Jim Bray, CFP Automotive Editor

New Volvo Crossover Worth a Look

Before I give you my impressions of Volvo's newly-redesigned crossover, I'd like to correct some misinformation I disseminated in my piece on the Mazda Tribute a few weeks ago. I wrote that it has disc brakes on all four wheels, which isn't true: it has front discs/rear drums. I apologize for this sloppy reporting – though on the other hand it also helps to make my point that it's time the Tribute were dragged into the 21st century.

Jeep Rubicon Offers an Off-road Blast from the Past

Talk about retro!

Groovy Gadgets for Gearheads

Horntones. I don't know if it's the greatest gadget for the car since the turbocharger – or the worst example of a company chasing profits at the expense of public good. One thing I do know is that it made me laugh so hard when I first discovered it that I just had to share it with you.

My-iButton; New Tech ID – Or Advertising OD?

The old fashioned name tag may soon be obsolete as technology leaps to your lapels. Or maybe it's more a marketing leap than a technological one.

Rotel Player Reincarnates Old DVD’s

With Blu-ray looking as if it's going to win the high definition disc format war, the road toward the future of disc-based playback appears to be clearing. It's about time.

Call of Duty 4: Experience Vicariously What Our Troops Go Through

Of all the types of video and/or computer games, first person shooters are some of the most popular – and arguably some of the most fun.

Detroit Dukes It Out on Streets and Screens for Pony Car Supremacy

Will movie tie-ins prove to be Detroit's silver "Bullitt"? Hollywood and Detroit have a long history of sleeping together, whether it be via movies about cars or movies that feature cars prominently.

Mazda SUV A Tribute To Days Gone By

Mazda's Tribute small SUV is one case in which the manufacturer's famous "zoom zoom" slogan doesn't quite apply. It's probably because the vehicle is a victim of time – it's from a time now past.

Audi A4 – Sweet Sedan

Once again, Audi has made me lust after one of their vehicles. Earlier this year, I spent a week in an Audi A6 Avant wagon, and was ready to kidnap it and spirit it far, far away where the Audi folks would never find us.

New DVD’s Profile Who’s and Coppola’s Amazing Journeys

A pair of new DVD's provide some fascinating insight into a couple of icons that, while vastly different, have both been influential in today's popular culture.

Pen Computer Aims at Literate Kids

Everyone knows kids are far more tech savvy than we oldsters and that they're as at home with computers as they are with mouthing off to grownups and hanging out at malls. This "savviness" seems especially true with computers, to which kids take like the proverbial duck to water.

Software Lets You Record Your Favorite Online Programs

Broadcasters are going online increasingly, which can make it difficult to record a particular show you'd like to monitor or time shift. VCR's and PVR's will do a fine job of "taping" a show from off air, cable or satellite TV, but they're useless if what you want to record is being streamed over the Internet.

Ford’s New Taurus is No Bull

What's in a name? Well, if you're Ford it could be a lot. After the company announced that last year's Five Hundred would be this year's Taurus, a name hearkening back to what they undoubtedly thought were better days of the 1980s and 1990s, I had to chuckle.

Porsche Cayenne S – Splendid SUV

Porsche stood the automotive world on its ear a few years ago when it announced it was branching out from sports cars and into the world of SUV's. Some thought it was a travesty for a sports car company to branch out like this, but the Cayenne has sold well.

A Tale of Two Porsches – High End Low End, and Low End High End

Do you lust after the legendary Porsche, but find the Carrera Turbo just a little too, well, stratospheric? Take heart! Even the more "down to earth" Porsches are still an absolute blast, as evidenced by a couple of weeks I spent with the "entry level" Carrera and the "upscale" entry level model, the Boxster S.

Toyota’s Highland Fling Fits Its Niche Well

Think of it as a big RAV4 – and that's meant as a compliment. The new, 2008 Toyota Highlander is, according to its maker, "the mid-sized SUV that delivers the versatility of a sport utility vehicle with the driving comfort and performance of a passenger car." Toyota also says the Highlander is designed as an "urban-friendly" SUV, as opposed to the more off-road-aimed FJ Cruiser and 4Runner, with more forceful styling and performance and a more flexible interior than before.

Mazda MX-5 Tops Its Own Act!

Mazda's little bundle of joy was reborn about a year ago, moving beyond the loveable and classic Miata with a new look, new power, and a new, shorter name: just plain MX-5. At heart, it's still the joyful little Miata, the two seat roadster that turned the automotive world on its ear by taking everything that was great about affordable, open top motoring as personified by classic MG's, Healeys and Triumphs and bringing to the mix the legendary Japanese dependability.

Mazda CX-7 Hauls People, Stuff, Butt

Minivans are out, at least if you're Mazda, and that may not be too bad a thing. Mazda's MPG minivan did about as good a job of putting "zoom zoom" into the little bus-like creatures as possible, and the last time I drove one I liked it quite a bit--as a minivan. But the MPG couldn't hold a candle to the CX-7 which, while it may limit the tallness of objects you can carry compared to the minivan, ups the driving reward ante considerably while being just an all around more modern vehicle.

Audi Q7—Large, Luxurious, Lovely

German automaker Audi is famous for making all wheel drive vehicles you can take off-road. They've been rally champions and their Allroad models, though not true SUV's, split the difference between station wagon and SUV very well. The Allroad has gone to automotive heaven, at least for the present, and now Audi's SUV standard is carried by the Q7, a fully fledged luxury SUV. It's a fine vehicle, as I discovered during a week of living with it.

Toyota’s Avalon a Big and Smooth Operator

It's a full-figured car, with ample room and plenty of power. And it's soft and comfortable. Toyota's flagship Avalon features some nice freshening for the 2008 model year, but if you're looking for driving passion you'd best look elsewhere. Fortunately, many people don't care a whit for driving passion and are more than happy with a reliable vehicle that will take them where they want to go, efficiently and dependably. And for them, this Avalon may be just the ticket.