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car review

2009 Land Rover LR2Guy Spangenberg/Spangenberg Phot

2010 BMW X3

Base Price: $39,900

Coming: this fall

BMW Canada is expanding its 2010 X3 lineup to include the xDrive28i model. It will roll into showrooms in the fall of 2009 with a base price of $39,900.

Power will come from a 3.0-litre, inline-six-cylinder engine rated at 215 horsepower. BMW claims a 0-100 km/h time of 8.9 seconds.

The upscale 2010 X3 xDrive30i will have a base MSRP of $45,900. It will use the same engine as the less expensive X3, but with higher output - 260 horsepower for a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 7.6 seconds.

The outgoing 2009 X3 starts at $45,300, though it is being sold with discounts of at least $2,000 that can be combined with lease and finance rates as low as 2.9 per cent for up to five years.

Some BMW Canada dealers have expressed disappointment with the parent company over its handling of the X3 in a highly competitive market. The X3, they say, has been largely overlooked from both a marketing and packaging point of view. And that has hurt sales.

New BMW Canada president Franz Jung has said improving the X3's position versus its rivals is one of his first priorities.

2010 MERCEDES-BENZ GLK350

Base price: $41,800

The deal: 3.9 per cent retail financing for up to five years

Basic warranty: Four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 13.3 city/9.6 highway

The tall, five-passenger GLK has a V-6 engine (269 horsepower) and standard all-wheel-drive. It is Mercedes' attempt to blend the C-Class car with the G-Class SUV in both style and functionality.

That makes sense. The mechanical underpinnings are borrowed from the C-Class and the engine is exactly the same.

The nuts and bolts here are very good, but the design has unleashed a flood of anger in the blogosphere. One wag says the GLK is good reason to shoot out the lights in your garage.

The cabin design is not unlike the exterior. The squared-off console and instrument binnacle are unlike anything in the Mercedes family. On the other hand, the controls and instruments work.

Design issues aside, the ride quality is excellent - especially for a tall, boxy crossover. The GLK has plenty of power, too. Stab the gas and off you go with gusto, despite the 1,830-kg curb weight. The tow rating is 1,588 kg.

Mercedes also has cleaned up its quality act. In the most recent study from Consumer Reports, Mercedes showed the most significant improvement in quality.

2009 AUDI Q5

Base price: $43,400

The deal: $2,000 factory-to-dealer rebate or 2.9 per cent retail financing for up to three years

Basic warranty: Four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (L/100 km): 11.5 city/9.0 highway

The comfortable Q5 drives swell and has a roomy cabin given its compact exterior. Like other Audis, the Q5 has tight gaps between body panels, a rich but simple interior, firm and comfortable seats and well-conceived styling.

The Q5 comes only with a 3.2-litre V-6, quattro all-wheel-drive and a six-speed automatic. The V-6 (270 hp) responds instantly when you push your right food hard. The six-speed automatic is a slick piece that offers a manual-shift mode. Audi's version is among the easiest and most-satisfying for sale anywhere.

Meantime, the standard quattro all-wheel drive normally sends most power to the back for a rear-drive feel. Sporty drivers like this. The suspension can be adjusted to different setting, but even at its cushiest, the Q5 carves corners nicely.

Like some others, Audi channels many vehicle functions through a controller device. Here it is called the MMI control system, with MMI standing for multimedia interface. The MMI design is reasonably user-friendly, but just like the others, you need to search through a menu to tune the radio and manage other routine functions. It works, but none of these controllers is an ideal or elegant solution.

Cool features: A giant sunroof stretches over the front and back seats, but without the typical wide bar across the middle blocking part of your view.

As for quality, the Audi brand scored below average in initial quality but above the industry average in dependability for three-year-old vehicles in 2009 surveys by J.D. Power and Associates. Consumer Reports gives a "recommended" to Audi's 2009 A8 and A6 sedans, though the new Q5 has no track record, so CR offers no view on reliability.

2009 Land Rover LR2

Base price: $44,900

The deal: $2,000 factory-to-dealer rebate

Basic warranty: Four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 14.1 city/9.1 highway

Automotive Lease Guide, which charts and ranks resale or residual values for vehicles, says the LR2 is worth more after three years than any other ride its class - 49 per cent of the value retained after 36 months.

The LR2 arrived as an all-new 2008 model back in the days before Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar to India's Tata Motors. The five-seat LR2 has the look of the larger Land Rovers in a smaller package; going in this direction was a wise move by both LR and Ford.

What this means is that the LR2 has a chunky stance and the short overhangs are not just for show. They signal the LR2's off-road capabilities, which are substantial.

The cabin is comfortable and comes with standard leather upholstery. The cabin is airy, with excellent outward visibility. The large buttons and rotary dials on the centre stack are glove friendly.

The British-built LR2 rides a car-based platform that traces its roots to the Volvo S80 sedan. Under the hood is a 3.2-litre straight-six, producing 230 hp. We've seen this engine is in the previous S80, another Ford/Land Rover trick. The six-speed automatic transmission can be manually shifted. There is enough power here to move the rather hefty LR2 (1,935 kg) down the road or trail. But fuel economy is not good at all.

2009 Acura RDX

Base price: $41,400

The deal: $3,500 factory-to-customer rebate; 1.9 per cent financing for three years

Basic warranty: Four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (L/100 km): 12.5 city/9.3 highway

Acura loaded up the original 2008 RDX with all sorts of then-novel technologies - from rear-view camera to premium audio to Bluetooth connectivity. The market has since caught up and these features are reasonably common in comparable and even less-expensive cars and crossovers.

The Audi Q5, for instance, can be had with parking assistance, blind-spot warning and keyless ignition, none of which is available on the RDX. The EX35 offers an around-view monitor that employs four strategically located cameras to create a kind of overhead image on a video screen.

The RDX, now that Acura has jumped into the discounting game, is a good buy on a reliable and still-well-equipped crossover. There is a reason for the deal on the 2009 model - Acura will launch an updated, though not thoroughly reworked, version of the RDX later this month as a 2010 model.

The outgoing RDX remains a sporty handler - too sporty for some, I suspect - with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine (240 hp) and Acura's own Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system.

Overall, this wagon is quick. The five-speed automatic transmission has shift paddles mounted behind the steering wheel for those who want to do it themselves.

The RDX is nimble and responsive, as much or more than any other vehicle here. For some, this might be too much of a good thing. They'll think the RDX is jittery and jiggly.

Inside, the obvious drawback is the control layout. The RDX's dash has some 40 buttons on its centre stack (in addition to the primary control knob) and 14 buttons on the steering wheel. Then you need to add in the shift paddles.

At least the interior looks modern and well-finished. As for the exterior, the design is eye-catchingly aggressive. Even though the look is two years old, the RDX is not at all out of date from a design standpoint.

2010 Volvo XC60

Base price: $49,995

The deal: $1,800 factory-to-dealer rebate

Basic warranty: four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 13.5 city/9.1 highway

The 2010 Volvo XC60 is loaded with features designed to prevent accidents, but not all are welcome.

One monitors your driving habits. If you begin to swerve or drive erratically, a warning sounds and a light flashes in the instrument cluster. This is LDW for lane departure warning. Another one in the side mirrors flashes when sensors detect something in your blind spot. This is BLIS (blind-spot information system).

And so on, and so on. The XC60 is loaded with safety stuff.

But don't overlook the XC60's design. It's a standout in a growing field. The snout is trim and tidy, the grille strong but tasteful. Moving back, the XC60 has a flowing profile and the rear end has Volvo's signature design cue: oversized tail-lamps highlighting the pear-shaped back end.

The newest Volvo rides on the latest S80 sedan platform and it's excellent - sportier, more solid than the XC90's previous-generation S80 architecture. The XC60 is a delight to drive.

The engine is a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six rated at 281 horsepower. The six-speed Geartronic transmission is very, very smooth on heavy acceleration. If you like, a manual override allows you to control gearing yourself. A front-drive version starts at $39,995.

As for the cabin, it is outstanding. A slim centre stack is the signature feature, but we don't want to overlook all the rich but not overwrought details - from the cross stitch on the leather seats to the Nordic light oak inlays.

This XC60 is a curvy, stunning premium crossover with a spacious interior and generally smart controls.

2010 Lexus RX350

Base price: $46,900

The deal: 3.9 per cent financing for up to four years

Basic warranty: Four years/80,000 km

Fuel economy (L/100 km): 11.6 city/8.2 highway

The RX, the original crossover sport-ute, has built its 10-year-old reputation on quality, the durability, ride and reliability. This model has stood the test of time.

Like the old RX, the one with the five-star crash test rating, the new 2010 one is safe, too. It swaddles passengers in the most air bags - 10 - in its class.

Make no mistake, the restyled, reengineered 2010 Lexus RX350 is the most important vehicle in the Lexus lineup, representing about 40 per cent of all Lexus sales in Canada.

This new RX is sleeker-looking and bigger inside and out. The V-6 engine is rated at 275-horsepower. The automatic transmission is a six-speed with sequential shifting. On top of that, an improved standard all-wheel-drive system is lighter and it can shift torque front-to-rear in infinite amounts, or balance it 50/50 front/rear.

Inside, Lexus reworked the gauges, improved the seats and in a nod to the explosion in personal entertainment systems, hookups for iPods and the like easy to access. In the "gee-whiz" department, a television camera integrated into the passenger side mirror displays whatever might be lurking in the driver's blind spot - right into the centre mirror.

So the new RX is prettier than ever, quieter than ever, as safe as ever if not more so and it surely will be as reliable as ever. It's a familiar Lexus formula.

2009 Infiniti EX35

Base price: $40,900

The deal: $4,000 factory-to-dealer rebate

Basic warranty: four years/100,000 km

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.9 city/8.5 highway

The Infiniti EX35 may very well be the best-handling vehicle in this entire group, and that is saying something. Beyond that, the exterior design is clean and honest, while the interior looks and feels expensive.

The EX35 is also loaded with technology - Around View Monitor, Lane Departure Prevention and even Scratch Shield paint - a kind of "self-healing" clear-coat paint with the ability to erase fine scratches.

Most important of all, though, the EX35 is a solid driving machine. The 3.5-litre V-6 engine is rated at 297-horsepower, making the EX35 the most powerful model in its class. This really is a great engine - powerful, smooth, responsive and efficient.

This Infiniti is a dynamic handler, yet the ride is quite supple in your everyday commute. The steering is very tight, the brakes strong.

Infiniti nailed the premium crossover formula here. Better still, the EX35 has earned a Top Safety pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And best of all, the EX35 is available at a tidy discount, so it's an excellent buy.

jcato@globeandmail.com

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