It's not the kind of launch you want a new range-topping luxosedan to endure. This morning, photos of the new 2009 BMW 7-Series ended up splashed across the Interwebs, through Flickr. It's uncertain if some dope put these embargoed pics on their account and thought they were marked "private," or if they liberally applied the fair-use doctrine to their own timeline.

Whatever the case, here are the lo-res versions of the 7-Series galleries minus all the Photoshop festooning applied to those Euro hooligans. The official word and pics on the 7er come down next week, and we'll bring you more on it then--as well as from the Paris auto show in October. Meanwhile, savor the somewhat soft-focus shots of the 7-Series' new tail, markedly cleaner interior, and more refined silhouette.

Last week in California, Hyundai opened up the doors on the 2009 Genesis sedan to the automotive press for the first home-court drives. TheCarConnection.com was there--and as a result, after a day of looping around the hills above Santa Barbara and clocking some track time at the central valley's Buttonwillow race track, I've gone back to our full review of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis and boosted its scores for performance, comfort, and quality.

Why the change? With our new review format, TheCarConnection.com is examining sources from around the Web and letting you know which opinions matter--with our editorial team's opinion guiding the way. In our first exposure to the Genesis, most of the test drives took place in prototypes and on non-U.S. roads. With the change in venue--real cars riding on real American roads--it's appropriate to revisit scoring, and it's something TheCarConnection.com will keep doing in all its reviews. We'll re-evaluate cars as we drive them more and as more reviews come in through a car's lifespan.

I found out plenty about the Genesis's performance on the hilly drive to Ojai and the flat, dusty stretch out toward Buttonwillow, along with my Autoblog co-pilot. Driving both the V-6 version and the powerful V-8 model, it's difficult to find a reason not to choose either engine. The 290-horsepower V-6 is strong and smooth enough, but the V-8 is truly remarkable. With 375 horsepower, it never seems to run out of energy. The six-speed automatic transmission coupled to both engines has a manual mode, but shift paddles would greatly accentuate the "sport" tag that Hyundai wants to be applied to the Genesis.

In terms of ride and handling, the Genesis is clearly biased toward the former. It's fairly unflappable cruising over large bumps at freeway speed, and even in some back-to-back handling tests arranged by Hyundai, the Genesis acquits itself well against the Mercedes E-Class and the BMW 7-Series, even. The Genesis, though, is less confident at truly high speeds than the Germans; the cushy ride gets a little nervous at triple-digit speeds, though it never loses composure. Rapid switchbacks bring out the roll and lean designed into the ride quality, but it's controllable stuff--and another sign of Hyundai's growing confidence in tuning its cars to handle well, if on the softer side of the spectrum. It's enough to boost the Genesis to an 8, in our opinion.

In terms of comfort and quality, the Genesis's sometimes lavish interior trim and large backseat deserve an upgrade from a 7 to an 8. The initial set of reviews and our initial impressions were that some fit and finish issues still had to be sorted out. Spending a day in a saddle-interior Genesis and a version with the perforated leather package, we could only find a minor flaw or two in the Genesis's upscale cabin. It's heavily reminiscent of the Infiniti M, especially in the center stack, where a wave of silver buttons controls the major functions (there's also an iDrive-like controller that manipulates media and climate controls). The buttons can be hard to pick out from behind the wheel, when you just want to speed up the fan--but the look is sophisticated and rich. Hyundai's entertainment controller made connecting to music in an iPhone a breeze, and its navigation menus seemed far easier to use than some setups. The backseat has truly adult-sized room; you can cross a leg over knee and still have enough room between it and the front seat back. A minor ripple in a pre-production V-8 sedan with the leather-trimmed dash was the only noticeable flaw.

The Genesis isn't done here. A Coupe version is coming, and product planners say all-wheel drive is possible mid-cycle--so I expect Hyundai's plans for a big crossover vehicle to share a lot of Genesis pieces. As the time comes for more information on that vehicle, TheCarConnection.com will be there to keep you posted. In the meantime, get all the information on the 2009 Genesis including pricing, specifications, and of course, our full review here.

A new Mercedes CLK prototype has shown itself in Germany to TheCarConnection.com's spies, giving you the first unobstructed look at the new coupe's split headlight design.

A similar (perhaps identical) headlight design is expected on Mercedes's next E-Class. But even on the very latest E-Class prototypes--which are running around with much less camouflage than this CLK--we haven't seen such a revealing look at the front lights.

From the looks of this roofed prototype, Mercedes-Benz likely will stick with a fabric roof for its CLK convertible. The new CLK is expected to bow at next year's Geneva motor show.--KGP Photography

What will the BMW M3, Lexus IS-F, and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG do now?

Back in January, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V hit Detroit's auto show with the promise of a supercharged V-8 with a prodigious 550 horsepower.

Scratch that. The CTS-V makes 556 horsepower, according to the latest updates from GM. Not only that--Autoblog (by way of Edmunds) says that GM confirms not only the CTS-V's stunning power, the company drops the mind-numbing acceleration time for the CTS-V at 3.9 seconds. That's more than a second off some documented times for the aforementioned trio, not to mention better than a host of Porsches and other supercars.

Of course, to go with the free ass-kickings, the 2009 CTS-V also comes with your choice of six-speed gearboxes and standard Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). You can find out more about it at our 2009 Cadillac CTS-V preview page, and see more nifty pics, including the massive V-8 and Cadillac's new "obsidian" interior trim. Stay tuned for TheCarConnection.com's first drive later this summer.

Notice how chick-flicky Sandra Bullock's gotten since Speed 2? Maybe it's out of embarrassment or maybe from trying to catch up to Jesse James' tattoos. Or possibly, it's because Bentley's Speed edition of the Conti GT has proven to be a lot more entertaining in the long run.

Imagine the problem this new Continental Flying Spur Speed edition poses. Bentley says it's the most powerful four-door car the company has ever produced, what with its 12-cylinder engine throwing off 600 horsepower, good for a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph.

It's also ever so slightly updated from the 2008 version of Bentley's flying sedan, as is the entire four-door lineup. For 2009, Bentley's changed the front and rear ends of the Flying Spur. There's a new, more vertical grille and a more prominent air intake beneath it, while the back end gets a little sleeker. A ton of work has gone into making the F-Spur even quieter than before--there are undertrays, new acoustic glazing, and liners for the wheel wells. Speed editions get subtly tinted grilles, wider tailpipes, and special 20-inch wheels.

Fresh options include an adaptive cruise control system, new leather trim colors, new exterior colors including four two-tone choices, and a Naim audio system with 1,100 watts of power.