one year: Blinking strobes on NYPD patrol cars etch a path through Times Square in Manhattan as the prototype of a new junior-size version of the rugged Hummer sport-utility wagon winds down Broadway.

With its bold face and broad prow, a flat roofline and squared-off cabin, the four-door wagon looks strong and powerful, and unlike any other vehicle in the world, save the original H1 Hummer, a civilized version of the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV, called the Hum-Vee.

Sensuously shaped sedans, Jaguar’s flagship XJ series in a new style for 2004, stand side by side on a ramp at the airport in Seville, Spain, where a jet deposits us following a flight from the Jaguar factory that assembles these new XJ cars in Birmingham, England.

With the ignition key already engaged and a powerful V8 engine purring, the XJ8 sedan we choose for a test drive — painted a high-gloss ebony with the leather-lined cabin trimmed in shades of sable and sand — is ready to roll. So we’re off in seconds, pausing only long enough to adjust contours of the luscious driver’s seat and set mirrors and the leather and wood steering wheel for a custom fit.

There’s no question that the fastest route to Rome, heading south down the peninsular boot of Italy, happens to be the A1 freeway — the autostrada primo, as Italians call it — which follows the Tiber River into the ancient capital.

It’s a smooth road of multiple lanes with attentive drivers and relaxed speed limits that combine to move the traffic at an excessive clip.

Still, intense muscle stemming from a prototype issue of the Q45, a stunning new treatment of the prime luxury sedan from Infiniti of Japan, propels this powerful car to the lead in the A1 fast lane.

The needle of this Q’s speedometer in a crisp electroluminescent display easily surpasses the mark of 220 kilometers per hour (about 136 mph) for extended periods, yet even more juice remains in the accelerator.

The minivan craze started in the early 1980s when Chrysler was the first automaker to launch the vehicle that would soon become the mode of transportation for families.

This marked the beginning of the steady decline of the full-size van market. Along with station wagons (now almost extinct), the full-size vans were the way to haul families and cargo before the birth of the minivan.

So, why did the minivan replace the regular van as a family vehicle? The key word here is mini, with full-size vans simply being too big for people to drive around town on a regular basis. Their size makes it difficult just to simply park in a crowded lot, let alone trying to fit the large van in a normal-sized garage.

Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT), the group that adds extra punch and pizzazz to a select few vehicles from the automaker, has certainly outdone itself with the power for the 2001 Mustang Cobra.

After a one-year hiatus in production, which gave Ford a chance to update the powerplant, the Cobra is now truly an apt name for the Mustang developed by SVT. This car coils just like that viscous snake, ready to pounce down the road with 320 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 317 foot-pounds of toque at 4,750 rpm.

Based on the number of comments and looks I received while driving the 2001 F-150 Harley-Davidson SuperCrew pickup truck, I would say Ford definitely has a winner. And even though you may pay a little extra and sacrifice a little practicality, this truck is all about image anyway.

Ford teamed up last year with the legendary motorcycle manufacturer to offer a unique version of the full-size F-150 pickup truck in the SuperCab version. The limited-production of 8,000 units quickly sold out. Only 7,500 units of this year’s Harley-Davidson SuperCrew are available, so don’t expect them to last long either.

The old saying doesn’t apply when describing the Ford Excursion. You know the one: “The bigger, the better.” When it comes down to it, the Excursion is simply too big for its own good.

Just one look at this vehicle and you may start feeling intimidated. You’re not alone in this feeling. People are probably intimidated by the Excursion’s size. It is taller, wider and longer than all the other full-size SUVs, including the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Toyota Sequoia and Lincoln Navigator.

If you scratch a real truck drivin’ guy you will usually uncover a bent toward huntin’, haulin’ and hard racin’. That’s spelled NASCAR, you’all!

Ask any tried and true NASCAR fan what his favorite radio station is and you can bet it’ll be playing country and western. But country music today is a far cry from the hard edged music of yore. Nashville went mainstream years ago and finishes its sound with a polish that was once found strictly in the pop genre.