Cars

As I rocket across the desert outside Phoenix at 120 mph, I'm surprised by my test car's stability. I'm driving the legendary 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing-the car that inspired the real reason for my trip west: to test Mercedes' new flagship sports car, the SL500 hardtop convertible.

If automakers have their way, you'll be driving a station wagon soononly you'll call it a "sports tourer" or "crossbred vehicle." Here's a peek at the wagon-esque concepts we've seen recently.

Shakespeare once described the "seven ages" of a person's life. Clearly, he wasn't a car guy. For when it comes to the sheet metal in the driveway, there are actually just five stages of life and, thanks to new technology, each is poised for a dramatic makeover. From more powerful and efficient engines to voice recognition and Web access, automakers are introducing innovations designed to appeal to a variety of tastes. Here's what's coming to a driveway near you, next year and beyond.

The first time you hit the gas in one of Mercedes' newest AMG models, you might think it's powered by rocket fuel. Well, not really. But as your cranium hits the headrest, it becomes quite clear that there's no ordinary V6 under the hood.

The C32 sedan and SLK32 roadster are the latest in a series of specialized models from AMG, a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary that modifies engines and suspensions of basic production cars for high performance. On the road, it takes a conscious effort to slow to the flow of traffic. Mercedes claims 0 to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds. We believe it.

First came the elegance, and now comes the verve.

The Mercedes C-Class coupe is a sporty complement

to the company's more sedate C-Class sedan. The

sport coupe is about 7 inches shorter than the sedan,

and its high snubbed rear and long sloping hood all but

shout "catch me if you can."

The coupe proved right at home on the curves of the

narrow "Corniches" that hug the cliffs of France's

Cte

d'Azur between Nice and Monaco, where we tested it. It

accelerated energetically with sharp bursts of

adrenaline when the road briefly straightened, while

Why do traffic lights automatically change when I pull up to them?

The most promising feature of the Honda Dualnote prototype, shown here, is the least apparent: Under its cool-kitsch skin, which looks like a computer-generated CAD drawing come to life, is a hybrid powertrain. In other words, a big electric motor helps this car's internal combustion engine.

It looks like a silver Rice Krispies treat, but biting into it is not advised. It's actually a superstrong lightweight material called stabilized aluminum foam, and one day it might save your life.


The foam's high strength-to-weight ratio and its ability to withstand powerful impacts make it an ideal material for an automobile's crash box—the part of a car's front end that absorbs the blow during a collision. Tests by MIT's Impact and Crashworthiness Lab have shown that the foam boosts the impact-absorbing ability of automotive parts as much as 600 percent.

Mainstream sedans are ready for their gas-electric acid test. When it hits dealerships this spring, the Honda Civic will be the first to get a hybrid powertrain.

The battery package in the Civic is 42 percent smaller than that of its hybrid sibling, the Insight, which means more room inside.

In our tests near Palm Springs, California, the 1.3-liter four-cylinder powered the car to 60 in a respectable 11 seconds. Expect fuel economy in the high 40s, 10 mpg better than ordinary Civics.

Price: $20,000.

I turn the key and nothing happens. No throaty rumble, no smoke, nothing. But when I hit the throttle, Yamaha's new FX 140 takes off. The new four-stroke engine is so quiet, I didn't even hear it.
Makers of personal watercraft (PWC) didn't relish the move from two-stroke enginesa tightening EPA noose forced thembut you can't argue with the results: This generation is quieter, quicker, and smoother-not to mention up to 80 percent cleaner.

Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles began appearing late in the 19th century
from manufacturers such as the Compagnie Parisienne des Voitures Electriques
in France. In this country, an engineer named H. Piper applied for a patent
on a gasoline-electric motor combination on Nov. 23, 1905. By the time Piper
received his patent three years later, however, advances in gasoline engines
had begun to eclipse the performance of his and other hybrids. Among other

Borax may prove useful in a lot more than laundry detergent. DaimlerChrysler engineers believe a variant of the innocuous white powder provides a safe, compact way to contain hydrogen. The lack of such storage for the notoriously flammable gas has been a key obstacle to the development of fuel-cell-powered cars. Borax's first performance is in a concept minivan called the Chrysler Town & Country Natrium (Latin for sodium, an element in borax).

This is no ordinary scooter. Instead, it's the answer to your lousy commute. The all-electric Nova Cruz Voloci has a range of 50 miles and a top speed of 30 mph (the average commute is 11.6 miles at a speed of 33.6 mph), and its swing-arm suspension makes short shrift of everything from New York's potholes to San Francisco's hills. Plug it in when you get to the office, and its nickel-metal-hydride batteries re-energize before lunch. Prices start at $2,495.

Voloci vitals

Top speed: 30 mph

Acceleration: 0 to 20 mph in 5 seconds

It's flat-out the most fun Infiniti yet. Hot on the heels of the company's all-new Q45 and overhauled I35 comes the G35, a stunning sport-luxury sedan that replaces the ho-hum G20.

The Pontiac Vibe didn't take long to impress. We were sitting in the front seat, ignition off, looking at the spec sheet: six-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive, base price of 17 grand. What more could an entry-level buyer want?