Let's start with the good news. Our X5 test vehicle came with a beautiful 3.0-liter six matched with a crisp-shifting five-speed automatic -- very refined, rather powerful, and smooth as maple syrup flowing over some hot pancakes. (While the X5's available with two higher-horsepower eights, we think the six would fit the bill for most drivers.) Look for the X5 to achieve 16 to 21 miles per gallon of premium fuel, according to the EPA

People seem to love these big lugs, and many are backing that up with their wallets and checking accounts. The numbers don't lie: While total sales at GM fell more than 14% in March, sales of the redesigned Tahoe were up 20%. GM spent gazillions of dollars to upgrade the big SUV family -- including the street cruiser, the Escalade -- and apparently hit a cord with buyers. In GM-land these days, any good news is welcome

The experts are saying that we should get used to this, that the era of $2-a-gallon gas is likely over. This bit of dismal news brings us to some happy news, namely the Honda Fit. All in all, this gas sipper's a fun drive. Honda's latest subcompact measures about a foot shorter than the equally gas-thrifty Toyota Yaris that we recently tested. The Fit rides on a 96.5-inch wheelbase, compared to 100.4 inches on the four-door Yaris. See Yaris review

Having put in a week behind the wheel of the completely updated S550, we'd only repeat those remarks. The new one's a sharp-looking car that delivers a world-class luxury ride. It's only two inches longer than the old one, with a wheelbase measuring three inches wider. There are now only two models. We tested out the S550 with a nice V8; just about to hit the market is the S600 model encasing a 510-horsepower V-12. (Look for a sticker of about $130,000 on that devil

Think ``Toyota,'' and what comes to mind? Probably not style. For the most part, the styling of Toyota's cars and trucks has been either conservative to the point of blandness or just plain strange. But Toyota's new FJ Cruiser will sell on style, as well as its on- and off-road prowess and value. As other manufacturers have done, Toyota mined its past for an auto-show circuit concept vehicle, which debuted at the 2003 Detroit auto show

General Motors announced that it will be introducing 19 -- yes, 19 -- new engines and powertrains for the 2007 model year. The powerplants span the gamut of technologies available today and include hybrids, traditional gasoline-powered engines, ethanol powerplants and everything in between. The claim to fame for every last one is better fuel economy, reduced emissions and more choice, the automaker says

M3 who? Sorry BMW, you're gonna to have to equip the next M3 with more than just a 400-hp V8 if you hope to keep up with MB's upcoming C63 AMG. We've seen enough spy shots of the garden variety C-Class than we care to admit, but there's something about a car in camo sporting a 6.2L V8 producing a downright silly amount of horsepower that grabs our attention. How does 503 horses work for you? Forget about the M3, AMG is fishing for the M5 with this one

World Car Fans has a gallery of new spy photos of Honda Motor's Euro-Civic hatchback, apparently in Type-R trim. The lightly disguised Civic looks like it should be a worthy competitor in the european market's hot hatch wars. Although WCF reports that all models of the new hatch will get sportier suspension tuning than the sedan, the real fun is reserved for the Type-R, which gets a 197 hp 2-liter engine - good for a 0-100 km/h time of 6.5 seconds. The Civic hatchback hits U.K

There's something inexplicably fun about getting something out of a vending machine, particularly one with a cool dispensing mechanism. And if you're picking up your new car from Volkswagen's storage facility in Wolfsburg, Germany, "inexplicably fun" just isn't the word. The storage facility, which takes up just 20 percent of the space needed by comparable facilities, holds 20-story towers filled to the brim with new VWs

This is a case of the Smiths versus the Joneses. For the Joneses, the ideal vehicle carries a ton of groceries, hauls friends to the nearest mountain-bike trail, totes the kid and five of his teammates to weekly practice, and perhaps ushers the boss and his wife to dinner and a show. The Joneses need a modern minivan, the most reasoned, well-conceived, and best all-around family vehicle on the planet. The Smiths, on the other hand, are far more demanding--and better financed