First Drive: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4

[svgallery name=”2011_Mini_Countryman_Vienna”] Maximum Mini BMW pushes the limits of its Mini philosophy with new, larger Countryman By John LeBlanc VIENNA, Austria —How much larger can a Mini get before it stops being a Mini? That’s the question parent BMW will be asking new-car buyers less than a year from now when the Cooper Countryman — […]

The Crank: Is Russian Polo coming to Canada?

[svgallery name=”2010_VW_Polo_Russia”] By John LeBlanc We already know as part of German Volkswagen Group’s plans to overtake Toyota and General Motors for the title of World’s Largest Automaker, it needs to shore up its small car offerings in North America.

First Drive: 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 6M

[svgallery name=”10_Acura_TL_6M”] Manual labour of love New six-speed gearbox finally tilts Acura TL to the the sports side of the sports/luxury equation By John LeBlanc CARMEL, Calif. – Some driving enthusiasts are coming around to the idea of automated-manual transmissions. The latest dual-clutch setups are able to shift gears quicker than humanely possible, and often […]

The Crank: More proof pickups are dumb

By John LeBlanc I’ve never understood North Americans’ fascination with pickup trucks as daily transportation. They’re too big, too thirsty, and, well, they handle like trucks. But what do I know. Just last month here in the Great White North, Ford’s F-series pickup truck was the most popular new vehicle sold—car or truck.

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