PORTLAND, Ore. — Veloster as a word means absolutely nothing. Think of it as a vehicular Seinfeld show. But get behind the wheel and you’ll be asking yourself, “Is there anything these Koreans can’t do?” A recent get-together with Hyundai’s all-new 2012 Veloster three-door coupe shed more light on this question and the answer is a qualified “no.”

ROMEO, Mich. — Can the Ford EcoBoost deliver the advertised combination of solid performance and segment-leading gas mileage in the popular mid-sized crossover Ford Edge? After some seat time in the 2012 Edge with its turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine at Ford's test facility here, we say yes.

HERNDON, Va. — Many people would think the most successful single car design in history was the Ford Model T. Ergo, many people would be wrong. The Volkswagen Beetle overtook the Model T for that honor on Feb. 17, 1972.  Volkswagen is ready to market its third-generation Beetle in the United States this fall.

PORTLAND, Ore. — There’s a great line in the hit movie Rambo where Col. Samuel Trautman, John Rambo’s commanding officer in Vietnam, addresses a comment by Brian Dennehy, a vicious local sheriff who is convinced that he can starve out the former Green Beret. Trautman says, “I’ve seen John Rambo eat things that would make a Billy goat puke.” By comparison we’ve seen the 2012 Jeep Wrangler do things that would make a mountain goat envious.

YOUNTVILLE, Cailf.  — Volvo engineering has always been front and center about safety; performance and style not so much, although Volvo has had a tad of success with both when you take a look back.

DETROIT — It used to be assumed that Buick was allied with the Mercury Grand Marquis as having initiated the “Final Purchase Plan.” Well, the Grand Marquis is history, and so is the stodginess so rightly or wrongly associated with one of GM’s stellar brands. Case in point is the all-new 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist Technology.

MISSOULA, Mt — Vehicle classification doesn’t seem to be a perfect science but under the circumstances it’s probably as good as it’s going to get. However, sometimes confusion reigns. Case in point is the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV.