2008 Cadillac CTS

"I spent a weekend in the CTS while apartment hunting and came away impressed," says editorial assistant Carlos Lago. "Horsepower is more than ample, and the transmission never misses a beat. Manual mode makes for a fun experience, too, even if the upshift and downshift movements are backward."

Lago does have a few nits to pick, though, especially with the navigation system: "The nav directed me down a dead-end road and told me to drive through a cement planter. Later that night, it asked me to make two illegal turns. It seems the maps are in need of an update." The seats don't agree with him, either. "I normally rest my left knee on the interior door handle while driving, but the hard plastic in the CTS makes this uncomfortable. The seatbacks are firm and feel like they push into your back. That said, it's not an uncomfortable feeling, just odd."