And because of that, we can afford to fall in love with a snot-flinging rodeo bull like the V-Wagon (or cars like the now-defunct Dodge Magnum, the Audi RS6 Avant, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate or the Europe-only BMW M5 Touring).

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These include highly desirable (and, obviously, well-secured) rides like the Bentley Azure and Brooklands, Bugatti Veyron, BMW M3, M5 and M6, Dodge Viper, Porsche Boxster or Cayman and the entire Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce lineups.

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When BMW redesigned its iconic M5 performance sedan in 2012, it replaced the prior generation's ten-cylinder engine with a smaller, turbocharged V-8, making the engine 25% more efficient and boosting mileage to 16 mpg from 13 combined city and highway driving.

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