Earlier this week, I asked you to vote on the MINI Coupe's styling. So far, "ugly" is winning. But I can deal with an ugly car if it's fulfilling to drive -- so how does the Coupe stack up? Well, I can tell you that it's amazingly good to drive. I can tell you that I'm really looking forward to the convertible version of the Coupe, the MINI Roadster. And I can tell you that MINI might not want to let me anywhere near one after they read my 2012 MINI Cooper S Coupe review. -- Aaron Gold

Related: 2012 MINI Coupe photo gallery

Photo © Aaron Gold

When I set out to start my What's New for 2013 photo gallery, I figured it would be a pretty quick project -- maybe a dozen cars at most. Nope -- turns out the automakers have already announced forty new vehicles for 2013 (well, techinically, 39 2013s and one 2014). And I'm sure I'm missing a couple. Yowza! So here it is, three minutes past midnight, and I've just finished assembbling my photo gallery of new and redesigned 2013 vehicles. Enjoy -- and I'm sure I'll be adding more soon. -- Aaron Gold

Photo of the 2013 Dodge Dart © Chrysler

We're starting to see mid-size sedans give up their V6 engines in favor of turbocharged fours -- the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima made the switch last year, and the upcoming 2013 Ford Fusion will do the same.

But turbo fours aren't just for inexpensive cars -- now we have high-dollar German luxury sedans getting in on the act. I've just finished a week-long test of the BMW 528i, the entry-level 5-series, which gets a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine in place of last year's inline six. And sitting outside as I write this is Mercedes' new C250 coupe, which I'll be telling you more about next week. (Spoiler alert: I like it a lot.)

But let's get back to the BMW: I have to admit, I had my doubts about a 2-liter engine powering such a big car. So is the new 528i a real Bimmer or a real bummer? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Find out in my 2012 BMW 528i review. -- Aaron Gold

Photo © Aaron Gold

I don't subscribe to the view that all car dealers are crooked, although judging from our collection of car dealership horror stories -- of which I have a backlog to add -- I'd guess there are still quite a few out there who are. I always urge people not to vilify car dealers right off the bat... at least not until they misbehave.

Of course, sometimes you don't know your dealer has misbehaved until a few days after you drive off the lot, when they call to tell you there's a problem -- your financing fell through and you have to pay more money. This is the time-worn spot delivery scam, otherwise known as "yo-yo financing".

Unfortunately, many victims of this scam wind up giving in to the dealer's demand for more cash. Shame, because they really didn't have to. Find out all about this swindle -- how it works, what to do if a dealer tries to pull it on you, and ways to spot it before it happens -- in my latest article, The Spot Delivery Scam. -- Aaron Gold