Your chance to see the latest offerings from most auto manufacturers under one roof After being cancelled for the past two years because of COVID-19, the biggest automotive show in the country – the Canadian International Auto Show – is back in business this year. The show will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention…
Looking for luxury in a big hybrid pickup? The CrewMax Capstone truck should be on your shortlist Toyota’s biggest and most luxurious pickup truck is the CrewMax Capstone. Toyota has never been a volume seller in the full-size truck segment, with the Ford F-Series, Ram and Chev Silverado/GMC Sierra dominating the segment. But with the…
But it needs improvements to its information system
The 2022 Volvo XC60 is a mid-size, five-seater SUV powered by what’s called a “mild” hybrid system featuring a 48-volt battery to help improve fuel economy. It’s Volvo’s best-selling model, with annual sales in Canada close to the 2,000 unit mark. This test vehicle had a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing a 310 hp engine mated…
The Toyota Mirai feels like any other upscale electric car
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, when alternate fuel technology was at a fever pitch, one of the possibilities that seemed the most promising was hydrogen power. It’s clean burning, abundant, and fuel efficient, and a slew of manufacturers, including Mazda, BMW, and Toyota, spent enormous amounts of time and money pursuing the idea of…
Acceleration is adequate but not outstanding
The Volvo XC 90 shows that a large sport utility vehicle can be luxurious and get good fuel economy. This Recharge T8 AWD Extended Range model has a 2.0 litre supercharged and turbocharged engine and an electric motor, producing 455 combined horsepower. It’s all-wheel drive and has an eight-speed transmission. It’s rated at 9.2 litres…
Will appeal to people looking for a hybrid with excellent fuel economy and luxury
The Lexus NX 350h AWD is a compact luxury hybrid crossover. Introduced for the 2015 model year, the NX series is one of the most popular Lexus models. For the 2022 model year, a completely new version was introduced. The NX line shares some components with the related Toyota RAV 4, although the Lexus versions…
The luxury, handling, and safety features make the G80 a great ride
If you’re looking for a large, luxury sedan that is all-electric, the Genesis Electrified G80 is the newest one on the market, introduced last June. I recently test drove two different Electrified G80s, and the more I drove them, the more impressed I was. They’re quiet, luxurious and fast. While some automakers have unique names…
A well-thought-out, highly-driveable two-door hatchback that, if you can find the scratch, goes like a bat out of hell
The British Columbia government just announced it’s increasing rebates to those who purchase electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This is good news, as the biggest obstacle to electric car ownership is the high initial cost. At this point, all-electric cars are pretty much available to those with a few extra dollars to spend. But drivers…
Lexus NX 450h+ offers a smooth and luxurious ride in the very popular compact crossover market
Automakers are adding electric and hybrid vehicles to their lineups as consumers look for products that use less gas and reduce emissions. The first plug-in hybrid from Lexus is the NX 450h+. Like some other Lexus models, it’s essentially a dressed-up Toyota. The NX 450h+ compact luxury crossover shares a powertrain with the Toyota RAV4…
Volvo has a lot riding on the C40 as it begins the transition to offering only fully electric vehicles by 2030
Volvo’s first pure electric crossover is the Volvo C40 Recharge P8 AWD. Although it’s a new model, the C40 shares many components with the boxier XC40 Recharge all-electric model. There are two main differences. First, the C40 is electric only, while the XC40 is available with either a gas engine or an all-electric powertrain. Also,…