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While Australian and American appetites are in perfect alignment on performance, there’s divergence when it comes to design tastes. Ford Australia’s U.S.-born design director, Scott Strong, has summed up the distinction nicely. “Aussies like American scale, but European aesthetics,” he’s said in past interviews. Ford Australia dynamics engineers would add that the preference for European also extends to ride and handling, steering, and stopping. – Motor Trend

It’s very obvious the Cayman is built for drivers. There aren’t any buttons on the steering wheel (save for the typical horn effect if you push on the middle). These days manufacturers seem to be in a race to complicate the most basic of controls in vehicles. The bare steering wheel and hidden cup holders remind you the car is built for driving, not commuting or running errands. – Automobile

It’s depressing to see a company – any company – forget what made them great and there’s perhaps no clearer example of this than Honda’s interior design these days.

The virus started with the Acura RL then spread to the MDX, but now its found its way into the Accord and even the Pilot. Not only are the controls arranged in a completely nonsensical manner, there’s a visual clutter – a hodgepodge of shapes that seems contrived to make the braindead feel they’re getting more for their money.

I can understand why you’ve gone to overly large and wide tires now that your cars are overly wide and large as well but please Honda, stop the madness. Sure, plastic is easy to mold into any shape you desire but that doesn’t mean you should. To paraphrase Chris Rock, “You can drive a car with your feet, but that doesn’t make it a good idea!”

While I’m not sold on the idea of a turbocharged BMW and lament the passing of the 330i, you have to admire the dynamic package of the 335i. The extra torque in without the extra weight of a V8 really wakes the chassis up, restoring the balance of power to handling that made cars like the E34 M5 or E36 M3 great…

The 302bhp twin-turbo 3-litre straight-six, which had just been voted Engine of the Year, had oodles of creamy torque absolutely everywhere. It was matched with a chassis that was deliciously taut and controlled; the slightly lowered M Sport suspension, 18in M alloys and Bridgestone Potenza runflats put you on intimate terms with the road surface. The steering was pleasingly weighty, responsive and confidence-inspiring. Even without deactivating the DTC you could sense lovely little slip angles developing at the rear as you felt your way around the limit. And with the rising snarl of the engine and the heavy but satisfying action of the six-speed manual box, the 335i had bags of character. All of which meant it was engaging to drive at any speed, but quite brilliant when you were really pressing on. In terms of cross-country pace and sheer involvement, I reckon the 335i isn’t far off the current M3. – evo

Not to beat a dead horse, but the modern car has so much grip that there’s little opportunity to savor the sensation of just a whiff of opposite lock (one of the reasons the original MX-5 Miata was lauded in its time and is a legend today – even the tires were chosen to be more drifty).

Even the best and purest driver’s cars of today commit this mortal sin:

the Boxster is just too good. Even with the power boost, the Porsche feels like it could handle 500 hp. There is just so much grip that the near 300 hp engine is swallowed by the chassis. Sure, you can get it to understeer if you’re rude to the car but there is too much rear stick and not enough power to balance it with the throttle, at least on the street. And this is on the standard 18” wheels. The 19” setup should add even more grip. I kept hoping for a bit of rain just so I could have some fun. I remember that our long-term Boxster was far more enjoyable on winter tires than the summer tires. The loss in grip allowed you to exploit the full extent of the car on your local highway on-ramp. I guess my overall point is that I still love the Boxster but I wish it was not so good of a car. I like something that slides around a bit, likes to dance, and has lower limits on the street. – Marc Noordeloos, Automobile

(Even the engineers that get it right eventually succumb to market pressure for lower profile tires on larger wheels – look at what happened to the Elise and the aforementioned Miata…)

I’ve always felt that a ‘real’ BMW has one of two things: either an inline 6 – or – if handling more important – an I4 that will rev til kingdom come.

Every BMW with a V8 I’ve driven – last M5 included – sounds and feels, well, wrong. Yes, the last M3’s cast iron block was too heavy, and yes, the last M3 didn’t rev as keeny as the NG 330i. And while only the M cars get the M variable diff and lack runflats, I’m less impressed with a V8 that weighs as much as a cast iron 6 than I was of the normally aspirated NG engine’s magnesium one (the 335i has an Al block).

The new M3 needed to get lighter, not stay the same weight and the new car’s M.O. seems to be fast car that can be a hoot if you slide it around rather than fast car that’s a hoot no matter what you do.

Like the last M5, it’s more a GT than a sportster, and like the new M5, it’s too heavy up front and numb in the steering to be a real driver’s car. Or at least to be a driver’s car I lust after.

despite having a hydraulically assisted set-up, the steering still doesn’t have that sense of feedback that a driver needs in order to have total confidence in what exactly the tyres are doing. So the M3 is very accomplished and very fast. However, it does lack a certain je ne sais quoi in the excitement stakes – which is fine if you look at it as a hot four-door saloon, but could prove to be a disappointment if you’re a fan of the M car heritage. – 4car

Not even a Lexus is immune to the laws of physics…

As long as the road is smooth, it’s a serene ride, but sealed cracks and potholes in the pavement kill the serenity. Even in its soft setting, the adjustable suspension can’t compensate for the reinforced sidewalls of the Dunlop run-flat tires. – Car And Driver

I was hoping the TSX would get the RSX’s torqier engine and SH-AWD but Honda’s smarter than me – they know there are many who think a less domestic Accord is all they want and need.

But the TL, which has always been an otherwise decent car powered by the wrong axle, had to come with AWD this time around (the torque liimiting in the lower gears and the Type S’s driveshaft friendlier ride height and torque curve couldn’t cure the TL’s torque steer but SH-AWD should.

the ‘09 TL range will consist of two models. The front-wheel-drive car will be powered by a 3.5L V6 delivering 280 horsepower. The step-up version will feature SH AWD and have a 3.7L, 300-horsepower V6 underhood (presumably the same one used in the MDX) – Autoblog

Question is: who’s going to pony up for the RL now???

The second generation is more evolutionary than revolutionary. And in the time following the Mini’s arrival, the GTI has arguably become king of this category, one we’re not sure the new Mini can dethrone. Many judges also feel ergonomics have taken a step back: neither the center-stack controls nor the Mini’s version of iDrive are intuitive. Offering go-kart fun in an incredibly charming package isn’t enough for the Mini to earn the title of Car of the Year, especially when some aspects of the car aren’t as good as those of the one it’s replaced. – Motor Trend