http://www.xracers.com Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:03:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The 2010 BMW 7-Series has come in from the cold. Last year brought the newest edition of the bigger Bimmer-and in its fifth generation, the luxury sedan got a style-ectomy that reversed the awkward proportions and surfaces of the 2002-2008 model. The quintessential BMW driving feel remains intact, despite ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-bmw-7-series-%c2%96-750i-%c2%96-750li-%c2%96-760li-%c2%96-activehybrid-7-bottom-line/ The Toyota Highlander was completely redesigned for 2008. In the process, it grew a full size larger than the previous version, from compact to mid-size, adding an optional third-row seat in the process. It's a popular family crossover, with the unusual feature of an available hybrid model, which only ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-toyota-highlander-%c2%96-highlander-hybrid-bottom-line/ Two years ago, the Maserati GranTurismo replaced the GranSport model. The lineup was then expanded last year with the introduction of the more powerful GranTurismo S, as well as a new ZF six-speed automatic in replacement of Maserati's previous robotized semi-manual transmission. This year sees the introduction of the ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-maserati-granturismo-%c2%96-granturismo-convertible-bottom-line/ We've been teased a few times with sketches of the 2011 Kia Optima, but today we've got the real thing--in photos. The 2011 Optima shown here will make its world debut at the upcoming 2010 New York Auto Show, with an on-sale date expected for the fall. The current ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2011-kia-optima-first-look-from-the-2010-new-york-auto-show/ If car companies treated their products like TV families, Mercedes-Benz would have a Brady-style dilemma on its hands with the R-Class. It's such a Jan-the obedient, plain B student unfortunately born between two cuter, smarter, more talented siblings. The R-Class all but disappeared in the shadows of the five-seat ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-mercedes-benz-r-class-%c2%96-r350-%c2%96-r350-bluetec-bottom-line/ Both restyled and extensively refreshed with new powertrains, the 2010 Mercury Milan and Milan Hybrid are remarkably good mid-size sedans that should be better known than they are. Although they're mechanically identical to the Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid models, the Milan's cleaner exterior and more stylish interior set ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-mercury-milan-%c2%96-milan-hybrid-bottom-line/ The S-Class four-door spans a wide gulf at the top of the Mercedes range. The largest Benz sedan short of the princely Maybach 57 and 62, the S-Class nudges $90,000 in its least expensive form and more than doubles that in AMG tune. Across the spectrum, the S-Class models ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-mercedes-benz-s-class-%c2%96-s550%c2%96-s600%c2%96-s63%c2%96-s65-amg%c2%96-s400-hybrid-bottom-line/ The original Mercedes-Benz M-Class gave the automaker its foothold in the SUV market and in America. Legally branded the ML-Class, to avoid problems with BMW and Infiniti, the M-Class was the first vehicle to come from the company's Alabama factory back in 1998. More than a decade later, the ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-mercedes-benz-m-class-%c2%96-ml-class-ml450-hybrid-%c2%96-ml350-bluetec-%c2%96-ml350-%c2%96-ml450-bottom-line/ It had been planned as the replacement for the military-ready Gelaendewagen, but when 2007 rolled around, Mercedes-Benz decided to keep that domesticated G-Class-and instead, pitched the newly developed GL-Class SUV as a more luxurious family vehicle with surprising off-road capabilities. Smart move: The GL-Class is among the best seven-seat ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-mercedes-benz-gl-class-%c2%96-gl350-bluetec-%c2%96-gl450-%c2%96-gl550-bottom-line/ Since time immemorial-or was it the Sixties? Who can remember?-the Porsche 911 has been the outline for sports cars with its iconic teardrop shape and its iconoclastic handling. Never better than it is now, the 2010 Porsche 911 once again raises its own bar by dropping in a new ... http://www.xracers.com/2010/03/2010-porsche-911-%c2%96-carrera-%c2%96-4s-turbo-%c2%96-targa-cabriolet-bottom-line/