If I could only have one vehicle, it would be a big SUV. They do about everything a busy person needs whether its runs to the hardware or taking the dogs to the beach. Families will always find a SUV with the third row seat on some of the full size SUV’s a deal maker. Toyota’s Highlander is one of the best selling big SUV’s with the third row seat as standard issue. Offering excellent reliability and priced rightly, the highlander offers a lot of reasons to consider it over its sizable competition. 

There are three model options starting with the base front-wheel drive and four-cylinder 187 horsepower engine linked to a six-speed automatic transmission. You may not think a four-cylinder engine would be enough to pull a big  4,000 pound SUV and loaded with family and vacation stuff along. But, it is well able to manage if you are not into power take-offs. The EPA is not that impressive at about 20/25 mpg with the base four-cylinder.

In the middle of the Highlander mix is the more likable 3.5 V-6 with 270 horsepower and a five speed automatic transmission gives a EPA of 17/19. . The V-6 with the optional "Hybrid Synergy" electric help will provide a notable increase in power with even better mileage 28/28 MPG.

I  remember being stunned by my first look at the new Beetle in, can you believe, 1998. It was a masterful blend of retro nostalgic and modern design. The  interior was clean and simple as well. But there it was: a bud vase fixed to the  dash with a daisy in it! Did the folks in Wolfsburg really want to write off an entire gender in one fell swoop?  It wasn’t the “people’s car.” It was a chick car!

Now along comes the new, new Beetle. It’s longer (7.3 inches), lower (half an inch), and wider (3.3 inches) with sleek new sheet  metal and an aggressive almost Porshe/Audi TT squat to it. Don’t expect that  kind of performance, of course, but there is enough style and power to make this a manlier bug.

And that’s what VW wants. The aging boomer nostalgia market has  probably moved up market anyway. Today’s target is younger buyers – male and female – looking for a sexier,  more-contemporary-looking ride. And with a base price of $18,995, the 2012  Beetle has tempting appeal.

For eight years Mercedes-Benz was busily building three almost identical models designated as W113 models. The first version off the line was the 230SL. The last one was the 280SL. Sandwiched inbetween was the rarest model, a 250SL.

Early in the 21^st century Bill Lightfoot took notice of the timeless beauty of those Mercedes-Benz sports cars and began a search for one that lasted for more than two years. “I wanted a nice cruiser,” he explains.

For the 2012 model year, Subaru’s Impreza received top marks from Consumer Reports in their annual “best” survey.  And for good reason, as the Impreza is an incredibly safe, extremely reliable automobile. With Subaru’s “Symetrical” all-wheel drive system standard, it’ll go just about anywhere Mom Nature suggests you shouldn’t.

But steady as she goes is not good enough in 2012. Chevrolet andFord have strong offerings.  Mazda,Honda, Nissan and Toyota continue to build great cars.  But the real threat comes from South Korea,with Hyundai and Kia taking names and kicking major tail as they continue their march toward the top.  The Impreza, at just over $24,000 as tested, does not offer enough in the comfort and convenience departments to justify buying one over a Kia Optima or Hyundai Sonata.

With gas prices staying ugly, I’ve made it a point over the past year to drive several small, high gas mileage cars from Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, VW, Fiat, Chevrolet and my latest ride, the 2012 Ford Focus SE sedan. What most surprised this veteran car guy with vivid memories of on-the-blink Vegas, Pintos, Le Cars, early Beetles and the like is you can’t go wrong in this modern class of compact and subcompact vehicles. Way gone is the “tin can” feel of old. Today, there are simply no losers. In fact, it’s tough to pick a winner…but Ford is definitely in the running.

 Redesigned for 2012, the Focus is a quantum leap forward in every way over its predecessor. It’s sharply styled and finely finished, inside and out, with a level of refinement and comfort that I never thought I’d see in a small car – maybe best in class. Most Focus shoppers will likely first be drawn to its EPA rating of 26 mpg city/36 mph highway for the SE sedan fitted with a 5-speed manual transmission that I tested. But they will get so much more.

Triumph sports cars have always held an appeal for Dan McGrath. While serving in the Air Force he thoroughly enjoyed the raucous voice from the exhaust of a Triumph he once owned.

After he moved to Falls Church, Va., he longed for another Triumph. His search for a Triumph lasted the better part of a year before, in the summer of 1987, he saw a newspaper ad offering for sale a 1959 Triumph TR-3A. It was on a farm in nearby Vienna, Va.

He went to see the then 28-year-old sports car and found it parked in a garage. The TR-3 models were produced from 1956 to 1961.

Rarely do automobiles that are not assembled in Europe excite me.

Yes, there are exceptions of course, as Lexus and Infiniti have some powerhouses in their lineups.  And the domestic brands have made great strides to the point that buying American, which used to mean you were buying the best, means quality again.

At an early spring cookout, one of my VW/Bimmerphile friends dropped his jaw when I told him about my recent test drive of the 2012 Hyundai Azera.  He asked if I would consider the Azera over the Volkswagen CC, and I told him “absolutely!”  He rephrased his question – “I know it has a better warranty, but I’m talking from a driving perspective.”  “Absolutely” was again my answer.  Not only should VW worry about the “Rise” of the Planet of Hyundai, the rest of the industry should as well. From top (Equus) to bottom (Accent) this South Korean carmaker is building extremely impressive products.

Doug Bonaro has discovered the most profitable – and some say best – way to acquire an antique vehicle. Buy it already restored.

The Air Force veteran had already reworked a vintage muscle car and although he turned a profit selling it, he decided to get smart. His next car was going to be an already restored pickup truck.

On the way to his Waldorf, Md., home after visiting his parents in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Bonaro stopped at a gasoline/restaurant/rest stop on Route 95 in North Carolina. It proved to be a fateful rest stop.

In Michigan you learn that an all-wheel-drive vehicle is a necessity. In the old days we called them “4 wheelers” and almost all were trucks. Who would have ever guessed that someday not only family sedans could be bought with this option, but they would become somewhat common even on luxury brands such as the tested Lexus IS350 AWD sedan.

After a mild first half of winter we got a blast of snow and ending with plenty of ice covered roads. AWD was not just a useful option it becomes a necessity if you want to get to town.

The IS350 is one of the more sporty sedan models from the Lexus stable. It has plenty of power from the 3.5-liter, V-6 24-valve dual overhead cam engine. It spits out 306 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque.