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An early pre-production drive of the new 7-series shows that we can drive it like an M5 or like an overstuffed pillow. Both are convincing.

Miramas, France –

This was an incredible sensation we have to tell you about first. We’ve melted tires and drifted BMW M3s, M5s, and M6es without any effort whatsoever. We tried getting the 128i or 135i to do these things and it wasn’t easy. We tried the 335i and it’s just too composed to make it easy, though it can be done under certain circumstances. Bottom line is that BMW makes cars that must seize the driver’s heart and soul without much ado. They should goad us to play.

One thing was clear long before we first set eyes on the Hyundai Genesis premium rear-wheel-drive sedan prior to the April 2007 New York International Auto Show: the Genesis four-door phenomenon is only partially about driving the car.

Click through to read on.

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We at Winding Road and NextAutos are always eager to test the diesel offerings from global manufacturers and we were grinning with excitement when the folks at Bosch offered us the keys to a Mini Cooper with a 1.6-liter diesel engine. According to Bosch, this Mini will achieve fuel economy numbers in upwards of 50 miles per gallon, which will shame many hybrid offerings currently sold in the States. (Click through to read our full impressions of the Mini Cooper D.)

Chris Paukert
Editor-In-Chief

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As our recent comparison test points out, there’s a lot of competition between the Infiniti G37 and the BMW 1-series. Since it had been about a year since our last run with the G37, we thought it would be worthwhile to brush up on our G knowledge to see if the 1-series really is the enthusiast’s preferred choice. Some of us cheer for the 1-series and some of us award the gold medal to the G37, but when it comes down to it, both cars are quite excellent, and we were very happy to spend some quality time during this past week with the stunning G37.

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—Stuttgart, Germany

When a Chevrolet, Honda, or even a Mercedes-Benz has a mid-generation freshen-up, we notice it for a little while, but the significance of it all soon fades. Like it or not, if the Porsche 911 changes so much as a gasket supplier, it seems we are bound by duty to go nuts and analyze the alteration, writing volumes, and unearthing intriguing surprises.

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—Seville, Spain

The F700 was the crown jewel in Mercedes’ “Road to Tomorrow” fashion show of cars at last September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Following on the wheels of the F600 Hygenius research car at the 2005 Tokyo show, the F700 carries on the F tradition of shedding light on future technologies that could be readily adopted by all companies within a few years. It also continues a sea life theme.

Considering their specs alone might lead you to believe that these two Detroiters are cut from the same bolt of cloth. After all, both are based on bargain-priced grocery-getters fortified with blown four-cylinders, big rolling stock, and additional aero appendages.

By Jim McCraw

After recently testing the 2009 Toyota Matrix, we ordered up a new Pontiac Vibe AWD for a one-week stay in our test fleet. While the Vibe didn’t knock our socks off with outstanding performance, we commend the little five-door on its all-around usable nature. Click the images below to launch a gallery and click through the jump to read our full impressions.

Imagine being a Hummer engineer.

Just in time for warm weather to grace our Michigan office, a 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 rolled into our test fleet for a fourteen-day stay. For 2009, Benz has removed the manual transmission from the 350, which was one of the best parts of the SLK we tested last year, but we weren’t completely turned off by the 7G-Tronic manu-matic setup which has been added in its place. The new SLK boasts more power and a revised appearance, and it quickly became a dear friend to all of us on staff. Click through the jump to read our full impressions and click the images below to launch a gallery of our SLK350 test car.

So, you want a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, but Stuttgart's two-row SUV isn't spacious enough to swallow your clan and its growing impedimenta. What's a well-heeled enthusiast to do?

A few of our staff members aren’t too smitten with the styling of the new Toyota Matrix, but once we all got time behind the wheel, it didn’t matter. We agree that this car has plenty of power and passengers praised the Matrix’s comfortable interior, as well.

Click through the jump to read our full impressions and click the images below to open a gallery.

Mercedes-AMG brings another 6.2-liter V-8 bomber for the ‘burbs. The thumping SL63 AMG makes us both dismiss and appreciate the outgoing SL55 AMG.

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They called it the Bionic Cheetah. When Infiniti’s radical FX45 debuted in 2003, it was a dead ringer for the like-named show car from a year earlier, which was begotten from a 2001 show car also called the FX45.

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After floundering for a time with noble attempts that didn’t quite cut it, Zagato presents the Bentley GTZ, and nails the whole concept. We spend a day learning the art.

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