The first leg of the 22-mile Rubicon Trail is over granite boulders the size of Yugos. Springs are compressed. Spines are compressed. Axles teeter-totter wildly, wheels pawing the air. We hear scraping, crinkling, lacerating, screeching, crumbling, spurting, and cursing.

After that, things turn bad.

The Rubicon begins just west of Lake Tahoe, 6060 feet up, in California's Eldorado National Forest. It takes nine hours to drive to a campsite that could be reached on foot in two. After a night in a canvas tent mountain-chilled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, we will spend four hours crawling to a paved road and then require at least two hours to locate the nearest frame shop with an on-staff chiropractor. The trail runs red with transmission fluid. Helicopters are occasionally summoned to ferry out the dead driveshafts. In our April 2006 story "Rock-Hopper SUVs," we steered a bunch of trucks up a trail rated Category Five, and a few editors were heard crying out to their mommies. The Rubicon is rated Category 10-Plus, of which our off-road book says, "The driveway to Hell, which is paved with the Devil's bowling balls," or words to that effect.

The Rubicon would fatally charley horse a Honda Pilot and chew up a RAV4 like so much Bubblicious. The Jeep Wrangler, especially the all-rawhide Rubicon edition with its extra ground clearance, has no competitors. The stuff list includes 32-inch sidewall-reinforced BFGoodrich tires, a 4:1 "Rock-Trac" low-range transfer case, locking front and rear Dana 44 axles, and a pushbutton-detachable front anti-roll bar (for extra axle teeter-tottering). Okay, the Hummer H3 is pretty adept in dirt, but its count of pushbutton, lockable, detachable doohickeys is way down on the Rubicon's.

Starting at $28,895 (or $31,180 as pictured here with the $695 removable hardtop and upgraded radio), the Unlimited is Jeep's first four-door Wrangler. Along with the expected body count, luxury goes up as well with optional power windows, another notable first for the Wrangler. Our expedition has two Jeeps, a 2005 Rubicon two-door and the 2007 Unlimited Rubicon. They are piloted by Rubicon virgins and will require constant guidance by Darren Dubey and Bart Coffman, who do the trail maybe 30 or 40 times a summer as guides for Jeep Jamboree USA.

It's a private company that has been organizing Rubicon runs since 1982 to its lavishly outfitted camp deep in the high Sierra Nevada. The camp is a cluster of canvas tents, outhouses, and fire pits around a giant outdoor kitchen serving mostly hunks of flambéed meat and canned chili. The spot has been a camp since the 1840s, when white settlers began using an old Indian trail to traverse the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada. In the 1920s the Rubicon was a graded road serving resorts on the shores of Lake Tahoe, but it was long abandoned and in extremis by the first jamboree in 1953.

One thing those first Rubicon runners discovered is that Jeep drivers can't see the wheels or underbelly. So on this preposterous course, Dubey and Coffman walk ahead of each Jeep, showing the way on foot for almost the entire nine miles. They are navigating us over and around boulders with hand motions, effusive praise, and an occasional glare that would freeze saltwater. The first time Dubey turns his back, I plow headlong into a pine tree.

As we reported from our preview drive in southern Africa [C/D, October 2006], the new Wrangler is 5.4 inches wider than its predecessor. Compared with the two-door, the four-door Unlimited is 20.6 inches longer overall and at the wheelbase. At 173.4 inches, however, the Unlimited still isn't stretchy compared with, say, a Grand Cherokee (186.6 inches).

But despite the Rubicon package with its bulbous tires, the Unlimited's dachshund-like frame cuts the break-over angle by a precious 4.6 degrees to 20.8 (a Land Rover LR3 has up to 27.9 degrees with its air suspension pumped up). The Unlimited thus spends more time than a two-door thrusting and gyrating on large rocks in a way that would seriously distract a passing water buffalo.

"It's really tough to get any vehicle through here without a nick," Dubey says charitably, examining the Jeep's caved-in bumper. Even with Dubey attending, the Unlimited's school-bus dimensions play havoc with the usual routings around obstacles. As the day grinds on, the Unlimited's frame rails take a pounding, rocks nibble away at its aluminum wheels, a door is etched with one boulder's signature, and even the roof gets chewed while the Wrangler is keeled over, tiptoeing through a tight notch on three wheels.

Although the Wrangler keeps its rudimentary design - a cattle tank rolling on two pine logs would be a decent facsimile - Jeep has softened it for 2007. Tim Brohl, a DaimlerChrysler vehicle dynamics engineer along for the ride, says the company realized that most Wranglers are city-bound, spending more time bouncing through potholes than mud holes. Adjusting the Wrangler to suit reality was a major goal of the redesign.

The spring rates are thus relaxed by 10 percent. It's noticeable, even at 1 mph in low range. Compared with the old model, the Unlimited steps more gently over rocks and shivers far less on gravel. It's significantly quieter inside, too, a fact that showed up later on our 400-mile freeway slog back to Los Angeles. This is a Wrangler that goes metro more comfortably and recognizes that the Rubicon doesn't start at the end of your driveway.

We bump down the Rubicon's boulder-filled Big Sluice section with the grace of an overturned Porta Potti. We're getting good at identifying the percussion of abuse from underneath. A metallic shriek is a dragging suspension-link bracket, and a crinkling noise like tinfoil being unrolled is the exhaust can getting squashed. A sudden pounding jolt means a frame member has been clouted, and a long, deep scratching scrape that sounds like a Lexus being dragged upside down is in fact the Wrangler's skid plate doing its duty.

The front seats find their sweet spot with help from a new height adjustment, although the hard-plastic door panels get molded without a decent resting place for elbows. The Unlimited's rear bench gets a C minus. It splits - Jeep says 60/40, but it's more like 80/20 - and folds flat in one beautifully choreographed motion, the headrests automatically swinging back on hinges to clear the front seats. It also offers decent legroom and rises high off the floor, putting knees at a comfortable angle. But the bottom cushion is short, and the seatback is nearly vertical. It's like the back seat of a Porsche 911 with better headroom. A rear-seat recline adjuster would help immensely. Also AWOL is a latch or strut on the swing gate to keep it open. Park with any lean to the left, and the heavy steel door with its 75-pound full-size spare tire must be hauled open and held open against gravity.

The new 3.8-liter V-6 replaces an inline-six from the time of vacuum tubes. An electronic throttle that slows itself down during low-range off-roading means the Wrangler can be driven with yoga-like control over rocks. A few miles in the cable-throttle 2005 Rubicon show the difference. It lurches and jumps, more of a bucking bronco than a wrangler.

People don't buy Wranglers for speed, and at 4400 pounds our Unlimited, spurred on by feverish shifting of the low-ratio six-speed manual, cruised through an 11.2-second 0-to-60-mph run and an 18.1-second quarter-mile. The blocky BFGoodriches, retuned mainly for better bite in the snow, moaned in exertion through the 217-foot stop.

By the time we reached pavement on the Rubicon, the Unlimited was haggard and shedding plastic trim. Did the rocks win? We'll call it a tie. The Unlimited drove everywhere Dubey and Coffman carefully directed it but left paint and metal shards in its wake as it wriggled up the trail, at times like a size-12 foot squeezing into a size-11 shoe.

This Jeep is as Jeeps always have been since 1940: tough, capable, virtually unstoppable - but now chubbier and a bit softer. Show us a 66-year-old that isn't.

COUNTERPOINT

TONY QUIROGA
I've always loved the idea of a four-door convertible, and technically, this Jeep fits the bill. This latest incarnation is more solid and refined than its predecessor, but it's still stuck in the Middle Ages when it comes to on-road behavior. Nothing else drives quite like the Wrangler, which is charming and annoying, depending on one's mood. In Ann Arbor, we sampled the softtop version to see if the top would be any easier to remove. Turns out it's about as friendly to fingers as a Viet Cong POW camp guard. I think I'll keep waiting for the next four-door convertible.

CSABA CSERE
The last time I brought home a Lamborghini, a neighbor wanted to know who needed a car that could hit 190 mph. If the answer isn't obvious, an explanation won't help. The same goes for the Wrangler and its ability to conquer the Rubicon. Nobody needs it, but if you do venture far off-road or want to be seen as if you do, the Wrangler's mountain-goat cred is priceless. This four-door version also has useful interior space and decent pavement manners, although it barely gets out of its own way, and the softtop precludes quiet cruising. It all depends on how you want to be seen.

Think of all the worst excesses of current BMW design in a smaller package, and you can see why the styling of the compact 1-series is so controversial. But looks aside, the 130i M Sport we drove recently is one rocking automobile.

The 1-series went on sale-fitted with four-cylinder engines-in Europe towards the end of 2004, but BMW made the car available in the fall of 2005 with its stellar 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder making 261 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, allied to a six-speed manual transmission. We aren't slated to get the 130i hatchback in the States, but we will get a coupe version (not a 3-door hatchback), likely going on sale early in 2008.

The 130i shares the same basic layout as the rest of the range: MacPherson strut front suspension, a multi-link rear arrangement, and vented anti-lock disc brakes. With an overall length of 166.4 inches, the 130i is 11.8 inches shorter than a 328i sedan, which is reflected in a cramped rear seat that is marginal for medium-size adults. The hatchback, decent trunk space, and 60/40 folding rear seat give the vehicle plenty of utility, however.

The six-cylinder versions of the 1-series are marked out from the fours by chrome kidney grille slats, a darkened window trim, large-bore twin exhaust tips, and seventeen-inch wheels and tires. The M Sport gets a deeper front airdam, side skirts, and rear valance, and eighteen-inch alloy wheels.

The 130i interior looks a lot like a 3-series sedan's or coupe's, with the same basic instrument panel shapes and much of the same switchgear. Heavily bolstered sport seats, a chunky steering wheel that's covered in the same perforated leather as the handbrake lever, and aluminum trim pieces are part of the M Sport package. If you order the pricey navigation system, you are doomed to get iDrive: on the 1-series, the screen pops up out of the center of the dashboard, just as in the Z4.

The 130i can be ordered with Active Steering, BMW's variable-ratio setup, but fortunately we drove a car fitted with the standard rack-and-pinion arrangement. Another available high-end feature on the 130i is adaptive headlamps, whereby electric motors swivel the light units up to 15 degrees left or right to help illuminate the path ahead.

As one might imagine, 261 hp in a car that weighs about 3200 pounds makes for a lively ride. BMW claims that the 130i runs 0 to 62 mph in just 6.1 seconds on its way to a governed top speed of 155 mph. That number seems quite conservative to us, as we've hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds in a 3458-pound, 255-hp 330i. The engine sounds great, especially under hard throttle, when a valve in the rear muffler opens up for better breathing and for enhanced aural quality. The six also provides plenty of mid-range thrust, almost making the six-speed manual moot. Well, except that the shifter and the clutch pedal are so well honed that you end up changing gears just for the heck of it.

Across country, the 130i M Sport reminded this writer of the E30-series M3 he used to own-compact and poised. The steering is near telepathic, the brakes are easy to modulate and powerful, and the chassis is beautifully balanced. In the wet it's possible to hang the tail loose in slower corners with the stability system disabled, but for the most part the chassis is neutral and immediately responsive to small throttle and steering inputs. It feels like a wieldier and more chuckable 3-series, although the ride isn't as supple or compliant over bumpy roads, where it can become quite choppy.

But that's a minor complaint. Overall, the 130i M Sport is a fabulous car, providing you can live with the looks. (And trust us, we could understand if you didn't want to.) Luckily, it will come to the States in much more attractive coupe guise. The big issue with the car here, however, is going to be pricing. The car we drove cost the equivalent of $41,500, without leather, navigation, Bluetooth phone preparation, and metallic paint, which added up to an additional $4500. Even taking the vagaries of the UK/US exchange rate into account, it is difficult to see how BMW can get the 1-series here at considerably less cost than a 3-series coupe.

Seeking to get their brand onto the shopping lists of people who like the SUV look but whose sense of off-road adventure extends no further than the occasional stretch of well-graded gravel, Jeep's product planners have come up with two marketing distinctions to please both the hard-cores and the poseurs. For the former we have Jeeps with little badges that proclaim them to be Trail Rated. For the latter, the trail ends at the mall, or the supermarket parking lot.

Two of these revisionist Jeeps-the Patriot and the Compass-are structurally identical, sharing skeletal elements with a passenger car, the Dodge Caliber, that has no Jeepish ambitions whatsoever. But of the two, only one qualifies for the coveted Trail Rated badge. So what's the distinction? And beyond that, does a Trail Rated Patriot really have the indestructible go-anywhere grit of a Jeep Wrangler, the seminal only-one Jeep?

Just one way to find out: Find some tough trails and hit 'em. But where? Having recently watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on TV for the 537th time, the choice was easy. The spectacular terra-cotta country of southeast Utah is crisscrossed with countless trails, ranging in difficulty from 1960s-station-wagon-easy to only-mountain-goats-and-suspension-modified-Jeeps-need-apply. A good many of these trails-the entire network is called the Outlaw Trail-were used by Butch, Sundance, and members of the Wild Bunch, and we thought it would be cool to see if we could find any reminders of those thrilling days of yesteryear. Which we did. Sort of.

For the record, Butch and Sundance were real guys, not just whole-cloth characters created by screenwriter William Goldman in 1969. Butch was born Robert LeRoy Parker in April 1866, one of 13 offspring of Maximillian and Ann Parker, British Mormons who emigrated to the Wild West. Robert adopted the Butch Cassidy name about the time he turned from ranch work to the richer rewards of crime. The movie portrays his blaze-of-glory demise in Bolivia, and although it's true that he operated in South America, his youngest sister, Lula Parker Betenson, claimed that her brother visited her in 1925 and kept in touch from his home in Spokane, Washington, until he died in 1937.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Jeep Patriot, click here for our buyer's guide.

Born in 1866 in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh was to become the Sundance Kid, a nickname deriving from his 18-month jail stretch (1887-89) in Sundance, Wyoming, for horse theft. Like Butch, he may have survived the 1908 shootout in Bolivia to return to the U.S., where some say he lived until 1936.

Etta Place was indeed Sundance's girlfriend and made the trip to South America in 1901. She left before the Bolivian shootout made famous in the movie's final scenes, but beyond that, her story is shadowy. She was not a schoolmarm, as the movie depicts her, but might have been involved in another sort of profession prior to her Sundance liaison.

One thing is certain: Butch didn't look like Paul Newman, Sundance didn't look like Robert Redford, and Etta didn't look like Katharine Ross. On the other hand, they were all good-looking people, unlike so many other desperadoes (William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid, comes to mind).

Cut to the hardware: Patriot pricing starts at $16,035 for a base front-drive Sport model, but that doesn't get you the Trail Rated merit badge. For that, you need several upgrades. First comes four-wheel drive, next the so-called CVT2L transaxle, which is a continuously variable automatic with a short final-drive ratio, and finally the goodies baked into the Freedom Drive II dirty-driving package. (Freedom Drive I, which does include four-wheel drive, expands the Patriot's all-weather capability but, sorry, no badge.) Four-wheel drive runs $1750 on both the Sport and Limited models, but the prices of the other off-road hardware varies. On our Limited test car, the CVT2L ran $1050 and Freedom Drive II $745, and you can't order one without the other.

The four-wheel-drive system is far simpler than the kind of equipment you can order with a serious off-road Wrangler: for example, open diffs at both ends. There's no center diff, and no transfer case-power goes to the rear wheels via an electronically controlled clutch, which can be locked, splitting power between front and rear for inclement conditions.

When you opt for Freedom Drive II, which gets you the Trail Rated badge, the system gets several enhancements. A brake traction-control feature manages side-to-side power delivery by squeezing the brake caliper of the wheel (or wheels) that is spinning. We suspect this system might deliver diminishing returns in really soupy going, but on the slick-rock, firm streambeds and sandy dry washes we encountered during our trail trials, it performed well enough. Another brake-related element in this package is the hill-descent control, and the standard ABS is programmed for off-road use.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Jeep Patriot, click here for our buyer's guide.

For really creepy-crawly, low-speed going in extra-lumpy terrain, the differentials have an ultra-low final-drive ratio-8.14:1-and it's very effective. Incidentally, the Freedom Drive II package, and its badge, are available only with the CVT2L. A very crisp five-speed manual and a CVT with a taller final-drive ratio are offered with less off-road intense editions of the Patriot, but the only way to get that ultra-low diff is with Freedom Drive II.

Other elements that make the Patriot badgeworthy are aluminum wheels wearing 215/65R-17 Goodyear Wrangler SR-A mud-and-snow tires, including a full-size spare; a heavy-duty cooling system; tow hooks; and steel skid plates beneath the oil pan, transaxle, and fuel tank. The underarmor got lots of testing during our forays into the red-rock wilds around Moab, Utah.

Getting to off-road country entailed a lot of pavement driving, to and from Phoenix, and this part of the Patriot's act is the least enjoyable. Still, there are lots of check marks on the plus side of the score sheet. Ride quality is good by compact-SUV standards. The power rack-and-pinion steering is light, quick at 2.8 turns lock-to-lock, and accurate. The unibody is commendably rigid, and the suspension delivers responses that are surprisingly prompt-eager, even.

But all of this is offset by the action of the CVT as it scrolls up and down the scales, searching for harmony with the engine. Mated to a 172-hp engine and a 3572-pound vehicle with distinctly brickish aerodynamics, this transmission generates a lot of sound and fury that doesn't seem commensurate with the forward progress it achieves, particularly during two-lane highway passing. Beyond its off-road crawl-speed benefit, the CVT is supposedly more efficient, and we did record slightly better fuel economy over the course of this test than we did with a five-speed-manual version in our May issue-21 mpg versus 19.

On the other hand, the manual Patriot achieved 60 mph in 8.7 seconds; the CVT version needed another 1.3 seconds. But it was the endless searching for rpm parity that had our teeth grinding during long highway stretches. A logbook note said it "sounds like a rehearsal for the little-known bovine solo in Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony."

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Jeep Patriot, click here for our buyer's guide.

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2007 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4

Roughriders within limits, that is, said limits imposed by ground clearance-the distance between mother earth and the lowest point of the vehicle's underbody. It's the defining dimension of any vehicle in off-road use, and it defines the Patriot as a 5 on a scale of 10. The numbers refer to the difficulty ratings of the various trails meandering all over the wilds of southeast Utah.

Jeep lists ground clearance for the Trail Rated Patriot as 9.0 inches. Maybe so, but the steady accumulation of scars on the Patriot's underarmor as we bashed around made it clear that whatever clearance we had wasn't enough for anything more serious than the 5th step on the 10-step scale. Beyond that, we'd find ourselves high-centered on some rock with no winch, which is the off-road equivalent of being up a certain kind of creek without no paddle.

Speaking almost of watersports, one of the Butch and Sundance commemoratives we encountered during our quest was Butch Cassidy's King World Water Park on the north side of Moab. We also found Butch Cassidy's Hideout Motel & Café in Circleville, the area where Butch was born, and visited his boyhood home south of Circleville, which is slowly disintegrating. It's open to anyone who cares to stop by.

And what did we learn? Just this. As a pursuit vehicle, the Patriot would be no match for Butch's bunch. Horses have lots more ground clearance. But as a light-duty off-roader, its capabilities exceed those of anything else in the cute-ute category.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Jeep Patriot, click here for our buyer's guide.

COUNTERPOINT

STEVE SPENCE
Goodness arrives in the form of comfy interior space and pleasing ergonomics-you slip in and out fluidly, you fit and move and breathe and operate smoothly-and appealing old-school-Cherokee styling. The plastic is supposed to resemble something else, but doesn't. The four-banger will do the grunt work, but you won't write songs to it, and the CVT's moan just reminds of the Patriot's entry-level status. Get the manual and all-wheel drive, and it's $22,505-and the gas bills won't kill.

LARRY WEBSTER
The choice between the two Dodge Caliber-based Jeeps-the Compass and the Patriot-isn't really a choice at all because the Compass isn't even worth considering. As for the Patriot, its squared-off edges and boxy shape suggest some of the character that made the Cherokee such a success, but it's not as charismatic. The Patriot doesn't have a high, over-the-road seating position, it feels poky, and in the end, even the Trail Rated badge doesn't dispell the feeling that you're in a car, not a Jeep.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Jeep Patriot, click here for our buyer's guide.

Gradually, the well-deserved GTI reputation softened as it went from being a truly special model in the lineup to a glorified trim package at the top of the Golf range. But the lean years weren't without hope. The occasional VR6-powered rockets and the delightfully uncompromising 20th-anniversary special edition showed us there were still a few folks inside the company who knew what a GTI should be. So when we discovered that the fifth-generation GTI had resurrected the spirit of the first- and second-gen GTIs, we placed it on our 10Best list and added one to our long-term fleet.

Although we are occasionally gluttonous in our optioning of vehicles, we kept the GTI as simple as possible, forgoing 18-inch wheels, leather upholstery, navigation, heated seats, and automatic climate control. We selected only option Package 1 (sunroof and satellite radio), for $1370, and the excellent twin-clutch Direct Shift Gearbox ($1075), which brought the total to $25,065. We would have been happy with the standard six-speed manual, but we opted for the complex DSG to see if 40,000 hard miles would temper our love for it.

Our Reflex Silver metallic GTI arrived in March 2006 and immediately drew compliments from the usually jaded staff. From the plaid seats and high-quality interior appointments to the snarling bark of the direct-injection 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder at wide-open throttle and its lively chassis, the latest GTI caused a flood of '80s flashbacks.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

Unfortunately for those who have owned a GTI, or any Volkswagen, for that matter, some of those flashbacks involve mysterious pieces of goo-covered plastic sitting on the footwell and squeaks and rattles. In our car, the sunroof and a dash vent started making noise soon after the car was delivered. It's a conundrum VW owners are quite familiar with: The interior materials might be first-rate, but does that matter if it sounds as if there were a baby tooth clattering around inside the dash? Volkswagen loyalists get used to these problems. Honda and Toyota fans would be appalled. To quell the racket, a new sliding-sunroof panel was ordered at our first service stop at 5000 miles; the dash rattle would magically heal itself whenever the GTI went in for service.

For the 2.0-liter turbo engine, Volkswagen recommends service stops at 5000 and 10,000 miles and, thereafter, every 10,000 miles. A synthetic oil change (five quarts) at 4835 miles set us back $107; the stop at 11,108 miles added nearly an hour of inspections to the oil change and set us back $179. The next scheduled service came at 20,012 miles and involved even more inspections, for $270. A 30K service (similar to the 10K service), while the GTI was in the hands of editor-at-large Patrick Bedard, cost $136. Our final scheduled stop came at 41,437 miles and required a battery of inspections, as well as an oil change, a new air filter, and fresh brake fluid, for $394. The dealer neglected to change the gearbox fluid, which would have cost us a staggering $375. Scheduled maintenance totaled $1086 (or $1461 with the transmission-fluid change). Our long-term '06 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT's scheduled maintenance cost $432 over 40,000 miles [May 2007].

Those were the scheduled stops. Our first unscheduled stop came at 8368 miles when the airbag warning light wouldn't stop glowing. An inspection disclosed an unhooked electrical connection under the passenger seat. Reconnecting it was covered under the GTI's four-year/50,000-mile warranty. At this time the replacement sunroof panel was installed, and that cured the chattering, but a nonessential additional piece of sunroof trim wasn't ordered and wouldn't be replaced until the 20,000-mile service. At the 10,000-mile service, the airbag light was again warning us of impending doom. To get the light to turn off the second time required the driver's seat to be removed and the wiring harness under the seat to be repaired.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

Despite the minor hiccups, the GTI was a favorite here. After trips to New York, Ohio, and northern Michigan, staffers complimented the point-and-squirt nature of the GTI's fantastic powertrain. Wrote one traveler: "Zipped around New York and fought for space with taxis from Spanish Harlem to Midtown Manhattan, and won." However, a speedometer that overstated speeds by 6 to 8 mph at highway speeds drew its share of flack, "The speedo says 80 mph, but I'm well below the speed of traffic." At some point an automatic carwash snapped a piece of trim off the rear wiper, and about the same time, we discovered that the rear-seat cup holder was in pieces. Both items were replaced at the 20,000-mile service-the cup holder (our fault) set us back $121.

A few more annoyances emerged at about 23,000 miles. At idle, the inexplicable sound of castanets would emanate from the passenger-side footwell. Loose clips that were allowing the fuel lines to vibrate against the car were the culprits; an adjustment cost us nothing. And then the rearview mirror fell off in our managing editor's sensitive hands-glued back under warranty. Last, a burned-out $3 taillight bulb was replaced.

An accident at about 30,000 miles nearly ripped the driver's-side door from its hinges and ended up costing us $2925. We sailed on until 34,578 miles when a check-engine light alerted us to a faulty intake-flap motor that was covered under warranty. At the end of the test and during a 5000-mile cross-country jaunt, both 12-volt outlets stopped working-a $1 fuse brought them back to life.

The GTI never stranded us or failed to start, but its problems were often exasperating. Still, the GTI logbook filled with compliments. The car won many friends, despite its many failings, more friends than had the problem-free Mitsubishi Eclipse, whose time overlapped with the GTI's. Most of us were forgiving because the GTI is such a hoot to drive. It can run from 0 to 60 in 6.0 seconds and return 25 mpg; it possesses a quick-shifting gearbox that is the envy of the rest of the car world; its chassis is sports-car responsive; and it's practical and affordable.

Those are the same traits that established the GTI's impressive reputation in the '80s, and they're all present in the 21st-century version. Unfortunately, the electrical and trim defects remind us of 20 years ago, when flawless reliability was the exception. Today, we expect it.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

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RANTS AND RAVES

MARK GILLIES
This GTI seems so much livelier than the old one, but the ride can be a bit jarring over pavement with lots of expansion joints.

DAVE VANDERWERP
The headlights don't point nearly far enough ahead. My normal line of sight isn't illuminated.

DAN WINTER
The GTI rolls too much after you put it in park. I've started using the emergency brake.

TONY SWAN
The DSG is very good in full automatic mode, but in manual mode, it will upshift on its own. Nevertheless, it's the best automatic I've ever encountered.

K.C. COLWELL
The sensation of speed on the highway is absent. I found myself in triple digits when I thought I was going about 80 mph.

CORA WEBER
Nothing about the GTI feels chintzy. Is it possible to love a transmission?

RUSS FERGUSON
DSG is your best friend in L.A. traffic.

MIKE DUSHANE
The dashboard rattles like a 10-year-old Cavalier's.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

BAUBLES AND BOLT-ONS

BODY BITS: Inspired by Volkswagen's "orange speed" Golf concept and the so-called OEM-plus tuning approach that only uses manufacturer parts, we set out to make our GTI look at bit less like a garden-variety Rabbit. First up were the shorter springs that European GTIs wear-until June 2007, U.S.-market GTIs like ours came with taller springs that raised the ride height to dorky levels. We ordered the European springs from oempl.us for $309 and had them installed for $540. Next up were the handsome multispoke 18-inch Performance wheels ($3716)-from the Phaeton parts bin-bearing Yokohama Advan Neova AD07s (225/40R-18 at $245 each). Topping off the cosmetic tweaks were chrome mirror caps ($145) and the tasteful VW body kit, available from the factory for $1650.

Once the pieces were all in place, the logbook filled with compliments for the stylish look and gripes about the tires scraping against the body. Although the tires were the same size as those available from VW, the 8.5-inch-wide wheels were an inch wider and had a different offset that led to occasional contact between fender and tire when the suspension was compressed. We complained that the supple ride quality of the stock GTI was gone, a victim of shorter springs, heavier wheels, and a smaller tire sidewall. We can't just blame the springs, as VW claims the European and U.S. springs had the same spring rate. In hindsight, we probably should have gone with the narrower GTI-spec 18-inch wheels, but we fell in love with the look of the Golf concept car that wore the Phaeton wheels. And then there were the complaints regarding the amount of noise the Yokohamas made. In the end, we were reminded of the old adage that we've never subscribed to: "It is better to look good than to feel good." We loved the way the car looked, but we were happy to have our stock GTI back.

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

2006 Volkswagen GTI

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $25,065 (base price: $22,620)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 121 cu in, 1984cc
Power (SAE net): 200 bhp @ 5100 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 207 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual with automated shifting and clutch

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 101.5 in
Length: 165.8 in
Width: 69.3 in
Height: 58.4 in
Curb weight: 3189 lb

PERFORMANCE:

NEW:

40,000:

Zero to 60 mph:

6.0 sec

6.1 sec

Zero to 100 mph:

16.2 sec

16.1 sec

Street start, 5-60 mph:

6.7 sec

6.5 sec

Standing ¼ mile:

14.6 sec @95 mph

14.8 sec @96 mph

Braking, 70-0 mph:

166 ft

168 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad:

0.84g

0.84g

Top speed (governor limited):

127 mph

127 mph

EPA fuel economy, city driving: 22 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy: 25 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 6 qt

WARRANTY:
4 years/50,000 miles limited;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
12 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection

OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES):
Service: (5 scheduled, 3 unscheduled): $1461
Normal wear: $749
Gasoline (@ $2.96 per gallon): $4736

NONWARRANTY REPAIRS:
Accident: $2925
Rear cup holder: $121
Chin spoiler: $43

LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST):
Tires: 30,000 miles
Front brake pads: more than 100,000 miles
Rear brake pads: 80,000 miles

WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST:
Headlamp: $400
Engine air filter: $23
Oil filter: $14
Wheel: $219
Tire: $175
Wiper blades: $18
Front brake pads: $102

MODEL-YEAR CHANGES:
2007: 5-door and DSG launch control added, ride height lowered 0.6 inch
2008: new 17-inch wheel design

For Pricing, Specs, and Reviews of the Volkswagen GTI, click here for our buyer's guide.

Hyundai's modest Santa Fe sport-ute is seven years old, and it's experiencing a growth spurt. The new-for-2007 SUV is 3.2 inches longer between the wheels - now 106.3 - and has been stretched almost seven inches from nose to tail, up to 184.1. So, although it used to belong in the compact-SUV class, the new Santa Fe is about as big as the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. Those larger outside dimensions pay dividends inside. Interior volume is way up over the previous Santa Fe's; it now has a cavernous 59 cubic feet in front and 49 in the back seat (versus 54 and 47, respectively). Plus, there are 34 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats (up from 31). That tail-end space can also now accommodate a pair of flat-folding third-row seats, available as part of the $1200 to $1250 (depending on trim level) Touring package. The interior has a clean, tight-fitting finish, although it's a bit bland for our taste.

The base Santa Fe GLS comes with a 2.7-liter V-6 that makes 185 horsepower. It hooks up to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic that adds $1200 to the tab. The SE and Limited models get the all-aluminum 3.3-liter V-6 and five-speed automatic first seen in the Sonata. In this application, the 3.3 makes a healthy 242 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque.

Driving the new Santa Fe is a pleasure. The interior of the front-drive $26,595 Limited model that we tested was well isolated from outside intrusions. At 70 mph, road noise was just 69 decibels. And although the soft-riding suspension absorbs bumps well, the Santa Fe leans excessively midcorner. That certainly played a part in its merely adequate 0.75 g on the skidpad.

The engine is Toyota smooth and has a broad power band, although we expected slightly better results from the 3.3-liter than 8.0 seconds to 60 and 16.4 seconds at 87 mph for the quarter-mile.

Every Santa Fe model comes standard with six airbags and stability control, as well as niceties such as keyless entry and a six-speaker stereo with a CD player and MP3 capability. The starting price of a GLS model is $21,595, and that's within $700 of the four-cylinder RAV4's base price of $20,905. Our Limited tester included heated front seats upholstered in leather and automatic climate control - not bad for less than 27 grand. All-wheel drive is optional for $2000 across the line.

For an SUV that costs well under 30 grand, you get a lot here: a roomy interior, decent feature content, reasonable refinement, and V-6 power. The Santa Fe is definitely worth checking out.

SANTA FE
Vehicle type: front-engine, front- or 4-wheel-drive, 5-7-passenger, 5-door wagon
Base price: $21,595-$26,595
Engines: DOHC 24-valve 2.7-liter V-6, 185 hp, 183 lb-ft; DOHC 24-valve 3.3-liter V-6, 242 hp, 226 lb-ft

Transmissions: 4- or 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting, 5-speed manual
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length/width/height: 184.1/74.4/67.9 in
Curb weight: 4040 lb
C/D test results (Santa Fe Limited):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 23.7 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 8.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.4 sec @ 87 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 119 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 193 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.75 g
Projected fuel economy (mfr's est):
EPA city driving: 19-21 mpg
EPA highway driving: 24-26 mpg

"Using your vehicle respecting the environment will be your contribution towards environmental protection," reads page seven of the Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano's 198-page owner's handbook. The manual diligently advises drivers to "avoid sharp and frequent accelerations" and to upshift at "only 2/3rds of the speed permitted for each gear" or, say, a modest 114 mph in fifth.

Even Ferrari's PR man had to stifle a snigger. Not because of the wounded English, but because most drivers who are worried about their carbon footprint aren't trying to plug themselves into an Italian two-seater whose 611-hp V-12 has a 10-mpg fuel fetish. That the 599's production rate of about 800 cars per year is unlikely to affect ocean levels one way or another is not important. Ferrari didn't get where it is by skimping on details.

Where exactly is Ferrari? At the top of its game, the ultra-A-list car brand with the ultra-A-list lineup emerging from its doors. The House of Enzo built 5658 cars in 2006, up five percent over 2005, and still the celebrities and the admirals of industry-mere captains can't afford them-willingly bend a knee and submit to two-year queues for a dose. If any Ferrari were worth the white-hot hype, we'd know it after living for a few days with the "cinque-nove-nove," as Ferrari's youngest child is called in its native language.

The two things the peasants ask when you roll up in a new Ferrari are how much and how fast. Ferrari lists the 599GTB's base price at $273,845, plus $4500 for the U.S. gas-guzzler tax and $1950 for delivery and dealer prep. The Silverstone (a.k.a. metallic gray) example pictured here has a whole Lexus worth of options-$41,661 of them, on which we'll elaborate as we go along.

For testing, Ferrari supplied a different 599 than this one, although equipped the same. Minded by a couple of Puma-shod technicians, it reached 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and turned the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 131 mph with the dry-mouthed, clammy-palmed author gripping the wheel. We were unable to record a top speed, owing to a short runway. The skidpad yielded a gripping 0.97-g performance, and the $18,550 optional carbon-ceramic brakes screeched to a halt from 70 mph in 148 feet, nine fewer than an Audi R8.

The 599's mighty acceleration numbers are almost identical to the Enzo's [C/D, July 2003]. At 3953 pounds, the Fiorano is 691 pounds heavier than the mid-engine, carbon-fiber Enzo and, by the factory's accounting, has 39 fewer horsepower. Ferrari conservatively claims 3.7 seconds for the 599's 62-mph mark. So, the 599 shouldn't be this fast, but it certifiably was. Ferrari explains that the Enzo uses five-year-old technology and that the company has trimmed shift times of its F1 transmission (now called F1-SuperFast) down to 100 milliseconds and improved the electronic differential and subsequent traction. Indeed, the 599 doesn't launch with any wheelspin, just a head-snapping slingshot that after four runs produced blistering numbers but furrowed the technicians' brows with concern for the clutch. After that, it was parked.

It's hard to be subtle in a Ferrari, but this slate-gray 599 comes close. The 599's basic shape, a forward-sloping wedge with big hips packing big rubber and a low, fast-moving slip of a roofline, is a sort of Corvette-meets-Supra profile that is both audacious and fairly familiar. Pininfarina's body design makes heat waves of testosterone, but rendered in a dark hue, some of the visual radiance, the grilles and slots and ducts-11 in all-gel to background, even with the $1743 "SF" (Scuderia Ferrari) fender badges standing proud.

Stick a single index finger under the triangular latch to open the door. The 599 immediately whizzes and whirs with the sound of solenoids and electric motors and digital brains warming up. The car never stops making electrical noises, and it sings at you from a full jingle sheet of beeps and chimes. Don't forget the key-ding! Don't get out with the paddle-shift six-speed transmission in neutral-beep! beep beep! Don't move off without checking your General Dynamics stock-DONG!

Cranberry-red leather with licorice-red French stitching covers most of the interior, including the rear parcel shelf ($2418 extra to have it leather upholstered) and the ceiling ($439 extra). There is even a red-leather bootie on the $573 fire extinguisher with chrome clasps that can bite viciously into the passenger's ankle during spirited maneuvering. What isn't swathed in red is wrapped in black hide, and carbon-fiber panels are fitted as a $5621 trim option. The center air vents bulge like the two afterburners of an F-18, and the twin leather straps of the parcel shelf look strong enough to secure an engine block in a hairpin. The over-the-shoulder view is pinched by the rising beltline, but size double-D mirrors supply a broad view. Were this any other car but a Ferrari, we would mention the absence of cup holders.

Warm or cold, the Ferrari starts with a 2000-rpm bark. The cockpit is thoroughly insulated-perhaps too much so for a Ferrari-so drop the windows for the full stereophonic exhaust-note performance. The 5999cc 65-degree F140C V-12 is hot-blooded. Within minutes the giant cooling fans are whining as only an Airbus A380 double-decker aspires to. On the freeway, tire roar is the biggest decibel generator, followed by the distant engine burr and some wind noise. The electromagnetic shocks constantly self-adjust to furnish a cruising ride that is unyielding but surprisingly lurch- and crash-free.

Talk back in the forums:
With nearly identical acceleration numbers, would you rather the sporty mid-engine Enzo or the more refined front-engine 599GTB Fiorano?

Select from six tightly spaced gears using the F1-SuperFast transmission paddles, or let the computer shift for you in automatic mode. Ferrari has made continual improvements in the software, but the smooth way is still the manual way. Shift with the paddles while lifting slightly between gears, and the 599 gently eases through traffic. Reverse can be maddening. The aft-mounted transaxle arbitrarily drops into neutral if you're just feathering the throttle to scootch out of a parking space ($1294 rearview sensors watch your back). Perhaps it's trying to preserve the clutch, which suffers a hard life. Reversing up a modest grade for 20 feet produced the stale odor of burned friction lining.

Short-stroke screamers don't generally pack much torque in the basement. But towering intake stacks, variable cam timing, and tubular headers allow the 599 to surge impressively from 3000 rpm even in higher gears. The usable portion of the tach stops at 8200, and lots of living happens in between. Wide open, the engine yowls in fury and the rear squats ruthlessly-with this much power, only wheelie bars could stop it-as the steering goes light and squiggle-prone. Shifts bang home under full throttle, even harder if you switch the steering-wheel selector from sport to race, which also dials back the stability control and stiffens the shocks. It takes a steady hand and full concentration to overtake without shameful weaving. The tension on the throttle is taut; barely relax your foot, and deceleration is abrupt. Few cars let you get this intimate with the controls, or force you to dig this deep for the requisite smoothness to work them.

The carbon-ceramic brakes are a wonder (for $18,550, they should be). Sensitive and progressive from light trail braking to full anti-lock braking, the pedal selects just what your foot desires. More amazing, after 500 miles of hard driving, the 20-inch alloys were still shiny. Has Ferrari developed the cure for brake filth? Hair-trigger sharp and weighted to the lighter side, the steering is as faultless as the brakes. Combine the two, plus that stunning throttle, to make electrifying charges through curves. The horizon stays level, the grip never runs short, and the 599's prodigiously long body seems to shed inches and pounds as the bulky GT ducks and weaves like a small ragtop. A 161-mph sprint across a desert plain let out its downforce-generating aerodynamics for a run. The car tracked straight and felt thoroughly planted. Try that in a small ragtop!

While returning the 599 to a Los Angeles dealer-the car's short front overhang is a blessing on driveway ramps-we overheard a salesman quote a half-million-dollar price to a couple of customers. There were no gasps, just nods, the complacent look of lambs in an abattoir. Ferrari says it encourages dealers to sell at sticker and that many longtime customers do pay just that, but the company acknowledges that dealers are independent operations the factory doesn't control. As long as Ferrari supply trails Ferrari demand, the 599's window digits are just the ground floor on an elevator going up.

Every day, more deep pockets get chased by more luxury goods, many with nothing other than a fancy name and an inflated price to recommend them. A Ferrari remains a dazzling, lyrical, unique, and authentically exotic pleasure. In a supervised, standardized, government-approved world, that's hard to find at any price.

Talk back in the forums:
With nearly identical acceleration numbers, would you rather the sporty mid-engine Enzo or the more refined front-engine 599GTB Fiorano?

COUNTERPOINT

BARRY WINFIELD
When asked recently about horsepower levels achieved by Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari officials replied that balance was more important than maximum power. Oh, yeah? This new 599 Fiorano boasts 611 horsepower, only 30 fewer than the über-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition cranks out. Then, having nearly matched those guys on power, Ferrari produced a chassis that's just as civilized but way more sporting. Talk about balance. This thing rotates willingly under power but can be controlled like a good race car. God, I want one.

MORGAN SEGAL
Within the confines of the law, the 599 is rather docile. Where's the noise, where's the excitement? Turn the manettino on the steering wheel to a more aggressive setting, prod the throttle, and you've found it. Suddenly, you're shoved into the seat, the V-12 wails, and shifts crack off with such violence that you wonder if the drivetrain is going to explode. Stab the brakes or turn a corner, and your face contorts with the g-load. Now, how do I raise 300 grand?

Talk back in the forums:
With nearly identical acceleration numbers, would you rather the sporty mid-engine Enzo or the more refined front-engine 599GTB Fiorano?