AUTO REVIEW – When Ford announced an all-new Taurus, I was pulling hard for an SHO version. Lacking any real pull with the Ford guys, I had mostly resorted to crossing my fingers and wishing real hard. Well, sometimes the magic works. Ford has done a great job of revamping its entire lineup. In the next couple of years, there will be no re-skinned older vehicles on the showroom floor. The all-new Taurus is a fine representative of this thinking…

AUTO REVIEW – If you haven’t read a review of a KIA product in the past few years, please remain seated and take a couple of deep breaths before you continue reading. Thank you. Having just come off a week’s drive of a new 2010 KIA Forte Koup, I am still cocking my head to one side and saying (out loud, but under my breath): “Whoa, that’s cool!” (in this case the word cool is spelled “kool” of course)…

HOT WIRE – Those of you who wondered what life after General Motors would look like for Saab, take a good look at the 2011 Saab 9-5 sedan. Yes, this is a working 9-5, not a clay rendition. New parent company Spyker is proud to take the wraps off the new 9-5. With frontal styling inspired by the award-winning Aero X concept car and a muscular, low-slung stance, the new 9-5 heralds the introduction of a bold, more expressive design language.

HOT WIRE – Chevrolet likes to point out that the Camaro outsold the Mustang 11 months straight, with sales of more than 90,000 through April 2010. For 2011, the Camaro rolls on with evolutionary changes: An increased horsepower rating for the 3.6L V-6 VVT – 312 (topping the new V6 Mustang’s 305 horsepower) – while still offering an EPA-rated 29 mpg on the highway; Head-Up Display is now standard on 2LT and 2SS equipment packages. The system projects vehicle speed and other data onto the windshield for easy, at-a-glance viewing that doesn’t require the driver to take his or her eyes off the road; and…

HOT WIRE – Ford gave the green light only once before: In 1968, management approved a special Mustang – a car that sacrificed nothing in its quest to be the best all-around road-going performance pony car created by Ford Motor Company. That car became the 1969 Mustang Boss 302, and it remains one of the world’s most sought-after examples of the Mustang. Forty-two years later, Ford has given the green light again. Meet the new Boss 302…