Motor Trend: Destination: Aspiration

You finally got that office with a door. Your foot is firmly planted on the middle rung of the corporate ladder, but you're reaching ever higher. Which new car will say just the right thing about you and your newfound status, while delivering the kind of driving pleasure you now deserve? Here are three sporting suggestions: BMW's familiar 330i, Cadillac's new CTS, and Infiniti's very new G35. These sedans define the core values of their respective makers and reflect what they want to say about themselves on a fundamental, aspirational level. As a result, they also say something about you, the driver.

Note that none of these six-cylinder sedans represents its company's most powerful, most technology-laden, highest-priced, or even largest offering. That's what the senior partner drives. These three, however, do get you into the same front-engine rear-drive game. They are, in many ways, the bread and butter of their respective brands, earning corporate dollars and the sense of brand identity (and hoped-for brand loyalty) that BMW, Cadillac, and Infiniti so covet.