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The midsize sedan segment is far from exciting, but Nissan attempts to add some thrills to its Altima by giving it a coupe treatment. In coupe form, it gains a more striking profile, while losing rear doors and a little headroom. We had the least sporty of the Altima Coupe variants, with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). It's a good thing that Nissan makes the best CVT in the business, offering a manual-transmission feel and excellent fuel economy.
So far, Audi's odd-numbered cars have been pretty desirable. The A3 is a practical and sporty little wagon, while the A5 is one of the better-looking cars to come out recently. But now Audi is replacing the A4 Cabriolet with a convertible version of the A5. Gone is that gracefully sloping roof, replaced by what is basically an umbrella, albeit one with acoustic damping built in to lessen road noise.
But Audi does equip the 2010 A5 Cabriolet with plenty of tech, including a navigation system with absolutely beautiful 3D maps. The drive technology is also interesting--it features a direct-injected turbocharged four cylinder, which strangely doesn't deliver on its promise of power and fuel economy.
Before we drove it, the idea of an X5 M seemed outlandish, and we suspected BMW's motives had more to do with marketing than the company's engineering reputation. How could an X5 all-wheel-drive SUV live up to the M badge? We should have trusted BMW, whose engineers are so pure of heart they would never let a vehicle wear the M that didn't deserve it. The X5 M is a monstrously powerful beast that handles like a sports car. In fact, we had to drive up next to other cars for a height comparison to remind us we were in an SUV.
Treating gasoline as fine whiskey, the hybrid Lexus RX450h sips rather than gulps. This luxury vehicle turns stereotypes of SUVs on their heads, getting excellent fuel economy while offering Lexus' latest cabin tech. It pampers occupants with interior and ride quality that rise above most luxury vehicles today.
We don't often review gargantuan SUVs, but decided to check the Infiniti QX56, as Infiniti is generally a pretty high-tech automaker. What we found is a vehicle that falls behind the technological curve. Other Infiniti models get direct-injection engines, lane departure warning, iPod integration, and around-view cameras, but the QX56 sits in the lineup like a red-headed stepchild, looked over when Infiniti hands out the tech toys.
Slinging the RDX through corners, we were impressed by this little SUV's handling. Acura's all-wheel-drive system does amazing things for keeping the car settled when inertial forces attempt to drag it over a cliff. But we weren't so impressed after a glance down at the trip computer's fuel economy number. The turbocharged four-cylinder was drinking up the gas like a frat boy at Oktoberfest.
A good cabin tech update added to the driving experience, its new iPod integration letting us listen to a variety of music over the excellent ELS audio system. Navigation and weather are also new features for the navigation system, letting us avoid the bad traffic jams.
Lexus scores well with the model update to its RX 350. This luxury SUV gets new cabin tech for the 2010 model year, a suite of electronics long overdue for the brand, adding important capabilities such as traffic integrated with the navigation system, dial by name with the Bluetooth phone system, and iPod integration.
We've already seen this equipment in the HS 250h and the IS 350 C, and look forward to seeing Lexus refresh its other models similarly.
Purposeful is the best word we can think of to describe the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. The shifter is designed for the single purpose of letting you put it in the right gear. With a minimum of fuss, the handling lets you push the car through corners. And the engine generates a tremendous amount of power for such a small car.
With the top down, the passing scenery might try to distract from the pure joy of driving, but the nature of the car quickly brings you back to what's important, working throttle, steering wheel, and clutch in glorious harmony.
It doesn't hurt that you can get a solid suite of cabin gadgets in the 370Z Roadster. The navigation system can help you find good, mountain roads, and the stereo can serve as a soundtrack for the driving experience. And afterwards, you can use the Bluetooth phone system to call friends and rave about what a wonderful time you've just had.
Navteq staffers monitor CHP reports for traffic incidents.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)Ever since the 1930s, drivers have listened for traffic information over the radio, but this century, traffic data is being revolutionized, offered on-demand and integrated visually with GPS navigation systems. We visited Navteq's SF Bay Area Traffic Operations Center to see how one company collects traffic data and sends it to GPS devices, smart phones, and the Internet.
On the morning we visited the office, three staff members were on duty, compiling information for Navteq's Northern California traffic markets, which includes the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and as far down as Fresno. These staff members primarily fill in incident reports, as traffic flow information is compiled automatically. A traffic incident could be a collision, a disabled car, road construction, a baseball game, or anything else that affects traffic.
The primary source of incident information for the Traffic Operations Center comes from the California Highway Patrol, on a Web page anyone can use called the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page. As the Navteq staff reads each incident, they also listen to police scanners, which give them additional information, such as which lanes are blocked.
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BMW's revived 6-series has always suffered from an unattractive rear, and this problem hasn't been fixed in the 2010 650i Convertible. Its lack of a proper roof also makes the profile of the 650i bland, so it's best to spend as much time as possible inside the car. And that part doesn't let down, as the 650i Convertible maintains BMW's reputation for superior handling. For the 2010 model year, BMW updated the cabin tech, building in the new iDrive system, but little else is new in this car. The engine doesn't yet take advantage of BMW's new line of turbocharged engines.
