To paraphrase a slogan from another automaker, the S40 is not your college professor’s Volvo. No boxy, unstylish station wagons here. Volvo’s looks have vastly improved in recent years, and though far from the sexiest or most daring designs on the road, the new Volvos are contemporary, good-looking vehicles.

The Volvo S40 sedan, the automaker’s entry into the compact luxury segment, is no exception to this design philosophy. It has an aggressive sporty look, with flowing lines and an overall softer shape than past Volvos.

New exterior features on the S40 include include an integrated front spoiler, a restyled rear panel, dual headlamps and wider fenders to cover the new wider track of the car. Volvo also offers five new colors for the 2001 S40.

A famed auto executive recently stated that he didn’t care if much of the public was apathetic about a car design if a small group really enjoyed and appreciated it. While many GM designs are understated in their design, that sure can’t be said about Pontiacs and the Aztek takes their distinctive styling to new limits.

After hinting at their desire to produce small, youth oriented vehicles for years with concept cars like the Salsa and Backpack, Pontiac finally has found a package that suits them. The 2001 Aztek moves into production with character traits that active buyers are looking for and a design that screams Pontiac.

Sometimes a name does make a difference. I understand it’s just badging, but when it comes to a vehicle, Montana sounds a lot better than TranSport, its predecessor.

Pontiac decision makers obviously agree, that’s why a couple years ago they changed the name of the division’s entry into the minivan category from one of the worst names (TranSport) to one of the coolest names (Montana).

But even despite the name change, the Montana faces tough competition in the minivan market, which includes the Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Ford Windstar. Automakers realize the importance of this vehicle as a family hauler and each of their minivans has enough appealing features to make the decision of which one to buy a tough choice for consumers.

Although 20 years is not a long time for a vehicle nameplate in the auto industry (consider the Chevy Suburban has been around since the 1930s), this year Nissan nonetheless wanted to honor the 20th anniversary of one of it most recognizable vehicles, the Maxima.

As with every vehicle that has been around for 20 years, the Maxima has gone through many changes, including a switch from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive and twice as much horsepower as the 1981 Maxima.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a good-looking car, with sleek exterior styling, plenty of power under the hood and a nice list of features to go along with an attractive price tag.

Having said that, the problem with the Mirage is while it is adequate, it doesn’t stand out and separate itself from competitors in its class. The main competitors of the Mirage are the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corrola, all of which have a number of advantages over the Mirage in terms of features, power and/or resale value.