standard on all 3-series.

Then there's the design. Everywhere your eyes land, there are creases, and all of that surface motion only works to give the car an air of Hyundai Sonata--if not literally, then certainly in effect. As the last-gen car suffered from a less-than-inspired styling effort, it would have been nice to see this sixth-generation car take a more clean-sheet approach, rather than this evolutionary tack. Mostly, it just looks as if it's trying too hard.

Although it's still too busy (the taillights are eight-sided!), the rear end has definitely improved; the current car looks pinched off from behind, which to our mind isn't exactly the sort of anthropomorphizing a carmaker should aim for.

The interior, likewise, feels overworked. The center console itself is made up of three polygons mashed together crazy-quilt-style and at three different altitudes: the iDrive controller sits highest, the shifter sprouts from a slightly lower level, and the parking brake tucks in below both in a hollow in front of the armrest (BMW calls the whole assembly a “deliberately asymmetric centre tunnel”). And while we're rather keen on the clean, horizontal lines of the center stack and the large iDrive monitor, there are simply too many trims and panels and planes in too many materials to feel like a cohesive interior design.

Do I want it?

“Who doesn't want a 3-series?” might be a more apt question for enthusiasts. It still sets the standard for sheer driving chops in its segment, and the new turbo four is a nice piece of work, more powerful and efficient than, if not nearly as smooth and refined as, a straight-six. BMW offers as robust a list of standard features as ever and more optional techy goodies than the 3-series has ever known. We're seriously hesitant when it comes to the car's styling, however. When placed next to an Audi or a Mercedes-Benz--even a Volvo--of the same class, the 3-series looks the least elegant, the least put-together of the bunch (especially inside).

Of course, for most 3-series buyers, it's the driving that matters most, and in that regard, the sixth-generation car is as put-together as anything that tries to vie with it.

2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman

I thoroughly enjoy the regular Mini Cooper S, so I had high hopes for this 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4, thinking that it would better serve the needs of folks like me with little kids and big dogs. And size-wise, the Countryman presents a nice package. There's lots of rear-seat legroom and a usable hatch (although Chester the Chessie was having none of it), and Mini's characteristic style is sprinkled throughout the cabin.

What's lost, unfortunately, is the Mini's mini-ness. Simply put, the Countryman feels heavy. I suspect that's partly because of the all-wheel-drive system on our tester, but combined with the extra sheetmetal, the 1.6-liter engine lost most of the spry, zingy nature I'm so fond of in the regular Cooper S. It moved along just fine once it was going, but it took a lot more throttle and clutch slipping than a Mini should to get it rolling.

Chances are that Mini aficionados will readily overlook the slight loss of driving personality thanks to the full helping of Mini character elsewhere. But for me, particularly considering the $34,000 price of our admittedly loaded tester, I'd be at the Audi dealer plunking down for an A3.

The price is a touch high, but this car is solidly done, with plenty of attention to detail. From the grille to the headlights to even the interior materials, this is a sharp car.

I think the Countryman retains most of the Mini magic. The chassis is tight, it's fun in corners, and the six-speed manual is a hoot. It handles well and feels interactive. The steering is direct and even heavy at times, too.

The cabin materials seem to be a step above what I've sampled recently in Mini models, although the controls are a bit tough to navigate at first. It's nicely equipped and reasonably comfortable for a car this size.

Overall, this remains true to what a Mini purports to be; any watering down resulting from the added girth isn't perceptible to me. It's a Mini. It's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot of fun.
A couple of things about the 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 drove me a bit crazy. First, the electronic throttle is among the worst in any recent car that I can remember. The throttle response, down low, is practically nonexistent. A minor blip of the throttle to change gears emits barely a rise in the revs, and you need to bring the rpm up to about 2,000 in order to get any torque at all out of this turbo engine. It seems as if the older supercharged engines were far more responsive and fun--especially in Cooper S trim.

Second--and I know we've beaten this horse a lot, but it's still not dead for BMW--the run-flat tires make this thing ride like a hay wagon. On a stretch of concrete freeway from Monroe, Mich., to Toledo, Ohio, I felt every little nuance in the concrete, every expansion joint, every little bump, hump and crack. And without my prompting, each of my three passengers commented on just how bad the ride is. And these people don't know a run-flat from a flatiron.

I like the concept of the Countryman, and the four doors and more room will certainly fill more transportation needs for some. The driving dynamics of the larger car are certainly different from those of the two-door Minis, and the car actually felt slow. And this one does not have the go-kart-like handling of other Minis.

The lousy throttle response I could live with--barely. The run-flats I could not. The ride and handling are so compromised in this car that even with its too-cool-for-school styling and interior design, I'd drive past the Mini store in my quest for a vehicle.

I was surprised by how lukewarm my response was to this car, and the price is just the proverbial icing on the unappealing cake. My grumbling starts with the run-flat tires, notoriously bad in BMWs and awful here in the German automaker's Mini offshoot. The ride is just too hard, and in Detroit, that's a problem. Those would be the first to go--I'd get better tires and call a towing service if I got a flat.

I find the interior to be a mishmash. Things aren't very intuitive, with switches and controls scattered hither and yon. I suppose one would get used to it. Build quality is average.

Anything good? Well, there's decent room in the back seat, and unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I actually thought the powertrain was the car's strong suit-good power (as long as you keep the revs up), decent gearbox. I liked the steering a lot, too.

I get that Mini needs to keep the lineup fresh, and Mini arguably does one of the best jobs in the industry of keeping people interested, keeping the buzz going. And I'm sure that the Countryman appeals to a fairly wide swath of potential new customers. I'm just not one of them.

2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible Limited

I know Chrysler significantly upgraded this 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible Limited after the bankruptcy, and I also know it's an interim model meant to maintain sales while an entirely new midsize car is brought to market. But the 200 just isn't a competitive vehicle, even in hardtop convertible form, and even with the new Pentastar V6.

Full disclosure: I had the 200 convertible on a murky, cold, rainy night (and morning) in Detroit, so I was stuck with the top closed--never an ideal situation in which to evaluate the merits of a cabriolet. With the top up, the 200 was noticeably tight, with a solid-sounding body structure and no trace of water leakage.

The flaws were in the details. The shifter slid in its gate with a plastic-on-plastic scrape. The autolock mechanism on the doors sounded like cell block H bolting closed for the night. Even the vaunted Pentastar V6 engine was coarse and poorly insulated in this application.

My girlfriend in high school often borrowed her mother's 1988 Chrysler LeBaron convertible for us to tool around the Atlanta suburbs in. While my memories of that car may be artificially rosy, I was surprised at how much the 2011 Chrysler 200 convertible reminded me that old K-car ragtop--the feel of the controls, the rough edges, the raspy engine. It was all there.

I'm always up for a trip down memory lane, but I doubt that most buyers shopping $35,000 convertibles will be as forgiving.

This car is a step up from the one it replaced in the Chrysler lineup, and that's about all the good you can say about it. It looks better; the interior is a couple of steps up as far as looks and materials. But the suspension is not up to par, crashing over bumps and wobbling through corners. God help you if you happen to have to move the steering wheel while in a fast corner. This suspension does not like to be upset.

The V6 is anemic, with barely enough oomph to get up to freeway speed from an on-ramp. You learn quickly to mash the throttle hard at your earliest just in case there's a big truck bearing down on you.

I give Chrysler props for working to make the old Sebring better. It's a good attempt, but it just didn't quite make it. At $35,000, I'd look elsewhere for my top-down ride.

As the other guys noted, the 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible Limited is definitely a step up from the previous generation, but still has a ways to go.

The exterior is mostly unchanged. It still has the stubby, squared back end and still sits up too high for me. I never disliked the front end, but the new shape of the headlights and the LEDs make it much better.

I'm still pretty sure there are few cars that look good with a convertible hardtop. The Ferrari California is one, and I think that's it. On this car, like the other 95 percent, its lines are thrown off by the back window coming into the trunk. It's the same on the BMW 3-series convertible. Not that this car looked stunning from the get go, anyway.

The interior though, is another story. I thought it was a huge step up from the previous models. The black leather seats were comfy, the center part of the dash was covered in piano black, and I didn't even think the analog clock looked out of place. It sports the same easy-to-use radio/navigation system as the rest of the brand.

Power felt low from the Pentastar V6, which is probably attributed to the near 4,000-pound curb weight. You do have to get on the gas early and often if you want to keep speed.

2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 S sedan

I came out of perhaps our most ostentatious vehicle--the Ford Transit Connect Taxi--into our most invisible: a 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 S sedan. With cloth seats and a continuously variable transmission, it's pure bread-and-butter transportation.

It had been a few years since I'd driven an Altima, and I can see now why Nissan keeps selling these things in droves (other than incentives, that is): It's a good car. Comfortable, roomy, quiet and reasonably powerful--piloting the Altima was an exercise not so much in driving as in commuting, being transported home isolated from, noise, detritus and my fellow man.

Sporty? Not a chance. But the Altima did everything well. Nissan still has the best CVT integration in the business, and the Altima's 'box went about its business with minimal intrusion. Acceleration was decent, and the brakes had a ton of initial bite followed by good pedal modulation.

The overall impression was one of superb competence. The Nissan Altima will never be at the top of my must-drive lists, nor will it be my next vehicle. But this car is what a vast majority of American drivers are looking for in daily transportation, and Nissan has done an admirable job of keeping it near the top of its class.

So far, Nissans have not impressed me much. The Nissan 370Z and the GT-R are exceptions, because, let's face it, those cars are just plain fun. But I digress.

When grabbing the keys for this Altima, my expectations were low, really low. I hypothesized that this car would be chintzy, boring, loud and rough riding. Few of my thoughts were proved to be true; for the most part, I'll easily admit, I was way off.

While the Altima's exterior is far from exciting, it's also far from ugly. The optional moonroof wind deflector is incredibly distracting. But other than that, the Altima provides what a majority of car buyers need--a basic design that serves most purposes.

On the road, this car performs well. It provides a smooth, quiet ride. The CVT almost goes unnoticed, and I got up to speed without a hitch. The cabin provides a comfortable environment, and while the layout and materials are pretty cut and dried, Nissan still added a bit of flair with wood-grain accents, adding a bit of upscale style.

All in all, this Altima didn't completely turn me around on Nissans, but it did start the rotation.

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR CHERYL L. BLAHNIK: The first thought that popped into my mind when I got into this 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 S sedan was rental car. It's not a bad-looking car, but it's a far cry from an exciting car.

However, this Altima is a solid all-around car. Ride quality on the expressway and around town is smooth, and the four-cylinder powertrain is up to task for daily running. The interior has comfortable seats but is basic in styling.

The as-tested price of this car makes me cringe because it's approaching $28,000, but this one is heavily optioned. For a commuter car, I have no problems with the Altima, but I definitely wouldn't want to own one. If I'm going to spend a couple of hours a day in a car, I want it to be a little entertaining. Unfortunately, this Nissan doesn't offer that.

2012 Scion iQ

I am somewhat predisposed to like dinky cars. OK, not even somewhat. I like the things. The B-class takeover of the lower end of the market was something I looked forward to and continue to look forward to with every new model that comes out.

I appreciate efficiency, especially if it can come attached to fun. A go-kart is the best example of that. So when I first saw a multicolored fleet of Scion iQs hanging on the wall above the Toyota stand at the Tokyo motor show two years ago--or was it Frankfurt 2007? Geneva 2008? Is it Tuesday? Is this Belgium?-- I thought, hey, those things look cool.

I still think they look cool, and though the 2012 Scion iQ has many good things going for it, unfortunately being fun to drive is not one of them. Sure, you could easily blame the CVT, which could suck the life out of a Ferrari. When it's bolted into the drivetrain of a 1.3-liter I4 driving the front wheels, that awfulness is only exaggerated. Granted, the 94 hp has only 2,127 pounds to pull around, so the weight-to-power ratio sits at a lugubrious 22.5 pounds per hp. Add a driver and passenger of skinny proportions, and that figure leaps to almost 26 pounds per hp. Then when you add the CVT to that burden, it just makes you want to take the bus. A couple of 0-to-60-mph launches on an empty street yielded 10.7 seconds, which is not really sporty.

The MacPherson-strut front and torsion-beam rear also don't preclude a fun drive but didn't seem to bring the iQ to life in my hands as it does other B-class cars that are bigger. Scion lists the turning circle at 25.8 feet, about five feet shorter than your average "car," though when I measured it myself on the outside of the front tires, I got 27 feet, 2 inches. Combined with the car's clownlike 78.7-inch wheelbase, I found myself falling off curbs a lot when backing out of driveways. I haven't had such an awkward time maneuvering since high school.

Braking was similarly weird. While the pedal feel and linear stopping felt perfectly normal, when I suction-cupped the Racelogic test gear to the windshield and tried braking from 60 mph on the same piece of flat pavement, I got 131.2 feet, 116.7 feet and 126.4 feet. So either the test equipment is screwy or the car is screwy. Or me. Could be any of the three.

The EPA rates this at 36 mpg city/37 mpg highway/37 mpg combined, which is good but not the spectacular figure you'd expect given all of the size you give up with this. I got one fill up of 3.011 gallons after 118.5 miles for 39.4 mpg of mostly freeway driving. But you can get 40 mpg in all kinds of cars that have more room, cost the same or even less, have a real back seat and are more fun to drive.

Scion officially calls this a 3+1 or a 3.5-seater. That's a clever way of saying, "Adios, legs" if you sit in the back seat. With a normal-size driver in front, the back seat is for bags of groceries only. So if you have a family of four with two small children, even they will not be happy in back.

On Los Angeles' notoriously bumpy freeways the ride was choppy. The short wheelbase combined with what feels like a stiffer setup to counter the tall car's lean makes it bounce all over the place.

This car is not as bad as the obvious competitor, the Smart Fortwo, which is the worst car on the market bar none, but the iQ is not as good as it could be. Put in a manual transmission and most of the iQ's sins could be forgiven.

For $16,000, there are any number of alternatives that are fun to drive and far more practical. The Chevrolet Sonic with a turbo and a manual and the Hyundai Accent manual wagon come to mind. Scion says this is for young urban dwellers. Maybe stylish urbanites will like it? I hope so, because if the iQ sticks around for a few model years, maybe they'll put a manual transmission in it. Or an electric drivetrain, which is coming next year but for fleet sales only.

I would like Scion to fix this car so it's fun to drive and maybe even a little less expensive. Sounds like I'm asking too much, but so might the market.