Annette Dutton

In today's environment of supercharged energy markets that have led to record gas prices, this new interpretation of Chevrolet's fabled Super Sport badge definitely has its advantages: The manual transmission HHR SS gets an EPA-estimated 21/29 mpg city/highway, which is comparable to regular HHRs with a manual. What's more, this version of the HHR is actually kind of fun to drive, though it's not without some significant visibility and interior quality issues.

Styling - If you're into small, boxy vehicles, the HHR SS is a stylish one from many angles. It's as if Chevrolet mused, "What would Dick Tracy drive?" and designed accordingly. Helping its cause are a number of SS-specific cues, like a black mesh grille that replaces the horizontal silver bars on regular HHRs. SS models also have a large lower mesh grille, a liftgate spoiler, large rocker panels and 18-inch alloy wheels (see a side-by-side comparison with the 2008 HHR LT).

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The front sport seats, however, are quite comfortable. They feature wide bottom and backrest cushions, include adjustable thigh support, and are covered in leather and suedelike Alcantara.
Climbing out of the driver's seat is more of a chore than it should be; in order to swing your left leg out to reach the ground, you have to clear a wide rocker panel that without fail rubs against your pants, even when you're trying to avoid it. This has always been a problem with the X5, especially in dusty regions and on road-salt-covered winter roads.

Most SUVs have a bench seat in the second row, but the X6 has two bucket seats, so its maximum seating capacity is just four. There's a center console between the rear seats that has cupholders, storage bins and a 12-volt power outlet. There's decent legroom in the backseat, but the X6's sloping roof noticeably encroaches on headroom. The rear door openings and the position of the bucket seats make graceful exits difficult.
Another downside of the X6's coupelike shape is poor rear visibility; the rear window is a mere slit in the rearview mirror.

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About Annette Dutton: 2009 Subaru Forester - My associate, Ria Manglapus, couldn't get over the hump. It was ugly. It was in the way. It undermined her confidence in the vehicle's handling.
I tried to understand her complaint. I got behind the wheel of the 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5XT wagon which, even Ria had to admit, looked better than any previous Forester.

I stared at the bulge in the middle of the wagon's hood. It was a scoop, put there to help funnel air to the Forester 2.5XT's turbocharged engine. I discovered the problem: Staring at the hump while the wagon is in motion creates a weird visual-motor sensation. You feel as if you are steering toward the hump while it constantly is moving away from you.

It's just a feeling. It makes you dizzy. You want to stop driving, pull over and refocus, which is what I did. Afterward, I was okay. I never stared at that hump again while driving.

It is not a usual complaint, certainly not one I normally would have acknowledged. But I have no choice in this case. Other voices contribute to this column. I cannot listen to them and pretend not to hear -- that I'm too much of a car guy, too macho to take them seriously. Ria has a point: That prominently placed hood scoop can be a distraction. There, I've said it.
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Toward the end of my time with the X6, an electrical problem cropped up that nearly brought this SUV to its knees. All of the gauges and displays in the instrument panel went dead and the drivetrain defaulted to a low-power mode in which the SUV could still be driven, but with significantly reduced responsiveness. A BMW dealer was able to bring the X6 back to health, but it was disconcerting to experience a problem this big in a new vehicle.

The X6 comes with vented disc brakes at all four corners that stop this large SUV handily. The brake pedal only needs light pressure to engage the brakes, which are easily controlled.

The Inside - The X6's cabin is something of a dichotomy. The severe dashboard angles and technology-laden center console — which features a joystick-style gear selector for the automatic transmission and the iDrive control knob — might be intimidating to some drivers, but the rich, upscale materials like wood, aluminum and soft leather invite you in a way that the design might not.

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Annette Bratcher Murfreesboro Info: The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution comes in two versions, the GSR ($32,990) and the MR. Both are four-door, five-passenger sedans and are powered by the same intercooled turbocharged four-cylinder engine and come with all-wheel drive. The GSR comes with a five-speed manual transmission, while the MR has an all-new, high-tech, twin-clutch, Sportronic, electronically shifted, six-speed manual transmission.

The GSR comes with automatic climate control, 140-watt, six-speaker, multi-media stereo, Recaro bucket seats with manual fore-aft and back angle adjustments, power windows, power door locks, keyless remote entry, floor mats and front map lights. Yokohama ASVAN asymmetrical-tread performance tires wrap around 18-inch, cast alloy.

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Turbocharged Performance - The SS trim level is new for 2008, and the enhanced performance it offers significantly changes the HHR experience, transforming it from a run-of-the-mill economy car into a vehicle capable of satisfying enthusiasts of small cars with small-displacement engines.

At the foundation of the HHR SS is a 260-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (235 hp with the optional four-speed automatic). This engine pulls the HHR SS with satisfying strength, and Chevrolet cites a zero-to-60-mph time of 6.3 seconds.

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2008 BMW 3-Series

BMW has come a long way in the past 50 years, from the low point in the winter of 1959 when its fortunes were so bad that it was nearly sold to Mercedes-Benz, to becoming a world powerhouse of motorcycles, high-performance cars, luxury sedans and SUVS. Like Mercedes-Benz with its AMG in-house racing and high-performance specialists, BMW has created its M division, primarily responsible for motorsports, but also for high-performance cars, including the M3 version of the 3 Series, the M5 version of the 5 Series, and the M6 version of the 6 Series (no M7 yet, and no high-performance versions of their SUVs, but it's only a matter of time). The M3 is the one with the longest history and the most affordability, so it has become extremely popular over the last four generations of the 3 Series.

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Audi has tried to separate the R8 from the mid-engine supercar crowd, styling-wise. That very small crowd includes the V8 Ferrari F430 and V10 Lamborghini Gallardo, on which the R8 is based, thanks to a partnership and platform-sharing between Lamborghini and Audi.
Standing alone, the R8 looks eminently supercar-ish. But when you hold the R8 up against the Gallardo, what you see is a former sleek Italian beauty that has unfortunately been made dumpy. Go ahead, compare profile shots of the two cars and see if you don't agree.

True, the Gallardo costs many thousands more, but it's unclear how much of that cost is from cleaner sheetmetal.

But before we pick on the R8's looks, it should be pointed out that it was designed in part by the same team who designed the R8 racing car. So it's about function, specifically aerodynamic function. The Gallardo is more about show, the R8 about go (though we're not suggesting the Gallardo doesn't go).

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Information about Annette Dutton Bratcher: Every generation of BMW 3 Series, for the past four generations, has offered the enthusiast driver an M3, something rare and special at the top of the lineup, something that the cognoscenti will recognize and appreciate every time it goes by, and something that is quicker, faster, flatter and flashier than the regular 3 Series, for the owner's maximum driving and bragging enjoyment.

Every one of the previous generations was powered by a modified version of the famous BMW inline six-cylinder engine, but this new generation has broken with that long tradition to become the first V8-powered M3 in BMW history.
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