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“As soon as the asphalt cracks up, the ride shifts into hammer time-way too stiff for comfortable motoring, even if you’re in attack mode,” carps St. Antoine. Technical editor Kim Reynolds opines, “Over many areas of non-smooth surface, the car just goes into a blur.” In addition to its intolerable ride over patchy pavement, the 550i disappoints with fatigue-inducing front seats, a still frustrating and unintuitive iDrive, a dark and cold cockpit, and a monster engine that somehow doesn’t feel that monsterlike out on the road. – Motor Trend

When a manufacturers lets their marketers tell the engineers what to do, the outcome stands to go poorly. This is especially true in an engineering led company with a unique vehicle genome like Subaru…

This quote echoes what most who are familiar with what made the WRX an icon are saying:

What I’m really hoping for is a driving experience that takes all the great bits of the old WRX – the beautifully judged ride/handling balance, the torque-laden, uniquely characterful engine – and builds on them. Within 500 yards of my first drive home, that hope is seriously dented. When I turn in to the first corner the nose feels soft and slow to react. When it does start to tuck in, there’s virtually no feel from the road, no sense of connection between steering rack and tyres and tarmac. Several weeks on, I’m still feeling underwhelmed by the WRX’s chassis. The ride’s consistently terrific, and traction out of corners is great whether the tarmac’s dry, damp or streaming wet. But the dearth of feedback, exaggerated roll and predisposition to understeer are a disappointment. – Peter Tomalin, evo

I wanted to like this Impreza… I’m a fan of 5 doors about this size and was relived to see Subaru had kept the car from gaining weight as it gained size. Even the move towards less lag and more torqe makes sense for all but those who will mod the engine anyway.

All the last gen of Impreza needed was a nicer interior and more room – the rear suspension should have helped with the later and given how little they spent on a new powertrain you’d think the interior could have been brought to the level of the current Legacy.

Yes, it now rides with the aplomb of E46 Xi but with a chintzy interior and a fair amount of wind and road noise that comes across as a bit of an anomaly.

Not that the Impreza is a bad car – in its class only the Rabbit and the Mazda 3 trump it dynamically. It’s just that when something’s called a WRX it should mean something other than ‘flat-4 turbocharged’. Perhaps we’d all like the car better if the name were Impreza. (Come to think of it, the car makes the most sense as an Outback Sport – you can forgive a squishy suspension in something that is labeled Outback).

There’s something immensely satisfying about the way it goes about its business. Supple and soothing enough to dissolve otherwise gruelling distances, yet composed and enthusiastic enough to make a decent fist of more demanding roads, it has every base covered. – evo

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!”

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

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

At the Geneva motor show, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo announced more details on an upcoming model than his PR department might have been expecting.

It’s not the entry level Ferrari some were expecting to be the spiritual successor to the Dino but rather a V8 powered front engine rear drive coupe. Apparently many people balk at the mid engined F430 and the V12 599 and 612.

The car will make its official debut at the Paris show in October…

While it will be priced above the F430 it will share a version of that car’s V8, with Direct Injection and a dual clutch sequential gearbox likely.

the ride – agitated, noisy and totally unable to deal with short, sharp bumps. Body control is good when you do decide to work the chassis hard, but you only discover its excellent neutral balance after ignoring all the signals that are screaming at you to slow down – at seven-tenths the 6 feels ragged and ill-sorted. The Sport package adds 19in wheels – and in combination with 35-profile run-flat tyres they really hobble the big coupe. It’s a confused and confusing car, reluctant to be driven like a sports car and without the sophistication of ride to be a true GT. – evo

A bigger, more mature experience than Aston’s V8 Vantage, yet sharper and more engaging than a DB9 or Bentley Conti GT, it manages to combine the edge and infectious enthusiasm of a sports car with the long-legged, refined and sophisticated demeanour of a great GT… disappointing is the steering’s lack of tactility and the Skyhook suspension’s fidgety damping, both of which could and should be better… as it stands there’s room for improvement. It’s a good car rather than a great one… – evo