There's a new kid on the compact-car block, and its name is Cruze.

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A sharp-eyed Automotive Traveler reader caught the next HiPo Charger in Southern California, far from Death Valley

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Exploring our temporary home on Maine's glorious coast

The first thing I noticed about our 5,000-square-foot cottage on the coast of Maine--after being overwhelmed with the size of the place and how easy it is to set down a cell phone or, worse, wine glass and lose it for several hours--was the size of the spiders. The exterior of the 1880s structure is home to the largest, most bulbous-bodied, and fascinatingly disgusting spiders I've ever seen. Tarantulas don't bother me. (We named the one in my parents' backyard Jaime, and he lived under a rosemary bush for years.) These make me shudder... even as The Boy and I peer through the glass to see their latest catch. Three alone are hanging under the eave outside the window where I sit writing. With bodies the size of gumballs, they're still the smallest of those I've spied out various windows. And they seem to nest (roost? haunt?) in pairs and trios--the better to freak you out, I suppose.

While waiting for laundry to dry last night--this is a working (mom's) vacation--I did a little googling. Our hosts appear to be some form of orb weaver spider. Their cousins in the southern hemisphere can grow as large as a man's hand and even eat a bird--although not in one sitting, thank goodness. While searching "Maine spiders," I came across one guy who had had a spider similar to our little friends drop down in front of his face as he was bouncing along in his pickup truck. Can you imagine a rugged mountain man screaming? Spiders aside...

List includes vehicles for a variety of lifestyles that will keep drivers, passengers, and canine companions safe and comfortable on the roadway

More than 45 million U.S. households have a dog--and, with more than 80 percent of dog owners taking their canine companions along in their vehicles on errands, leisure rides, and day trips, many drivers are taking the safety and comfort of man's best friend into consideration when shopping for vehicles. To aid in motorists' quest to find a vehicle that meets both their needs, as well as their dogs, AAA has released a list of its top vehicle picks for dog owners.

AAA Auto Buying's team of experts compiled a list based upon a wide variety of factors, including crash test ratings, safety features, fuel economy, ease of animal ingress and egress, cargo area size, availability of tie-down hooks, and easy-to-clean interiors. They divided the vehicles into six categories to help motorists with a variety of lifestyles identify a vehicle that best meets their needs: luxury, active lifestyle, "kids, dogs and everything else," "efficient and fun," green, and economical. Automotive Traveler executive editor Robyn Larson McCarthy hopes to test some of these models with the help of traveling terrier Chaucer (seen here with companion Brontë) in the coming months.

Now, AAA's choice for the best dog-friendly vehicles, in their reviewers' own words:

A good day's shooting in Death Valley with the mercury touching 125 degrees

In the past, if a spy shooter caught a disguised Hyundai prototype, no one got too excited. But with Hyundai on a roll, every new introduction is important. Arriving at my favorite hunting grounds, I encountered a trio of 2012/13 Hyundai prototypes. The one seen here is obviously a five-door, B-segment entry, possibly the replacement for the current Accent and which might be called the Verna (shown in Beijing earlier this year as a four-door sedan). What's interesting from these shots is the blanket covering the hood. Might Hyundai be extending its Blue Sport hybrid technology two segments down from its über-popular mid-sized Sonata? Time will tell, but with their bold claim to meet a fleet average of 50 m.p.g. in 15 years, nothing can be discounted from the South Koreans. They are now a contender in every mainstream category in which they compete.