BMW i3

We are looking to add a new BMW to our family and have been very interested in the BMW i3 to act as a family shuttle around town. We, however, have a unique requirement for our future family vehicle. My daughter plays the Bass in orchestra at school, so this means we get to shuttle her massive stringed animal around rather quite frequently. Currently it gets shuttled about in a BMW X3 which works great, but were interested in an all electric conveyance.

BMW M235i vs. BMW E92 M3

Now you might think this is a crazy comparison, but I just went through this buying process and ended up buying the winner. Both of these BMW sport cars are aimed directly at driving enthusiasts. The intriguing part is that the cost to acquire both can be very similar. The M235i carries a base MSRP of $44,050 and if you go crazy with the options, then the M235i can easily jump over the $50,000 mark. A used E90/E92 M3 has a price range between $30,000 and $70,000 depending on age and mileage. A good number of them are available between $40,000 and $50,000, or higher if you want a Certified Pre-Owned one of a few small batch Frozen editions, or Lime Rock Edition M3s.

Nissan GT-R Nismo

The 2015 GT-R Nismo made its debut at the Geneva motor show and has on board damned near every performance part Nissan could throw its way. It starts with the company's 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V6 massaged to make 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque, up 55 hp and 18 lb-ft over your basic GT-R. The Nismo has high-flow turbos similar to the company's GT3 race cars, the ignition-timing wick has been turned up, roughly 45 pounds have been shed and the four-wheel independent suspension is stiffer. Add it all up, and the result is a claimed 7 minute, 8.679-second Nurburgring lap, among the fastest times for a volume-production car, if that floats your boat.

2015 Ford Edge CUV

The 2015 Ford Edge CUV was introduced to the world on Tuesday at separate events in the U.S. and Europe. It gets a new body design, a new suspension setup, adaptive steering and new engine choices -- in fact, the Edge will be available with every single technology that Ford offers, and will be sold in more than 100 countries across the globe. Ford also revealed a new technology known as adaptive steering. Ford claims it makes the Edge easier to maneuver in parking lots and more fun at high speeds. Currently it automatically adjusts, but Ford gave us a wink -- as if to say, “we could do that” -- when asked about manually adjusting the system, as you might in a performance car. The system is standard on the Edge Sport and optional on the Titanium trim. The Edge Sport also gets stiffer antiroll bars, larger dampers and thicker coil springs.