In the past week, I've driven new vehicles with the best and worst interiors in the business. The worst one? You can guess for yourself, but think lots of black plastic, nylon carpeting that would make Cher's wardrobe point and laugh, and plastic controls that snick and snap like an overachieving box of Rice Krispies.

But that car, at long last, is the huge exception. Car interiors have gotten so good, even the cheapest on the planet stand a fair chance of winning over shoppers just from the style and shape of their cabin. Think MINI's Cooper and Clubman--or even Scion's xB, with decent materials and way-cool bins for everything.

My own personal favorite is the King Ranch version of the Ford F-250. Sitting at least a foot above the useful slot at the ATM, with the diesel engine rumbling like a school bus, it would be difficult to see this as luxury transportation. This one's nothing like the Ford F100 that my father used to shuttle us around to sports and school. (For one thing, there's no blue dial telephone laying in the footwell...I still don't have an answer for that one.) Slip into it and the tailored Castaño leather fits so perfectly with the F-Series' style, you wonder why Ford hasn't tried a similar treatment on the Explorer or even on a passenger car. (That goes along with the mystery of why Ford keeps Harley editions to its trucks, and doesn't spread it over some passenger cars.) Yes, it's expensive, as it's part of a $3640 package, but that includes adjustable pedals, big mirrors and a power sliding rear window.

There's one other car that wows me with its bargain-luxe treatment - the Saturn Aura, with its morocco-brown leather. You can't find a finish as nice as this unless you customize your Conti GT, and from what I gather, that job's roughly the price of the entire Saturn sedan.

We're interested in what you have to say. (We're not the only ones looking at interiors. Winding Road asked which interior you liked best the other day, drat them.) What's your favorite car interior? Tell us in a comment below. And while you're at it, tell us which one you like the least.

Goodness knows, the advent of Craigslist has helped us in many different ways. We've sold cars, lawn furniture, sports equipment, radar detectors, and almost by accident once, a teenager. (One clean room later, we reconsidered.)

Now a California man has realized the dark side of Craigslist, and he is suffering the humiliation of being the subject of a national news story. The unnamed man tried to set up a rendezvous with hired help--a hooker, if you're not so swift on euphemisms--through the online ad site. What he got instead was an old-fashioned carjacking. The San Jose Mercury News reports the man went to a house in suburban Pittsburg, Calif., expecting to meet up with a prostitute and found no one waiting at the house, as planned. Instead, when he returned to his truck to drive home, two men bashed him in the head and stole his money and keys.

The local cops say it's not the first time that Craigslist has been used in crime--crime far worse than the plaid couches that litter the free section. So just remember car fans--it's caveat emptor, and bring a friend for backup.

Seeking hooker on Craigslist, man gets carjacked | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Kia, Scion and Acura aren't the only automakers planning world debuts at the New York auto show. Saleen, tuner of musclecars, is plotting the first showing of it S5S Raptor concept for the New York show, too.

So far, Saleen Inc.'s only released this sketch, along with a minimal press release that says the concept is "designed for the premium performance market with segment leading horsepower and performance." How will it get there? With an ethanol E85-powered 5.0-liter supercharged engine, the tuner company says.

The Raptor's aluminum structure and composite body panels give it a rigid, lightweight body, Saleen said in a release. The bigger promise is a top speed of 200 mph.

How real is this concept? We'll tell you more from the New York auto show floor, as TheCarConnection.com reports from the Javits Center starting on March 19.

It's one of the more highly anticipated crossovers of 2008 -- and now, Ford's Flex crossover apparently has a base price assigned to it.

Automotive News reports that Ford will charge $28,995, including destination, for the base 2009 Ford Flex when it goes on sale in the summer. The weekly news reader says it got its information from a dealer printout.

According to the info, the Flex will be offered in three trim levels and in front- or all-wheel drive. The most expensive Flex Limited will top the pricing ladder at $37,255.

Six- and seven-passenger versions of the Flex will be offered, and a 3.5-liter V-6 with "more than 260 horsepower" will be standard. The sole transmission will be a six-speed automatic.

Last year at its New York Auto Show debut, the Flex made a big impression with limo-like equipment, including second-row footrests, the Ford Sync "infotainment" system, an optional rear-seat DVD system with eight-inch screen, a 2300-song digital jukebox, even a refrigerator. No information on pricing of those options has been announced.

Ford will assemble the Flex at its Oakville, Ontario, plant. The Flex will be priced above the current Taurus X crossover, which is expected to be replaced by a production version of the Explorer America concept from the recent Detroit auto show.

Ford prices the Flex at $28,995 - Automotive News

One of the most interesting features in BMW's 2008 lineup comes not under the hood of the new M3 coupe, nor the 128i Convertible, nor the 135i coupe. It's embedded in the dash--factory-installed HD Radio.

While the rest of the auto industry has installed satellite radio at a blazing pace, BMW took a slower path with Sirius satellite radio. But in terms of HD radio, it's the unqualified earliest adopter. For 2008, HD Radio is a $500 option across the lineup, and I listened to it for the first time while waiting for my M3 laps at California's Laguna Seca racetrack.

HD Radio is pretty simple: it takes the new digital signals sent out by AM and FM stations and feeds them through your car's audio system, making the old hissy analog signal obsolete. What's more, HD Radio enables stations to multicast. Your favorite soul station might keep a mainstream channel, while adding a new stream of '70s funk or a third feed of Stax-only tracks. Beyond that, the digital signal sends information to the radio's head unit, so you get a satellite-like display of song titles, artists, music categories, and more.

More than 1100 stations are broadcasting their signals in HD. And for fans of talk radio, hearing Laura Ingraham in clear tones is a treat. While I'm not one to pay $12.95 for a satellite radio subscription (I don't need to hear Stern every day to feel plugged into the global media outlet), I'd surely choose an HD option in my next car, or at least opt for the aftermarket add-on.

IBiquity, the company that developed HD Radio and is licensing it out, says it has big plans for the service, including real-time traffic reports (like those on XM); surround sound; and the most obvious thing I've been waiting for in radio since before TiVo--a time-shift feature that will record favorite programs for the next time you're driving. And while BMW's the first manufacturer to take HD Radio mainstream, iBiquity says 13 automakers are set to launch receivers in their cars soon.

Until then, you can get a complete list of HD-broadcasting stations at the HD Radio Web site, and you can find aftermarket HD Radio systems at major big-box retailers like Best Buy or Amazon.