This is a fun, lively car to drive. The shift mechanism, with its rifle-bolt precision, is a treat
The old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies in spades to the Mazda MX-5, or Miata as many of us still call it. Yes, it’s changed over the years – it’s a little bulkier and more upscale than it used to be. But, more than three decades after its introduction, it remains…
A well-thought-out compact sedan/hatchback
The adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies in spades to the Mazda3. Since it was introduced in 2003, it has been an unqualified success, collecting numerous awards around the world. Those awards include the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) car of the year for 2022 and 2021, plus a handful of…
But if you really want one, be prepared to shell out the cash
The writing is on the wall. Electric cars are here to stay, becoming more and more abundant. There are at least 16 models available in Canada, and most of the major car manufacturers have something on offer. Hyundai has two fully electric models: the Kona and Ioniq 5. Kia – owned by Hyundai – has…
This small SUV is aimed at urban drivers and those who keep an eye on fuel economy
If you’re in the market for an electric car, you might have to cool your heels for a bit. With the soaring price of oil, increasing scarcity of battery components and supply chain issues, the waiting time for models like the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt, Kia Soul, Tesla and others can be up…
The intangible driveability of so many Honda products is intact with the new Civic Hatchback
A few weeks back, I drove the new Honda Civic equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). To put it mildly, I was disappointed. I found the CVT to be inconsistent, power-robbing, unrefined and almost unusable. It ruined, in my opinion, an other wise decent little car. Potential buyers, I cautioned, should be aware of…
The XC40 Recharge is my favourite electric car. It’s easy to get along with and goes like a bat out of hell
We all know that electric cars are pollution-free, efficient, thrifty, ecologically sound and cheap to operate. But they can also be surprisingly fast. A video is making the rounds on YouTube and Facebook that shows a Tesla Model S going up against Corvettes, Vipers, Ferraris, etc., at a quarter-mile dragstrip – and leaving them all…
Give it a pass
I’ve driven – conservatively – at least 3,000 different vehicles in my 40-year career as an automotive writer. You name it, I’ve probably driven it: high-end sports cars, luxury sedans, wild and woolly four-by-fours, motorcycles, formula race cars, big rigs, forklifts, race-prepared rally cars, vintage saloons, hot rods, one-off prototypes, experimental alternate fuel cars, one-off…
Made for Canada's winters? Let's find out
Talk is cheap. Toyota tells consumers the AWD Sienna is up for adventure. But does that mean a truly Canadian adventure? Normally, automotive journalists are often forced to assess vehicles based on just a few days’ experience – the equivalent of that honeymoon period. There isn’t much time to discover a new vehicle’s warts. No…
Focused less on luxury and more on practicality – and excellent fuel economy
Ford may be out of the passenger sedan business but they’ve jumped into the hybrid/electric car market with both feet. The company has at least seven electrified models – mostly pickups and SUVs, but including the all-electric Mustang Mach-E, which doesn’t look like a Mustang at all. Right in the thick of it is the…
Powered by 3.8-litre V6 engine mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission
Although things have cooled down recently, Canada’s pickup truck market is still a going concern: at least one out of every four new vehicles sold in this country is a pickup truck of some kind. Manufacturers are falling over each other to get new models to market. They come in all shapes and sizes: from…