2017 Ford Fusion: Updated and Sport-ified

With 300,000-plus U.S. sales to its credit last year, the Ford Fusion plays a key role in its maker’s plan to rule the auto world. And now, three years into its current generation, Ford has tweaked its mid-size offering to fortify its position against a host of competitors. The key addition is the revived Fusion Sport, which promises to raise a ruckus in suburbs overrun with Camrys thanks to its 325-hp twin-turbo V-6, all-wheel drive,...

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2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV

“Crazy acceleration.” That’s what we were promised by, of all things, a PowerPoint slide during the presentation of the new 2016 Lamborghini Aventador SV as we geared up for some lap time at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It’s not often we see “crazy,” with all it implies, during a press presentation, especially by a company hocking its own product, but there it was. Lamborghini wasn’t calling the whole car crazy, only...

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2016 Ferrari F12tdf

To build its latest red-blooded creation, Ferrari first ruined a perfectly good car. In transforming the sure-footed F12berlinetta grand tourer into the fast-and-loose, apex-hounding F12tdf, Ferrari engineers deconstructed the stability that’s inherent in the F12’s long wheelbase, its substantial weight, and its high polar moment of inertia relative to mid-engined cars. The front tires grew in width from 255 millimeters to 285...

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2016 Jaguar XF

When this Jaguar XF arrives in the States next year, no one will ask, “Is that the new Jag?” But the 2016 XF is entirely new, it just doesn’t look as new as it is. When the XFfirst debuted in late 2007, it broke Jaguar sedans away from the old-world aesthetic they’d been mining since the 1960s. Gone were the four round headlights, the lavish chrome, and the slavish devotion to the British firm’s heyday. It was the new Jaguar. We...

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Tesla Model S P90D

Tesla’s product architect, Elon Musk, must have been watching a Mel Brooks marathon on TNT when he picked “Ludicrous Speed,” straight out of Spaceballs, as the tag for the fastest acceleration mode in his Model S P90D. And indeed, one must have balls from outer space to fully exploit this car’s launch performance. To sort heroic acts from hype, we ran this electric missile through our test gantlet with, shall we say, shocking...

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2016 Nissan Altima

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens in Olympic competition, wherein silver medalists tend to feel less satisfied with their accomplishment than those who win bronze. Call it the “second place is just the first loser” principle, but runners-up are seemingly tormented by not winning, whereas those finishing third are more likely to recognize the accomplishment of beating nearly everyone in the world. It’s that attitude that informs the...

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2016 Infiniti QX60 Gets a Nip and a Tuck (That's the FWD-Based, Three-Row One)

Infiniti was early to the luxury-crossover party with its FX (now known as the QX70), an aggressive, rear-drive-based offering that boasted lots of style and performance but not much practicality. As distinctive as it was—and still is—the FX/QX70 was destined to remain a niche player. Seeking to move into the heart of the family-friendly market, Infiniti launched the JX for 2013—and then changed its name to QX60 for 2014. The...

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Volkswagen Polo GTI review - can it compete with the Fiesta ST?

Volkswagen’s new Polo GTi is a big step up from the car it replaces, and not just because it is no longer hampered by the 1.4-litre twincharged engine and DSG-only gearbox. However, the bar wasn’t exactly set that high to start with and ultimately the new Polo GTi is a good Polo rather than an exceptional hot hatch.  It’s biggest failing is that it doesn’t feel genuinely quick, with a flat performance delivery and a chassis that is capable...

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