The Crank: The silver lining in Toyota’s latest troubles

By John LeBlanc Ho-hum. Another—the sixteenth this year—Toyota vehicle recall. This time for the bland-yet-popular, Canadian-made Corolla and Matrix models. If you happen to work for Toyota, at the corporate or dealership levels, this is yet another left-right jab to your company’s image. No doubt. And as Tony Alphen’s piece in the Toronto Star reads, […]

Road Trip: 2010 Fiat 500 1.4 Sport

[svgallery name=”2010_Fiat_500_road_trip_pics”] Driving la dolce vita Touring Tuscany in the Canadian-bound Fiat Cinquecento Story and photos by John LeBlanc SIENNA, Italy – Zipping by the vineyards that cover central Italy’s Chianti Hills like designer shag carpet, our Fiat 500’s tach freely swinging to its redline, we’re trying to coax the most from the small, Italian […]

The Crank: The people have spoken, hybrids really are a dumb buy

Honda Canada replied to the Civic Hybrid and Insight hullabalu: “There has been a rumour circulating this week about Honda Canada no longer selling the Honda Insight or Civic Hybrid. Please note that it is just that—a rumour. Honda Canada will listen to the voice of our customers and will bring the products they want. […]

Road Test: 2010 Lexus IS 350 C

[svgallery name=”Lexus_IS350C_pics”] Lidless Lexus Lexus jumps into the competitive compact coupe/convertible ring By John LeBlanc It’s simple math, really. Offering a wider variety of products increases the chance of appealing to a wider variety of customers. It’s one of the reasons why BMW’s 3 Series — with its lineup of rear- and all-wheel-drive sedans, coupes, […]

Top 10s: Cars not sold in Canada

[svgallery name=”2010_Cars_not_sold_Canada”] By John LeBlanc We Canadians have a lot to celebrate — universal healthcare, poutine and mosquitoes at the cottage. But living in the Great White North isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, sometimes. Take, for instance, Canadian driving enthusiasts being denied access to cars only found in other markets. Now, I’m not […]

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