In its third year of production, the 2008 Subaru Tribeca has come a long way from the original 2006 B9 Tribeca. With styling changes equivalent to allowing Ty Pennington to makeover your home, the 2008 Tribeca (noticeably missing the B9 moniker) has responded to the public’s initial and unkind complaints about styling.

Performance-wise, the 5-speed automatic transmission with SPORTSHIFT is matched to the new 3.6L Boxer engine (up from the previous 3.0L), running off of regular fuel unlike its predecessor that used premium. The 3.6L DOHC engine produces 256 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 247 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm. But, if you don’t really care what’s under the hood, the Subaru Tribeca includes luxuries like a touch-screen navigation, heated seats, a moonroof, an auxiliary input for an MP3 player, and XM Satellite radio. You also have two seating configuration options: 5-passenger or 7-passenger.

Even with all of the amenities and styling improvements, the 2008 Tribeca is still competitively priced, with the base starting at $34,995 and, if well-equipped (like our tester), a modest $36,758.

To see how much legroom the back passengers have or how many suitcases you can take on your next cross-country road trip, watch our 2008 Subaru Tribeca Car Review Video:

You can also watch the 2008 Subaru Tribeca Video on YouTube.

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Warranty:
3 Years/36,000 Miles Subaru Roadside Assistance
3 Years/36,000 Miles Basic
5 Years/60,000 Miles Powertrain
5 Years/Unlimited Mileage Rust Perforation

Government Safety Ratings (from 1 to 5 stars, 5 stars being the highest):
Front Crash: *****
Side Crash: *****
Rollover: ****

Essentially a long wheelbase, supercharged, more upscale XJ8, the XJ Super V8 first debuted in Europe in 2003, boasting the new X350 body style. The Jaguar XJ Super V8 represents one of the fastest and most expensive members of the XJ family with its supercharged 4.2L V8 engine (mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission) that produces 400 hp @ 6,100 rpm, 413 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500 rpm.

The elegantly-styled 2008 Jaguar XJ Super V8 is the epitome of luxury. For the driver, Jaguar included perks like a heated steering wheel, heating/cooling seats, a navigation system, a sunroof, and a premium Alpine audio system. However, life for the backseat passenger isn’t so bad. Tray tables, independent climate and audio control, DVD screens, sun shades, and reclining seats are just a few of the perks of not getting shotgun in the XJ Super V8.

For more on the luxurious and high-performance sedan, watch our 2008 Super XJ V8 Car Review Video.

You can also watch the 2008 Jaguar XJ Super V8 Video on YouTube.

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Over 25 years ago, the seeds were planted for the smart fortwo. Back then, Mercedes-Benz tabled a design that they didn’t feel could meet their stringent safety requirements with 1972 technology.

Ten years ago, technology caught up, and a creative and technical collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch brought the smart fortwo to the world. Since then, almost 800,000 of the iconic little car have been sold worldwide.

Now, the second generation smart fortwo is arriving on U.S. shores. It is sure to turn heads in this land of super-size everything. Will it succeed amid a sea of Hummers and Expeditions? More importantly, will it survive?

When we were invited to have some seat time in the smart fortwo before it was available to the general public, we heard it all from our friends and family: “It looks too small to be comfortable.” “Just wait until you get in a wreck!” “Do you have to rub it on the carpet to make it go?”

All jokes aside, we were pleasantly surprised at this little miracle of engineering. Before we go further, let us emphasize that we were amazed at how safe the smart fortwo is. In fact, we would feel safer in it than in some larger cars we have driven. We’ll talk more about the safety aspect later. Be prepared to throw away your preconceived ideas of what a car this size must be like. You are almost certainly wrong. We know; we were wrong and had no choice but to revamp our own opinion after driving it and seeing its capabilities.

Exterior Styling
First though, let’s get some basics out of the way. The smart fortwo is only 8.8 feet long (106.1 inches). This means that you could fit two of them in a typical parking space end to end! It is available in three models: the smart fortwo pure at $11,590, a nicely-equipped smart fortwo passion at $13,590, and a convertible smart fortwo passion cabriolet at $16,590. The optional ‘Comfort Package’ with heated leather seats and power steering is something which we think most people will choose to get.

A striking feature on the exterior of the fortwo is the sharp black (optionally metallic silver) line that runs along the bottom of the sides and flares up behind the rear doors over the top of the car. This is a fantastic example of form following function: this is the smart’s tridion safety cell. The other body panels (available in six colors: black, yellow, white, blue, red, and silver) are actually changeable should an owner wish to mix and match (no word on the cost, however).

Interior Styling
Inside, the fortwo is spartan and purposeful, but it doesn’t feel cheap. In fact, everything feels solid, from the way the doors close to the buttons on the dash.

The smart fortwo is 5.1 feet wide, and also 5.1 feet tall. By comparison, a Mercedes S-Class is a foot wider, but the smart is actually 3 inches taller! That translates into a cabin which can comfortably seat two adults that are well over 6 feet. smart claims that a 6’5″ adult can sit comfortably; we’re not that tall, but based on the amount of headroom we had, we believe them.

The instrument cluster features a large speedometer mounted in the traditional location, with all controls for the mp3-CD capable radio and A/C system within easy reach of the driver and very intuitive. Our smart was equipped with an optional TomTom navigation system; a nice touch.

The fortwo has a surprising amount of cargo room: 7.8 cubic feet up to the beltline; 12 cubic feet if you fill it to the roof. That’s enough for golf clubs! An optional fold-flat passenger seat provides even more carrying capacity.

Safety
We said that we were surprised to find out just how safe the smart fortwo is. Its tridion safety cell wraps the occupants and protects the integrity of the cabin much as a roll cage in a race car would. The short length of the car, and its wheelbase being almost as long as the car itself, aids the tridion cell in protecting the occupants. Most crashes will actually have to involve one of the wheelbases, with tires acting as extra bumpers and axles helping to dissipate energy.

We saw a smart which had been rear-ended at 50 mph; the doors could still be opened and the seating area was unscathed! This is part of why the smart fortwo has earned a 4-star crash rating in the U.S.

Powertrain & Performance
The fortwo is rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, and is powered by a 3-cylinder 1.0 liter engine. The transmission is a automated manual (think BMW SMG or Ferrari F1) 5-speed transmission. This was one of our only two complaints about the car. When we left the car in automatic mode, as we think most U.S. drivers will do, the time between shifts seemed excessive. It is possible that this was just our pre-production model, however.

The smart isn’t going to win any races: 0-60 mph comes in 12.8 seconds. However, acceleration is adequate for highway merging, and we found the car to be quite stable even at speeds of 80 mph.

Where the fortwo really shines is fuel economy. It is rated at 40 highway/33 city using the EPA’s 2008 standards. Keep in mind that all 2008 models will have lower numbers that those you are accustomed to due to the new standards. By 2007 standards, the smart fortwo would have been rated at 45 highway/40 city. For those with long commutes or those who believe in global warming, the smart is, well, smart.

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Driving Impressions
We drove the fortwo on a combination of busy city streets and highways. Driving in town was a pleasure, with the maneuverability and easy parking of the smart really shining. The smart was comfortable on the highway, although its short wheelbase could make for a slightly rocky ride at times.

We mentioned above our impression of the transmission. Our only other complaint was with the air conditioning in our test model. It had trouble keeping up with a humid day in the mid 70s. We hope that this was also due to it being a pre-production model. Once we get to drive one in the Texas summer, we’ll let you know what we really think.

Conclusion
The smart fortwo is being brought to the U.S. by Penske Automotive Group (PAG). You know Penske from motorsports, but did you know that PAG is the second largest automotive retailer in the U.S., with 165 dealerships in 19 states?

We got to sit down for dinner with Roger Penske, chairman of smart USA, Penske Automotive Group, and Penske Corporation, a transportation services company. With his company’s expertise and network of dealerships, he has been able to provide a network of service and sales support nationwide. His enthusiasm for the future of smart in the U.S. is easily evident and definitely contagious.

While there were some secrets he wouldn’t divulge, he did tell us that by the end of 2007, over 30,000 deposits in smart’s “$99 Reservation Program” had been placed. While production figures for the first year have not been released, we believe that more than the first year of smart fortwo’s in the U.S. has already been spoken for.

That is a lot of smart customers!

Base Price: $13,590
Price As Tested: $15,380
Date Available: January, 2008
Body Style: 2-door compact
Engine & Torque: 1 liter, in-line 3 cylinder, gas; 70 hp @ 5800 rpm; 68 lb ft @ 4500 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic manual
Wheels & Tires: 175/55R15 rear; 155/60R15 front
Warranty: 2 years/24,000 miles
Fuel Economy: 33/40 MPG
0 – 60 MPH: 0-60 mph: 12.8 seconds
Top Speed: 90 mph

The Toyota Matrix is all-new for the 2009 Model Year. Half an inch lower, half an inch longer, and 20% lighter than its predecessor, the 2009 Matrix brings an edgy, sporty look to Toyota’s lineup with character contour lines from the grille to the tail lights.

Stay tuned for more on the 2009 Matrix, including photos. For now, watch our first drive video of the 2009 Toyota Matrix:

You can also watch the 2009 Toyota Matrix Video on YouTube.

The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is being heralded as the vehicle that can help save the Big Three from their current slump, and well, after getting some seat time in the new Malibu, we’d be inclined to agree.

The 2008 Malibu is wrapped in a neatly styled package with a price that can’t be referred to as anything other than a value buy at a base MSRP of $19,995. There are four model options: the LS, LT, LTZ, and hybrid. Even in our LTZ model (i.e. top-of-the-line) with 18″ ultra-bright spun cast aluminum wheels, TAPshift manual shift control, remote vehicle starter, and other goodies, we were still well below $30,000.

There are also three engine options for the Malibu: the 2.4 Ecotech 4-cylinder, the 2.4L hybrid-electric, and the 3.6L V6. Fuel economy for the hybrid-electric is 24 city/32 highway, while the 4-cylinder Ecotec comes in at a photo-finish second getting 22 city/30 highway. The V6, for its 252 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque, still puts up respectable and comparable numbers to its comptetitors (the Accord and the Camry) at 17 city/26 highway.

For the price, styling, performance and offered options, the Chevy Malibu will be a strong contender in the midsize sedan market. For more on the 2008 Malibu, watch our video from the first drive and browse the photo gallery.

The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Video:

You can also watch the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Video on YouTube.

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The 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser is quite the versatile full-size SUV with a luxurious interior, a redesigned/modernized exterior, three rows of seating, and full-time 4WD. The interior of the 2008 Land Cruiser has features that luxury vehicles have made necessities, like the cooler in the center console and a rear entertainment system.

Behind the scenes, the Toyota Land Cruiser sports a 5.7-liter V8 that produces 381 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm and 401 lb-ft of torque @ 3,600 rpm. For the off-road enthusiasts, the Land Cruiser has the new Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) that allows the sway bars to free themselves from the vehicle via a hydraulic system. KDSS adjusts stabilizer bar effects based on driving conditions and when off-roading, it enhances suspension articulation. The crawl control system, activated with an on/off switch, also helps when going downhill or uphill over rocky or rough terrain. Worried about rolling over while off-roading? Don’t be. The Land Cruiser’s engineers took safety seriously. Toyota included supplemental restraint systems like active headrests and roll-sensing side curtain airbags (for a total of 10 airbags in the vehicle).

For more on Toyota’s full-sized SUV, watch our 2008 Land Cruiser Video and let us know what you think.

You can also watch the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Video on YouTube.

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The 2008 Mazda CX-9 offers luxury and practicality (seating for 7) at an affordable price in the full-size SUV market. Surprisingly, since its introduction in 2007, the most popular model of the CX-9 has been the most expensive option, the $40,000 Grand Touring model. For 40 large, you can expect a sporty, yet luxurious interior, with features like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, wood-grain finish, two-tone seat inlays, and back seat DVD screens.

New to the 2008 Grand Touring model is a larger engine, up to a 3.7-liter from the 3.5-liter of the 2007 version. With the new engine (mated to a 6-speed automatic tranny), the horsepower is up by 10 to 273hp @ 6250 rpm and the torque has increased by 21 lb-ft to 270 lb-ft of torque @ 4250 rpm. Despite the engine size increase, the fuel economy has remained reasonable. The front-wheel-drive version of the Mazda CX-9 gets 16 city/22 highway while the AWD version gets a respectable 15 city/21 highway for an SUV of this size.

You can also watch the 2008 Mazda CX-9 Video on YouTube.

Pricing for the front-wheel-drive version starts at $29,400 while the loaded version we drove with the new 3.7L V6 engine, navigation system, power liftgate, heated seats, entertainment system, and more, cost a fair, almost bargain price of $40,000.

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Starting this article is tough. There is no way to properly set my reader up for the surprise I experienced lately without sounding contrived or hucksterish. This experience came behind the wheel of Subaru’s Outback wagon, specifically the 243-hp 2.5 XT variant with the 2.5-liter turbocharged ‘boxer’ four and all-wheel-drive.

When I heard that my assignment for the coming week would be to evaluate the car, I wasn’t expecting much. Subarus are terrifically competent cars with a reputation for safety and durability. Think a Japanese (i.e. cheaper) Volvo. And if I can be frank, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by my last experience with a Subaru – the bastion of left-leaning outdoorsy types, the Forester L.L. Bean Edition. That car had a four-speed automatic that proved frustrating to my enthusiast sensibilities, as well as some perplexing interior features.

However, after driving our Outback for literally five seconds, I forgot all about the Forester. The 2.5 XT in particular is, for lack of a better term, the ultimate sleeper. Fortunately, Subaru sent us a test car with a five-speed manual transmission so we could properly explore its cloak-and-dagger character. Despite putting out 243 horsepower and 241 lb-ft of torque, this is a quiet car. It makes hardly a peep even under full-throttle acceleration, due to the relaxed characteristics of its engine. Boxer motors operate more smoothly than the inline fours produced by most companies, and can therefore be made in larger displacements. This means gobs of torque, even in non-turbocharged cars.

The Outback 2.5 XT is still tuned for the needs of the general automotive populace, so it’s not a high-revving, peaky car. It pulls strongly from 2000 rpm upwards, while giving the impression that it’s not even breathing hard. If you let off the throttle at engine speeds less than 3000 rpm, you can hear the blow-off valve whispering ever so slightly, barely hinting at the potential of this motor.

It is, after all, the same engine (albeit in a lighter stage of tune) found in Subaru’s factory rally racer, the 300-hp WRX STI. The 2.5 XT lacks the STI’s sixth gear and extra fifty-odd horsepower, but the DNA is definitely there. Pitch the 2.5XT into a corner and lift the throttle, and the nose will tuck to meet the line – there is very little understeer. It’s all very progressive and manageable, yet not hair-raising. The XT is shod with all-season rubber, so something a little more performance-oriented would surely heighten its absolute cornering capabilities to match its excellent responses.

You can also watch the 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited Video on YouTube.

However, people probably won’t buy this car for its sporting nature, and I’m sure there are legions of 2.5 XT owners that have no idea what they are driving. The XT isn’t even the most expensive model in the Outback range. That honor goes to the automatic-only Limited model, which uses a non-turbo boxer six. But the XT outdoes the Limited’s bigger engine by twenty-six lb-ft of torque. We didn’t do any official testing, but if the manual 2.5 XT takes longer than seven seconds to reach sixty, and more than fifteen to complete a standing quarter-mile run, that would come as a great surprise.

It’s tempting to gush about the XT’s gearhead appeal, because it’s hardly advertised at all. And that alone is worth the asking price. But, in addition to all of that, you get a hell of a trusty, boring wagon if that’s what you want.

With normal throttle application, the turbo motor will return mileage of 18 city and 24 highway, as estimated by the EPA. The interior of our test car was simple black, with sporty red-glowing needles on the gauges. It also featured what I consider to be one of the best executions of a sunroof on the market right now.

It’s enormous, for one thing – double the size of a normal-sized conventional sunroof. Second, in order to allow the driver to enjoy just a little bit more of the roof’s considerable illuminative effects, there is an extra section fore of the sliding panel. This little visor doubles as a blocker for wind noise, and I think it does that job better than the little pop-up bits of cloth and plastic that other automakers use. In any car, a sunroof is pretty much a must-have. But as far as the Outback is concerned, it’s one of the defining reasons to buy the car.

That sunroof is one of many features that make the Outback an ideal vehicle in which to make a comfortable, trouble-free journey into the nether-reaches of New England in January. Its all-weather package included heated front seats, heated mirrors, and a windshield wiper de-icer. And it features an all-wheel-drive system, called “Symmetrical AWD,” that is right up there with Audi’s notorious Quattro as the best in the industry.

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Unless you’re doing serious off-roading or heavy towing, this tall wagon is superior to an SUV in every way, even in bad weather. It’s lighter and more sure-footed than something like a Ford Explorer, and in troublesome conditions I would feel safer and more in control behind the wheel of a 2.5 XT than most anything else.

I say that in part because in addition to being deft and nimble, the Outback will perform well if disaster does strike. The new Outback line scored perfect five-star ratings for front and side impacts in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s test, and a four-star rating in the rollover test. Considering all the fun stuff you can do in this car both on and off the pavement, that peace of mind is pretty important.

If being an automotive journalist paid just a bit better, I’d strongly consider buying a 2.5XT as my personal car. It is truly a do-anything car, one of the few that deserves that label. It will haul people or equipment through rain, sleet, and snow, and you’ll have fun to boot. It’s efficient, unassuming, and has the potential to be wickedly fast. Come to think of it, it’s likely that Subaru themselves didn’t even know just how good this car would end up being. Why else would they only ask $30,995 for it? For that kind of money, nothing touches this triathlete of a car.

*Price as tested: $32,447

The 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 proved to be the perfect mix of performance, style, and luxury at the right price. Our 6-speed manual transmission tester, with $10,000 worth of options like navigation and heated seats, topped out at $57,835, with the base price starting at $47,400. The SLK350, electronically governed to 155 mph, boasts a 3.5L V6 engine that produces 268hp and 258 lb-ft of torque at 2,400-5,000 rpm. Expect the SLK350 to hold its own against the likes of the BMW Z4, the Porsche Boxster, the Honda S2000.

Watch our car review video of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 and let us know if you think the SLK is still redefining roadster driving.

You can also watch the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 Video on YouTube.