A member of THE H.A.M.B. forum posted the picture from the review showing his car being raced against the X6. The car's owner stated:

This months car and driver has a artical about a bmw twin turbo suv that goes anywhere,hauls anything and beats anything.They show it hauling bails of straw and driving on the e-way and then beating a stright axle,fuel injected,altered wheelbase 63 chevy II on the dragstrip................Whooooooa. That is my chevy and that little red suv couldn't beat my car in its wildest dreams. Do they really have to photo crop and mis-represent the public into thinking if they buy a bmw suv,then thay too can do what their mag says. I hope someone who advertises in that book see's this and decides on why they support the down rite lies they print.

Though the article never explicitly states that it's racing the other cars, the phot ogallery is full of shots of the X6 racing various vehicles it turns out weren't actually there. So what does CarandDriver have to say about this? They use this obviously embarrassing moment to take a tongue-in-cheek potshot at John Phillips, a writer for the buff book who penned the article.

CarandDriver Official Response:
John Phillips became so attached to the BMW X6M that it - appropriately enough - triggered many irrational responses. One of these was his insistence that we photoshop the BMW beating the clearly superior Chevy Nova. Any attempt to dissuade him - by telling him, for instance, that only an idiot would believe a BMW SUV could beat a purpose-built drag car - just resulted in heated calls to the suicide hotline and even more foaming at the mouth than usual.

It's funny, but we think CarandDriver needs to either apologize to the owners whose cars were being portrayed as losers or actually race them for pinks. We'll even pay Csaba to come out and judge.

(Hat tip to Cody!) [THE H.A.M.B.]

As to My Bona Fides: Standing on the shoulders of giants.

With those first tentative whacks at my new iMac, I officially begin my tenure as Car and Driver's 18th editor-in-chief. I also officially paraphrase the opening lines of David E. Davis Jr.'s column for the inaugural issue of Automobile, the magazine he started in 1986 after his second run as editor here. I got into the business of writing about cars, and into cars themselves, largely because of David E. When I went to work for him at Automobile in 1991 as a college intern, it was the fulfillment of my fevered, 19-year-old dreams. The first day on the job, I stepped into his office wallpapered with framed photos of him with Jackie Stewart, Carroll Shelby, and Jim Clark and felt as if I had entered the nerve center of American automotive enthusiasm. There he sat-large as a bear, dressed like a billionaire, and surrounded by the evidence of a life well lived. Now I step into his indelible footprints, laid down in the '60s, as I write in the same space.

DED Jr. inspired generations of car enthusiasts with his ability to depict cars as somehow more than just machines. When David E. sets his fingers to a keyboard, the whole history of the automobile comes flooding out-short, self-contained stories of human achievement and conflict and passion. His writing made me see man's best ambitions reflected in cars' bodywork.

I started reading him at the urging of my father, Mickey. I believe that car enthusiasm is largely hereditary, and my dad's automotive syllabus went from ABCs to DEDs. His enthusiasm was catholic. Our detached garage, sited three miles north of the Detroit city limits, may have actually had revolving doors. The old man went swiftly from a Porsche 356B convertible to a Series I Jag E-type to a toothpaste-green 1950 Buick to a big-block Vette to a Model T to a smattering of lesser Ferraris. One of my fondest memories of our driving together was back in the '80s, prowling richer Connecticut for pre-boom, front-engine V-12 Ferraris. I think he demonstrated far too much impulse control by not plunking down for that ratty, $55,000 275GTS. Had he bought it, I'd probably be writing this from my parents' vacation compound on Alterman Island.

This perch, I'd argue, is better still. I enter an office previously held by Csaba Csere, a man with a brilliant and agile mind, a deep passion for automobiles, and a breathtaking knowledge of automotive engineering. The long run of his editorship coincided with what is arguably the finest era in automotive history, and he presented it with the depth, insight, and fearlessness that are at the heart of this magazine. Like all of Car and Driver's great editors-garagehold names such as Davis, Purdy, Brown, Mandel, Sherman, Yates, Jeanes, and Ludvigsen-Csaba told us what to think, and we listened.

It's humbling to think of my name alongside those. I'm not quite sure what I did to deserve this, the greatest job in the known universe. Car and Driver has the best content, the best heritage, and the best future of any car magazine. It's bigger than its category-it's an American icon, a brand whose name has become shorthand for car magazines in general, in the way that Coke stands for cola. I promise not to turn C/D into New Coke. My job is to keep this great institution thriving and true to itself, and to bring you all the authority, independence, and general outrageousness of Car and Driver wherever and however you may want it-in paper form, online, on your phone, or in ways that haven't been invented yet.

As for my bona fides, I'm going to let one of my mentors say it for me. Here's David E., from his first Automobile column:

"I am a car enthusiast. I love automobiles, especially the great ones. I have chosen this line of work because it keeps me in intimate, hourly contact with automobiles, along with people who drive them and the people who design and build them. I am not an automotive expert, nor a pundit, nor an analyst. I am a car nut, better informed than some, perhaps, because I've been able to eat, sleep, and drink cars for the past 35 years, but a car nut nonetheless." - Eddie Alterman

While manufacturer sponsorship doesn't provide the majority of NASCAR's funding - that honor goes to mainstream sponsors like Mello Yello — it is a key part of the race series' equation. Manufacturers like GM and Chrysler provide funding for racetracks, key engineering know-how and parts. There's also the historic connection between NASCAR and the manufacturers; 17 cars wear Chevy badges at NASCAR's top level.

Car and Driver, not recently known for either humor or relevance but benefiting from a revival under new EiC Eddie Alterman, reported President Obama had ordered Chevy and Dodge out of NASCAR as part of an April Fool's Day prank. NASCAR didn't get the joke, with many teams, fans, executives and assorted rednecks believing the news.

That shock has apparently awoken the above parties to the real possibility of losing the support of two brands most closely associated with going fast and turning left and instead relying on the support of newcomers like Toyota. While NASCAR claims it'd survive both financially and emotionally, we get the feeling that they're pouring a little cheap beer out for their homies at the not-so-Big Three. Humor's always best when it causes the target to get all introspective, thus proving they never really got the joke. [via NASCAR]

The following missive from Jamie and the boys at Motive confirm the online-only magazine will close its doors so the staff can focus on their other sites like VWVortex, Fourtitude, Swedespeed, Mwerks, and Turbonines. It's sad to see a publication that desperately tried to merge the worlds of blogging with forums, but we wish the team luck and hope this "hiatus" ends up being just that.

We wish you guys all the best.


From Jamie and the rest of the Motive staff:

As many of you know, Motive's Editor-In-Chief Eddie Alterman has left our team to take the position of Editor-In-Chief at Car and Driver magazine. Essentially, Eddie's new job is the equivalent of playing for the Yankees, and hey, we can't blame him. Most of the Motive staff grew up with "old-school" Car and Driver and miss dearly the witty articles, off-the-wall stuff and general "fun" that Car and Driver used to be. Eddie has a unique opportunity to try and bring that "flavor" back to Car and Driver and (with the hopeful support of a French-owned publishing giant) we are anxious to see what he and the rest of the team over there have in store for us.

So that brings us back to Motive. After a lot of soul searching, alcohol, painful deliberation and more (alcohol) we have decided to put Motive on ice for now. With nervous investors, a horrible economy, the loss of Eddie and other factors, the decision, while not an easy one, has become clear. We've had a good ride with Motive and we'll miss it dearly. While we didn't accomplish everything we set out to do, we certainly did accomplish an awful lot, including proving to ourselves and to you that we could do something a little different that was a little more fun and inspiring.

Over the next several weeks we'll be running a few more new car reviews and we'll sprinkle a few "Best of Motive" pieces that are some of our favorites. After that we won't be updating the site regularly, but we will leave it up— there is still a lot of good material there. And don't worry, the discussion forums won't be affected by this in any way - they were here before Motive and will be here after Motive.

Motive introduced us to a lot of new technology and processes, and those are going to be integrated into all of our brand-specific websites (VWVortex, Fourtitude, Swedespeed, Mwerks, and Turbonines, for those of you not in the know.) We will be redesigning all of those websites in the coming months, and you'll definitely see shadows of Motive in the re-designs. We also have plans to launch something entirely new later this summer. I don't want to give away all the details yet, but we think some of you will be excited.

Every one of us that was involved in making Motive happen would like to say thanks to all of you that supported us and those of you whose critiques have pushed us to deliver our best work. The emails, IMs, and private messages of support meant a lot to all of us and we'll miss it. In the mean time we have a lot of cool stuff to work on, and we look forward to giving everyone another update in a few months.

- Jamie and the rest of the Motive staff

[via Motive]

My dad gave me my a subscription to Car & Driver when I was just nine years old. Every year after, I would save up money made doing chores just to re-up that subscription. The magazine meant enough to me I even saved almost six years of issues before my mom made me throw the lot of them away. I remember crying when she made me toss them. It was, I'm sure, like that for many other Jalopnik readers. Well, maybe not the teary-eyes part.

But, like many of us here at Jalopnik, we found, at some point between now and then, the buff book we once loved became tarnished, losing that magical shine. I stopped reading it regularly almost a decade ago, now only picking it up in airports or when I see a friendly name on the cover.

Until today. You see, we haven't heard much good news these days. The Carpocalypse has seemingly consumed almost everything we cover. Which is why we're actually joyfully shocked to be announcing Eddie's appointment.

Just as proudly, our sources at Hachette inform us that Jalopnik, by highlighting Eddie, and highlighting the painful misstep of a pretender to the throne of the auto buff books, played a major role in getting Alterman's name in front of the right people. But we feel confident it was Eddie who took it from there.

Eddie's a man who we consider to be a friend. But more importantly to the task at hand, Eddie has the strength of ideas necessary to restore Car & Driver to the top of the auto buff book food chain. Which is why our warmest wishes go out to Eddie AltermanI'll be signing up for a subscription again because I want to see what Eddie does to the place — but also because I hope to one day have the same feelings I once felt when I received my copy of Car & Driver in the mailbox each month.

Why is Eddie so great? In a changing media environment he's one of the few people who has found success in car mags, newspapers and online. He isn't just familiar with the automotive community online, as so many frightened buff book editors claim to be, he's actually helped establish Motive as a player in the new media world of car journalism. For instance, he knows how to properly credit stories to websites, a basic skill few on the other side of the media world understand. Car & Driver and CarAndDriver.com currently function as two separate organizations to the detriment of both the publication and its readers. Eddie can bring them together where they belong.

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. Names Eddie Alterman Vice President, Editor In Chief of Car and Driver

New York, N.Y. (February 25, 2009) - Alain Lemarchand, President and
CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) announced today that
Eddie Alterman has been named Vice President, Editor In Chief of Car
and Driver. Alterman will report to Lemarchand will begin his new
position on Monday, March 2, 2009. HFM U.S. Group Editorial Director
John Owens has served as acting editor in chief since Csaba Csere's
departure two months ago.

"We are fortunate to have Eddie Alterman joining us as the editorial
head of one of our largest and most important brands. He is a
respected journalist and has extensive experience in automotive both
in print and digital content. He and John Driscoll, Vice President,
Publisher Automotive Group, will make a great team," said Lemarchand.
"We're confident that Alterman and his group will be able to create
outstanding content that will accelerate the growth of the brand by
enlarging the audiences of automotive enthusiasts as well as consumers
who look to Car and Driver and CarandDriver.com for credible advice
and reviews when they are buying a car."

In 2006, Alterman was founder and Editor In Chief of Motivemag.com, an
online car magazine combining original editorial and user-generated
content. Before that Alterman founded and served as Editor In Chief
of MPH's magazine and website. He also coordinated advertising and
marketing effort for print and online and was named one of Crain's
Detroit Business's "40 Under 40" young leaders. Alterman worked for
Men's Journal and began writing the magazine's car column and
automotive feature stories from 2006 to present. During his tenure
with Automobile, he developed and supervised the brand's web site and
maintained writing, editing, and custom-publishing responsibilities.

About Car and Driver

Car and Driver's expert editorial team is recognized by car
enthusiasts and automotive manufacturers as credible journalists who
practice to the highest standards. The magazine is published by
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. twelve times each year delivering an
audience of over 11 million readers monthly (source: MRI Fall 2008).
With a circulation of 1.3 million copies (ABC Jan-June 2008), Car and
Driver is the world's largest monthly automotive magazine. The
magazine is a leading publication for in-market buyers, and the Car
and Driver brand extends to many platforms including a web site,
mobile site, radio, custom marketing programs and an integrated
marketing database. CarandDriver.com
relaunched last year with an easy-to-search format for the consumer
which combines Car and Driver's credible car reviews with improved
searchability and tools for people who are in the market to buy a car.
CarandDriver.com's advertising is sold by Jumpstart Automotive Media,
an HFM U.S. company.

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (www.hfmus.com
) enthusiast brands and targeted media products reach nearly 60
million consumers through magazines, online and mobile content. The
company's editorial hallmarks are trusted expert content along with
independent product testing. Our prestigious brands fall into five
sectors and include: Fashion (ELLE, ELLEgirl); Automotive (Car and
Driver, Road & Track, Jumpstart Automotive Media); The Luxury Design
Group (ELLE DECOR, Metropolitan Home, PointClickHome); Women & Health
(Woman's Day and Woman's Day Special Interest Group) and Enthusiasts
(American Photo, Boating, Cycle World, Flying, Popular Photography,
Premiere and Sound & Vision). HFM U.S. Total Solutions marketing
initiative packages these assets across brands and platforms with
customized marketing programs. HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère's
(www.lagardere.com) media division Lagardère Active, a producer of
special interest content in over 40 countries.

We've had a number of reservations about Hachette's choice to put a non-car guy at the helm of Car & Driver, their august money-maker. Now we have only one — and it's this rough draft of his first Editor's Column (called the "Steering Column" under Csere) we've procured by way of all sorts of nefarious means (Ed.- it was anonymously e-mailed to us). Frankly, we've seen better copy coming from our interns than this loathsome attempt at a listicle of "FIVE CARS THAT SHOULD BE STARS." We've kept editorializing to a minimum below because this piece of hackneyed and schmaltzy dreck speaks for itself.

File Name: EditorColumn4.doc
Date Due: Jan 15
Date Submitted: Jan 8
Assigned Count: 950-975 words; 5600-5700 characters
Actual Count: 810 words as submitted

[TITLE] THE GREAT UNDER-RATED
[BLURB] FIVE CARS THAT SHOULD BE STARS.
SUGGESTED CALLOUT ????

When the topic is iron, aluminum, and sheetmetal, the know-it-alls are like talking dolls. Pull the string, and they're yammering about the all-stars. BMW, Mercedes, Por-sche, Zs, blah, blah, blah. Thanks, but it's all been said before. So I'll pass on this conver-sation and concentrate on emptying the nut bowl.
What would be interesting is to hear someone stand up for Hyundai, or heaven forbid, Pontiac. Because to do that, you'd really have to know cars.
Interestingly, those very names jumped to the top when the talk in the Car and Driver offices recently turned to under-rated cars. Vehicles we know and love that haven't caught on with car-buyers the way we be-lieve they should.
"What's under-rated? Anything Korean or American," quipped Mike Dushane, Executive Editor of CarandDriver.com.
As you can see by our list of overlooked gems, there's truth in that. Though each one isn't a hard-core enthusiast car, each de-serves more respect.
Pontiac G8 GT
This Aussie import has nothing left to prove. Yet where's the love?
It beat the Dodge Charger R/T in our shootout (June 2008). With the optional 6.0-liter V-8, it's a rocket off the line (0-60 in 5.2 sec). A braking champ, too, with stop-ping power that rivals a tailhook on the flight deck. Inside are the best seats of any GM car.
"And It drives like an old BMW," says Associate Editor Tony Quiroga.
A backhanded compliment?
Not at all," insists G8 fan Quiroga. "That's better than 99% of the cars on the road."
Okay, its radio is so awful that the INS should deport it for crimes against ears, but the G8 remains one helluva deal, selling in the $30k range set up the way a serious driver would want.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Here in the crossover class, the Nissan Murano casts a big shadow. The Nissan did, after all, outscore the Santa Fee and all other contenders in our crossover shootout last year (June 2008).
We like the stiffness and snap of the Murano's handling, but we all have neighbors who prefer a cushy, luxe-car ride, and for them, the Santa Fe is the way to go. It also will save them a few bucks over the Murano (granted in the $32k Limited AWD dress, only a few). Another practical consideration: unlike the Murano, the Santa Fe can be fitted with third- row seats.
Perhaps the Santa Fe will get closer to the spotlight thanks to the widespread praise for Hyundai's new Lexus-challenging sedan, the Genesis. Or, more than likely, this refined but decidedly unglamorous family-hauler will end of up in the shadow of its sexy new sister.
Infinity M45 Sport
How can you whoop a BMW (550i), a Mercedes (E550), and a Lexus (GS450h), yet still not achieve top-of-mind greatness? Dunno, but the M45's done it. Granted, the whooping took place in our November 2006 issue, but the fundamentals that brought the M45 to victory remain: good looks, lots of performance, and more than those other mar-ques give you for 50 grand. Its 0-60, 0-100, and 0-130 times are (at 5.9, 14.5, and 28.4 sec, respectively) the slowest of its peer group. Its braking and steering, however, are enviable. And let's not forget the theme of the $50k bargain.
"You get a V-8 for a V-6 price," says Quiroga. "In fact, with today's 5-Series, you'd only get an inline six for that money."
Mazda 5
"This one flies under the radar," says Ex-ecutive Editor Mark Gillies, "but it's a terri-fic little people-mover.
Six people in all, along with assorted soc-cer balls, hockey skates, or paraphernalia for a Wicken sacrifice.
"Dirt cheap," comes a chorus from the Tech Department. Especially when com-pared with the larger Nissan Quest ($18k vs. $27k, base).
"And it's available with a manual trans-mission," adds Erik Johnson, website Senior Editor. "It's the only vehicle with sliding doors that has that option."
Add to that a spunky, 2.3-liter inline-4, and you've got (oxymoron alert!) a car-enthusiast's minivan.
Ford Fusion SE
Okay, it finished third in this month's shootout against the Mazda 6i and Honda Accord EX-L ("Hidden Talents," page xxx). But as Contributing Editor Barry Winfield says in the article, "Even if we had 10 cars in this comparo, the Fusion would still be in the top three." Surprising for the progeny of Detroit? Not for those of us who've been looking closely.
"The chassis, the drivetrain, they're all very sound," says shootout writer Tony Swan. "And terrific quality." Fit, finish, en-gineering. Take that, American-car skeptics.
The suspension isn't enthusiast taut, but it's great for those craving transportation that's comfortable, low-cost ($tk), and fuel-miserly (24 mpg in our winding-road test runs). It's far from perfect (Swan hates the chrome), but the latest version of the Fusion is an exceptional mid-sized car. Turn to the shootout for all the details.

Look Hachette, can we talk over here at camera three for a moment? OK, we know you needed someone to run the show because daddy went off to war, and we couldn't leave little Mark in charge of the family and the family farm. For god's sake, he's not even tall old enough to reach the pedals of the tractor! So we know you had to put someone in charge.

But seriously, did you have to put the town's crazy drama teacher in the master bedroom? Because now that daddy's not coming back, he thinks he's daddy and he's putting on a small-town version of "Starlight Express." Next thing you know, he starts imagining he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, the house is his, and he's sending Mark off to boarding school so he can have the rest of the kids playing dress up in his "special" plays. We just can't have that. Next time, if you're not going to immediately find mommy a new daddy who's capable, can you at least leave someone to babysit who's not going to start crapping in the kitchen sink? We mean, come on, we'll loan you an intern if you need someone. OK, thanks. Now go back to media moguling or something.

After yesterday's resignation of long-time Car & Driver chieftain Csaba Csere, it's important we get someone in the job of Editor-in-Chief over there who can help save the buffest of auto buff books, someone who can merge what car lovers want to read with what car engineers want to write. Most importantly, someone who can make us want to again read Car & Driver — and not just for the tiny bits and pieces lucky enough to make it through the editorial process.

Also, they've really got to merge the website with the magazine. This separation thing is getting silly. But whatever — Eddie's the man who can do it!

Next up: "Save The Buff Books" and "Save Car & Driver, Save The World" T-Shirts!

Photo / Graphic Credit: KORSdesign

After this morning's announcement of Csaba Csere's resignation and our subsequent Question of the Day throwing our support behind Eddie Alterman for Editor-in-Chief of Car & Driver magazine (thanks for the nominations for me, but it'd be a cold day in hell before HFMUS even considered calling me for my opinion, much less putting my name on a short list), we think it's high time you jump on the bandwagon too. If you're on-board the Alterman train, send letters of support to:

Eddie Alterman For Car & Driver Editor-in-Chief
c/o John C. Driscoll Jr., HFMUS
1633 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

And remember...Yes we can!

We've been given no reason, but Csere has been in charge of Car and Driver since 1993 and with the magazine since 1980. Hachette will now be conducting a search for Csere's replacement.

UPDATE: The automotive pundictroacy is all atwitter about whether Car And Driver is looking to make the move out of Ann Arbor and out to sunny California to join their comrades at Road & Track. We've also learned Csaba may have taken issue with Hachette's desire to foster greater combining of assets with Road & Track in a bid to save money. We're still getting more and we'll share it when we've got it.

UPDATE 2: Hachette has issued an official press release about Csere's departure, its full text follows:

CSABA CSERE, VICE PRESIDENT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CAR AND DRIVER WILL BE

LEAVING HACHETTE FILIPACCHI MEDIA U.S. AT THE END OF THE YEAR

John Owens, Senior Vice President, Group Editorial Director for the Men’s Titles,
Named Acting Editor-in-Chief

New York City (December 16, 2008) – Alain Lemarchand, President & CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S., www.hfmus.com) announced today that Csaba Csere, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Car and Driver, will be leaving the company at the end of the year. Senior Vice President, Group Editorial Director John Owens will be Acting Editor-in-Chief until a permanent replacement is named.

“Csaba is widely respected as one of the top authorities on cars and the automotive industry, making regular appearances on national television programs like The Today Show, NBC and CNN to comment on new models as well as the business of the automotive industry. We thank Csaba for his contributions at this magazine and wish him all the best in the future,” commented Lemarchand.

Car and Driver’s expert editorial team is recognized by car enthusiasts and automotive manufacturers as credible journalists who practice to the highest standards. The magazine is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (www.hfmus.com) twelve times each year delivering an audience of over 10 million readers monthly (source: MRI Fall 2008). With a circulation of over 1.3 million copies (ABC Jan-June 2008), the Car and Driver is the world’s largest monthly automotive magazine. The magazine is a leading publication for in-market buyers, and the Car and Driver brand extends to many platforms including websites, mobile sites, radio, custom marketing programs and an integrated marketing database.

Car And Driver 2009 10BEST
• BMW 3-Series/M3

• Cadillac CTS

• Chevrolet Corvette

• Honda Accord

• Honda Fit

• Infiniti G37

• Jaguar XF

• Mazda MX-5

• Porsche Boxster/Cayman

• Volkswagen GTI

It looks like the Mazda3 and Chevy Malibu are out in favor of the Infiniti G37 and Jaguar XF. Sorry guys, better luck next year.

CAR AND DRIVER ANNOUNCES "10BEST" CARS FOR 2009
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Car and Driver magazine, the world's No. 1 automotive enthusiast publication, today announced its 27th annual list of "10Best" cars sold in America. The industry may be in a state of upheaval but, when selecting the world's most coveted automobiles, some things have managed to stay the same.

Car and Driver selected eight of ten repeat winners from a year ago, with several models appearing for the umpteenth time. General Motors claimed two spots, but imports once again dominate the list, which is featured in the January 2009 issue hitting newsstands in December.

Following are the 2009 Car and Driver 10Best winners (in alphabetical order), followed by the number of times each model has made the list:

• BMW 3-Series/M3 (18)

• Cadillac CTS (2)

• Chevrolet Corvette (15)

• Honda Accord (23)

• Honda Fit (3)

• Infiniti G37

• Jaguar XF

• Mazda MX-5 (10)

• Porsche Boxster/Cayman (10)

• Volkswagen GTI (4)

Newcomers to the 10Best list include the Infiniti G37 premium high performance sports sedan, which underwent extensive changes to enhance its performance and handling. Also joining the group for the first time is the Jaguar XF, hailed by many for its modern styling and beautiful lines that distinguish it in its category. And the Honda Fit that made the list this year is a redesigned version of the car that had been selected to the list twice previously.

For the second consecutive year, General Motors was the only American manufacturer to make the 10Best rankings, placing two vehicles on the list. The Cadillac CTS has made its mark among drivers of luxury sports sedans and is on the list for a second year in a row. The Chevrolet Corvette, continues its reign in the sports car category, selected for a 15th time.

Other venerable returnees include the Honda Accord, recognized for a record 23rd time, and the BMW 3-Series, making its appearance on the Car and Driver list for a record 18 consecutive years. The Porsche Boxster/Cayman and Mazda MX-5 are on the 10Best list for the tenth year each. Rounding out the winners is the Volkswagen GTI, honored for the fourth time.

"The industry is evolving, but some things stay the same, including the intense competition between domestic and foreign manufacturers making this contest tougher to judge every year," said Csaba Csere, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver.

A panel of 19 Car and Driver editors determined the winners by rating them on a scale of 1-100 with a focus on functional performance, driving satisfaction and value. Vehicles considered for the award must be available in the United States by January 2009 and priced below $71,000, or 2.5 times the average transaction price as of summer 2008. Winners from the previous year are re-nominated if still available under the price cap.

[CarandDriver.com via Wonkette]

BMW 3-Series Cadillac CTS Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Malibu Honda Accord Honda Fit Mazda MX-5 MazdaSpeed3 Porsche Boxster / Cayman VW GTi

UPDATE: Car & Driver now has it up on their website.

Related:
Exclusive! Scion xD and xB Break Out From Their Embargo Box; Jalopnik Question Of The Day: Do Sponsored Reviews Compromise Objectivity? [internal]

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

How Auto Mags Are Turning Reviews Into Digital Ad Revenue [AdAge]

Related:
Ad Watch: Ford Will Challenge Your Mid-Size To A Duel And Pay Car & Driver To Make It Happen [internal]

The shootout-obsessives over at Car and Driver set out to determine the quickest cars one can pick up with relative chump change. Interestingly, only two models are sports cars: The Nissan 350Z and GM's Kappa roadster twins in hi-po trim. Even more interestingly, the automatic Kappa twins placed higher than the manual versions. Click through for the list after the jump. Oh, and we're not shocked by the winner in the least. – Davey G. Johnson

Tenth Place: Subaru Forester 2.5XT
Ninth Place: Pontiac Grand Prix GXP
Eighth Place: Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Red Line (manual)
Seventh Place: Chevrolet Impala SS
Sixth Place: Nissan 350Z
Fifth Place: Mazdaspeed 6
Fourth Place: Subaru Legacy 2.5GT
Third Place: Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Red Line (automatic)
Second Place: Ford Mustang GT
First Place: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS

The Quickest Cars of 2007: $25,000 to $30,000 [Car and Driver]

Related:
Wa Hey! C/D Announces 10Best [Internal]