The diminutive Mitsubishi lineup offers two sport utility vehicles that share the same name and recently, I had a chance to spend a week behind the wheel of the roomy 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC - the larger of the two company SUVs packing seating for seven and realistic fuel economy of 25mpg on the open road.

I recently had a chance to log a few hundred miles in the 2012 Hyundai Sonata SE with the standard 2.4L GDI engine, the mid-level package for the company’s bestselling vehicle in the US which offers an incredible number of luxury goodies with the only thing missing being leather surfaces.

I recently spent time in a loaded up 2012 Toyota Prius V Five models and while the roomy hybrid was as fuel efficient as I had expected – the larger Prius was actually a great deal more powerful than I had expected.

There are people in the automotive world who scoff at the suggestion of a true, premium luxury sedan from a Korean automaker but the odds are good that those people haven’t experienced the 2012 Hyundai Equus – a full sized, fully loaded luxury sedan that can stand toe to toe with the top luxury names in the industry.

Spending a week behind the wheel of the 2012 Audi A6 Prestige 3.0 Quattro provides a great example of how well Audi has molded this roomy sedan around the driver – combining comfort and performance in a package that makes it very clear why Audi is one of the world’s leading luxury brands.

Yesterday, Ford Motor Company announced that the 2013 Ford Taurus would be offered with a new 2.0L 4-cylinder engine that puts out an impressive 32 miles per gallon on the open road and shortly after making that announced, FoMoCo put me in the new EcoBoosted 2013 Taurus to experience this peppy, fuel sipping engine.

The new 2013 Lexus ES300h will be remembered as the car that was the tipping point for hybrid drivetrains in premium automobiles. From here forward the elements this car has perfected will become expected in all cars of its type.

Since the first official information was offered up for the 2013 Scion FR-S months ago, there has been a great deal of speculation about whether or not the output of the naturally aspirated Boxer engine would be enough for the FR-S to feel like a sports car and I admit that I am among those people who questioned the new Scion’s place in the sports car world - until I drove one.

The Honda CR-V was the 13th bestselling vehicle in the US last year and the second bestselling SUV behind only the Ford Escape and after spending some time in the 2012 CR-V, it is clear why this is one of America’s top selling models.

Changing the number two selling car in the U.S. is a huge gamble, but Nissan has pulled off a stunning success with the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima.

There was a point in time where buying an inexpensive American compact sedan meant that you were buying a cheap car but with the progressive incline in quality for the crowded C segment class – the 2013 Dodge Dart should become the standard to which other compact sedans will be based.

The 2013 Ford Mustang GT benefits from a slight bump in power to 420hp and a fairly substantial exterior refresh – both of which work together to help the mighty Mustang to be one of the most exciting and entertaining cars to drive in the modern American market while also being one of the most head-turning cars on the road today.

Many new car shoppers do much of their research online and while the 2012 Subaru Impreza may not turn heads based on its specifications – this is a vehicle that you need to drive before removing it from your short list due to impressive acceleration, incredible fuel economy, lots of room and the surefootedness of Subaru’s all wheel drive system.

I recently had a chance to get behind the wheel of the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe in 3.8 R-Spec for a short test drive and while I would have loved to spend more time in this powerful Korean sports car – the seat time received was more than enough to show how far the Hyundai performance program has come.