consumer issues

When you're in hot pursuit of trend-setting enthusiasts, you can't afford to let your looks slip, especially in the automotive world.

So, Mazda is pursuing the pocket-rocket cognoscenti with a redesigned Speed3 intent on zooming to the front of the popular pack.

Lately it seems as if Acura has been magnetizing its automobiles, drawing them ever closer together.

Though it never fielded an extensive lineup, the luxury division of Honda at least had cars that were distinct from one another.

Specifications for the 2010 Acura TSX V6 four-door sedan.

Engine: 3.5-liter V6, 280 horsepower.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic with manual-shift mode.

Overall length: 15 feet 6 inches.

EPA passenger/trunk volume: 95/13 cubic feet.

Weight: 3,680 pounds.

EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 18/27 miles per gallon.

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves"

Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Action

Publisher: Sony

ESRB Rating: T, for Teen

Grade: 4.5 stars (out of five)

One word: Breathtaking.

That's the best description for "Sandman: The Dream Hunters" (DC/Vertigo, $24.99), a hardback collection of the recent miniseries written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by P. Craig Russell.

Twenty years after launching its Legacy, Subaru is stretching the concept of an all-wheel-drive sedan in the redesigned 2010 edition.

Now in its fifth generation, the new Legacy is larger than any of its predecessors, providing a luxurious level of standard equipment and new power options from the well-regarded boxer engines.

2010 SUBARU LEGACY 3.6R

TYPE: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger, mid-size sedan.

PRICE: $24,995 base, $27,995 as tested.

WHERE BUILT: Lafayette, Ind.

KEY RIVALS: Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Ford Taurus, and Chevrolet Malibu.

POWER: 3.6-liter, DOHC, 6-cylinder Boxer engine; five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

With its 2010 Genesis Coupe, Hyundai demonstrates a continuing capability to surprise.

Once relegated to pits-dwelling status by most of the car-buying public, the South Korean vehicle manufacturer has accelerated strongly in recent years and merged into the mainstream.

Specifications for the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Track.

Engine: 2-liter four-cylinder, turbocharged, 210 horsepower.

Transmission: Six-speed manual.

Overall length: 15 feet 2 inches.

EPA passenger/trunk volume: 89/10 cubic feet.

Weight: 3,294 pounds.

EPA city/highway fuel consumption: 21/30 miles per gallon.

It is ready, set, go time for the Windows 7 launch, which will mean millions of computer users heading to the store to see the latest of what Microsoft has to offer.

The Oct. 22 launch will be a big deal for Microsoft, which will try to repeat the success of Windows XP and eliminate the perceived failure of Vista, which never caught on in the all-important corporate market.