Sentra soldiers on

Nissan’s aging compact sedan struggles for attention in crowded market

By John LeBlanc

If the current Sentra was a person, you would almost feel sorry for it. In Nissan showrooms, it occupies the slot between the less expensive and smaller Versa hatchback and the larger Altima family sedan. But when it comes to Canadian new car buyers, the compact four-door may as well reside in the Bermuda Triangle. Read more

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The Crank: Are manual transmissions worth saving?

American buff book Car & Driver editor and Targa Newfoundland veteran, “Fast” Eddie Alterman, has gone all Jerry-Lewis-for-the-Kids-like and has made a YouTube plea to save the apparently soon-to-die manual gearbox. Now, Alterman says only about 1 in 10 new cars in the States are bought with three pedals. Why? Alterman doesn’t get into the details. But I will. Read more

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Road Test: 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid

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Vanilla ice-cream, sans vanilla

Are the Camry Hybrid’s gains in fuel economy worth the loses in the wallet and driving experience?

By John LeBlanc

If you want to tell the world you’re driving a gasoline-electric hybrid – and all that it speaks to, good or bad – then buy a Toyota Prius, the poster child of hybrids. Or maybe the similarly distinctive Honda Insight. From blocks away, this pair’s egg-on-wheels body style clearly announces that their owners have been known to hug the occasional tree or save the odd whale. Read more

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The Crank: Ford’s New Age 2011 Explorer not all that new

By John LeBlanc

After a series of unmitigated sales flops (2005 Freestyle; 2008 Taurus X; 2009 Flex,) the “all-new” 2011 Explorer will be Ford’s fourth crack in the last decade at a midsize crossover based on the old Volvo S80 chassis from the last millennium. Read more

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The Crank: Honda ditches diesels for hybrids

By John LeBlanc

So much for going its own way. A report has Japan’s Honda canceling plans to build a new minicar and diesel engine plant north of Tokyo. Apparently, the dreaded new fuel economy and tailpipe emissions regs, that will peak in 2016, have scared the Honda folks enough to go over to the Dark Side: hybrids. Read more

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