1998-2002 Mercedes-benz W210 E430 E420 E320 E300 Front Leather Seat Skin Beige on 2040-parts.com

Rated: self-braking cars that avoid a crash

The most recent advance in vehicle safety has to be the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) – a sophisticated suite of sensors and electronics that monitors objects in front of your car, automatically applying the brakes for you if it senses you’re heading to hit something. Up until now these auto-brake features have not been rated, but ahead of a new 2014 test that will include AEB systems in its overall safety star scoring, Euro NCAP has put the some of the vehicles already equipped with this technology through their paces. MSN Cars has the results.

2012 Honda Crosstour lineup gets a four-cylinder

Honda has added a four-cylinder engine to its Crosstour wagon for 2012. The Crosstour will now be available with a 2.4-liter engine in addition to the V6 with which it debuted. Fuel economy goes up with the new engine to 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.

BMW 5-Series GT introduces liftback model

BMW will bring the elevated seating and packaging of an SUV to its 5-series line with the addition of a liftback model called the Grand Turismo or, simply, GT. The automaker is now revealing the production look for the vehicle, which will debut at this fall's Frankfurt motor show after having been previewed as a concept car at the Geneva show in March. It will go on sale in the United States in December, priced in the low-$70,000s range.