Auto Reviews

L.A.’s hometown auto show will see a bit of a turf war in the high-horsepower world of performance SUVs when it opens its doors to the media in two weeks.

The Mini Cooper has fought hard to seem quirky and irreverent since its rebirth 12 years ago, but don't be fooled by its charm offensive.

Porsche's all-new 911 Targa 4S makes you wonder whether its engineers ever get any time off.

Consider the new Cadillac Escalade lipstick on a cow.

It is the people's car from the company that invented the concept.

After years of worrying about the stuff that matters — comfort, reliability, quality — Hyundai focused on the superficial with its all-new Genesis luxury sedan.

A year ago, Jaguar resurrected the brand's sex appeal with the F-Type convertible, a two-seater with park-it-out-front styling and a trio of supercharged engines.

There's a schoolyard brawl breaking out among German sport sedans, and Audi's all-new A3 is the latest to join the fray.

For several years, Volkswagen has been watching the race to develop viable electric cars from the sidelines.

Nissan, in a move that defies common sense and possibly physics, has found a way to make its Juke more weird.

Supercars are just so predictable.

Before you scoff at the idea of Kia's all-new $66,000 K900 full-size sedan, remember Lexus.

The 2014 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid and all-electric i3 combine electrification with lightweight construction and eye-catching designs.

The new Fit has lost the crisp handling and connection to the road that made its earlier iterations stand out from the conservative class of subcompacts.

The Porsche Turbo S is a high-tech weapon aimed at the limits of physics, including being the fastest, most powerful — and most expensive 911.

Volkswagen's Jetta TDI Value Edition comes with the same diesel engine used across VW's lineup in a stripped-down package with an aggressive price.

The Nissan Versa, Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage are the three least expensive cars on the market. But these budget-mobiles aren't necessarily good values.

Test drives of the two sub-compact cars reveals stark differences in quality and performance.

Roaring down a racetrack at 140 mph, plowing through a chicane, carving up a hairpin turn, this is not the typical environment of Bentleys.

Maserati's all-new Ghibli and redesigned Quattroporte sports sedans are long on style and performance but short on interior refinement.

Its resume reads like an overachieving supercar.

GM hopes the overhaul it has given the new Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon will maintain its dominance in the full-size sector as it continues to milk big profits from a waning market.

Aside from the cramped third-row seat, the rest of the changes to the 2014 Highlander are good ones. Toyota gave it a handsome new body, a more refined cabin and more safety and technology.

Both models get an overhauled chassis and fresh styling. Subaru also dumps the hatchback version, offering only a sedan.

Same great hatchback flavor. Now with less fuel!

The compact Jeep Cherokee is refined and quiet enough to match any of its competitors, including the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, but it comes up short in cargo space.

The BMW 4-Series convertible picks up where the 3-Series left off, with solid fundamentals and handsome yet restrained style.

BMW's X5 xDrive35i is the more practical of the two luxury mid-size SUVs and wins in efficiency, but the Range Rover Sport V-6 HSE has the edge in looks and being fun to drive.