Watch our automotive experts chat about new road test results and answer reader questions in the third episode of "Talking Cars with Consumer Reports."

We love driving the Audi Allroad. It's tough to label anything a "staff favorite," but with over six months of service and 12,000+ miles on the odometer, it's clear that the Allroad doesn't stay stationary for long.

Subaru is recalling 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outbacks, 2009-2012 Foresters and 2006-2012 Tribecas due to an electrical issue in a lighting system that could cause a fire.

Automakers have answered new fuel economy requirements and increased consumer demand with some lofty mpg claims. But it seems some of these claims have been a little too high, at least on paper.

Some of my counterparts believe this microvan was the sleeper of the LA Auto Show. Although the Connect only arrived in the U.S. market in 2009, it is now a 10-year-old vehicle that was designed to be Spartan and utilitarian. Now, Ford is reimagining this new generation to serve dual purposes as a commercial and a passenger vehicle.

A sharp, well-handling alternative to an upscale SUV, the redesign Audi Allroad impressed our staff with its dynamic talents, fuel economy, and fit and finish.

Paying more for a new car doesn't guarantee that it will be reliable. Fuel-efficient hatchbacks, wagons, compact sports sedans, compact pickups, and small SUVs are the most reliable vehicles according to our 2012 Annual Auto Survey, which is based on our subscribers' experiences with 1.2 million vehicles. Upscale cars, minivans and luxury SUVs are among the least reliable.

Toyota is no longer alone in offering a small hybrid wagon-microvan. Ford has rolled out the long-awaited C-Max as a Prius V competitor, boasting more power and fuel efficiency. We just bought one in Blue Candy Metallic Tint.

We recently looked at some of the best deals on car leases, focused on outgoing models about to be redesigned, and found you could still beat the advertised offers by just taking out a traditional loan and/or buying the car outright. Now, we'll take a look at more conventional leases, to see just how much better the end-of-the-model-year deals are.

We recently took delivery of our new 2013 Subaru Outback, with some improvements over the previous 2010 model we tested. One is Subaru's new EyeSight system. This pro-active safety system uses a pair of cameras over the rearview mirror to know when to stop the car, if the driver isn't paying attention. We had a chance to try this and several other EyeSight features in a brief demonstration Subaru recently set up at our test track.

Ford has announced that is upcoming C-Max hybrid microvan will be rated at 47 mpg overall, with matching fuel-economy ratings in the city and on the highway. The C-Max will have an Eco Cruise mode to help drivers achieve the best fuel economy possible, and it promises to trump the Toyota Prius V.

The Outback is a particularly popular car among our subscribers. So when the thoroughly-tweaked 2013 model showed up at dealers, we quickly bought one to test.

Priced at $33,745, the new Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid promises to be a significant domestic-branded challenger to the Toyota Prius, particularly the V and Plug-In versions. Ford's plug-in hybrid boasts a 550-mile total range and 95 MPGe—miles per gallon equivalent when driven on electric. The green-car competition is about to become more interesting.

The Kia Soul and Subaru Impreza hatchback are similar in some ways, such as engine size; use of simple controls; easy access to the noisy cabin; and comparable fuel economy, cargo room, and turning circles. Yet, there are big differences in styling and performance.

Reports of an imminent invasion of Chinese cars have proved exaggerated for more than a decade. Promised introductions have failed to materialize, and those from BYD, Geely, and others that we've seen displayed at auto shows looked unready for prime time. Now I've had a chance to actually drive one, the all-electric BYD e6, at the 26th Electric Vehicle Symposium taking place this week in Los Angeles. Truthfully, it made a better impression than we would have expected.