The Car Exam Quick Quiz # 15: The Toyota Highlander V6 Hybrid

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Good Grades: Good engine acceleration, comfortable seats, backup camera a nice feature, decent fuel economy, better styling than the last generation.

Bad Grades: More engine noise than I cared for, bland driving experience; this does not really stand out from the competition–except for the fuel economy.

Final Grade: I left this vehicle wanting much more than I got. Again, a fun driving experience would have been nice–but that’s not what you get with most Toyotas. I don’t have to feel like I’m Bo or Luke Duke from “The Dukes of Hazzard,” but at least some driving enjoyment would be appreciated. I know a lot of drivers don’t care about driving enjoyment–but I am one who does.

The Car Exam Grade: B

Base MSRP: $34,900

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The Car Exam Quick Quiz #7: The Ford Taurus Limited

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Good Grades: Solid build quality, nice interior ergonomics and quality,supportive and comfy seats, good exterior styling–in short a lot of the SHO’s good attributes.

Bad Grades: The base 3.6 liter, 263 horsepower V6 struggles to pull the 4,000 pound Taurus. You really miss the twin-turbocharged 365 horsepower V6 in the SHO—and it shows (pun intended)! My test car missed some of the goodies found on the SHO (navigation, all-wheel drive, etc.), and it shares a flaw with the SHO (short windows all around–which means a big blind spot in the rear.

Final Grade: The Taurus Limited is a good car, but it feels underpowered–especially after you drive the Taurus SHO. If you can afford to spend the extra dollars (and driving performance matters), do go for the SHO.

The Car Exam Grade: B

The Car Exam – New Car Reviews – Quick Quiz #6: The 2010 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

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Good Grades: Good power for the 315 hp 4.6 Liter V8, solid 5-speed manual transmission, competent braking, good exterior styling and better interior than the 2005-2009 models, Microsoft/Ford Sync System, comfortable seats, cool sequential turn signals at the rear.

Bad Grades: Retro is fine, but the skinny numbers on the speedometer and tachometer need to go away–now! I still felt like it could use more horsepower, small back seats, and I didn’t care for the “Grabber Blue” color on my test car.

Final Grade: Chevrolet Camaro sales have been topping the Mustang for several reasons this year–one of them being huge horsepower advantages with the V6 and V8 engines. Ford freshened the Mustang for 2010, but left the outdated powertrains alone–a big mistake! If you are in the market for a Mustang, wait until spring and get a 2011 Mustang. You can get the new 5.0 liter 412 horsepower V8 Mustang GT or the new 305 horsepower, 3.7 liter V6 in the base model with a whopping 31 miles-per-gallon fuel economy on the highway (only 19 m.p.g. city), apparently a record for a 300+ hp engine. By the way, the 2011 Shelby GT 500 gains 10 hp to reach 550 horsepower. I have a feeling when I test the 2011 models, the Mustang will surely get a better grade!

The Car Exam Grade: B/B+

The Car Exam: Quick Quiz #4: The 2010 Cadillac SRX

Good Grades: Excellent interior and exterior styling, high quality interior materials, good ergonomics, comfortable seats, good navigation system with back up camera, nice visibility, good stereo system, decent ride and braking.

Bad Grades: Weak acceleration from the 3.0 liter V6 engine is a deal-breaker; large blind spot, the ride could be a bit softer.

Final Grade: The 2010 Cadillac SRX is light years better than the cars GM used to make. It is a very impressive crossover. However, if you choose to buy it, get the SRX with the 300 horsepower, 2.8 liter turbo V6 engine. It’s more potent than the gutless 3.0 liter, 265 horsepower V6 engine (which strains to pull the 4200 pound CUV). The Car Exam Grade: B