2010 Lexus LS 460: Mechanical perfection wrapped in a soothing package

For one of the most significant cars of the last two decades, the Lexus LS 460 gets a lot of grief from enthusiasts.

A writer for "The Truth About Cars" website declared the Lexus "is for people who hate cars." On Edmunds.com, the LS 460 was described as being "about as exciting as a PBS pledge drive." What the enthusiasts hate about the Lexus is that it isolates the driver from MORE

Mountain Dew and Mad Men: The stories behind the pitches

This season seems to be more about Don Draper's neuroses than his advertising pitches, but a few of his agency's clients came to the AMC drama with their own interesting stories.

by Alex Konrad, contributor

Two weeks into this season of Mad Men, we updated you on the products featured in the show with Mad Men: Fictional pitches, real ads. With Jantzen and Pond's Cold Cream both making memorable debuts, we anticipated MORE

The 2011 R-class: The Mercedes of Minivans

What's the most disrespected vehicle in Mercedes-Benz's lineup? The R-class -- by a mile.

The R-class has seemed like an orphan since its inception. Spawned by the ill-fated merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, it is built in Mercedes' Alabama plant, where the spirit of Carl Benz is seldom seen. Even Mercedes didn't seem to know what to do with the R-class when it arrived; marketers defined the R as MORE

When good bosses go bad (and vice versa)

When it comes to leaders, there are three deadly sins, according to Stanford's Robert Sutton, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best ... and Learn From the Worst. They are a lack of inhibition, obliviousness and disregard, and hubris -- any of which can lead to "power poisoning," in Sutton's words.

His take on some top leaders:

Good Turned Bad:

Mark Hurd, Hewlett-Packard ex-CEO Hurd brought discipline to HP, cutting MORE

2011 Infiniti QX56: A standout in any crowd

Climbing into the Infiniti QX56 is like stepping back in time -- say the 1990s when gigantic upscale SUVs were a novelty, invoking shock and awe. All those acres of wood grain finishes and leather seat coverings slathered across gigantic cabins -- who had ever seen anything like it?

And don't forget all that V-8 power. Sitting high up in the command seating, you felt like the captain of a land MORE

One-minute mentor: Should my employee friend me?

By Allison Hemming President, the Hired Guns, a digital talent agency

It's complicated. A Facebook friend request from one of your employees is a well-meant but not always welcome surprise. Should you be nice and just hit accept? Before you do, ponder the implications.

Don't mix gene pools. Before accepting requests, decide whether Facebook is a personal branding tool or a place to connect with friends. If it's the latter, MORE

The guys behind Kors

Lawrence Stroll

Meet the team responsible for Michael Kors' recent expansion. Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll, primary investors via their Sportswear Holdings, made a fortune as early backers of Tommy Hilfiger. Both have retail bona fides: Montreal native Stroll, whose father was a Pierre Cardin licensee in Canada, launched Polo Ralph Lauren in Europe in the '80s.

Silas Chou

Chou's father started one of the largest textile suppliers in Asia; Chou MORE

A tale of two dresses

For frugal sartorialists, the prospect of low-priced goods from high-end designers is tantalizing: a Vera Wang dress for $68, a Christian Siriano clutch for $40. But as prices plummet, does quality suffer? And if you can really make it for $40, what's so special about the designer version? For answers, we took a dress from high-end label Vena Cava's main line and one from its 2009 Gap collection and asked MORE

2011 Honda CR-Z EX Sport Hybrid: Nothing else like it

Honda is a company much admired for its engineering and creativity. In addition to cars, motorcycles, marine engines, and lawnmowers, it makes jet airplanes and humanoid robots.

But taking risks carries with it the danger of falling short. Deliveries of the $3.9 million HondaJet have been delayed nearly two years, and at $1 million a copy, the ASIMO robot is a long way from market introduction.

Now comes the 2011 CR-Z, billed MORE

10 hot rides for rent

This fall business travel comes in a new flavor of recession-proof: high style. Rental shops on both coasts harbor every form of extreme machine, from green to gas-guzzling.

By Sue Callaway, contributor

An oxymoronic truism of the times is that indulgence these days is best experienced in moderation. So it should come as no surprise that the business of renting expensive sheet metal is booming. Ken Kerzner, managing partner of Midway Car MORE