By FRANK A. AUKOFER, Scripps Howard News Service

Specifications for the 2010 Volvo XC60 four-door all-wheel drive crossover utility vehicle.
Engine: 3-liter six-cylinder, turbocharged, 281 horsepower.
Transmission: Six speed automatic with manual-shift mode.
Overall length: 15 feet 2 inches.
EPA passenger/cargo volume: 99/34 cubic feet.
Weight: 4,174 pounds.
Towing capability: 3,300 pounds.

It's the most common traffic accident.
You're driving slowly in traffic, or puttering along in a mixer lane near a freeway. Your attention is distracted for a split second, maybe checking the radio station or glancing over your shoulder. God forbid you should be talking on your cell phone.

Specifications for the: 2010 Lexus RX350 AWD four-door crossover utility vehicle.
Engine: 3.5-liter V6, 275 horsepower.
Transmission: Six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode.
Overall length: 15 feet 8 inches.
EPA passenger/cargo volume: 101/40 cubic feet.
Weight: 4,510 pounds.
EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 18/24 miles per gallon.

Unless you look closely and you know what to look for, you're not likely to recognize the 2010 Lexus RX.
It's intentional. Since its introduction in 1999 as the RX300, this car-based crossover has been the runaway sales leader among luxury sport utility vehicles.

Subaru has finessed the consumer preference pendulum better than any vehicle manufacturer.
Every time it appeared as if the Japanese company was out of sync with the arc, clever manipulation with minimal resources put it back in swing with what its customers wanted.

Specifications for the 2009 Subaru Impreza 2.5GT four-door sedan.
Engine: 2.5-liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, turbocharged, 224 horsepower.
Transmission: Four-speed automatic with manual-shift mode and all-wheel drive.
Overall length: 15 feet.
EPA passenger/trunk volume: 93/11 cubic feet.
Weight: 3,240 pounds.

It's not exactly what you'd call going green, but Audi's newest high-performance sports car, the TTS, comes only with a four-cylinder engine.

Specifications for the 2009 Audi TTS Roadster.
Engine: 2-liter four-cylinder, turbocharged, 265 horsepower.
Transmission: Dual-clutch automated six-speed manual.
Overall length: 13 feet 9 inches.
EPA passenger/trunk volume: 48/7 cubic feet.
Weight: 3,373 pounds.
EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 21/29 miles per gallon.

Let's stipulate at the start: All Mini Coopers are fun to drive.
It doesn't matter whether it's the base car with the 118-horsepower engine, the S with 172 horsepower, or even the stretched and heavier Clubman model.
So, you wonder, why would anyone plunk down $33,550 for the 208-horsepower John Cooper Works version of this little shoebox on wheels?

Specifications for the 2009 Mini John Cooper Works two-door hatchback.
Engine: 1.6-liter four-cylinder, turbocharged, 208 horsepower.
Transmission: Six-speed manual.
Overall length: 12 feet 2 inches.
EPA passenger/cargo volume: 80/6 cubic feet.
Weight: 2,701 pounds.
EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 25/33 miles per gallon.