The late 1980s/early1990s gave birth to three very significant automotive companies: Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. Each was created as the luxury arm of a Japanese economy car maker -- Acura is part of Honda; Lexus is part of Toyota; and Infiniti is part of Nissan. Each company would be much happier if you forgot that, and considered them on their own merits. They'd be much happier if you just thought of them as luxury car makers.

Infiniti has had the toughest time carving out its niche in the marketplace, but has really come on strong in the past few years with some spectacular products. The G37 is regularly considered as strong competition in the compact sport coupe/sedan field, and the M is starting to really make some waves. Infiniti's crossovers and SUVs have been among my favorites for years, mostly for their sporty nature and bold exterior designs. I had a lot of fun putting together this Infiniti Overview. Click on "comments" below and let me know what you think of the Infiniti SUV and Crossover lineup.

Photo © Jason Fogelson

Basem Wasef, About.com's Guide to Motorcycles, was able to drag himself out from behind the wheel in order to bring us this 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Photo Gallery. I don't know how he did it, but I'm glad that he did. I would measure every other activity against the thrill of driving an agile 518 hp SUV, given the opportunity.

Looking at the photos, I'm still not sure if Mercedes-Benz went far enough with the redesign of the M-Class. It still looks a little bit minivan-ish to me. The cognitive dissonance of a 500-plus horsepower minivan must be quite a rush. What do you think?

Click on comments below and share your thoughts.

Photo © Basem Wasef

Basem Wasef, About.com's Guide to Motorcycles, is a very responsible fellow. He's a loyal husband, new father, and an all-around good guy. Still, when I read his 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Test Drive and Review, I sensed that part of Basem was being seduced by the 518 hp SUV.

Basem noted the ML6 AMG's 2.5 ton curb weight, but found ways to excuse the excess tonnage. He mentioned the near-six-figure price tag, but found a way to make sense of the high price.

I definitely got the sense that Basem had a lot of fun behind the wheel of the ML63 AMG, and I'm very happy for him. I am also a little bit jealous.

Read Basem's 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Test Drive and Review, then click on "comments" below and share your thoughts.

Photo © Basem Wasef

Mercedes-Benz takes a long time to make changes. I think that's actually wise -- better to take a long time to develop new models and changes to current models than to rush into changes. But when I put together this Mercedes-Benz SUV and Crossover Overview, I realized that the G-Class or "Gelandewagen" hasn't been redesigned since 1991 -- that's 20 years, or three lifetimes in most product cycles.

Yet still, Mercedes-Benz sells every G-Wagen it can build, even with prices well north of $100,000. What is it about the G-Wagen that keeps it in vogue?

Once again, it goes to show that rapid change isn't necessarily what buyers seek. Is there a lesson in this long-lived model?

Photo © Mercedes-Benz