Comparo: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES vs. Mazda2 GS

[svgallery name=”2011_Ford-Fiesta_vs_Mazda2_hirez”] Family feud Which new supermini hatch warms the hearts of drivers the most? By John LeBlanc Small cars are like cod liver oil and sit-ups: Everyone appreciates their virtues, but few of us actually partake. So despite the rhetoric that Canadians love small cars — especially hatchbacks — the sales figures say otherwise. […]

The Crank: After its annus horribilis, Toyota Canada perseveres

By John LeBlanc Making lemonade from lemons. That seems to be the mantra around Toyota Canada these days. After what is admittedly a less than successful 2010, I recently had the chance to sit down with Toyota Canada’s head man, managing director Stephen Beatty, to get his straight reactions to some of the issues brewing […]

2010 in Review: Best New-for-2011 Car I Drove

By John LeBlanc When you think about it, it’s a bit amazing. The same automaker that sells the most gas-guzzling, ill-handling, Paleozoic Era-engineered pickup trucks in this country — Ford Canada — also happens to make the best subcompact you can buy: the new Fiesta.

2010 in Review: New-for-2011 Car I Would Spend My Own Money to Buy

[svgallery name=”2011_Honda_CRZ_hirez”] By John LeBlanc Nostalgia played a big role in picking a New-for-2011 Car I Would Spend My Own Money to Buy—phew!—this year. As a former 1990 Honda CR-X owner, the two-seater’s modern reincarnation as the new CR-Z Hybrid pulled at my heart strings like no other new car I drove in 2010.

The Crank: Can an all-wheel-drive 911 be a real Porsche?

By John LeBlanc Welcome to winter. Like the rest of Ontario, you probably woke up to the inevitable First Big Dump this week. But what if you had a Porsche in your laneway. Specifically, a new-for-2011 911 Turbo S, which, to the layman’s eyes, seems like the most ridiculous winter vehicle you could drive. But […]

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