Second-generation BMW X3 grows up, slims down

Perhaps it's BMW's fault for cramming so many similarly sized vehicles, between-size variants, and remixed configurations into its lineup, but I had the hardest time deciding if the 2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i is too big or too small.

The second-generation vehicle's aesthetic is more wagonlike and it seems to press down into the ground when viewed in the round, which makes it look smaller -- both in photographs and in person -- than the pre-2010 model, which has a more angular, upright design. However, put the models side by side and it becomes apparent that the new … Read more

New Mazda3 sheds pounds, gains connected features

Editors' note: This article has been updated to reflect new reports of an upcoming Mazda3 sedan version.

Today, Mazda pulled the covers off its bread-and-butter hatchback, the Mazda3, which receives a major update for 2014. The car gets a new engine, styling, and cabin electronics, along with a unique head-up display.

Some years ago, the company set off on a program, named Skyactiv, to re-engineer all of its models, giving them modern looks and electronics and greater efficiency. The Mazda3 takes advantage of every facet of the Skyactiv program.

The 2012 Mazda3 benefited from the new 2-liter Skyactiv engine, using … Read more

Mini Paceman sacrifices its soul for passenger comfort

As I swooped the 2013 Mini Cooper S Paceman into turn after turn, window open so I could hear the tires sing their tortured song, the car repeatedly admonished me about "Dangerous cornering." At first I thought it was a compliment, but it was apparently too much excitement for the Driving Excitement feature in the Mini Connected app.

The Mini Connected app is one of the coolest features of the Paceman, combining Google local search, Web radio, social media, and a unique connection to the car for driving enthusiasts.

However, for the Paceman, the app might have been … Read more

With Nismo, the Nissan Juke becomes a hot hatchback

With its squat body, bulbous fenders, and round headlights, Nissan's Juke looks like a frog, but there's an athletic prince hiding under its funky exterior. Since the Juke's launch, a rogue group of Nissanites in the European division revealed that hidden prince with the Juke-R, an amalgam of this odd little hatchback and the budget supercar GT-R.

Nissan HQ took note of the enthusiasm, making the 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo more widely available than the custom-order Juke-R.

Nismo, Nissan's in-house tuner group, may have fallen short of recreating the Juke-R's performance, but it did manage … Read more

It is...the Most Interesting SUV in the World

Were it a person, the Range Rover would be the Most Interesting Man from those cerveza commercials, as at home wearing a suit in a swanky bar as rock-climbing on the weekend.

When Land Rover says this 2013 Range Rover is "all-new," it really means all-new. The latest model to wear the Range Rover badge returns to showrooms with an updated look that stretches elements inspired by the pint-size Evoque over proportions that still read classic Range Rover. The SUV also features a host of new dashboard and safety technologies, but perhaps the biggest change is beneath the … Read more

The RAV4 EV is no Tesla in Toyota clothing

Just about every automaker has an electric vehicle in its lineup now, from the Nissan Leaf to the soon-to-be-released BMW i3, but among this crop of quiet cars there is only one electric SUV. The Toyota RAV4 EV came about as tribute from Tesla Motors, in recompense for Toyota ceding its Fremont, Calif., manufacturing digs. I think Tesla got the best end of that deal.

However, the RAV4 EV, powered by a Tesla Motors driveline, steals a march on Tesla's own upcoming Model X electric SUV. With the Tesla-derived 41.5-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack, the RAV4 EV boasts … Read more

Cadillac's CTS-V Wagon is a rocket ride

Update: A Cadillac spokesperson informed CNET that the company will offer a CTS-V Wagon as a 2014 model based on the current generation. Cadillac will also use this generation for a 2014 CTS Coupe and CTS Sport Wagon. The only model getting the next generation update will be the CTS sedan.

Station wagons, once the family car of choice, plummeted in popularity after the 1970s, making the 2013 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon a rare thing. Such a powerful wagon is an even rarer thing, yet fitting a wagon with CTS-V performance gear seems so right.

The CTS is, of course, the … Read more

Is 75 miles enough range for the Fiat 500e? (review)

Editors' note, June 13, 2013: We've updated our review to include the EPA estimated range alongside our observed values and adjusted our evaluation of the pricing to compensate for available incentives.

It's the end of my first day behind the wheel of the 2013 Fiat 500e and the little Italian hatchback is parked curbside in front of my San Francisco apartment. Chirping the alarm as I walk away, I can't help but marvel at how ordinary the electric car looks. Unless you note the missing tailpipe, there's not much to distinguish the 500e from the other … Read more

New Nissan Sentra integrates Google local search

As I saw previously with the new Altima model, Nissan has taken to a strategy of offering its customers more for the money, in this sense "more" being larger vehicles, bucking a trend in the industry toward smaller cars. The 2013 Nissan Sentra, the newly updated seventh generation of a once compact car, qualifies as midsize under EPA classifications.

The Sentra SL model delivered to CNET was the top trim model, but its base price still came in at just under 20 grand. For that money, the Sentra offered a roomy cabin and a surprisingly large trunk, a … Read more