Infiniti gets into the luxury-hybrid game.

Japanese manufacturers have been leading the hybrid movement from the beginning, but so far Nissan’s only entry has been the Altima hybrid, which licenses its powertrain from Toyota and is only sold in eight states. Now, shortly after announcing the Leaf electric car, Nissan tells us that its Infiniti luxury arm will be getting into the hybrid business with the 2012 M35 hybrid.

Keep Reading: 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid – Official Photos and Info

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Tweaked styling and content for the best-selling Nissan.

The Altima, Nissan’s bread, butter, and jam model, is getting a bevy of visual and equipment changes for 2010. The tweaks start with new hoods, sexier grilles and front fascias, and also include new wheels and paint colors. The rest of the body, including the rear end, is pretty much carried over, no bad thing as we’ve never complained about the styling of the current-generation Altima that’s been with us since 2007. Indeed, the Altima as a whole has warranted so few complaints that it placed second out of seven in our last large-scale comparison test of mid-size sedans.

Some things we have taken issue with, however, were the interior fabrics and materials, many of which have been upgraded for the new model year. The option packages have also been reconstituted, and all Altima models now come with standard stability control.

Keep Reading:  2010 Nissan Altima – Official Photos and Info

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GM imports a rear-driver from the penal colony to help patrol our roads.

Rumor had it that GM would continue to import the Pontiac G8 as a police-package Chevy. It turns out rumor had it wrong—mostly. While the Pontiac G8 is officially dead, another car on its platform is coming from Australia to patrol our roads. GM will allow U.S. police departments to order a cop-spec Chevrolet Caprice beginning next year, with the first cruisers hitting the road in 2011. The Caprice is built on the Holden platform used for the G8 and which also underpins the new Camaro. Holden calls the car Statesman in Australia, while it is rebadged as a Chevy Caprice for sale in the Middle East.

At 118.5 inches, the Caprice rides on the longest wheelbase of any car using GM’s global rear-drive platform; the G8 was nearly four inches shorter between its wheels. Most of that room is accounted for in the larger back seat—GM claims a four-inch advantage in rear legroom over the Ford Crown Victoria.

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV – Car News

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Our 10Best derby was my first experience with the Fusion Hybrid, and for me it was the most agreeable surprise in the 58-car field.

The electronic instrument cluster does a better job of involving the driver than any hybrid I’ve seen, thus promoting the objective of maximizing fuel economy: regardless of my normal driving habits (which I all-too-frequently find myself explaining to police officers), I try to get those gauges into optimum.

However, if the driver has other priorities, the transition between the various hybridic modes, including electric power, is totally transparent, which I regard as a plus. And if the driver finds himself in a hurry, there’s enough muscle to keep pace with traffic—no sense of the anemia that afflicts some hybrids.

Beyond that, this car is exceptionally well put together—not a hint of the dreaded BSRs (buzzes, squeaks, and rattles), and not a hint of quiver in the unibody.

All this and a reasonably high fun-to-drive index. The price premium—over $5000—versus a comparable four-cylinder Fusion is a little tough to digest. But that’s true of all hybrid sedans; all that technology and extra hardware is expensive. And if I was seriously considering a hybrid (as distinct from my purchase choices: Ferraris, Aston Martins, Isotta Fraschinis) the Fusion would be at the top of my list. Unless I found myself seduced by the hybrid version of the Mercury Milan.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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We loved the power, loved the dynamics, loved the looks, hated the quirks. The many quirks.

What is it with Jaguar and electronics? Joseph Lucas, of Lucas electric infamy (still remembered as the Prince of Darkness for the electrical eccentricities of post-WWII Jaguars, among others), has been dead for more than 100 years. And Lucas Industries is not even on the list of suppliers for the XF, but for some reason here’s a contemporary Jag that still seems to be plagued by electrical problems and quirks, even though Jaguar has steadily moved up the J.D. Power quality charts—even climbing to the top in some surveys. Still, in the age of the microchip, quirks involving secondary controls and the nav system can take in quite a bit of territory, diminishing appreciation of otherwise compelling attributes such as knockout styling, a beautiful interior, robust power, and irreproachable dynamics.

Keep Reading: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged – Long-Term Road Test

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In some ways, the most common Infiniti G37, the rear-drive model with a 7-speed automatic, is the best. The transmission launches and shifts flawlessly, and it’s always in the right gear. In the past week, I’ve driven rear-drive automatic G37 sedans both with and without the sport package, and both stand out for their unique combination of refinement, agility, power, and value. Infiniti has obviously taken complaints about ride harshness and noise seriously; the 2009/2010 model, especially without the sport package, is pleasant and supple over long highway jaunts. And it also can attack a back road with plenty of grip and composure. The BMW 3-series has slightly better steering feel and body control, but the G37 is still quite good on both counts. The value story here is that the G37 sedan offers BMW 335i power for BMW 328i money, which is hard to ignore when it’s so close to the 3-series in its driving manners. The G37 also has a spacious rear seat—it’s noticeably larger than that in the BMW 3-series. From where I sit, the 3-series is still the benchmark of the segment, but the G37 could be quite compelling to someone looking for value and space in his or her sport sedan.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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Ford Motor Company has been running ads drawing favorable comparisons between the new Taurus SHO and certain Euro makes that we tend to hold holy. The idea is to get you and us to think of this car as a serious sports sedan.

There’s certainly enough underhood muscle to fortify this kind of thinking. The 365-horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost (EcoBoost is how you say turbo-charged in Ford-speak) V-6 has lovely torque characteristics, and generates a very engaging yowl when the driver summons all it has to give.

Also, the six-speed transmission delivers better than average performance in manumatic mode—holds shifts against the redline as long as you want, and goes to the next gear with reasonable zeal.

Still, accepting the latest SHO as a member of the true sports sedan fraternity stretches my thinking beyond its elasticity. The problem is at ground level, with a suspension system that needs some work, particularly in the realm of damping, and maybe spring rates, too. The SHO turns in with increasing reluctance as speeds climb, and the same can be said for transient responses.

There’s a disconcerting sense of large masses moving up and down when the car is hustled over bumpy surfaces—unsprung weight, perhaps—and far too much road rumble coming up through the suspension.

Understeer and transient response don’t improve much on smooth pavement, but the cabin becomes refreshingly serene.

Know your strengths and recognize your limits—one of life’s little maxims that apply to this car. The SHO looks terrific, outside and in, and aside from abbreviated front seat cushions and diminished rear seat space (the previous 500/Taurus was exemplary on this last) it’s a pleasant place to be as the miles smooth on by.

But in terms of dynamics, its sports sedan report card is no better than C-plus. Ford came up with a term to characterize the most recent Thunderbird: relaxed sportiness. It’s apropos here as well.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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I have a soft spot for the Acura TL sedan. Well, the previous, front-wheel-drive generation from 2004–08. The latest version that launched for 2009 with available SH-AWD all-wheel drive has failed to capture my interest, mostly due to its oddly chiseled appearance and robotic driving experience. That the car was introduced with only a five-speed automatic doesn’t help.

So it was a welcome sight to see a new 2010 version fitted with proper six-speed manual sitting in our 10Best paddock this week. I finally got around to driving it today, and while it doesn’t transform the car into, say, something as dynamic as the 2010 Audi S4, the manual gearbox lends the Acura a degree of driver involvement that it was sorely lacking before. Paired with a 307-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, the extra cog makes the car a bit more lively in the twisties, where you can feel the torque-vectoring rear axle working to pivot the car around corners. The analog feel of the leather-wrapped shifter feels almost out of place in the TL’s tech-heavy cabin, but it’s a breeze to use and has the same precise engagement found in most manual-equipped Acuras and Hondas.

No, it’s not a profound change and the current car still doesn’t win me over like the previous model still does. But it’s a welcoming gesture in our age of super-fast automatics and dual-clutch gearboxes to see a conservative, mainstream automaker rolling out a real three-pedal, shift-your-own transmission in a luxury sedan overflowing with modern technology—and looks it, no less. I fear that this will be an increasingly rare experience in the not-too-distant future, so maybe I’ll give the TL another chance. Now if Acura would only do something about that damn grille.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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If you would you like to save yourself $11,000, read on. For 2010, Jaguar introduced a new 5.0-liter V-8 engine in three different variations. Along with the previous naturally aspirated 300-hp 4.2-liter, the new additions bring the total V-8 offerings in the XF to four. Yes, four V-8 flavors in five different trim levels seems a bit excessive, but I’m here to tell you that the new naturally aspirated 5.0-liter is, in fact, the cat’s meow (yep, I just said that). Pushing 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, the NA 5.0-liter sits toward the bottom of the range behind the 470-hp XF Supercharged and the 510-hp supercharged XFR, but in front of the aforementioned 4.2-liter base motor.

With so many options, we don’t blame you for being confused. But after driving the 5.0-liter today during 10Best, I have to say it is a very wise choice. The engine is very responsive with a lengthy power curve and scores bonus points for a snarly exhaust note. The XF already has a fantastic, quick-acting six-speed automatic transmission and it and the motor make one dynamic combo. Steering is quite communicative and the chassis makes the Jag feel light on its feet. It was truly a pleasure to drive and after my loop was complete, I couldn’t see myself justifying another $11K for the XF Supercharged.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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This week we are running our annual 10Best test, evaluating 59 cars and winnowing them down to ten winners. All week we’ll be bringing you thoughts from our notepads. Here’s the first from today:

It’s funny how I go through the same thing every year during our 10Best testing. I get behind the wheel of all the new contenders and find that there’s hardly a bad car in the bunch. Some of the new models are so good that I start to wonder if there’s a new benchmark. Then I get into the Porsche sports cars (see yesterday’s blog post) and the BMW 3-series and I realize just how far the competition has to go. These long-time benchmarks are still head and shoulders above the rest.

We have a 328i at 10Best with the sport package and virtually no other options. On its face, it’s a $37,000 compact sedan with manually adjustable vinyl seats. So what makes it so great? It’s unflappable. Throw it into a badly pot-holed sweeper at speed and it sails through without any drama. You hear the bumps and they register as pulses through the steering wheel, but your course never changes. Try that in just about anything else at the same speed, and it will bounce and sidestep its way into the next lane. There’s still no other sedan under $40,000 that can rival the 328i’s steering feel and handling poise, and that’s why I find it one of the most rewarding driver’s cars on the planet.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

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1. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Audi S4
2. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Jaguar XF
3. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost