Just a few months after the new Astra, Opel is now launching a station wagon edition. The new Astra Sports Tourer is the tenth generation of the popular family car, and continues a tradition that began with the first Kadett A Caravan in the early 1960s.Over a fifth of the 24 million Kadetts and Astras sold have been wagons. In addition to storage space, modern safety and infotainment features and efficient engines, Opel has also given the new model ergonomic seats that can be adjusted to the driver’s size.

The New York International Auto Show is one of the oldest in the world. It premiered in 1900. Almost all the cars on sale in the US market are on display there. German manufacturers were out in force at this year's show, which closed a few days ago.Porsche presented a new version of its Macan compact SUV with a four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Audi displayed its powerful new R8 Spyder convertible. Mercedes was there with a new GLC Coupé and several models pimped by its AMG tuning unit. The World Car of the Year awards were also presented at the show.

The compact class is as competitive as it gets - and the Impreza stands out from the crowd. Unlike its rivals, both engine versions of the Subaru are standard-fitted with all-wheel drive.We test the more powerful edition: a two-liter gasoline engine with 110 kW combined with Lineartronic automatic transmission. In addition to all-wheel drive, the Impreza’s Boxer engine lowers the car's center of gravity, thereby improving handling.

Drive it! brings you highlights from the New York International Auto Show and introduces some interesting new 4WD options.Examine it! The New York International Auto ShowThe New York International Auto Show is one of the oldest in the world. It premiered in 1900. Almost all the cars on sale in the US market are on display there. German manufacturers were out in force at this year's show, which closed a few days ago.Porsche presented a new version of its Macan compact SUV with a four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Audi displayed its powerful new R8 Spyder convertible. Mercedes was there with a new GLC Coupé and several models pimped by its AMG tuning unit. The World Car of the Year awards were also presented at the show.Present it! Opel Astra Sports TourerJust a few months after the new Astra, Opel is now launching a station wagon edition. The new Astra Sports Tourer is the tenth generation of the popular family car, and continues a tradition that began with the first Kadett A Caravan in the early 1960s.Over a fifth of the 24 million Kadetts and Astras sold have been wagons. In addition to storage space, modern safety and infotainment features and efficient engines, Opel has also given the new model ergonomic seats that can be adjusted to the driver’s size.Test it! Subaru ImprezaThe compact class is as competitive as it gets - and the Impreza stands out from the crowd. Unlike its rivals, both engine versions of the Subaru are standard-fitted with all-wheel drive.We test the more powerful edition: a two-liter gasoline engine with 110 kW combined with Lineartronic automatic transmission. In addition to all-wheel drive, the Impreza’s Boxer engine lowers the car's center of gravity, thereby improving handling. Taste it! Fiat 500XWe test a new and considerably larger version of the very successful, cute and cuddly Fiat 500. The 500x is a subcompact SUV crossover built on the same platform as its American cousin in the FiatChrysler family, the Jeep Renegade. We took the two-liter diesel model out for a spin.Vintage: Jaguar XJ 12 C BJ 1973The 1973 Jaguar XJ Coupé is quintessentially English, blending elegance and sportiness into one. Its 210 kW V12 engine with a maximum speed of over 230 km/h was one of the most powerful engines of the day.The four-seater coupé was based on the short-wheel-base version of the Jaguar XJ four-door sedan. It targeted the individualist who could dispense with four doors in favor of two, but not with the luxury of the sedan. In the mid-1970s, an XJ 12 Coupé was Jaguar's most expensive model.

The 1973 Jaguar XJ Coupé is quintessentially English, blending elegance and sportiness into one. Its 210 kW V12 engine with a maximum speed of over 230 km/h was one of the most powerful engines of the day.The four-seater coupé was based on the short-wheel-base version of the Jaguar XJ four-door sedan. It targeted the individualist who could dispense with four doors in favor of two, but not with the luxury of the sedan. In the mid-1970s, an XJ 12 Coupé was Jaguar's most expensive model.

We test a new and considerably larger version of the very successful, cute and cuddly Fiat 500. The 500x is a subcompact SUV crossover built on the same platform as its American cousin in the FiatChrysler family, the Jeep Renegade. We took the two-liter diesel model out for a spin.

Anyone who's taken even a few taxi rides in Germany is sure to have been in an E-class Mercedes. As the taxi driver's favorite model, a good many of the more than 13 million E-classes that Mercedes has sold to date have carried passengers in style.They have a reputation as highly robust. Some are even said to have clocked up 700,000 kilometers or more. Now Mercedes-Benz has rolled out the fifth generation. Now, drivers can sometimes feel more like a passenger, with systems like the Drive Pilot bringing autonomous driving one big step closer. Drive It! tried out the new high-tech systems.

Six decades after its market debut, VW's van is still hugely popular. By 1967, 1.8 million first-generation VW buses had been produced in Germany. The first VW vans were built in Wolfsburg.Then in 1956, production was moved to Hanover, where the VW vans are still manufactured to this day. Meanwhile, the bus's 6th generation is rolling off the assembly line. For the VW bus's sixtieth anniversary, Drive It! visits the VW production site.

For over a quarter century, Mazda's been working to perfect the roadster experience. The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 comes closer to that ideal than ever before. The soft-top convertible's new design gives it a more emotional look, especially in front.Surfaces inside the doors painted with the body's outside colors make for a down-to-business look. The lower weight and center of gravity affect the driving dynamics, as well. We put the elegant little sports car through the paces of the handling test.

In the early 1960s, Europe was experiencing a baby boom. Renault CEO Pierre Dreyfus responded by developing a radically new interior design for a mid-size car. The result was the 1961 Renault R4, a revolutionary and innovative compact car.Then, in 1965, Renault launched the R16, a mid-size family car with a hatchback, large trunk lid and flexible interior. During the design process, the engineers had almost total freedom. The only requirement was a front-wheel drive. The Renault R16 became an international hit. Initially, sales figures doubled year by year. By 1972, seven years later, R16 sales had passed the one-million mark.