"Never mind the fact that it's often caused by drivers mixing up their pedals"

Hey, I totally see your point. I hesitated years ago when buying a first-gen Audi TT knowing it was built on a Golf platform, though in the end I was sold on its (then totally unique) style. Still, the S3 sounds like it will have little commonality with VWs, and certainly less commonality than the CLA has with the…

Just when I thought this ... thing couldn't get any more horrific, I read these words: "the Cherokee does in fact ride on a Fiat platform that is also used in the new Dodge Dart." In other words, one of Jeep's two iconic brands — which are supposed to represent outdoor prowess on a level shared only with the Toyota…

I concur, and I'm surprised the Durango ever "fell off Travis's radar." Surely he remembers that the Durango and Grand Cherokee share the same platform, one stemming from the previous-gen ML-class Benz (development of the vehicles obviously started before DaimlerChrysler broke up).

There's one that's caught my eye over the CLA, though it won't be here until next year: the S3. 0-60 in 4.9 sec., priced at $39K well-equipped, typically gorgeous Audi interior, arguably the best-looking Audi aside from the A8/S8, and unlike the Benz it'll have a REAL AWD system. As I've said elsewhere, remember that,…

For the record, BMW only started it last year when they introduced the 2.0-liter turbo for every _28i model (and the M1 and, I assume, Z4 and presumably M3).

Screw the 135i with a manual: with the DCT option it ties the CLA 45's 0-60 time of 4.6 sec., per C&D: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-b… - and per BMW, the 135is is 0.2 sec quicker, which would deduce a 4.4 sec 0-60 time.

According to the spec sheet Jalopnik posted a few weeks ago, there will *definitely* be a 4MATIC.

Also, I remember reading an article in The Guardian a while back that dismissed the very impressive Audi A6 (now arguably superior to the BMW 5-series) as a "boring banker's car." Ha!

See, here in the U.S. the 3-series isn't even *mentioned* in the same breath as the Mondeo (or, rather, our version of it, the Fusion). Nor is the Focus positioned against any Audi or Benz (though the Focus ST is positioned against the VW GTI). OTOH we don't get any of the hatchback versions of the German vehicles,…

There's a difference between "new $70K Porsche money" and "used 2002 Porsche money." Yes, the Boxster wins on the numbers & stats every time. But there's a REASON why a $52,000 MSRP car is priced the same used as a $32,000 MSRP Honda: the maintenance and repair costs could very well bankrupt you. A Boxster may not be…

I think people are forgetting that there will also be a 4MATIC (AWD) version of the CLA, should FWD prove a problem in terms of performance.

There's not a chance I'd buy a 320i over a 328i (which, technically speaking, should *also* be called a 320i given its 2.0-liter engine, but clearly BMW has followed Benz in throwing model names correlative to actual engine size out the window). As for the CLA, I'm troubled by the FWD aspect of it, too, but am waiting…

The 1-series, here in the U.S. at least, is a 3-series in all but size/body: same engines, same basic hardware, slightly better performance (thanks to its lighter weight). Also, the 135i is the only non-M Bimmer available with a DCT system.

Right there with you. The 900 is my favorite '80s-era car with the exception of the BMW 6-series. It's a travesty to destroy one in the name of making a video no one will watch (seriously, nobody but high schoolers watches videos these days, and when they do it's usually Rihanna or Katy Perry or similar pop crap).

Agreed on the Beetle: "meh." That said, I consider it a travesty that two cars in particular were left off this list:

Re: #3 - the cupholders on the E46 are bad; the ones on the E90 are much worse. The pop-out (!!) cupholder on the passenger size will projectile-eject any drink larger than 20 oz. across the car in too many everyday situations to even count, including coming to a relatively fast (but not emergency) stop and taking a…

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the commercial's obvious influence/homage to "Knight Rider."

Um, no, they're not — which I say as a 27-year resident of Austin. You might see F-250s in the 'burbs (The Domain counts as the 'burbs btw), but a beast like that is anathema in Austin proper. It's partly because Austin's generally upscale inner-city residents see themselves as bourgeois bohemians, and thus flock to…

My dad's first BMW, of many to follow, was a 1980 320i. We've both been hooked on them ever since (he presently has a F10 550i; I have an E46 330Ci).