FORD ADDS 65 HORSEPOWER TO THE V6 MUSTANG FOR 2011 - 3.7L FEATURES IN GALLERY

There's something innocuous but terrible about most V6-engined pony cars. From the start, you know it won't be all that sporty. It really won't be very fast. Embarrassing situations will arise every time its V8-engined equivalent pulls up to the lights as the next car over.

This was all true before the new Chevrolet Camaro brought excitement to the V6 pony car battlefield. Chevy's 3.6L is a modern engine which Chevrolet shares with Cadillac, amongst others. 304 horsepower is no joke.

Ford's 2011 Mustang V6 adds a bit of humour, however. A few extra CCs and a single extra horse will turn the V6 Mustang into a more powerful car than the V6 Camaro. Yes, the Cleveland-built V6 is a 3.7L with 305 horsepower. Don't be surprised if General Motors finds an extra 6 or 10 ponies under the hood of the Camaro in the meantime.

Ford will also offer a Performance Package that should, in essence, turn the Mustang V6 into a GT beater. Body stiffening, suspension upgrades, a 3.31 rear axle ratio, and 19-inch wheels team with 305 horsepower to make the 2011 Mustang V6 the most notable competitor for the 2010 Mustang GT. We'll have to wait and see what Ford does with the GT's V8 to amp its level of performance up, up, and away from the V6. With "just" 315 horsepower, a likely heftier curb weight, and a setup similar to that of an '11 'Stang V6 equipped with the Performance Package, the GT wouldn't be all that desirable without upgrades.

Compare the 3.7L with the old 4.0L and you won't be able to overlook the improvement. Horsepower climbs from 240. Torque jumps from 240 lb-ft to 280 lb-ft. Fit the 2011 Mustang V6 with a six-speed automatic and highway fuel economy rises from a 2010 high of 26 miles per gallon to 30mpg. That's 6mpg better than any GT Mustang musters, too.

What of the Dodge Challenger's V6 engine? Well, it's not a weakling.... but the car's design is rather soft. The SE Challenger found its way into The Bad 8 v2.0 last winter.

Check out Ford's engine-focused pictures of the new 2011 Ford Mustang V6 in the Gallery below. The car should be available sometime around August of 2010. It still won't say GT on the badge, but for the first time in forever, the V6 Mustang won't be a coarse, under-powered embarrassment built for rental fleets and people who want a Mustang but don't have a drop of oil in their veins.

LEXUS GX460, KIA CADENZA, HYUNDAI SANTA FE GALLERIES

Of all the major releases of new car photos this last week, the three previously unpublished galleries seen below take the cake for importance. Naturally, a new BMW 5-Series is nothing to sneeze at. The Cadillac CTS Coupe is hot. And the Lexus LF-A has seen its Gallery expand with a large selection of somewhat more flattering photos.

Comparitively, a large Kia sedan; a rejigged Hyundai SUV; and a jumbo SUV which'll sell in small Numbers are fairly irrelevant, at least photographically. Here's why that thought isn't applicable: The Hyundai Santa Fe has become Hyundai's breadbasket, selling like hotcakes and challenging Honda and Toyota in ways they never anticipated a few years ago. The model you see hear is the 2010 model, so far known as the 2010 Euro Santa Fe, but judging from Hyundai North America's absence of info on the 2010, possibly our 2010 as well. Savvy? In Europe, the '10 Santa Fe will be available with a 2.2L turbo-diesel 4-cylinder generating 194 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. I want.

Meanwhile, the Kia Cadenza - already discussed on GoodCarBadCar.net - will replace the horrific Kia Amanti. Ridding us of the Amanti makes the Cadenza very, very important. Lexus's new GX460 uses a smaller V8 than the old GX470, providing owners with improved fuel efficiency to the tune of 13%. At the same time, the new 4.6L V8 produces greater horsepower and torque than the old 4.7L. She ain't the prettiest SUV available today, but there's no denying a Lexus GX treats its owners like royalty.

WORRYING ABOUT FERRARI IS DIFFICULT - EVERYTHING'S JUST SO GOOD

Purists are those who urge or require strict correctness. Establishing correctness - and arguing with preconceived notions of correctness - is more challenging than actually urging or requiring said correctness. Interestingly, Ferrari purists are more than likely not owners of current Ferraris. And even the purist Ferrari purist doesn't urge or require the sort of sportscar simplicity of say, a Lotus or even a Porsche purist.

Nevertheless, coming from someone who lists the Ferrari 458 Italia and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano as 100 Favourite Cars members, there are worrying signs coming out of Maranello. evo magazine asked Ferrari's CEO a few questions at the Frankfurt auto show. Amedeo Felisa's answers were, by times, troubling. Here are a couple examples, the first two from an exchange relating to the 458 Italia.

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evo: Why have you chosen the DCT gearbox if it is so much heavier?

Felisa: Because it increases performance. Acceleration is better and the lap time round Fiorano is quicker. This is a sports car and so this is important.

evo: Is this the end of manual gearboxes in Ferraris?

Felisa: Yes, it is. The 458 will not be available as a manual, nor will future Ferraris as customers no longer request one.

evo: Which is your favourite new Ferrari?

Felisa: It used to be the 612 HGTE but now it is the California. I like GTs and the California is a fantastic GT car.

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Check out a full Gallery of the spectacular 458 Italia here

Ferrari is expected to build the quickest and best-handling cars in the world. Felisa has access to the cold hard numbers, but one wonders at his theory surrounding the 458's direct-shift gearbox and a traditional manual. Ferrari's boss admits that the DCT is much heavier than Ferrari's gated manual, so would the possible weight loss not make up for at leastpart of the DCT's accelerative advantage? Couldn't the option be offered so a prospective buyer could know for certain?

On the subject of manual transmissions and the brand as a whole, this is far more concerning. Is there no car in Ferrari's future that would be - possibly, maybe, by chance - more fun by shifting yourself? It doesn't help my pain that Ferrari's manuals were (formerly) presented more beautifully than any other shifter from any other automaker. Now Felisa has concluded that laptimes are more important than fun. Which probably has something to do with the driving ineptitude of many Ferrari buyers who grew up being chauffeured to private school in a Rolls-Royce - most definitely fitted with an automatic - before buying an E46 BMW M3 with that dreadful SMG. And they never acquainted themselves with any of the 794 manual shift programs.

Not that I'm jealous. After all, apart from two-thirds of Ferrari's latest releases, it looks like Ferrari's boss would equip the company to fight Aston Martin. Amedeo Felisa's favourite Ferrari was the whaaa? Any version of the 612 Scaglietti, HGTE or not, is not pretty enough for a mother to love let alone an uber-wealthy company CEO. And then his allegiance switched over to the California because he loves GTs? Grand Touring cars, seriously?

This is the boss of Ferrari. And I want to hear him say his favourite current Ferrari is the 430 Scuderia until his black-over-beige 458 Italia is ready which will be his fave until the Scuderia/Challenge Stradale version of the 458 debuts.

Thankfully Ferrari is a team environment. However cool Felisa may be, somebody smart enough to make the 458 Italia gorgeous is still working outside Enzo's old office.

FERRARI, ROLLS-ROYCE & ASTON MARTIN ARE ALL MANUFACTURERS OF SMALL CARS?

In a fight to be seen as both eco-conscious and economically aware, automakers which traditionally sell cars priced in the stratosphere are bringing their badges down to our level.

Aston Martin will be applying its grimacing grille to the front end of the Toyota iQ. They'll call it the Aston Martin Cygnet; they'll lux it up a fair bit; and they'll double the price.

Ferrari, meanwhile, will stick its badges on the 695 Tributo Ferrari, a hopped-up version of the Fiat 500. At least the Fiat 500 695 Tributo Ferrari will be significantly quicker than the regular 500, something that can't be said of the Cygnet.

Finally we have Rolls-Royce. The manufacturer of Phantoms and Drophead Coupes will soon be known as a custom outfitter of Mini Coopers. Mini Rolls will supposedly look just like regular Minis but inside - oh yes, inside - Rolls will have its way with high-end materials. Perhaps an umbrellla in the door, too?

Obviously the connection between Fiat and Ferrari is obvious. Fiat owns 85% of the autonomously-run supercar producer. Mini and Rolls-Royce are both owned by Germany-based BMW. But the Aston Martin/Toyota relationship is a curious one. Regardless, all three of the high-dollar brands will be endlessly criticized for degrading their brand values.

If part of what makes the Ferrari 458 Italia so special is its exclusivity, doesn't a commonplace Fiat 500 Tributo lessen that joy?

Consider the outrageous prices Rolls-Royce clients justify as a result of uncommon leather-lined seating and permanently upright wheelhub badges. Do you really want to pay so much more for the privilege when Mini customers receive some of the same treatments?

Meanwhile Aston Martin isn't simply badging Toyota iQs with logos from Gaydon. No, Aston is changing the whole look of the car. So the same company which builds the V8 Vantage, DB9, Rapide, and DBS will sell city cars?

However, there will be an unseemly amount of short term gain. Why else would Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, and Aston Martin participate in such a scheme? Businesses are on this planet to generate profits. Peering through the long-term tunnel to see the negative impacts come 2016 is not an easy procedure. In terms of these increasingly common small car ventures, it's a procedure to which certain supercar manufacturers are unwilling to submit.

2011 BMW 5-SERIES GALLERY - IS IT REALLY BEAUTIFUL, OR JUST IMPROVED?

Well, whaddya think? Has BMW regained design supremacy in the crowded luxury sedan class with this, the 2011 BMW 5-Series? In Munich's nomenclature, this generation of 5s will be known as the F10. Currently ending its tenure is the controversially-designed but highly successful E60. Before that we enjoyed the classy lines of the E39, the elegant E34, the reputation-building E28, and the foundational E12.

So is this new F10 5-Series actually a genuinely handsome automobile or are we simply thankful that BMW laid aside the eyebrows of the E60? And really, does it matter? Do 5-Series buyers flock to the mid-size BMW because the Audi A6 is too out there while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is too staid? Do 5-Series buyers become 5-Series buyers because of the 5's reputation as the sportscar of the mid-size luxury class; not because of aesthetic tastes (or lack thereof)?

Check out pictures of the 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring

Enough questions. Let's get down to the nitty gritty. The '11 5-Series is a very big car. Positioned with what can only assume is typically sublime BMW balance atop a 116.9-inch wheelbase, the F10 5-Series actually shares a platform with the full-size 7-Series, and thus the upcoming "small" Rolls-Royce. You know this is a big car now.

For North American owners, turbocharging will be standard fare with the new 5-Series. A single turbo fitted to a 3.0L inline-six will produce 300-bhp and 300 lb-ft, just like the current twin-turbo six. Twin-turbocharging a 4.4L V8 brings about 400 horsepower and a groundswell of torque: 450 lb-ft at just 1,800 rpm. Remember the E39 M5's 4.4L V8? That car, one of GoodCarBadCar.net's 100 Favourite Cars, generated a blissful 400 horsepower without the aid of turbos but was by no means a torque monster.

Struts are no longer the order of the day on a 5-Series' front suspension. Multilinks take their place. Honda would approve. Automatic gear ratios abound with eight speeds in all. The six-cylinder is available with a 6-speed manual, as well. Stripping the turbo off the inline-six later on in 2010 or in early 2011 will result in a 240-bhp option, the 530i, perhaps? Slotted in beneath the fast 535i and the wicked fast 550i, a 530i (or 528i?) would be an awfully nice vehicle for somebody who wants a 3-Series but simply needs more space.

There's no way the 5-Series is competition for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class style-wise. In fact, the 5-Series might not look as good as the Audi A6 either. Nevertheless, the 5-Series looks better than it used to and, for a time, will be the newer/brighter/shinier/fashionable German sedan. And that, oh Good Car Nation, will just be one extra reason the F10 2011 5-Series will be hugely successful. Check out all 83 pictures of the new BMW 5-Series in the Gallery below.

CADILLAC CTS COUPE GALLERY

Cadillac will not be long in following the '11 CTS Coupe with a CTS-V Coupe, fully equipped with 556 horsepower. That's good news for anybody interested in blowing the doors off a BMW M3 or Porsche Boxster. First, the CTS Coupe's angular styling will be the starting point for conversations relating to this new Caddy.

Cadillac does not say the CTS Coupe completely lacks a B-pillar, only that there is an absence of conventional B-pillars. Removing door handles smooths out the flanks. The windshield is super-fast; the rear glass is even more steeply raked. Surely discovering the angle at which reflections became a serious problem was a serious task for somebody. Exhaust outlets are centrally located, something no design examiner would have expected from Cadillac even ten years ago. (For context, the Boxster and Mini Cooper S use central exits, too.)

All in all, the CTS Coupe is a striking automobile. Its style is now signature Cadillac stuff. While the first-generation CTS was also full of sharp lines and proportioned similarly to the new CTS, it remained controversial and very disliked by many. The new CTS sedan moved the game on. This CTS Coupe ought to be a hit.

Check out the CTS Coupe's debut pictures from Detroit '08

Forget the base V6 for CTS Coupe buyers. Cadillac starts off with the direct-injection 3.6L which generated 304 horsepower. In the Chevrolet Camaro, this engine manages 29 miles per gallon on the highway. The CTS Coupe will be rated at 27mpg. Cadillac has named its suspension settings the Performance Package (18-inch wheels on all-season tires) and the Summer Tire Performance Package. Ingeniously, the latter setup includes summer tires, and on 19-inch wheels to boot. Buyers will be able to choose between a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmissions. Appealingly, the CTS-V's Recaro seats will be an option on all CTS Coupes.

More images of the CTS Coupe are now on offer in the Gallery below. Expect a GoodCarBadCar.net 3 To Beat soon.

SIXTEEN QUIRKY FACTS FROM CANADA'S AUTO SALES STATISTICS THROUGH TEN MONTHS OF 2009

10,827 - total BMW 3-Series sales in Canada so far this year, more than all other eight BMW model lines combined

35,507 - total Chrysler/Dodge minivan sales so far this year, a number greater than that of Dodge truck sales, more than total Jeep sales, and more than all car sales at Chrysler/Dodge

6,288 - total Mercedes-Benz C-Class sales so far this year, more than all other Mercedes-Benz cars combined while the Mercedes-Benz GLK is out-selling the combined total of all the other Mercedes-Benz SUVs

25,980 - difference in sales between Ford Motor Company's F-Series and the much slower-selling Ford-badged cars so far this year

139 - total October sales of the GMC Yukon & Yukon XL as well as the Chevrolet Silverado & Tahoe, down from 646 in October of 2008, a 78.5% drop

53,219 - total Honda Civic sales so far this year in Canada, greater than 51% of Honda's total sales through the first ten months of '09

40,430 - total Hyundai sales so far this year without including the Elantra and Accent, Hyundai's best-selling models; a figure higher than Kia's total sales

4 - models available at Land Rover dealerships, the same number of models with which Land Rover has posted improved sales comparing the first ten months of '09 with the same period of '08

5,838 - total sales of the Mazda 6 so far this year, the only Mazda able to post improved sales in '09

419 - total sales of the Mitsubishi Galant so far this year, way less than half the number of Toyota Camrys sold in Canada in October alone

133 - total sales of the Infiniti QX56 so far this year, up from 119 through the first ten months of '08, making the QX the only Infiniti to post improved sales in 2009

1,446 - total sales of the Nissan Frontier so far this year, the only vehicle in Nissan's truck/SUV fleet to improve sales in '09, having done so despite new-found competition from its twin at Suzuki, the Equator

42- total Porsche Panamera sales in October, its first month on sale in Canada, quickly taking the Panamera to #2 on Porsche's best-seller list behind only the Cayenne SUV

837 - total sales of the Subaru Legacy in October, a number high enough to make it the best-selling Subaru for the month with the help of a 166% jump in Legacy sales from October of last year before the funny-faced model had come into existence

592- total sales of the Suzuki XL7, the only Suzuki to post improved sales so far this year, helped no doubt by the month of October when XL7 sales doubled last October's total

142 - total sales of the Toyota Land Cruiser this year in Canada, down from 259 through the first ten months of '08 for a vehicle not even officially available in Canada or marketed on Toyota.ca

BEST-SELLING SMALL LUXURY SUV IN CANADA (OCTOBER 2009)

375 inhabitants of Canada purchased or leased a Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic in October. That takes the total for 2009 over 4,000. Which means Mercedes-Benz is only missing out on 33,110,000 other potential buyers. Subtract the unlicensed and we're still left with millions of consumers in just one country who either have not yet or will not ever purchase or lease a Mercedes-Benz GLK. Yet the GLK is Canada's most successful small luxury SUV. Clearly we don't measure success in products like this the same way as we do with, say.... Coca-Cola or Windows 7. So how does Mercedes-Benz do it?

Well, pricing their product at $42,900 helps. Here's the Benz's Sales Stats from October of 2009 along with its most direct competitors. Check out the equivalent U.S. totals (sans Land Rover) here.

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Mercedes-Benz GLK350: 375

Audi Q5: 232

BMW X3: 206

Acura RDX: 173

Infiniti EX35: 165

Volvo XC60: 91

Land Rover LR2: 38

ENTRY-LUXURY CAR SALES IN CANADA (OCTOBER 2009)

Sales figures for entry-luxury cars in Canada end up about an eighth or a tenth the total of America's Sales Stats for the same cars. Compare the Graph you see below with the identical Graph utilized for U.S. purposes to study the figures in-depth. BMW is just as dominant here in Canada as it is in America.... and the rest of the world. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has ridden the coattails of its good looks to very decent Numbers in Canada. And its very clear that, were it not for the Infiniti G37, German dominance would be ultra-visible given the Audi A4's totals, too.

Cars not included in this group which could easily be added include Acura's TL and EL, the BMW 1-Series, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Audi A3, Volvo S60, Lexus ES and HS, as well as the Hyundai Genesis. For one reason or another, these ten were selected.

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING SUVs IN CANADA (OCTOBER 2009)

Four out of the top five best-selling auto brands in Canada - circa October '09 - are represented with SUVs in this, the Top 5 Best-Selling SUVs in Canada for October 2009. In fact, while Canada's third best-selling brand, Dodge, doesn't feature in the Graph below, Canada's sixth best-selling brand, Hyundai, does so with a very strong performance.

We're closing in on winter solstice, yet the Pontiac Solstice is dead and the Chevrolet Equinox is selling like southern-baked hotcakes in cold Canada. Ford has escaped the autumn doldrums with profitability, sales success, and the best-selling SUV in Canada, the Escape. Of course. And Japan's dominators, Toyota and Honda, come at this Top 5 from different angles; one with its most inexpensive SUV and the other with its most luxurious. South of the border, Toyota paves the way with luxury and low cost while Honda uses its least-expensive SUV to forge its way to number one. Compare and contrast, if you will, the Graph below with the equivalent story from the United States.

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING TRUCKS IN CANADA (OCTOBER 2009)

For one reason or another Canadians continue to buy against the grain at General Motors dealerships. GMC's Sierra once again out-sold the Chevrolet Silverado in the Great White North (which isn't even close to white right now). Pairing the two together wasn't enough to forestall Ford from taking the number one spot in truck sales last month. Check out the Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks in America here. The October tally for Canada is as follows.

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#5 - TOYOTA TACOMA: 797

#4 - FORD RANGER: 1,136

#3 - DODGE RAM: 2,589

#2 - GMC SIERRA (3,432)/CHEVROLET SILVERADO (3,142): 6,574

#1 - FORD F-SERIES: 7,186

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CARS IN CANADA : OCTOBER 2009

Seventeen days into November and your craving can be satisified. Canada's best-selling cars from October are now known and Toyota has once again filled the rankings. Four cars in the Top 10 Best-Selling Cars (seen below in the Graph), one SUV in the soon-to-be-published Top 5 Best-Selling SUVs, and one truck in the also-soon-to-be-published Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks.

Canada's Auto Sales figures are completely at odds with those south of the border even if the overall brand totals manifest similar structure. We like our cars smaller, more practical, and less expensive. Only three of the Top 10 Canadian best-sellers from October are exclusively sedans. Indeed, there are three vehicles on the list that are exclusively fitted with hatchbacks. The U.S. Top 5 includes not one vehicle available with anything but a trunk.

Check out America's best-selling cars in October here and scroll down to see how Canadians made their purchases last month. Make note of vehicle number 10 while you're at it. The Good Car Guy has combined sales of the Golf and Rabbit for obvious reasons - only the name has changed. Although Volkswagen markets the GTI as a unique car these days, it's still a Golf and ought to be included in the Golf's totals. Without the GTI, Volkswagen doesn't find its way into the Top 10.

Click Graph For Larger View

LOTUS PRICES THE EVORA FOR AMERICA AT $73,500

Lotus Cars USA has finally released the necessary information relative to its new Evora. For those of you who've been attempting to do calculations based on the Evora's £ or € pricing, that chore is now over. Lotus wants you to fork over $73,500 for a base Evora in America. The price could quickly rise with options; a statement which is terribly true for the Evora's main competitor, the Porsche 911. Moreover, had the Lotus Evora been priced lower than $71,230 (2.5x the average purchase price of cars in the USA this year) then it would have been eligible for The Good 12 v3.0. Alas.

Up to this point, the Evora doesn't seem to be quite as quick as Lotus believes. It's nowhere near as powerful as its competition or basically any other $70,000+ automobile. Barely surpassing the German gentlemen's agreement in top speed, the Evora certainly isn't about to set a fire in your belly with its straight line ability.

Read all Lotus-related stories here

However, everybody who's been given an opportunity to drive an Evora has enjoyed the experience to the fullest. The greatest car magazine in the world, England's evo, just named the Evora as Car Of The Year. So before you look at the very unflattering Numbers below, realize this important fact: the Lotus Evora is far more than the sum of its parts. Nice styling, a Toyota V6, relatively luxurious, rather light in weight - and yet, when all is accumulated, the styling and the engine and the luxury and the architecture combine to create a nearly perfect car.

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73,500 - price, in USD, of the 2010 Lotus Evora

276 - total horsepower generated by the Evora's 3.5L V6

258 - maximum torque, measured in pound-feet, available at 4,700rpm in the Evora

2,976 - weight of the Evora, in pounds

1:28.4 - laptime of the Evora around Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit in evo's hands

57,850 - price, in USD, of the 2010 BMW M3

414 - total horsepower generated by the M3's 4.0L V8

295 - maximum torque, measured in pound-feet, available at 3,900rpm in the M3

3,704 - weight of the M3, in pounds

1:25.9 - laptime of the M3 around Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit in evo's hands

78,800 - price, in USD, of the 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera

345 - total horsepower generated by the 911's 3.6L flat-six

288 - maximum torque, measured in pound-feet, produced by the 911's 3.6L

3,075 - weight of the 911, in pounds

1:24.1 - evo laptime of the Porsche 911 in Turbo form on the Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit

61,500 - price, in USD, of the 2010 Porsche Cayman S

320 - total horsepower generated by the Cayman's 3.4L flat-six

273 - maximum torque, measured in pound-feet, produced by the Cayman's 3.4L

2,976 - weight of the Cayman S, in pounds

1:28.1 - evo laptime of the Porsche Boxster S, Cayman's twin, on Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit

80,790 - price, in USD, of the 2010 Nissan GT-R

485 - total horsepower generated by the Nissan's twin-turbo 3.8L V6

434 - maxmium torque, measured in pound-feet, available from 3,200rpm in the GT-R

3,814 - weight of the GT-R, in pounds

1:23.6 - laptime of the GT-R around Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit in evo's hands

FORD TAURUS ALTERNATIVES ACROSS THE POND

After reviewing the 2010 Ford Taurus SEL AWD for GoodCarBadCar.net, my curiousity was piqued on numerous levels. Concluding that the Taurus's innards were recompense reward for its gargantuan dimensions ended the question of how people live with the problem of finding a garage big enough to hold it. Realizing that people of my generation don't need to buy the Taurus to like the Taurus; and that people of my generation liking the Taurus (even without buying it) is a very good thing for Ford helped allay my concerns over a name that is not well spoken of.

With those wonderings settled, I was left to muse upon one other stupefaction. If you wanted a Taurus but couldn't have one, what would you be left with as alternatives? Take money out of the equation, because you can afford it. Remove age from the debate, since you're over 40. That leaves geography as a reason for your lack of Taurus purchasability. You, yes you, live in Europe.

Here, then, are a handful of Ford Taurus alternatives available only Across The Pond.

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CITROEN C6: Nobody actually buys a large French car. That doesn't stop Renault, Peugeot, or Peugeot partner Citroen from releasing a new model every now and then. The C6 happens to be one of The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars, and to the best of my knowledge, that hasn't helped sales either. Its strange concave rear window, relexed demeanor, and punchy diesels would make the C6 feel about as different from the Ford Taurus as the Taurus is different from the Crown Victoria. Rumour has it that sales of the C6 in Germany, a fairly crucial market, have been about ten times smaller than Citroen had hoped would be the case. Were the Citroen C6 available in America, its pricing would likely overlap with the Taurus Limited and Taurus SHO while placing a greater emphasis on luxury.

Perfect American Owner: Gwyneth Paltrow

SKODA SUPERB: Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary has done a good job modifying the Passat platform. The styling is conservative; the design of the rear end revolutionary; the desirability factor negligible. However, Skoda is all about screaming value. A Skoda Superb kitted out with a corncucopia of luxury fittings and all the fuel economy you'd expect of a large all-wheel drive V6 sedan wouldn't be likely to surpass . Sales of the Superb in the UK in 2009 will be hard-pressed to be as high as Taurus sales in one good month in the U.S.

Perfect American Owner: An MIT Physics Professor

FORD S-MAX: Clearly not a large sedan - not even large in comparison to America's "mini"vans - the S-Max is a gorgeous MPV with dynamic talent and available turbocharged power. In Europe, flocks of former mainstream car buyers have turned to niche products. Many of those products are low-powered luxury-badged cars, others are MPVs like the S-Max or Renault Scenic, while more still are crossovers like the Ford Kuga or tall six-passenger hatches like the Honda FR-V and Fiat Multipla. The S-Max is a great way to find the space you need without sacrificing the style that, if lacking, could make you look a little too footballer's mum. Pricing sneaks in below the Taurus level. Sales figures are split amongst many Ford alternatives like the Focus wagon, C-Max, and Galaxy.

Perfect American Owner: Brad Pitt

WILL THE 2011 FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR BE A FALCON OR TAURUS?

The upcoming demise of the Ford Crown Victoria and thus its role as a taxicab and police pursuit vehicle will see Ford replacing the Crown Victoria Interceptor in 2011, Ford announced today. Fuel economy, durability, safety, and performance are categories in which, Ford says, improvements will bemade over the Crown Victoria. For those not familiar with the current Ford police package, it rests on a vehicle which underwent its first facelift and engineering changes sometime during Taft's presidency. Of course, the Crown Victoria was the only car big enough to accomodate William Howard Taft.

Ford Announces Interceptor Will Be Taurus

All kidding aside, the Crown Victoria remains a beloved car in many police circles, at least the circles in which nobody was involved in a rear-end collision with an exploding Crown Vic. Ford's promise to efficiently phase out the Crown Victoria while phasing in a new police car inspires plenty of speculation in the automotive world.

Check out February 2010's GCBC post on the

Top 5 Unconventional Police Car Choices

Curious, isn't it, that so much of this speculation comes from people who love to drive fast cars fast? What, we care about which vehicles pull us over? Apparently. The Police section of GoodCarBadCar.net is one of this site's most popular zones. Regardless, the car you see pictured here is the Aussie-built Ford Falcon XR8 Police vehicle. The Falcon's one of those cars North American auto enthusiasts really want to see for sale here. You know the kind, like the Pontiac GTO (nee Holden Monaro) or the Pontiac G8 (nee Holden Commodore), both of which are classified in the "nobody bought them" classification. Regardless, the Falcon is certainly coolish and, with its rear-wheel drivetrain, is likely pleasing to the ears of cops.

Yet the new Ford Taurus is capacious in both the cabin and the trunk. And Ford boss Mark Fields did say this new car would be engineered in the USA. If that's going to be the Falcon, it'll be reengineered, and that could be what Fields meant.

After a few days with the Taurus last week, it seems to me that the Taurus would be a perfect police car. No police force is going to receive another body-on-frame package like the Crown Victoria so they might as well stop whining about its rugged nature. Though rear-wheel drive is great for a good many, it's not useful to have cops stuck on steep roads in the northern states or in Canada. Plus, the Taurus can be had in wicked fast SHO form, a perfect highway patrol chase car. And again, there's the roomy factor. In both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive formats, the Taurus could be one sublime Interceptor, a perfect alternative to GM's new Chevy Caprice PPV and perhaps a nice mainstream mainstay to put Carbon Motors out of business.

We shall see. One way or another, expect Ford to put up quite a fight. Dearborn's own sells between 45,000-60,000 Interceptors each year - about 75% of the market. That's revenue no automaker would want to lose.

2011 BUICK REGAL GALLERY

Attempting to bring into play statistics from Chinese sales probably isn't the best way to convince North Americans of the greatness of your new car. But fortunately for Buick, they've got good looks on their side.

Indeed, 64,000 Regals have been sold in China since the car debuted eleven months ago. Buick's only sold about 81,000 total vehicles so far this year. Surely a beautiful new entry-level sedan would help.

Building on the Enclave's curvaceous ways, the LaCrosse arrived as a competitor in a slightly larger, slightly more expensive segment than the Regal's. Buick is positioning the Regal with two four-cylinder engines, a 182-bhp 2.4L and a turbocharged 2.0L with 220 horsepower.

Finding the Regal looks familiar? Take a look at what was once considered the next Saturn Aura, known in Europe as the Opel Insignia. In all but a handful of ways, that is the new Buick Regal. We even get to use the Interactive Drive Control System, allowing the driver to choose between three settings for unique dynamics. Normal, Tour, and Sport vary suspension settings, throttle response, shift pattern, and steering sensitivity. New GM or not, expect Sport to be absolutely necessary for a Buick if you want to come close to replicating the feel of your German sport sedan. Given this car's pedigree as an Opel, however, it's not too crazy to expect a substantially firmer Buick than in the past.

Though the LaCrosse has appeared on roads 'round here already, thus providing everyone with opportunity to see the car in real-world lighting and in base form, preliminary pictures of the Regal in the Gallery below make me think Buick strike a harmonious chord with the Regal. This car does make Honda's Accord, the Toyota Camry, and even Chevrolet's Malibu appear conventional, conservative, and cautious.