Car & Truck Reviews
2009 DODGE RAM 1500: A shining example of Dodge's rebirth
As long as there's dirt to be moved, trailers to be towed and country songs to be written, there will be pickup trucks. And plenty of them, judging by the sales charts that show light trucks -- a category in which pickups make up a big ol' chunk -- moving off Canadian dealer lots as fast...
November 20, 2009
2010 LINCOLN MKZ: Hot Rod
A nice blend of luxury and performance
Back in the day, nothing said you'd made it like a new Cadillac or Lincoln in your driveway. My, how things have changed. Nowadays there are numerous luxury cars to choose from, so many in fact that a relatively new segment of posh rides has emerged, the entry-level luxury car. In my eyes these beauties should be loaded...
November 20, 2009
PREVIEW: 2010 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR
Versatility blended with luxury
ELORA, Ont. -- What exactly is the new Honda Accord Crosstour? According to Honda Canada, the vehicle can be likened to a tale of two hats. The first is a ball cap -- casual, comfortable and versatile. The second is a top hat -- it speaks to Bay Street. The Accord Crosstour is also part sedan...
November 20, 2009
PREVIEW: 2010 MERCEDES E63 AMG
Family-friendly, Track-ready
AFFALTERBACH, Germany — Over the past 60 years, Mercedes-Benz has sold some 10 million E-Class models worldwide. That is a milestone few luxury cars attain. Of the various models available, none is as alluring as the mighty E63 AMG. It's not so much its bolder body kit (the front fender bulges are 17 millimetres larger) or...
November 20, 2009
2010 MERCEDES E CLASS SEDANS: Safe and sound in the fast lane
Sleek, stylish and loaded with safety features
TORONTO -- There are massive signs along the 401 highway in the Toronto area warning drivers that if you are caught speeding more than 50 km/h over the posted 100 km/h speed limit, you will be fined $10,000, have your licence immediately suspended, and your car will be impounded for a week. Near as I can...
November 13, 2009
SECOND OPINION: Pay attention: It's one flaw short of fantastic
SINDELFINGEN, Germany -- Several years ago, while on assignment for a magazine, I participated in an experiment with Mercedes-Benz that involved my being wired up like a lab monkey and driving across the Austrian Alps in an E500, some 10 hours of hellbent "berggeblitzen" (not officially a German word). The biometric readings later were plotted against...
November 13, 2009
MERCEDES E550 SEDAN: Ecstatic 4Matic
An E-Class with no downside
There's nothing like a bargain to make something look more attractive. What was once merely desirable becomes irresistible when plastered with 10-per-cent-off stickers. Even the heinously expensive are rendered absolutely essential by a 20 per cent reduction, and a half-price deal can be nothing short of life-altering. If you live for deals, then you, too, just have...
November 13, 2009
2010 JEEP WRANGLER: This is one wild ride
But its strengths take back seat in the urban jungle
For decades, the name "Jeep Wrangler" conjured images of the cheeky-but-tough two-door, soft-top SUV that helped us win World War II. That was before the 2007 model year, when Chrysler introduced the four-door Wrangler Unlimited. Three years later, it accounts for the lion's share of Jeep Wrangler sales. For those who spend their lives in urban jungles,...
November 13, 2009
2010 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE: Lady's Bug
VW convertible is a big hit with women
Is there such thing as a 'chick' car? If onlookers' reactions to this New Beetle Convertible are any indication, we have a winner. Porsche Boxsters, Mazda Miatas -- no other car I've reviewed has been subject to such strong gender association as this Bug. Which is too bad, because the Beetle represents one of the more...
November 13, 2009
FORD SHELBY GT500: New snake's a charmer
A wicked-fun blast from the past
SONOMA, Calif. -- At the all-knowing age of 17, I was in possession of a holy white terror -- a 302-equipped Ford Mustang notchback with a gaudy green interior and equally hideous green vinyl roof. In the small Prairie town where I lived, performing smoky burnouts in front of pretty teenage girls was, it seemed at...
November 13, 2009
PREVIEW: 2010 ACURA ZDX
Never mind the four doors, this corssover is a real coupe
Acura says its new Canadian-built (in Alliston, Ont.) ZDX crossover is a four-door sports coupe; a coupe, by definition, has only two doors. That said, the ZDX has an athletic form that mimics the swept-back style of a Grand Tourer -- the rear door handles are blended into the black trim at the roofline and so...
November 13, 2009
PREVIEW: 2010 BMW X6 M
'SAV' flexes its big pecs
ATLANTA -- This just isn't right. I'm jamming into Road Atlanta's infamous "gravity cavity" at more than 200 kilometres an hour, the entire car getting seriously "light" over the big hump that drops into Turn 10. First, the slight kink at the end of the back straight loads the outside tires and then, when the road...
November 13, 2009
2010 SUBARU OUTBACK: Bigger, smarter, slicker
Named Best New SUV/CUV (Under $35,000) by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Toyota may crow about how its Venza opened up a whole new market segment, but, in reality, Subaru invented the crossover 15 years ago when it launched the original Outback. With its slick all-wheel-drive system and jacked-up stance, it blended the best of the station wagon and SUV worlds into a single...
November 6, 2009
2010 SUBARU OUTBACK PZEV: Eco-friendly the easy way
Ultra-low-emission crossover runs on regular gas
A somewhat idiosyncratic automaker, Subaru is best known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles that have found favour with loyal niche groups. But, as it doesn't do hybrids or diesels -- for the North American market, at least -- it might appear as though Subaru's products aren't reaching out to the environmentally conscious or fuel-thrifty. PZEV could change...
November 6, 2009
2010 BMW 335d: The D must stand for dynamite
Named Best New Luxury Car over $50K last week by the Automobile Journalists of Canada.
It's a simple law of physics: The more things weigh, the more power needed to move them. This explains why automakers long shied away from gas-electric hybrids. If you want to use less fuel, why add weight with an electric motor, a slew of batteries and miles of connectors and wires? There's a simpler solution: the diesel...
November 6, 2009
