The oh-so-excellent consumer product review mag, Consumer Reports, offers some new and notable automobile Standouts for 2008. In alphabetical order, you might enjoy, as I did, their nine top picks:

BMW 1-Series -- Coming in the spring, this car will be positioned between the Mini Cooper and 3 Series. Small but sweet, if you ask me.

Corvette ZR1 -- GM expects the new ZR1 to be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph. Purdy and fast, just the way I like.

Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid -- Chevy is calling this a "mild hybrid" -- in place of an alternator it uses a 36-volt motor/generator powerful enough to provide instant starts and a little boost at wide-open throttle.

Hyundai Genesis -- Hyundai's first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan is about to hit showrooms to compete with $60,000 premium sedans such as the Mercedes E-Class, Infiniti M, and Lexus GS, but for half the price. Yes, a Hyundai. Go figure.

Infiniti EX35 -- A compact, sporty, car-based SUV, slotted in size and price just below the FX, but loaded with high-tech features like: keyless push-button ignition, adaptive cruise control, a 9.3 GB hard drive for storing audio files, and a touch-screen navigation system that is voice activated and can receive real-time traffic info.

Nissan GT-R -- Nissan's highly anticipated high performance vehicle is built on a platform that uses a rear transaxle layout that places the transmission in the rear of the car to enable weight to be evenly distributed throughout the car.

Pontiac G8 -- Everything old is new again, as General Motors looks to launch a variety of rear-drive coupes and sedans.

Subaru Forester -- The latest Subaru Forester is three inches longer, 4.5 inches taller, and has a 3.5-inch longer wheelbase, which the company says improves rear legroom. But Subaru claims the Forester's 8.9 inches of ground clearance will be the best of any small SUV.

Toyota Venza -- A what? Toyota calls this new vehicle a crossover sedan: the handling of a sports sedan, the flexibility of an SUV, and the amenities of a luxury vehicle.

The Venza will seat 5 passengers and the rear seats fold flat to provide for additional cargo space. And I love this: a new option for Toyota is a panoramic roof with separate glass panels over the passenger rows. Standard safety features include seven airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and active head restraints.