Comparo: 2010 Mazdaspeed3 vs. Volkswagen GTI

[svgallery name=”2010 VW GTI vs Mazspeed3″] FTD 4s The future of high-performance squares-off By John LeBlanc Whenever the economy tanks or governments want people to drive more fuel efficient or environmentally friendly automobiles, expect the auto industry to adopt a “let’s-get-small” attitude. Take the recession of the late ’50s and early ’60s, which spawned the […]

First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT AWD

A cuter ute Mitsubishi jumps into the mini-crossover ring By John LeBlanc LUNENBURG, Nova Scotia – My late father was a two-door kind of guy. So despite needing to jam my younger brother, myself, our hockey gear, and maybe even an occasional friend three or four times a week to a local rink or the […]

The Crank: Can you say “Kia” and “sports car” in the same sentence?

By John LeBlanc To say Kia’s on a bit of a roll is like saying we’ll probably get some snow and ice this winter. As the sportier of the two Korean brands from Korea’s Hyundai-Kia Motors (combined, now selling more cars in Canada than Toyota or Honda), on its own, Kia is outgunning more established […]

Top 10s: 1990s’ Japanese Sports Cars

By John LeBlanc Riding the wave of profits from their fast-selling mainstream models, a well-earned reputation for reliability and a low-valued Yen, Japanese automakers like Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi spent the 1990s trying to one-up each other, making one great driving sports car after another.

The Crank: Mercedes’ don’t-call-it-a-wagon CLS Shooting Brake a go

By John LeBlanc After trotting it out as a “Vision” concept (code for “we’ve already signed-off on the tooling”) at this year’s Beijing show, to no one’s surprise, Mercedes-Benz confirmed that its CLS Shooting Break, above, would go on sale in 2012.

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