Let’s face it: it’s hard to fall in love with a pick-up truck, let alone imagine using one every single day. It’s designed to be first and foremost a workhorse—it’s the thing utility companies use to install your cable television or fix your broken internet connection. You didn’t care how it looked or how it went over ruts; what’s important is that it can haul your stuff. Well, not anymore. The arrival of the luxury pick-up trucks in the late 1990’s; particularly the gigantic American ones transformed the lowly pick-up into a status symbol. And now, the Japanese brands are in on the act.

It’s not everyday you get to drive a legend; let alone twice.  Even before setting foot inside the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, you know you’re about to taste a piece of history, a history that starts way back in 1953.  At the time, there was no Beatles, the American Civil Rights Movement was still in its infancy, and a bottle of Coca-Cola cost just 4 cents.  And yet, Mercedes-Benz was already creating waves with its W120 sedan, now lovingly referred to as the “Ponton”.

Flying halfway across the world, the least thing I would have expected was to meet my wife’s tito—who happens to share the same passion as I do: fast cars. But as if fate waved its magic wand, that’s exactly what happened and how I ended up at a Mercedes-Benz dealership south of Boston, Massachusetts. Stepping into Tito JC Cabanos’s corner office is like stepping into the McLaren-Mercedes trophy room: on display were shimmering awards and trophies. Yet, JC’s passion for the three-pointed star doesn’t end with his sales accolades: hung on the wall was a painting of Sterling Moss’s 300 SLR and on his desk, a shot of him sitting in a late-model SL, with oddly enough, a large lobster draped on the hood. After exchanging tales of kamustas, JC decided that there was no better way to heighten the Mercedes experience than driving one of the most formidable Mercedes-Benz cars on the road today: the C 63 AMG.

Before the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, there was only one executive car of choice, and its name is Mitsubishi Galant.  This nameplate has an almost mythical ring to it especially in conjuring up images of a sharply-styled and sporty sedan that’s capable as it is comfortable.  However, somewhere along the road to the present day, it has lost its way; ending up in executive car limbo in the process.

Go ahead. Stare as much as you like. What you’re seeing on these pages is the 2009 Toyota RAV4. We’re not kidding! That’s how “subtle” the changes are, considering the nips and tucks done here we supposed to keep the RAV4 fresh against the slew of its newer competitors including the exemplary Subaru Forester. We’re not saying that the RAV4 is a terrible car though. In fact, despite being one of the first to arrive among the current crop of compact crossovers, this “cute-ute” remains fairly commendable, though it has truly fallen from our graces.

Success plays mind games on people.  Sometimes it pushes you to do greater things, sometimes it makes you complacent and sometimes it makes you do silly things.  Take Michael Phelps for example: the sheer weight of eight Olympic gold medals hung around his neck had caused him to smoke pot.  In front of the camera no less.  And much like Phelps, Suzuki is leaning towards downright silliness.  The sheer success of their Swift sub-compact has caused them to move up the automotive ladder.  They set their sights on the Mazda3 and the Honda Civic with (drum rolls please) the SX4 Sedan.  That’s a pretty tall order considering that the SX4 has a wheelbase of just 2,500 mm—making it even shorter than even Honda City.

Sixty-six horsepower isn’t something to get excited about.  After all, the last time I’ve driven a car with that little hood ponies was an early 80’s Toyota.  And let’s just say the memories aren’t so great: each time we encountered a steep enough incline (and it’s not that steep), we had to turn off the air conditioning just to reach the top.  But times certainly have changed and with the advent of modern technology such as fuel injection, computer-controlled transmissions and so forth, having 66 horsepower isn’t as limiting as it used to be.  Take for instance the Hyundai i10—a car that’s unarguably one of the most exciting I’ve ever driven.  Exciting?  The Hyundai i10?  It’s easy getting caught up in prejudices with small and cheap cars in general; and I too fell victim, having put very low expectations from this P 558,000 car.  But believe me, the i10 made me appreciate that fun-to-drive doesn’t necessarily mean having the most horsepower or having the flashiest badge