Raybestos Sgd727c Front Ceramic Pads on 2040-parts.com

2014 Nissan Versa priced at $12,780

The 2014 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual transmission -- at dealerships today -- will set you back $12,780, including $790 for destination. Stepping down to a four-cog automatic will cost a grand more. For that price -- the lowest in America, by the way, more on that later -- buyers get a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, available air conditioning, six-way adjustable driver's seat, and a radio with an auxiliary input.

New Volkswagen Golf: World Car of the Year 2013

The VW Golf MK 7 has been declared World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, beating Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota to the title. That bunch included cars like the Porsche Boxster, Mercedes A Class and Toyota GT86, so competition was strong, but just as the new Golf had triumphed as European Car of the Year 2013 the Golf was also victorious on the bigger, global stage. It’s the fourth time in five years VW’s cars have nabbed the WCOTY award, with the Golf Mk 6 taking the gong in 2009, the VW Polo in 2010 and the VW Up!

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG packs 550 hp

Mercedes-Benz is adding a fire-breathing AMG variant of the GL sport-utility vehicle for the first time for 2013. The people hauler will pack a biturbo 5.5-liter V8 rated at 550 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. Code-named M157, it's capable of propelling the ute to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds en route to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.