CD....usually you and I agree on alot of stuff.....but I have to differ with you in a couple of areas........
(Nice write-up btw....in your usual comedic sense......which I love.....)
Ford's Naming Strategy:
I think it's a good move. Certainly it's no step backwards. To the vast populace, "500" has no name recognition. Rental queen or not as of late, most people out in the marketplace still associate "Taurus" as a best-selling Ford sedan, and also as one of the best-selling midsize cars (even if not so much recently.) The (new) Taurus is guaranteed to be the best driving, most powerful, and roomiest "Taurus" ever.....nothing wrong with that.
Highlander:
I don't think there's anything wrong with Toyota staying "vanilla" with this one. I don't think they WANT to do something aggressive with this SUV. I see a TON of these bland-mobiles on the roads out here.....so someone must like what they see. I do love the interior though.....and like the addition of the more powerful V6.
Astra:
Gee.....versus the AURA interior, I think the Astra's is TOP-NOTCH and a significant upgrade over the (platform-mate) Cobalt. I'm not sure if you were able to sit inside the Astra, but when I was looking at them at Frankfurt in '05, the interiors were nicely-executed with premium materials and switchgear.....on par with the (European) Focus and Golfs.