All Review Articles

Merrickville, Ontario - Can you imagine an SUV weighing over two tons that can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 8 seconds while burning about 9 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers? No, I'm not talking about gas-electric spinoffs like the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid or Chrysler Aspen Hybrid. This vehicle uses a different powertrain altogether: a modern twin-turbo diesel. It sports the blue-and-white roundel of BMW and is called X5!

The drive to work in winter when the weather's nasty is about as exciting as having wet feet. Road closures. Ice scraping. The mountain the plow-guy left at the end of your driveway. Ever just wanted to call in 'winter'? You aren't alone- but there is a solution to beating the cold-weather commute blues. What you need, my friend, is a rally car.

The Aspen is Chrysler's first foray into the world of sport utility vehicles. That's right: the storied company had never offered an SUV before, leaving that job to its sportier Dodge division. While the Aspen burst onto the scene fairly late, it now represents a quality alternative, especially in hybrid variant.

Shame, all this financial doom and gloom stuff lately. It's depressing sure- but it also takes away from some of the great new stuff our automakers are planning to bring to market. Example? Ford's latest hybrid- the Fusion. Powered by a newly hybridized version of the automakers latest 2.5 liter four cylinder engine, Ford engineers are saying that it will be the most fuel efficient mid-sized sedan in America- with at least a 6 mpg advantage over its key competitor, the Camry hybrid.

Hyundai enters 2009 with an all-new sedan delivering surprising performance in every respect. Actually, the surprise is even greater when you consider that, barely 25 years ago, the Stellar stood as the flagship car in the same exact showrooms.

Before this year, every time we would get invited to the launch of a small SUV or crossover, the manufacturer lined up only the most powerful versions of their new model. Even if 4-cylinder and V6 engines were available, when we asked if we could try out a version with the smaller engine, we would get an answer that sounded like: "Um... we don't have any right now."

The 2009 Honda Fit does not look quite like the model that was introduced back in 2007. But while the overall design has considerably evolved (jewel-like headlights, sculpted hood, exaggerated roofline, smaller rear window, new dashboard, etc.), the formula is the same. The Fit is still a great example of efficiency in terms of space and performance.

For any car, getting back to its roots is usually an excellent move, particularly in the case of a brand's cherished child. Take the new Nissan Z; the boomerang has been perfectly thrown and in more ways than one.

A first impression is hard to change. When you meet someone for the first time, it supposedly takes about 30 seconds to make an idea in your mind of what kind of person is standing in front of you, and if you like that person or not. The same goes for cars and trucks. Walk in a dealership and spot the vehicle you're interested in. After a few seconds, if the exterior shape pleases you, the next step is arguably to open the door and sit down in it.

The C-Class is an entry-level Mercedes-Benz product that's available as a used hatchback, wagon or sedan- depending on the year in which you happen to be shopping. The model range has been around and successful for some time, bringing the brands promise of elegant luxury, advanced safety and appreciable performance to a relatively affordable level.

The 2009 Kia Borrego could certainly be described as an automotive anachronism. While it just arrived on the market, this vehicle belongs in a previous era. What I mean is that Kia could not have picked a worse time to introduce a full-size SUV.

Bringing back the old-generation Golf and selling it at a fire-sale price means one of two things, or maybe both. First, since Volkswagen currently has no subcompact ready for sale in North America, the company has got nothing to rival the recent surge of small-car offerings. At the same time, they might have figured that Canadians need or want basic transportation at a reasonable price, whatever the technology that's baked into the vehicle.

Very few automobiles can generate as much hype and excitement when a next-generation model is launched as exotic sports cars and icons like the Mustang and Corvette. There's also a group of high-quality machines that keep surprising everyone with their continuous advancements. The Audi A4 somewhat fits all these labels.

Okay, I have so much to tell you about the new 2009 Cadillac CTS-V that I don't know where to start. First, there's the outrageous power that makes it the fastest production sedan ever produced by a domestic manufacturer. Then there are the incredible sound effects and driving dynamics, not to mention the fact that it's the first serious American threat to the German performance leaders.

With a national average of just over 1.5 children per family, full-size minivans seem rather large for daily use. In a stroke of genius, Mazda has decided to bring the minivan down to a more palatable size, one that meets a family's real needs.

The TT, which got a major redesign for the 2008 model year, is in direct competition with the Porsche Boxster and Cayman, the BMW Z4, M Coupé and Roadster models as well as the Mercedes-Benz SLK. If you're a car fan with a good memory for numbers, you know that the most powerful TT was the 3.2 quattro which developed 250 horses.

It's hard to attract more and more buyers in your showroom with a model range of just five vehicles. But that doesn't seem to worry Suzuki. Slowly but surely is the strategy here, and they never seem to make mistakes; that is, if we excuse the X-90, a T-topped 2-seater cute-ute that unsurprisingly flopped.

When Jeep first launched the Patriot I was none too sure about it. After all, it's based on the Dodge Caliber, and although I love the value for money aspect of that vehicle, I couldn't quite fathom a Jeep version of it. Aren't Jeeps supposed to be rugged, go-anywhere types of vehicles? Would you call a Dodge Caliber with 4WD one of those? Well, I'm ready to eat my words and take back everything that I have said about the Patriot in the past, because after spending a week in one, I totally get it.

Earlier this year, I attended the North American launch of the Dodge Journey, and I must say that I was rather impressed with the company's new priced-right crossover vehicle. The Journey offers itself up as the almost perfect family transportation device and, as I have already indicated, supplies excellent value for money. In fact, I see it as pretty much the modern interpretation of the well loved family minivan.

I drove this vehicle back to back with the Subaru WRX STI on the track at the AJAC TestFest this year, and I'd have to say that I'd possibly give it the edge over the Subie as a pure track vehicle. The car felt much tighter in the turns, the power and grip is simply amazing, and the steering, well go-kart-like is the only way I can describe it. Of course, neither won the COTY category, as that honor went to BMW's wonderful 135i.

Hours of back-road and highway driving in deep snow ensued. In addition to 911'a stable rear-engine handling, a slick stability control system quickly neutralized wheel-spin and slippage before it became a problem- though enough was allowed to maintain forward momentum as required. 911 accelerates and cruises in slippery conditions with relative confidence.

Pretend for a moment that I'm taking you for a spin in a new, high performance SUV. There's a twist though to this pleasantry- you're blindfolded. After a short stint through the corners and in the passing lane, I'll ask you to name the vehicle we're in. I can already hear the list of German responses: Porsche, BMW, Audi. Doubtful I'll hear "Volvo" among the slate of exotica.

Certain phenomenons in life are fascinating. The Mazda3, for example, is unique in its genre. More than 5 years after its official launch, not only is this little car still successful, but its sales figures are progressing, to the detriment of rivals such as the Honda Civic.

The new GLK350 is a deceptive vehicle. By itself, it seems as large as an ML-series Mercedes. Put the ML beside the GLK and you can see how your eye gets deceived. The GLK is narrower, shorter and lower, but has the lines to hide it well. The GLK tapers slightly from lower sill to the roof line when you look at it from the back.

We can be as open-minded and enthusiastic as we like, older car aficionados still remember the trials and tribulations of Korean manufacturer Hyundai's first arrival in the Americas: the infamous but no less popular Pony topping the list of our grievances. This no doubt accounts for the fact that when we're thinking of buying a new car, the name Hyundai doesn't come spontaneously to mind. Neither does Kia, for that matter.

When Mercedes-Benz penned the latest iteration of the SLK, they drew styling cues from the formidable SLR McLaren. The similarities are quite pronounced, and in my view exciting. Unlike the SLR, the SLK resides at the lower end of the Mercedes-Benz hierarchy. Like its prodigious cousin though, the SLK is a two-seat roadster featuring a power-operated retractable hardtop roof.

When the flat-six engine bolted to the middle of the Porsche Cayman S first fires up, it makes a lumpy, erratic and hoarse noise that nearly brings its health to question. For a car that pays homage to Porsche's great mid-engine racers of the past, it sounds more than a bit out of place. Thing is, any good singer needs a moment to warm their vocal cords before a performance. Some even say the added sound effects are part of the boxer engine's charm. Indeed, the sweet song that ensues is well worth the wait for operating temperature.

When the Grand Vitara was redesigned for the 2006 model year, the 4-cylinder Vitara bit the dust. Suzuki's compact SUV was left with only one engine which was shared with the old XL7. For a few years, it was sufficient. Now, as SUV owners are downsizing, 4-cylinder trucks are the new trend. Toyota's RAV4, Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute have all received engine upgrades for 2009, so Suzuki didn't have much choice but to follow suit. And the Grand Vitara actually gets two new engines for 2009, a four and a more-powerful six.

Since the introduction of the Miata in 1990, Mazda has understood one important thing: it's not just about building a vehicle, that vehicle has to become an extension of the driver. The idea of driving enjoyment has become the dogma behind each and every Mazda product. The CX-7, widely derived from the 2005 MX-Crossport Concept, perfectly embodies the idea of sport in the term "sport utility vehicle". In addition to devastating good looks for a third year running, the CX-7 boasts the technical prowess true the brand's dynamics.

BMW's 7-Series was always more about satisfying the senses than electrifying them. For 2009, the German premium car manufacturer has deployed some updates to give the rolling luxury flat an updated look and added features.