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Attention, Ford Fans!  Cancel those weekend plans because the 2012 Ford Focus configurator just came online and is ready to offer hours of entertainment.

The Blue Oval’s new compact car will hit the tarmac this spring in sedan and hatchback form, with a starting price of $16,270. Based on our test drive of the hugely impressive 2011 Fiesta subcompact, we expect great things from this new Focus.

We had a chance to take a sneak peek at the new car at last year’s New York Auto Show and were smitten by the energetic design. With its angry trapezoidal grille and chiseled lines, the Focus sedan and hatch are easily the most aggressive looking cars in a segment that’s long been dominated by the staid Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

Inside, Ford has loaded up the car with a long list of standard features. You’ll find power locks, windows, and mirrors on the comfort side and a full complement of air bags and electronic stability control on the safety side.

For $995, you can add a Sony audio system and MyFord Touch with enormous 8-inch color touchscreen display. A $1,395 Premium Package adds leather, rain-sensing windshield wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels and a few other goodies. There will even be a $695 Parking Technology Package that can automatically parallel park your Focus for you, trumping most luxury cars in the process.

Those features do add up, though. We loaded up a Focus hatchback with the Titanium package and every goodie we could find and ended up at $28,555. We’ll have more real-world pricing information for you car-shoppers once the new Focus launches and TrueCar can tell us what people around the country are actually paying at the dealership. Stay tuned.

Under hood is a new 2.0-liter engine that’s been fitted with Ford’s Ti-VCT technology, an advanced feature that boosts power, responsiveness, and fuel economy.

Final horsepower and mileage figures have not yet been released, but we’ve sampled this technology in the Fiesta and were mighty impressed with the results. We’re expecting about 150-160 horsepower and 35-38 miles per gallon on the highway.

How will you outfit your 2012 Focus? Sedan or hatchback? Automatic or manual? We’ll take our hatch loaded in Tuxedo Black Metallic, please!

Plant your foot on the accelerator of the 2011 Infiniti M56 and a lot happens in the next five seconds.

The car leaps forward with supernatural urgency, swatting you back like an angry horse trying to throw its rider. The 5.6-liter V8 engine hits its stride a moment later and lets loose an angry bellow as you sink deeper and deeper into the thick padding.

Behind you, rear tires strain against 420 unrelenting horsepower as the traction control system meters out maximum thrust. Tick tock. The seven-speed transmission shifts into second gear and mild panic sets in as you realize that you, too, are having trouble keeping pace with the blurring scenery.

This two-ton executive express is on a collision course with the horizon but panic turns to exhilaration as you finally embrace the power and take inventory of all that’s happening. The M56 is brutal, composed, and still accelerating very hard at this point.

The speedometer needle sprints past sixty and it’s time to ease off the throttle. You linger a moment longer to savor the polished roar of the engine and then all is quiet.

Whew.

Infiniti calls this ‘Inspired Performance.’ Whatever it is, I wanted more of it after my test drive of the M56 in the rolling hills of Napa, California.

Resist the urge to mash the throttle at every traffic light and the M56 is lavishly serene. This is a luxury sports sedan, after all, and there is no shortage of refinement or comfort. The M56 is happy to whisk you and your passengers from penthouse to art house, gracefully accommodating potholes and bumps in the road with a supple ride and silky-smooth shifts.

The cabin in this new Infiniti is just as elegant as the engine is ballistic. Warm and contemporary, the interior features beautiful materials and a soft-touch dash that swoops elegantly from driver to passenger.

Step up to the Deluxe Touring package and you’ll be treated to white ash wood trim that has been dusted with actual silver powder. The effect is stunning in person and you’d be hard pressed to find nicer veneer this side of a Bentley.

Infiniti offers the M in four models, beginning with the V6-engined, 330-horsepower M37 at $46,500. The M56 with aforementioned 420-horsepower V8 engine starts at $57,900. All-wheel drive is available with either engine and comes on the M37x and M56x. A fully-loaded M56x with every option box checked will top out just north of $68,000.

And if you can wait just a few more months, a new M35 Hybrid is set to debut featuring an all-new hybrid powertrain of Infiniti’s own design. The company promises the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder compact car and the power of a V8 engine. Pricing for the M35 Hybrid should fall somewhere in the middle of the M range.

No, it isn’t cheap. But so far as big luxury sedans go, the Infiniti M is well priced and loaded with features.

Looking beyond price, I found the Infiniti M nearest to the BMW 5-Series in feel. But where the 5-er can sometimes feel cool and detached as it goes about its business, the Infiniti is very warm-blooded. Both cars are extremely capable, but the M feels more playful and eager to flex its muscles.

The Infiniti’s design may not have the charm of the immense charm of the Jaguar XF but it is nonetheless very striking in person. The front view is my favorite, with swept back headlights and a pursed mouth that gives the car a coy serpentine grin.

There are hints of Infiniti’s seductive Essence concept car, too, in the sinewy character lines that grace the profile. Handsome 18-inch wheels come as standard equipment. The optional Sport package adds a tighter suspension and dramatic 20-inch wheels that bulge inside the fenders like the biceps of a heavyweight fighter.

As you’d expect from a luxury car of this caliber, there are gadgets galore. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, the 2011 Infiniti M56 uses technology in a way that makes it better, stronger, faster. And like Colonel Steve Austin, the end result is organic and natural in operation.

Case in point: the M’s new Forest Air system alternates fan speed and temperature from the air conditioning system to simulate the gentle breeze of a forest. It sounds fluffy and cute on the surface but is based on extensive research that shows that driver fatigue is reduced when the system is active.

Call it better living through science.

Infiniti has been at the forefront of high-tech “active” safety features for several years now, being the first brand in the US to debut a Lane Departure Warning system that watched the road ahead and alerted drivers if the vehicle drifted out of its lane.

The company’s engineers have no doubt been hard at work since then, as the M sedan now features LDW, LDP, DCA, IBW, IBA, FCW, BSW, and BSI. Don’t let the alphabet soup of acronyms scare you away, though, because these new features are largely m’mm m’mm good.

Lane Departure Warning has become Lane Departure Prevention. Drift out of your lane unintentionally and the system alerts you with a chime and then gently applies the brakes on the opposite side of the car to tug you back. I expected LDP to feel spooky out on the road but Infiniti has tuned the system so well that the intervention was subtle and comforting, like an electronic guardian angel.

Blind Spot Warning and Blind Spot Intervention act similarly, using radar sensors to watch out for approaching cars in your blind spot. Veer toward another car inadvertently and the system can tug at the brakes just like Lane Departure Prevention to keep you from side-swiping the other motorist. Very cool.

The other systems use a front-facing laser rangefinder to operate everything from the Intelligent Cruise Control – which can now bring the car to a full stop in heavy traffic – to a Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Brake Assist that can alert a driver to an impending collision and even apply the brakes on their own to mitigate damage.

This new M sedan is undoubtedly the best Infiniti yet. It’s appointments, performance, and technology are first class. But it’s the artful way the M56 ties everything together that makes this car feel truly special.

Just make sure you’ve got plenty of open road in front of you before you let the car stretch its legs.

Admit it.  You’re jealous of Tom Brady.

As if winning multiple Super Bowls and being QB for the Patriots wasn’t enough, the guy had to go ahead and marry your favorite supermodel, Gisele.

Sorry to disappoint, but Tom Brady’s life is even sweeter than you thought. When he’s not on the gridiron or hanging out with his stunning wife, he gets to drive free luxury vehicles from Audi through a sponsorship deal the automaker has with Brady’s favorite charity, Best Buddies.

After crashing his VIP loaner in September, Mr. Brady’s newest runabout is the striking 2011 Audi A8, an $80,000 luxury sedan that’s so advanced it can literally read your handwriting. Yes, really.

The weekend car is better yet.  It’s Audi’s exotic R8 sports car – the same speedster that Robert Downey Jr. piloted as Tony Stark in Iron Man.  The R8 looks like it’s from another planet and can run from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds if you can afford the $115,000 price tag.

If you can’t secure an endorsement deal of your own, you can get nearly all the style of Mr. Brady’s wild rides for thousands less if you know where to shop.  Instead of the ultra-luxe A8, shoot for the baby brother Audi A4, which offers similar style in a smaller package. In lieu of the R8 exotic, you can get your kicks in the very handsome 354-horsepower S5 coupe.

And if all else fails, I hear that Bridget Moynahan is still single.

If there’s a problem to be found with entry-level cars today, it’s that they are all too often defined by numbers. Their worth tends to be measured in miles per gallon and monthly payments but rarely in terms of entertainment.

Ford’s just-released 2011 Fiesta promises to inject some fun into this ultra-practical class. Their new hatchback and sedan are easily the most emotional choices in the segment, combining sharp styling with lively handling and cutting edge technology.

The formula has been a hit in Europe, with the Fiesta racking up numerous Car of the Year awards and sales records since its launch for the 2009 model year. But will good looks and a long list of features be enough to win the hearts and wallets of American consumers on this side of the pond?

Here at Honk HQ, we’ve been wanting to wrap our hands around the Fiesta’s thick-rimmed steering wheel for quite some time. The company’s Fiesta Movement advertising campaign went into play 18 months before the car even came to the US and quickly wrote the book on how car companies can use social media to get the word out.

Thanks to clever YouTube videos and cheeky Twitter accounts, an estimated 38% of Americans under the age of 30 knew of the car before it even went on sale. Yowzahs.

With so much buildup, the Honk team was practically salivating by the time Ford was able to loan us a Fiesta for a week of testing. A hatchback model slathered in sunny Yellow Blaze Metallic paint arrived at our office in downtown San Francisco loaded up with push button ignition, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, mood lighting, 16-inch alloy wheels, and Ford’s excellent voice-activated SYNC system.

The only option boxes left unchecked were for a power sunroof, leather seats, and Ford’s new PowerShift automatic transmission, which can nudge fuel economy to a hybrid-like 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

Even with all the fancy tech features, our Fiesta carried a sticker price of only $18,215. Factor in the wallet-friendly fuel economy and it’s clear that this Ford is a phenomenal value.

Despite being an American car, the Fiesta feels decidedly European. The suspension is taut and there’s a reassuring heft to all the controls. Even the doors shut with a pleasing thunk. All this refinement adds up to a Fiesta that feels and drives like a much more expensive car.

I scored the first stint behind the wheel and decided to head north to the Golden Gate Bridge. Squirting my way around downtown traffic was devilish fun thanks to the Fiesta’s impish size and agile handling. This car loves to play and I was grinning ear to ear before I even reached Market Street.

It wasn’t just me who was smiling, either. The little yellow Fiesta was a hit everywhere I went, drawing admiring stares and thumbs up from people all over the city.

One woman shouted, “That is a VERY cool car!” as she jogged past at a traffic light. Two cabbies gave me a thumbs up and one elementary age kid snapped a photo from the back of his dad’s car.

The only other car I’ve driven that attracted this much attention was the uber-charming Mini Cooper, which typically retails for thousands more.

After a few miles of celebrity treatment in the Fiesta, I started to wonder if maybe Ford had built more than just a car. The mango-colored hatchback was starting to feel like a 120-horsepower goodwill ambassador.

Back at the office, the Ford continued to impress. Dave took the car for a spin up the winding road to Twin Peaks and declared the Fiesta, “a pleasure to drive.”

Ali played with the SYNC system and remarked, “it was neat to play my music and make calls through the dashboard without ever taking my phone out of my pocket.” Katie agreed on the value of SYNC, noting, “If I were in the market for a new car today, I’d probably buy a Ford just for that alone.”

On my next stint in the car, I cruised down to San Jose and found that our manual transmission-equipped Fiesta had no problem achieving its government rating of 37 miles per gallon. There was sufficient power to merge and pass, though as with most entry-level cars, the Fiesta’s cabin does fill with engine noise at highway speeds.

With four average-size adults in the car, the Fiesta’s back seat is tight but not terrible. Rear occupants will be fine for a half-day road trip but you should think twice before loading up for a cross-country jaunt. Cargo space is excellent for the class, though, with generous trunk space and standard fold-down rear seats.

In short, this car delivers the goods. It’s smart, fashionable, eco-conscious, tech-savvy, high-quality, and loads of fun.

Ford’s new entry adds a level of style and sophistication that others in the segment simply cannot match. The Honda Fit may hold more cargo and the Nissan Versa may afford more legroom, but neither can match the Fiesta’s charm and joie de vivre.

The Fiesta is the kind of car you want to drive. And if you’re anything like me, that’s all the math you need.

An eagle-eyed Honkster has captured photos of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class in the suburban wilds of Orange County, California.  As you can see in the photos, the ML was heavily camouflaged and was being tailed by an E-Class wagon support vehicle.

We’re told that the vehicle is about the same size as today’s M-Class, though you can expect Mercedes to adopt new engines under the hood. Car shoppers will be pleased to know that both the V6 and V8 engines will offer more power and significantly better fuel economy.

At a press event earlier this year, Mercedes said to expect 306-horsepower and 24-percent better fuel economy from their new 3.5-liter V6. The new 4.7-liter V8 has been turbocharged to produce 435-horsepower with 22-percent better fuel economy.

It’s worth noting that most of those mileage gains are the result of a new stop/start system that shuts off the engine when the vehicle is not moving. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if the system will make it to the US because of concerns over cost and whether or not government fuel economy ratings will give enough credit to the system.

Inside, we’re expecting Mercedes to equip the new ML with it’s latest generation of active safety equipment. Several new or improved technologies like Blind Spot Assist, Distronic Plus, and Attention Assist are available now on the E-Class family and it’s likely that they will make their way into the new ML when it hits the market next year.