The Crank: Are today’s “subcompacts” yesterday’s “compacts”?

By John LeBlanc LAS VEGAS, Nevada – You can’t judge a book by its cover. And you can’t judge a car by its segment name. At least not anymore. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after spending a day driving Hyundai’s new 2012 Accent,  a so-called “subcompact” that, for all intents and purposes, offers the […]

First Drive: 2012 Hyundai Accent

Small, Accent-utated Hyundai’s new subcompact redefines the term “bottom-feeder” By John LeBlanc LAS VEGAS, Nevada — As the spiritual successor to the Korean automaker’s original mega-seller — the Hyundai Pony — the entry-level Accent has been a best seller in its class, based mainly on its super-low pricing. In fact, just few years ago, you […]

Comparo: 2011 Mini Countryman vs. Nissan Juke

Mini Utes Nissan and Mini battle for the Next Big Thing in cars By John LeBlanc In the 1990s, it was truck-based sports-utility-vehicles. During the past decade, it was car-based crossover-utility-vehicles. And now as we zoom into the second-decade of the 21st Century, it looks like compact crossovers may end up as “The Next Big […]

Feature: 2011 24 Heures du Mans

Diesel Sports Car Wars Germany’s Audi and France’s Peugeot continued their battle at La Sarthe By John LeBlanc LE MANS, France – Future historians will agree: Audi started the 21st-century diesel sports car war. The ambitious Teutonic automaker fired the first salvo by entering its audacious diesel (yes, diesel!) powered sports car in the legendary […]

Top 10s: Must-sees at the 24 Heures du Mans:

By John LeBlanc LE MANS, France – Like the Indianapolis 500 or Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans should be on every car enthusiast’s bucket list. With the exception of a 10-year break for the Second World War, and in 1936 due to a strike, the race has been held every year […]

keep looking »