Torque steer. Two words that make front-drive loyalists cringe and rear-drive purists chuckle. While most of today's automakers have managed to quell torque steer with half-shaft trickery or engine control units that reduce torque in low gears, the helm-tugging phenomenon still exists in

It's not every day that an automotive first is achieved - the industry is over a century old, after all. So that makes Acura's first-ever sweep of top marks in IIHS and NHTSA safety ratings impressive as a first as well as for the safety of its vehicles. The final vehicle to get the top scores was the new 2009 Acura TL (pictured above). With that, all of Acura's vehicles are now certified as 5-star (NHTSA NCAP) or 'Good'

The car is a lot more complicated electronic device than any iPod you can imagine. When you're behind the steering wheel, there's a lot of stuff on the menu: ventilation controls, audio entertainment options, navigation system, calibrations for the powertrain and chassis. It's no wonder that car designers have been trying to figure out what to do about operating all this stuff. Designers have long recognized that a simple touch-panel display possesses