The media days have ended and the L.A. auto show is open to the public through Sunday. Below, our editors deliver their verdicts on which new vehicles warrant a closer look as you scour the show floor before or after Thanksgiving dinner. Make sure you mark your map and don?t miss the winners. Heck, even the losers are worth checking out, if only to see them for yourself. 

2009 Nissan Cube

David Thomas: Loser
I wanted to like the Cube, but it just stood out as a funky, boxy version of the Nissan Versa. Sure, it has a unique look and more standard features, but it won?t get better mileage, it doesn?t seem to offer much more utility ? beyond a roomier backseat ? and you know it will cost more. Add the sideways-swinging rear door and there really isn?t much that would convince me to pick this over another boxy car.

Kelsey Mays: Winner
The barn-door tailgate may be a deal-breaker for city drivers ? as such a design well should be ? but the Cube still delivers a compelling alternative to the Scion xB or Kia Soul. Interior quality stands out versus those two, as does all-around visibility. The rear seats are adjustable, too; Kia?s and Scion?s are not. Plus, if Nissan?s estimations hold true, gas mileage should easily beat the xB?s 28 mpg on the highway.

Mike Hanley: Winner
The Cube is one odd-looking vehicle that'll stand apart from pretty much everything else on the road. Even though I'm not a huge fan of its looks, I think it'll do just fine because it will attract buyers the same way the original Scion xB did: by offering unique styling and room for friends at an affordable price.

2009 Nissan 370Z

DT: Winner
This is a no-brainer. The old Z was one heck of a sports car. The new Z has a shorter wheelbase, more power and an upgraded interior. I even like the headlights. Sign me up for a test drive.

KM: Winner
Nissan did well to keep the Z?s styling congruent with its predecessor?s, and the G37?s larger V-6 is a fun, if torque-needy, engine. My only hesitation concerns the manual shifter, which feels slightly taller and sloppier than its predecessor ? though that one was easily among the best in the business.

MH: Winner
Even though the new Z retains the general shape of its predecessor it looks much more aggressive with its new front-end styling. It's also more compact thanks to a shorter wheelbase that enhances the sense of sportiness. Upscale interior appointments complete the package. With the new Z, Nissan has crafted a successful redesign that should keep sports car fans interested.

2010 Mazda3

DT: Winner
This was probably my favorite car of the show. Yes, it might be a practical compact car, but it has a very non-traditional design that looks like nothing else on the road right now. However, it was the interior that won me over. It is by far the nicest interior I?ve seen in a compact car, and on top of the quality, the integration of the navigation screen and the glowing blue stereo were high points.

KM: Winner
OK, I realized I haven?t named a loser yet. But if it makes a difference, the Mazda3 earns my highest praise: At first glance, interior features and cabin quality rival a Volkswagen Jetta, and the larger four-cylinder ought to improve upon the previous car?s already superb driving dynamics. We?ll have to see how gas mileage pans out, though, as the Mazda3 has historically been a bit thirstier than its peers.

MH: Ambivalent
From most angles the new Mazda3 has an athletic and premium appearance, and the redesigned interior is attractive, too. I can't, however, get over the new face of the car, which strikes me as overly aggressive for a compact sedan. Tell me: Would you want to pass by it every morning in a dark garage?

2010 Kia Soul

DT: Winner
Unlike Nissan?s Cube, I found the Soul to be more practical. The rear seats fold flat for better cargo utility, the hatch opens upward instead of sideways, and it had well-thought-out cubbies and storage areas. The practicality over style didn?t mean it wasn?t a ?cool? ride. It still looked different than most of today?s affordable hatches, while not straying into the alluringly ugly style that seems to be so popular.

KM: Loser
To Dave?s point, a flat cargo floor ? as the xB and Soul have ? has drawbacks. Both cars fill in the well behind the second-row seat, which the Cube leaves open, for a flat floor. It looks better and allows you to toss in large suitcases more easily, but there?s less room to stack tall cargo. Otherwise, the Soul didn?t wow me; cabin materials and overall styling are hit and miss, and stability control, which is standard on the competition, remains optional.

MH: Winner
Unlike the Cube, which pushes the styling extremes, the Soul offers the same small footprint with much more traditional styling, and it looks pretty good. There's a little bit of Mini Cooper in its design, but more importantly it looks like it'll be able to attract a whole new group of buyers who wouldn't have previously set foot in a Kia showroom.

2010 Ford Fusion

DT: Winner
The Fusion turned out to be the better looking of Ford?s three cars, but I?m still not sold on the interior quality. However, the price and the high gas mileage in the base model and hybrid make up for the step down in the interior from the likes of a Honda Accord or Nissan Altima. I did like the gigantic new navigation unit, though. 

KM: Loser
Ford had an opportunity to leapfrog today?s prevailing family cars, and it came up a few steps short. The Fusion looks better than before, but the cabin still uses the wretched grainy plastics from the original car. The Fusion-based MKZ, by contrast, has finally graduated to better stuff. Although the trunk opening and seat-folding mechanisms remain as impressive as ever, the backseat isn?t as big as the Accord?s or Mazda6?s.

MH: Winner
I like the new look of the Fusion, which features an even larger version of the car's current three-bar grille, as well as cues from Ford's European models in its lower grille. The addition of a hybrid version is also a big plus. The interior is nicer than before, but it's still not class-leading, and the cabin trim pieces in Sport models that are finished to match the exterior paint color are over the top. 

2010 Mercury Milan

DT: Loser
When I first saw pictures of the Milan I thought it was better-looking than the Focus, but in person it seemed much more blah. The interior of the show car was also strictly car-show variety, meaning it was glued in by hand and not of any production quality, which hurt its appeal too, but you can?t really hold that against it. Still, I was left with an unsatisfactory opinion of the Mercury sibling. 

KM: Loser
My comments on the Fusion apply here. Cabin quality is so-so, but the Milan?s styling seems less cohesive than its predecessor?s. I?m also not convinced Ford?s so-called ?poke-through? center controls ? a design quickly finding its way across the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury lineup ? represent a usability improvement from the old rounded buttons. Then again, I might be the only one who actually liked the old ones.

MH: Loser
The Milan receives new exterior styling, but it's still rather nondescript. It also gains a hybrid trim level like the Fusion, but when you can get essentially the same car with a Ford badge for probably less money, I'm not sure why you need a Mercury version. In fact, I'm not sure why you even need the Mercury brand if this is the way Ford is going to treat it.

2010 Lincoln MKZ

DT: Winner
I still don?t love the big Lincoln grille on this smaller sedan, but the interior upgrades of the MKZ finally put it a significant step ahead of its lesser siblings from Ford and Mercury. This will also help buyers trying to wrap their heads around the higher price tag at the dealership. The 2010 model may finally be worth it.

KM: Winner
I walked from the MKZ over to Lexus? stand to check out an ES 350, probably its closest natural rival. Now I think these cars are on the same level; interior materials in the ES still come out ahead, but the MKZ?s seats feel plusher, and its new face is far more attractive. Throw in Ford?s new first-rate navigation system, and this sedan could hold real promise.

MH: Loser
Like the Milan, the MKZ is a tarted-up version of the Fusion. It wears Lincoln's new large grille and gets a more substantial interior makeover than the Milan does, but the changes don't veer far enough away from the Fusion ? especially on the outside ? to attract buyers cross-shopping Acuras, Cadillacs and Infinitis.

2010 Ford Mustang

DT: Winner
Ford did an amazing job making the most out of a mild redesign with no significant changes to the engine or chassis. The new look is really attractive up close, even though I still prefer the grille without those huge fog lights on the GT model. The interior upgrade was minimal in my mind, but the controls on the dash and the leather seats are definitely an improvement. 

KM: Winner
No points to Ford for keeping the old-school live rear axle ? the Camaro and Challenger have independent rears ? but major thumbs up for interior quality, which makes significant strides this year. Don?t count out the modest horsepower gains; the Mustang is the welterweight of today?s muscle cars, and its fortified V-8 should still beat a Challenger R/T ? though probably not a Camaro SS ? at the stoplight wars.

MH: Winner
It's still much the same Mustang underneath, but Ford made a number of worthwhile changes to the exterior and interior of the sports car that taper back some of its retro feel and offer more premium surroundings, respectively. I'm thinking Mustang nation will be pleased.

2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible

DT: Winner
Once you see the G37 with the top up from the side, you won?t buy into Infiniti?s line that it looks as good as it does with the top down. Once the top is retracted into the trunk, the G37 is a stunner that will be the envy of every beachgoer you pass when cruising down the shore.   

KM: Winner
Unlike Lexus? sedan-turned-convertible, the G37 droptop is based on what?s already an attractive coupe. Add to that a powerful drivetrain and Infiniti?s buttoned-down interior quality, and this is one car that deserves the L.A. spotlight.

MH: Winner
I wasn't sold on Infiniti's retractable-hardtop version of its G37 when I first saw pictures of it, but the convertible looks great in person. The back ends of some convertibles can be a bit bloated, but the G37 avoids that, and it makes a big difference in its overall look. The convertible also features the same premium interior as the hardtop G37. It looks like the BMW 3 Series convertible might have some new competition.   

2009 BMW 7 Series

DT: Loser
Besides the amazing, intricate, cool-looking taillights ? they look like red, glowing lava ? the new 7 Series looks bloated and bulbous. The grille is too big and looks awkward even on this biggest of Bimmers. The interior is as luxurious as you?d expect, but I thought the gauges were bland and some of the finishes on par with a 1 Series.

KM: Toss-up
Though styling is a hard sell in several areas, it?s better than the outgoing 7?s wonky look. The car also gets some much-needed updates, like a revised iDrive controller with more shortcut buttons. It?s nice to see BMW finally ditched the steering-column gearshift, though I?m not a fan of the space-age electronic console shifter it?s become.

MH: Loser
I like the look of the redesigned 7 Series, which has a more traditional shape than its predecessor, and the cabin is quite luxurious and features a new iDrive system that might be a bit easier to use. A mild-hybrid version is also on the way. That said, it's rather plain-looking overall, and plain doesn't play well at an auto show.

Mini E

DT: Winner
Match a perennial favorite like the Mini Cooper with an electric-powered green machine and you have an instant winner. The fact that you have to sacrifice the rear seats and most of the cargo room to get it ? plus the fact that this is one of only a few hundred test models ? makes it less appealing. I wonder what the real cost of one would be when the test run ends, and if it would still be so appealing with a large MSRP.

KM: Loser
I?m a willing accomplice to the green revolution, but this is basically another test-run with a relative handful of cars ? and, as David mentioned, the electrical hardware basically gives the Cooper a Smart ForTwo?s roominess. On a completely unrelated tangent, though, it might be shrewd product placement to see ?Entourage?s? Eric Murphy driving one.

MH: Winner
The Mini E is the basis for one of the larger alternative-fuel test programs involving regular consumers, as Mini is making 500 of the all-electric cars available for one-year leases to customers in California, New York and New Jersey. The coupe can travel about 150 miles on a single charge, and I had a chance to take a quick spin in the car at the show and can confirm that it still offers the fun-to-drive nature of the regular Cooper. 

2010 Lexus RX

DT: Loser
I found the previous-generation RX ? which was wildly popular ? to be a rather bland luxury SUV, and this completely redesigned model doesn?t look much different from the previous model. I?m sure it will perform as admirably as the Toyota Venza it?s based on that I tested recently, but in a market where in-your-face looks seem to sell, the RX merely fades into the background.

KM: Winner
I suspect legions of well-off soccer moms own RXs precisely because they look equal parts luxurious and nondescript, so I have no beef with its latest styling. Interior quality ? which has been slipping in several Toyota/Lexus products of late ? remains excellent, though I question whether the mouse-like navigation controller beats a simple touch-screen. Lastly, with essentially the same engine and now a six-speed automatic, I?d expect the previous generation?s relatively good gas mileage to live on.

MH: Loser
Lexus has done very well with the current-generation RX, and it didn't tinker too much with the formula with the redesigned model. One of the more interesting elements of the new luxury crossover is the controller for the navigation system, which features a small joystick that controls a pointer on the screen. The RX didn't make much of a splash at the show, though, and perhaps the familiar design is to blame.

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