Test Drive 2011 Infiniti G25

Test Drive 2011 Infiniti G25 front

This is Test Drive 2011 Infiniti G25,Infiniti has earned a reputation for being the "Japanese BMW." Like the German automaker, Infiniti's U.S. entries are decidedly more performance oriented, but the brand's decision to install the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter V6 in its G Sedan had us wondering if things were changing... and not for the better.

Follow the jump to find out if our suspicions have been confirmed.

Gallery:2011 Infiniti G25: First Drive

Here's the background: For Infiniti to continue expanding its U.S. sales, the company's marketing department listened to some important feedback from their dealers. Specifically, some buyers – particularly those of the fairer persuasion – thought the standard 328-horsepower V6 in the G Sedan was just too much. Scary, even. So... no sale. After hearing what its white-knuckled customers wanted, the company decided to add a less powerful G Sedan to its U.S. lineup. Easy peasy.

Test Drive 2011 Infiniti G25 Back

Test Drive 2011 Infiniti G25 Front look

Test drive 2012 Ford Grand C-Max

The Ford Motor Company has been successful at a great many things, but building minivans hasn't been one of them. Perpetually mired in the shadow of offerings from Chrysler and Japan's automakers, the Blue Oval folded up its sliding-door tent and went home years ago, killing off its undersized Mercury Villager in 2002 and then extinguishing the Windstar-turned-Freestar (and its short-lived Mercury Monterey counterpart) in 2007. Brand supporters will doubtlessly note that the family-ferrying segment was in decline for some years before Dearborn walked away from it, but the truth is that Ford never managed to crack the market's top ranks despite more than 15 years of trying.

Test drive 2012 Ford Grand C-Max

So why, then, is red-hot Ford risking a return to the segment in 2012 with the Grand C-Max shown here – a vehicle that's conspicuously smaller and less powerful than the segment norm? Do they know something that we don't? We hopped a puddle jumper to Nice, France after covering last week's Paris Motor Show in an attempt to find out.

Test drive 2012 Ford Grand C-Max Side

Test drive 2012 Ford Grand C-Max Car

T-bones a real cop car on TF3 set

T-bones a real cop car on TF3 set

seems that may just be the case for the folks working on Transformers 3. The movie has had its share of crashes, with a few of them being of the "unplanned" variety. The latest incident takes place in Washington D.C. and involves a certain yellow Camaro that Transformers fans know better as Bumblebee.

As a scene was being filmed, a real police vehicle was responding to a call and cut quickly across the set. The two cars collided and the police officer driving the SUV was taken to a nearby hospital, but it appears there are no serious injuries – except to the Camaro, which was covered up and taken away.