"Why doesn't Ford bring back the Zephyr?"

I can't believe anyone ever actually said this, but lo and behold that paragon of 1970s Mercury style and performance did return in 2006 -- as a Lincoln. Actually, the Zephyr was originally a 1930s-era Lincoln before it was a '70s Mercury, but how many people know (or care) about that? Should Ford have revived this nameplate? I guess its staying power (Lincoln changed that model's name to MKZ after one year) is answer enough.

I was recently thinking about dead nameplates that should not come back after someone brought up Edsel in conversation. I'm assuming Ford will never revive that nameplate, and I don't expect to see the words "Aztek," "Chevette" or "Volare" on a future model, either. But then again, who would have predicted the rise of "Aspen" from the automotive underworld. Which brings up today's burning question:

What dead vehicle nameplates do you most fear the return of? In my opinion there are two reasons for a nameplate to never come back: (A) it's associated with a horrendous vehicle (Aztek) or (B) it was a horrendous name itself, regardless of the vehicle it was affixed to (Probe).

Here are my Top 5:

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More seat time in the 2008 Cadillac CTS has only cemented my choice of assigning it the bulk of my voting points for the 2008 North American Car of the Year title. Of course the Chevrolet Malibu won, and given its "everyman" nature (and pricing) I can't really argue the point.

But this Cadillac CTS is still the car that most impressed me as an all-new model for 2008 (plus it's not a knock-off of an existing model, ala Saturn Aura). Probably the smartest thing Cadillac did was to tap the same German supplier that BMW uses for suspension and steering components. That ZF Sachs underpins the CTS is obvious every time you turn the wheel and feel that Germanic, BMW-like weightiness imbuing the car with un-Cadillac-like confidence and poise.

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The first round of 2008 North American Car and Truck of the Year votes are in...

Car Finalists:

   1. Cadillac CTS                   2. Chevrolet Malibu                3. Honda Accord

Truck Finalists:

     1. Buick Enclave             2. Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid          3. Mazda CX-9

The final winnners will be announced the morning of January 13th as part of the kickoff for the 2008 North American International Auto Show (also known as the Detroit Auto Show). I just sent my second-round ballot in, so my part in voting for the car and truck winners is over. I won't know the results before that January 13th announcement, though obviously I know who I voted for.

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I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. It's not much of a secret, as some of you might have already figured this out. But I'll pass the information along just the same.

As you probably know, residual value on domestic nameplates is generally lower than on the equivalent foreign model. Check our used car pricing guide and compare a 2005 Honda Accord LX sedan ($12,816) with a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu LS sedan ($8,908) if you need further proof.

Does this mean domestic cars are "worse" than foreign cars? There's a question that could generate plenty of comments -- depending on how I answer. But instead let's focus on an undeniable fact:

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With three new entry luxury models in the house it seemed only fitting to carve out a few hours and carve up the local roadways in back-to-back drives. With the help of fellow editors Erin Riches and James Riswick we headed into the Santa Monica Mountains with a Cadillac CTS, Infiniti G35 and Mercedes-Benz C350, all 2008 models with automatic transmissions and sport packages. While much of the route was on twisty roads, there was enough high-speed cruising on PCH to test the "luxury" side of this equation. Here's what I learned:

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I have a scary proclamation to make, but that's never stopped me before:

Cars are losing their "fun-to-drive" factor.

There -- I said it, and I feel better. Actually I feel better in having finally faced an undeniable fact, but worse that this is a fact of today's automotive reality. Yet after recent stints in the latest Dodge Viper and BMW 5 Series (to name just two) I can't deny the trend.

Sure, the Viper is still quick, loud, brash and bold -- but it ISN'T more fun to drive than before. In fact it's less. The steering response is too slow, the shift action is too clunky (yes, even for a "raw, manly car" like the Viper), and the driving position is not only uncomfortable but uncooperative when driving fast, which is supposedly the whole point of the car. And while the 5 Series is still luxurious, refined and stable around corners, it's also less entertaining on a twisty road than it used to be (I blame active steering primarily).

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It's inevitable when you attend a press event. You talk to the manufacturer reps and the vehicle engineers and the marketing folks and they all have this "buzz" about how tremendously fabulous their latest creation is. You can't really blame them. The engineers have likely poured a good bit of their heart an soul into the vehicle, executives really want/need the car to do well in the marketplace, and the PR folks...well...it's their job to be excited about things.

But every so often you attend an event where all of these items are in play -- as well as a sincere sense of genuine enthusiasm for the product. You come to realize that these folks aren't just excited because they're supposed to be, but because the vehicle they're introducing really does represent a competitive and compelling offering in the market.

You can probably guess where the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS shakes out in this system.

Got to drive the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS on Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey yesterday afternoon. It's no Nurburgring, but Laguna Seca remains one of my all-time favorite tracks. Slicing through the corkscrew and barreling over the blind hill on the front-straight are occurances that defy description -- they simply must be experienced.

And when it comes to sorting out a new model's handling dynamics I can't think of a better track. I gotta say, the CTS is quite impressive. There's a feeling of quality and, for lack of a better term, "clear driver oriented design" you get from the best cars from automakers like Audi, BMW and Honda. Well guess what, Cadillac now has it too, at least they do with the 2008 CTS. Before I'd rolled 20 feet in the car I could sense it, just like I do in every BMW I drive. Not sure if it's purely steering feel, NVH, a resonant requency from the engine, or all of the above and more. But whatever it is, the CTS has it.

I'll be driving one away from Monterey today and down to Los Angeles (and I know of one or two decent corners between those two cities...). Woo-hoo!

I already covered the 2008 Lincoln Navigator a few weeks ago, but I just drove the "L" version and realized this car is more than simply a Cadillac Escalade ESV competitor. It's really (along with the Ford Expedition EL) a replacement for the Excursion. That particular Ford vehicle was lambasted by everyone from environmentalists to safety advocates (not surprising considering the curb weight of more than 7,000 pounds and real-world mileage around 12 mpg).

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When Cadillac began it's Zeppelin-ized "Been a Long Time Since Rock 'n Roll" campaign a few years back I'm pretty sure they didn't want that phrase to reference their vehicles' structural integrity. But after 100 miles in the XLR-V it's the only way I can describe the sensations traveling through the seat, steering wheel and console. Let's not forget that this is basically a luxurious (and heavy) Corvette. As such, it felt best when hustling along Mulholland, though the steering was on the heavy side and the suspension felt borderline too stiff (it didn't quite upset the chassis over harsh mid-corner bumpers, but close...). With the top down and the thundering, supercharged V8 making 443 horsepower it certainly got the job done.