What began life as the LRX concept is now official: the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is headed for production, after a world debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show.

The crossover vehicle takes the heritage of Land Rover's rugged off-roaders and translates it to compact, two-door size. The $45,000 Evoque gets some of its mechanical inspiration from the Land Rover LR2, but it's much more dashing than its more practical sibling. The dramatic sloping roof makes the four-seater into the tidiest statement of Range Rover style thus far--and fashion's playing an even larger role than the jewel-like details inside and out, now that Land Rover's signed up Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham to add some of her alleged fashion sense to the final product.

Car fans will focus more on the Evoque's underbody. The engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 240 horsepower--a powerplant that reminds an awful lot of the 247-horsepower EcoBoost four found in the 2012 Ford Focus ST. In the U.S., the Evoque will be the first Landie offered with front-wheel drive, but an off-road version with all-wheel drive is coming as well, along with a magnetic suspension system, Terrain Response traction controls, and electronic power steering.

Though it's tight for rear-seat passengers, the up-front riders will get a taste of finery with the Evoque's handsome dash, cut-tube gauges and high-quality materials. A panoramic sunroof lightens up the cozy cabin, and three choices of interior trims--Pure, Prestige and Dynamic--will give owners a custom-tailored feel for their money, as will the 1200-watt Meridian sound system.

The three-door Evoque will be joined by a five-door model, which Land Rover confirmed at the Evoque's Paris auto show introduction. Look for details on the second Evoque around the time of the 2010 Los Angeles auto show in November

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BMW outlined the U.S. specs of its 2011 X3 crossover earlier this month, and at the 2010 Paris auto show, it displayed the new South Carolina-built SUV for the first time in public.

The new creases and folds do good things for the X3's sheetmetal. The ute loses some of the slab-sided appearance of the last-generation vehicle, though it's marginally taller and longer. BMW has a smaller X1 en route to the States (it's on sale in Europe already), which gives the X3 the marketing room to grow.

BMW's traditional six-cylinder engines come in normally aspirated and turbocharged form in the 2011 model. The 300-hp turbo engine can deliver car-like acceleration, BMW claims, with a 0-60 mph time of about 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. The standard 240-hp in-line six? It's still capable of a spirited SUV run to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds.

The X3 upgrades to a new eight-speed automatic transmission across the board, and its independent suspension now can be tailored with optional programming that gives drivers a choice of electronic suspension, steering, transmission and throttle settings. The four-wheel-drive system can vector torque between the rear wheels, which can help vehicles corner more effectively. And though it's not intended purely as an off-roader in the Land Rover vein, the X3 has an extra half-inch of ground clearance in its new form.

New features include a big LCD screen for navigation-equipped vehicles. A suite of "ConnectedDrive" applications are developed for the X3, though BMW of North America hasn't announced which of them--including Google Maps functionality and Internet hotspot access--will come to the U.S. However, BMW does promise its unique Apple iPad docks will be available as accessories once the X3 goes on sale later this year. The docks brace the devices from the front-seat headrests, so that rear-seat passengers can use the iPad as a connectivity device, or as an entertainment system without incurring the cost of integrating a high-dollar, high-end dual-LCD system into the X3's headrests. Smart.

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Before its world premiere this week at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the world knew the details on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class sedan. Now, the demimonde of auto journalists and Parisians know how well the CLS translates into reality, as it's on display on the auto show floor.

In adopting some of the more masculine lines and angles of the E-Class, the CLS has lost some of the visual softness that made the original so appealing--particularly on the front end, with its big LED headlights trapezoidal intersections, and inside, where the matte burled walnut is no longer the dominant finish, though rich materials are still the stock and trade. Still, the "ponton line" on the rear quarters works well and lends the CLS a classic grace that's distinctive enough from the first edition to establish its own identity.

In the U.S., the CL550 will be the initial offering. The 5.5-liter V-8 will produce 402 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed automatic is expected to shift power for the rear-drive sedan. European versions will also offer six-cylinder, diesel and V-8 engines.

Fuel efficiency does make an impact on American CLS sedans in the form of Direct Steer, an electromechanical system that increases steering effort at higher speeds for stability, while improving energy consumption over a typical hydraulic power-steering system. The CLS also has significant amounts of aluminum in its doors, hood, fenders, decklid and body sections, as it stays slim enough to be fashionable.

Safety technology includes a flavor of blind-spot warnings that alerts the driver if an accident is imminent, while Active Lane Keeping Assist uses the same concept found in the 2011 Infiniti M sedan to nudge the CLS back into its lane, should it wander over the crown.

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