“Aw, nuts,” I said to myself when I stepped out of the Volkswagen R32.  “Now I’ve got to add another parking spot to my dream garage.”

Even though construction materials for dream garages are cheap, I don’t say that as frequently as you might think.  This time I had a good reason to because the unassuming Volkswagen Golf you see here is a very special car indeed.  The 2004-only R32 is the hottest Golf ever to grace U.S. shores.  It’s also the first North American Golf with 4Motion all-wheel drive (which …

In spite of the general trend toward bigger and beefier pickups and SUVs, there’s a segment of the marketplace that’s always going to go for the flyweights.  Proud Ford Festiva and Geo Metro drivers (I’ve met more than a few) haven’t been well served in recent years.  The Honda Insight isn’t very practical, and the Kia Rio, while related to the departed Ford Aspire under the skin, just doesn’t have the “small and proud of it” attitude of a Geo Metro.

Tiny-car fans rejoice!  The 2004 Chevrolet Aveo just might be …

We drove the 2004 Suzuki XL-7 back-to-back with several competitors—the Ford Escape, Saturn VUE, Toyota RAV4 and others—and honestly didn’t expect much.  The XL-7 has been around a while, after all, and cars in hotly contested segments like the compact SUV class tend to age about as gracefully as ill-bred racehorses.

We’re happy to report that the XL-7 surprised us.  With a new face and mechanical refinements for 2004, this dark horse proved to be a very strong runner indeed.
Suzuki’s redesign is handsome.  The XL-7’s familiar two-box features get a bolder …

We ended up driving the Buick Rendezvous Ultra back-to-back with the Lincoln LS, and were surprised to find a comparison between the two.  These disparate vehicles share similar levels of luxury and refinement, and we found ourselves choosing the multi-tasking over the sporty LS more than once.  Sure, the Rendezvous is about as sexy as a hamster, and similarly proportioned to boot, but it’s so darn useful that the handsome LS wound up parked more often than not.

The Rendezvous was a significant departure for Buick when it debuted in 2002, …

Regardless of what you know about its origins, the Cadillac XLR is not just a Cadillac Corvette.  It’s true that this big, two-place sedan shares platforms (and an assembly line) with Chevrolet’s legendary sports car, but the wide-track stance and the woof from the exhaust are the only things that are the same.

This high-tech grand tourer for two is a direct attack on German luxocruisers like the Mercedes SL, and it underscores Cadillac’s intent to remain a powerful force in the luxury market.  Like the SL, the XLR has a …

Yes, it looks like a giant Passat.  But it isn’t.

Volkswagen’s new ultra-luxury sedan, the Phaeton, has been criticized for its anonymous face, but we had a moment that belied this.  We found ourselves cruising through upscale Farmington Hills, Michigan, on I-696, and a Mercedes S-Class raced up alongside, braving triple digits to catch up, and then paced us.  Within moments, there was another S-Class on our right, also matching our speed.  The affluent couples in both cars were looking at the Phaeton and talking excitedly to each other.  Even if …

Turn the key and it’s instantly obvious that this is not your average Audi.  Instead of a silky V6 purr, the distinctive burble of a V8 engine resonates through the dual exhausts.  It’s impossible to miss, especially if the top is down.  You don’t need to be told what happens when you give the accelerator a shove, do you?

Audi’s high-performance S4 lineup gets a new addition for 2004.  The S4 sedan and Avant wagon are joined by an S4 version of Audi’s slick A4 cabriolet, bringing high power and athletic …

Buick seems to have been focusing all of its recent energy on moving into new segments; first the Rendezvous crossover, then the Rainer SUV, and next the Terraza minivan.  But what about the sedans that helped to make the brand what it is?  Never fear, Buick hasn’t forgotten its core customers.  The new LaCrosse is proof of that.

Taking its name from the 2000 show car of the same name, the LaCrosse replaces the Century and the Regal in Buick’s lineup.  This simplification makes perfect sense; both the Regal and Century …

For those BMW fans who hated the looks of the 7-Series, redesigned in 2002, and who can’t stand the sight of the new Z4, we have some bad news.  The distinctive “flame surfacing” design theme isn’t going away any time soon, you see.  The 2004 BMW 530i is the latest offering from the German manufacturer to display the carefully sculpted, organic surfaces that have been envisioned on BMW show cars for years.

The new bodywork is evidence of a ground-up redesign.  In addition to the new face, the 530i reenters the …

There’s nothing quite like the confidence of driving with all four wheels.  Case in point:  2004 Audi A4 versus surprise early-spring Michigan snowstorm. As the snow came down and the salt trucks were sluggish to respond, drivers were fishtailing left and right.  The medians were full of overconfident sport-utes. Meanwhile, our serene silver sedan plowed through the worst of it without a complaint, illustrating the results of Audi’s long-term love affair with all-wheel drive.

The A4 is Audi’s lowest-priced entry into the sports sedan market, and it’s a familiar face. Getting …