After we spend some time behind the wheel of a car, we can give you our In Depth coverage. This is where we get hands-on experience with a new vehicle and get a chance to evaluate it to answer the questions you are asking. Is it easy to get a car seat in and out? Are the seats stain resistant, and will spills trickle into hard-to-reach areas? How much room is there in the cargo area when there's already a stroller in there? This is also when we decide whether a vehicle is worth our Recommendation.

We divide our In Depth stories into First Drives and Reviews, and they're a little different. A First Drive is usually done at a manufacturer-sponsored event. Although we get to drive the cars, manufacturers tend to select routes that will show off the vehicle's capabilities while minimizing any shortcomings. In addition, our time with the cars is usually limited to just a few hours. So although we get some seat time, a First Drive is not as in-depth as we would normally prefer.

A Review is when we get the car to ourselves for several days on our home turf and we can evaluate how it handles the daily grind of family life. Letting kids climb in and out, loading it up with the weekly groceries, making the occasional run to the local home improvement center, and all the other normal, activities families engage in. This is when we find out how well it holds up, and sometimes, whether our First Drive impression was the right one.

Like our At-A-Glance summaries, you can browse First Drive and Review articles by Manufacturer or Vehicle Type, and then sort by price, Family Friendliness or other criteria.

>Browse Reviews and First Drives by Manufacturer

Browse Reviews and First Drives by Vehicle Type