Live Q&As

Yes, Warren speaking. I'm attending the Geneva Show where I will pay particular atttention to where the global industry is going--or not--with electrified vehicles and other alternative propulsion systems. I also will take a hard look at what U.S.-based manufacturers are offering overseas with no immediate intention of selling at home. A diesel-powered Chevrolet Cruze station wagon comes to mind on the latter point.

Clearly, no one in the World Future Society makes or sells cars. Electrified vehicles--be they all battery powered or hybrid--clearly will play an important role in future passenger vehicle choices. But there's nothing happening in the market now that even remotely indicates a 50-percent penetration of all new vehicles sold. If electrics maintain a healthy 10-percent, proponents of that technology should be happy. The reason involves rapid advances being made in traditional fossil-fuel engines. Would you buy an advanced-diesel Mercedes-Benz sedan that could get up to 37 miles per gallon on the highway, or a dual drive system hybrid that gets the same mileage or less?

There is nothing missing in the new CR-V--at least not egregiously absent. The interior is simple bordering on Spartan. But it works. It's comfortable and ergonomically sensible. There's no six-cylunder engine available. Consumers desiring more power are likely to balk at that. But for daily commuting and occasional road-tripping, the new CR-V works just fine.

I'd go with the A4 Audi and be happy. I can't get it out of my mind that the hard-riding TTS Coupe is little more than a VW Beetle on expensive steroids. If you want a really neat hard-top convertible, check out the hard-top convertible version of the Mazda Miata MX-5, which is simply beautiful.

Of the date night cars you suggested, I'd choose the Audi A4--sophisticated design, excellent build quality, one of the best interiorors in the business, lacks the Walter Mitty make believe of the Lexus IS 250, adult. Which means it can lead to all things adult. Which is the way to celebrate a date night.

The Chevrolet Cruze, which is selling exceptionally well worldwide. The Buick Regal and all things Buick, especially in China. The Cadillac CTS and its various derivatives. Trucks. The GM crossovers--Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia. And the new subcompact Chevrolet Sonic, which also is selling well worldwide. As for the Volt, it's selling okay. A $40,000 car that remains an experimental automobile in the minds of many consumers is selling okay. As for GM, kindly review 2005-2009 archives of this chat and my columns. I told you: If you actually spent time looking at GM and talking to its engineers, designers and exexecutives, you would not now be surprised by GM's current success. This was building before the financial crash of 2008, which is why I heartily endorsed the bailout of GM and Chrysler. Obama was right on this one. So was I.

Carol Shelby's ability to roll in the cash as a multiple-organ-transplant octogenerian both amazes and inspires me. His Cobra GT500 is a gloriously insane work of power and performance. I don't know much about the Super Snake. But I doubt that it can take much of a bite out of the Shelby GT500.

I'd get the Kia Sorento and not worry about a thing. It comes with one of the longest and best warranties in the business. You are getting it as a family hauler, not a sports performance vehicle. It does the family hauling  job and does it well at minimal cost.

No, Vw/Audi finally has improved in the reliability and service areas. If anything happens, tell your date not to worry. The VW group, which now has its U.S. headquarters in the Washington Metropolitan Area (Herndon, Va.) will take care of it.

I dispute the shops costly recommendation. You can replace only the damaged tire as long as it is of the same brand and tread pattern of the three remaining good tires. To even out wear, the shop can rotate all tires, which is less costly than buying four new ones.

I'll check that one in Genevea and get back to you with what I hope will be an intelligent answer.

Yeah. First, I try to understand how JD Power et al define "reliability" and "consumer satisfaction." Are we talking real problems, catastrophic problems, reasonably occuring difficulties, what? Then, I try to understand the complainants. Did the car break down, pose a safety hazard? Or did it otherwise perform beneath the sometimes unreasonable expectations of some people who buy high-end automobiles? Was the problem fixed? What was the degree of difficulty in the repair? How much of that, if any, was caused by a lousy dealer back shop? After answering all of those questions, I now feel confident in recommending Audi products.

Everybody produces a base something. That includes Porsche. Area dealers may not order it because they don't make much money off of it. I'd check out Porsche's web site, spec the car I want, and then hunt for a dealer willing to handle the order.

It certainly looks nice. I'm driving it in a few weeks, after which I can say more about it. Should be in Chrysler/Fiat showrooms late spring.

I didn't particularly like the Genesis coupe, which reminded me too much of a Hyundai coupe, whose name escapes me at the moment, of yesteryear. I eagerly await a chance to drive the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, after which I can say more about them.

I'm betting that you are a teenage guy who reads car buff magazines. Don't be fooled. The IS250 can be costly to repair, too. For me, the overall styling of the IS250 is borderline adolescent, which isn't something I want to be bothered with on an adult date night. Finally, I am convinced that the A4 will hold up in the repair department without unduly holding the owner up at the payment counter.

I've driven the 2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium 1 sedan with GM's "eAssist"  ($32,935; 2.4-liter inline 4, 182 Hp, 172 foot-pounds of torque) and found it comfortable, fun-to-drive, and reasonably fuel-efficient at about 36 miles per gallon on the highway. Compares favorably with four-cylinder Camry and Honda Accord.

It's a mystery to me. I'm still trying to understand why we do what we do when it comes to refining and taxing fossil fuels.

Those fuel gauges measure always changing extant realities. For example, if you are running with a full tanks, your "distance to empty" reading will go down, because the fuel gauge algorithm is accounting for the extra weight of a full tank of fuel. When the tank is emptying, DTE numbers sometimes will appear to go up, accounting for the lighter weight of the car and the cecreased amountof fuel needed to move it. So, I, tooo, pretty much ignore it.