2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: Through Ian's Lens

With round hips and flared wheelwells, the new Nissan 370Z Roadster carries on the longstanding design tradition of Z cars. With its sharp front and back light clusters contrasting with the curvy front and rear ends, the lack of a roofline gives this Z a winding-road-on-a-sunny-day feel. I was worried the soft-top would ruin the overall design of this car, but let’s be honest — no one is going to drive this bad boy in the rain or snow. Sun lovers rejoice.

A full set of photos is below; please leave your remarks in the comments section. Feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

2010 Cadillac SRX vs. 2010 Lincoln MKT Video

Some of the press conferences at the Detroit auto show focused on technologies that won't be available in the U.S. in the near future, but two luxury crossovers debuted at the show that will go on sale this summer. The Cadillac SRX and Lincoln MKT take different approaches to attract luxury buyers, and in this video we take a look at how they compare by looking at their styling, size, interior quality, seat comfort and features.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox Video

GM rolled out its 2010 Chevrolet Equinox at the 2009 Detroit auto show, and Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays breaks down the vehicle’s attractions and missteps. As it did with the Chevy Malibu, GM hopes to go directly after competitors by offering better value with a bold look. The Equinox will target vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 and the Ford Escape with features like 30-mpg fuel economy. Will it be enough? Mays lays out his argument in this video.

2010 Toyota Prius Video

Plug-in hybrids are all the rage right now in the press, but the king of the road when it comes to efficiency is still Toyota’s vaunted Prius. The third-generation 2010 Prius was one of the most significant cars to debut at the 2009 Detroit auto show, with a combined mileage estimate of 50 mpg. Check out our video in which Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays takes you in for a closer look at the new hybrid, inside and out.

CarsCast Weekly: 1.23.09

 There’s still a lot of wrapping up to do from the 2009 Detroit auto show which runs through Sunday. This week, Lindsay and Stephen comb through all the videos from both concept and production cars to bring you the highlights. This includes some rather exciting features, from solar-powered roofs to rearview cameras that replace mirrors. As always, Cars.com’s team of reviewers provides clear-eyed insight into what will work and what will end up on the scrap heap when the cars come to production.

CarsCast Weekly: 1.23.09

Detroit's Optimism: A Search for a Silver Lining

While the dozens of new cars on display were the main focus of the 2009 Detroit auto show, everyone at the media preview had their minds elsewhere. Instead of excitement about advances in hybrids (like the Toyota Prius), or about the all-new Ford Taurus, the mood was glum. Every automaker’s display was a low-cost affair, most of them recycled from past shows. Some major companies weren’t there at all, including Nissan.

Sitting in each new car, it was obvious to most of the Cars.com crew that these vehicles had never been better in terms of quality and even — for the most part — in terms of gas mileage. Yet dismal 2008 sales and the collapse of the economy overall weighed heavily on the toned-down displays.

Given this air of doom and gloom, is there any optimism among industry professionals?

There is, but it comes mostly in the form of declarations of defiance and perseverance.

2010 Lincoln MKT Video

Lincoln wants to make a splash in the luxury crossover segment with the 2010 MKT. Cars.com’s Mike Hanley took some time at the 2009 Detroit auto show to check the MKT from all angles, and found a stylishly designed luxury vehicle with plenty of good tech options. His complaints? Well, wait till you see him try to sit in the third row. Get Hanley’s full take on the MKT by watching the video.

2010 Lincoln MKT vs. Ford Flex: Suburban Dad

I've been a fan of the Flex ever since it won top honors on our Vacation Blogging trip last summer. My family and I found it roomy, nicely appointed and filled with lots of tech features to make long drives more than bearable. That drove my interest in the Lincoln MKT, and I have to say that, for two cars that share the same platform, they sure look very different from each other.

CSI Detroit: Stacking Up The Center Stacks

Witness the center stack — that area on the dash that houses A/C, stereo and navigation controls. It draws plenty of scrutiny, and for good reason. The best designs have top-notch materials, intuitive functionality and attractive layouts. The worst are a mess of unevenly weighted and oddly arranged buttons, many of which perform rarely needed functions. They're mysteries just waiting to be picked apart by automotive investigators.

Hence, the CSI, the Center Stack Index. We ranked 20 upscale center stacks on button density alone at the Detroit auto show, going on through Sunday. To keep the CSI comparisons consistent, all have navigation systems. How much is too much? We rank them all. And if you're headed to the show you might start counting buttons yourself. Read on for the results, along with pictures of each ergonomic crime scene.

Cars.com Podcast: 2009 Detroit Auto Show

The editors took some time to reflect on this year’s industry showcase in Detroit in our latest podcast. Joe Wiesenfelder, David Thomas, Kelsey Mays and Mike Hanley discuss what won them over and what fell flat as well as the overall tone of the show, which in some cases was a tad depressing. What were the silver linings? Check out our podcast on iTunes here and if you want to listen in a browser go here.