OTHER NUMBERS FROM CAR & DRIVER'S JANUARY ISSUE

The Good Car Guy already filled you in on Car & Driver's 0-60 testing of eleven cars in its January issue. Other important Numbers are viewable below.

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24 - miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman, the best figure in a comparo where the Mini finished sixth. Its EPA city and highway figures were also the best-in-test.

18- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, the worst figure in a comparo where the Lancer Ralliart finished dead last. Its EPA city figure was worst-in-test and its EPA highway figure was tied for worst-in-test.

156- top speed, in mph, of the 260-bhp Chevrolet Cobalt SS, limited by aerodynamic drag, placing the Chevy tops in a seven-way comparo where it finished third overall

19- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the all-wheel drive Acura TL, better than what was managed by the aforementioned Mitsubishi with its 1.7L-smaller engine, 68 fewer horsepower, and 445 fewer pounds.

33- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Volkswagen Jetta, which with a 140-bhp 2.0L turbodiesel, still had to propel 3353 pounds.

24- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Hyundai Elantra wagon which posted identical acceleration figures to the Jetta TDI with one extra horsepower, 99 fewer lb-ft of torque, and 321 fewer pounds

0.61- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad.

1.08- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad

18- difference in sound levels, measured in decibels by C/D, between the loudest car of the year, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the quietest cars of the year, the Ford Flex Limited and Dodge Journey R/T, both of which let out 65 dBA at 70mph 

BREAKING NEWS - TOYOTA, LEXUS, AUDI & MERCEDES-BENZ, MINI POSTING RECORD SALES IN CANADA

Ironically, on a day when Canada's figurehead Governor General, Michaelle Jean, will fly home from Europe to deal with a political crisis that was precipitated to some degree by a lack of extra funding to the automotive manufacturing sector, Toyota says that its best ever year (and it's only December 2nd) comes as a result of Canadian-built models. Excuse the long sentence - The Good Car Guy gets excited over irony.

Not only has Toyota already surpassed 2007's record-setting sales total through just eleven months, but Audi has done so, as well. Lexus and Mercedes-Benz both posted their best-ever Novembers, too.

Details will be forthcoming over the next day or so regarding both American auto sales for November as well as Canadian sales figures. For now, consider that Toyota Canada sold more than 200,000 cars in one year for the first time ever and did so in just eleven months. Lexus Canada sold at a record-setting pace for the 8th consecutive month. Audi Canada set an annual record for the third straight year but did so this year in just eleven months. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz's year-to-date growth stands at 27.7% through November.

Toyota's Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4 along with the Lexus RX350 all posted huge sales gains and are all built in Canada.

UPDATE: Mini has joined the flock of best-ever folk with its eighth-consecutive month of record sales and a best-ever November. Chrysler, Honda, Acura BMW, and Volkswagen are all down - some by large margins - but Jetta sales are waaaaaay up because of new Clean Diesel TDI availability

FERRARI CALIFORNIA TRUNK IRONY

Ferrari has released a photo of a trunk-filled California, the Italian company's new four-seat hardtop convertible. The Good Car Guy just showed pictures of the apparently useable rear seat but in this case, Ferrari appears to have been making somebody else's case.

Hardtop convertibles are known for lacking a useful trunk. By the time the top is squeezed into the rear of the car, space for luggage and groceries is typically limited because the top ate into that space. This is why on a bright summer's day when you most expect convertible owners to be enjoying the open air, they're cruising down the interstate with the top up. If they don't do that, they don't take their luggage.

Well, Ferrari proves the point in a picture where the luggage isn't fully inside the trunk. It's as if they're saying, "Oops, guess we can't fit all this stuff in there, can we? Take the picture anyway, Giacomo." As you can see in the image, the Ferrari California's top is not in place but instead, is resting on top of the trunk. The luggage is covered in the same leather as the golf bag and suitcases that Ferrari previously placed in the rear seat; quite clearly fitted Ferrari kit. With that being obvious, the irony is even more humourous. Ferrari can't even fit California-specific bags in the trunk of the California? 

Ach, I know it was just for the sake of display in the same way pictures of women in the front seat usually show them with one leg out of the car. But it's still funny, and still ironic.

FERRARI CALIFORNIA BACK SEAT - 5 PICTURES

Considering the likelihood that future Ferrari California buyers are more like us than the buyers of Ferrari's other cars, it's very possible that these California owners will use their cars for normal purposes. 

With a rear seat and the ease of flipping back the roof, genuine trips will/could become something regular for these people who chose not to take the Scuderia Spider 16M. And if part of their reasoning for purchasing the California was its rear seating perches, they better be useable. 

Choosing a California over a regular 430 Spider won't necessarily save you a whole lot of coin, but no Ferrari lacks in the power department and large chunks of the masses won't know that this is - in the minds of many enthusiasts - a softer, compromised Italian supercar. Supercar? Meh.

Are they? These pictures (click to see'em larger) show the Ferrari California rear passenger area with a child seat, golf clubs, set up as a load shelf, used as a load shelf, and as a traditional rear seat. Decide for yourself. Check out Ferrari's California trunk irony, too.

WHY THE SCOOPS? PONTIAC G8 GXP NEEDS TO SHED NOSTROLS

The process of distinguishing between models-within-a-model-range has perplexed countless automotive designers, marketing mavens, and head honchos for.... well, always. Automakers want buyers who upgrade to, for instance, the SE to feel as though they're car looks as though it's worth more than the base model. Thus, alloy wheels and body-colour bumpers and skirts do the trick. Ah, but what about those who head for the EX? How to make them feel good about their car? Perhaps a rear wing, larger front air dam, and fake dual-exhaust tips will do the trick.

Worse than that is the challenge of the performance edition, the SS or M or AMG? Mature consumers may want speed and panache, but they don't necessarily want to look boy racer or import tuner, do they? BMW strikes the right balance with its M5: distinguishable to the cognoscenti but simply high-lux to the eye of the plebians.

Pontiac, the hopeful answer to BMW from American conglomerate General Motors, typically fails to strike that balance. The G6, not exactly a high-profile beauty to begin with, is in dire need of deconstruction by the time GXP badges are ready to be slapped on. Pontiac's G8, meanwhile, is actually a fairly handsome and classy car. The base model looks deserving of your money, the GT ups the ante just enough. And the GXP? Ach. Ick.

The G8 has potential for greatness somewhere inside. But the addition of nostrils to its hood masks mature performance more than the stripes or huge lower air intakes on special anniversary Holdens, the exact same car. Never have I seen a mass-manufactured OEM hood so drastically ruin a car that we all want to love. General Motors had plenty of options, but as the gallery below will show you, the G8 GXP's look is a serious letdown and makes the G8 GT seem almost more desirable, despite its lower power figure and less capable chassis.

NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: CITROEN BERLINGO MULTISPACE & 60 PHOTOS

The possible sighting of this vehicle in North America is so verily impossible that I dare suggest it is unimaginable. Citroen hasn't competed on in Canada or the USA for decades and apart from its PSA partner, Peugeot, selling scooters in the near future, nothing Citroenesque appears to be forthcoming.

So take a minute to enjoy the unimaginable. I mean, try to imagine it.... just for a second. Sitting in your Camry at a red light, a two-box 'car' with strangely-contoured windows pulls up beside you. The driver is wearing a beret and his kerchief is large underneath a velvet blazer. (The windows are huge - you can see the blazer.) You're so terribly freaked out by this heretofore unseen vehicle that you prod the throttle a little, hoping to show this dude a thing or two. He looks your way and smirks; not at your temerity but at your wastefulness. Then it is he who remembers that, sacrebleu, gasoline is only $1.50/gallon in parts of Kansas and those crazy Americans can be as wasteful as they want.

(Read other Across The Pond articles here)

Finally, you roast him away from the lights. The best-selling car in America is available with 268 horsepower after all. He has 4.75 ponies on his side. I jest, he probably has 90 bhp under the hood. Nevertheless, your problem is that you absolutely murdered something in a drag race so resoundingly that you don't even know what it is you beat. The beret-wearing dude was driving a Citroen Berlingo Multispace.

This Citroen shares much with the C4 Picasso, a car The Good Car Guy labelled as one of the Top 5 cars for the next Pope-mobile. The new Berlingo Multispace is slightly larger than before (24cm longer, 8cm wider) which makes the BM even better at what it does best: make space for people, their pets, and their stuff. It suits some consumers' needs to a T and does so extraordinarly cheaply. "It's a good car, the Berlingo. And in these difficult times, it makes even more sense than usual," Jeremy Clarkson said. In fact, the Berlingo Multispace is even a bit fun to drive they say. The full 60 photo gallery is below.

WATCH THE BUGATTI VEYRON MURDER THE PAGANI ZONDA IN DRAG RACE ON TOP GEAR

Proof that there's no replacement for displacement or for quad-turbochargers, the Bugatti Veyron and The Stig absolutely throttled James May and the Pagani Zonda F roadster in a drag race on British television show Top Gear. After seeing this clip at TopSpeed.com I thought it ought to be spread around more liberally. Not because The Good Car Guy loves the Bugatti more than the Zonda (on the contrary), but because the sight of two of the world's greatest supercars together in a straight line given full welly is a sight to behold, indeed. Who knows how long it'll work until BBC takes it down, but check it out while you can.