By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Whether you’re driving U.S. Route 15, one of the country's great north-south roads that stretches from southern New York to South Carolina or crossing through the Santa Monica mountains to the spectacular Pacific Coast Highway, the ride becomes more enthusiastic when you’re are behind the wheel of vehicle of special performance.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

This fall we discovered what we learned years ago — the current-generation LaCrosse is the best large sedan Buick has produced in years including a stylish exterior that that has lost none of its luster since its 2009 introduction, a handsome cabin with upgraded technology, strong performance from a 3.6-liter V-6, and a smooth and quiet ride.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The Hyundai Equus is as feature-laden as such stalwarts of the full-sized luxury ranks as the Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi’s A8, but for many thousands less making it perhaps the number one automotive value that virtually no one knows about, offering more bang for the buck than any car sold in America.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

While we wait with great anticipation for the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang to arrive next spring on the Mustang's 50th anniversary our excitement over the new Pony Car comes with some sadness. We're sad to see the current-generation All-American Mustang GT muscle car, powered by a rumbling V-8, fade into history.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Audi's reputation for building some of the most desirable cars in the world continues to grow with stylish remakes of mid-sized vehicles that stand out with automotive sophistication, delightful interiors and impeccable driving demeanors. And now the A6 for 2014 with a new fuel-efficient 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission makes it even better.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

A very good Kia Sorento mid-sized crossover sport utility has been made even better with the 2014 model. Kia has endowed the newest Sorento with styling updates, an upgraded interior and a new, more responsive V-6 engine.