Matt-As always, you make a very valid point. It will be interesting, indeed, to see how it all shakes out when the "real-world" numbers are known. Of course, it does depend, too, and very much so, on how you drive, right?

Drew-Thanks for your comments. This list comes from Total Car Score, not The Car Connection. It showcases cars from the Detroit Big Three. The TCS for each is a "comprehensivenumber assigned to a vehicle that represents an overall industry assessment from major automotive authorities. All vehicles are model year 2012 with at least five source ratings that comprise the Total Car Score." Note the Focus came in just shy of Chrysler SRT8.In the High Performance segment, competitors to the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 include Volkswagen Golf R, Taurus SHO, Dodge Charger SRT8 and Ford Mustang Boss 302. In Large Sedans & Wagons, Buick LaCrosse is #2 and Chrysler 300 is #5. In Large SUVs & Crossovers, Chevy Traverse is #1, Ford Flex #2, GMC Acadia #3.

Willis- Bet you've become quite handy at those repairs, too... Thanks for the observations.

Al - another excellent point. Electric cars do away with a lot of maintenance required for gasoline-powered vehicles. Of course, there's the time for payback to consider (the premium consumers pay for the electic vehicle up-front), and that's not an inconsiderable expense.

Matt-Don't know about you, but I learned how to drive a stick shift first, long before I got my first car with an automatic tranny. As to which I prefer? It depends on the car. One thing about learning to drive a manual is that it's something you never forget. Thanks for the comment. Note that these two GM recalls are now NHTSA official safety recalls.

Matt-Totally agree. Now imagine you're driving out in Wyoming with the family, en route to visiting Yellowstone National Park or whatever, and you're miles away from a station...that "check engine" light could be pretty scary.

But you're absolutely right that it could mean any number of things, including not tightening the gas cap at the last fill-up.

Matt-Do we detect just a little bit of, maybe, longing, in your comment? Thanks for pointing out that sheet metal (or carbon fiber or whatever) can't hold your hand or give you a hug when you need it...

Matt - As always, you make some valid observations. One could argue that if the big telecoms never introduced cell phones and promoted them with ridiculously low pricing, we'd never have this particular form of distracted driving... On the other hand, we might still be distracted in other ways. Anyway, thanks for the comment.

Matt - Press material for the Nissan Pathfinder Concept, which is a preview of the 2013 Pathfinder, seems to indicate a new, more efficient V-6: "Addressing buyers' desire for more efficiency in every aspect of their lives, the Pathfinder powertrain utilizes a refined V6 engine mated to a next-generation Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) to provide a 25 percent*** increase in combined City/Highway fuel economy (over the previous V6-equipped model)...

The new engine and CVT combination offers improved efficiency, while maintaining nearly the same horsepower as the previous generation's larger displacement V6, and delivers responsive acceleration in a variety of conditions."

Matt- You raise a good point, and that's really how graduated driver licensing is supposed to help. Teens need more supervised time behind the wheel learning the right way to drive a car. It's not just point and the car will go. Thanks for the astute comment.