First Drive: 2011 Aston Martin Rapide

[svgallery name=”2011_Aston_Rapide_hirez”] By John LeBlanc VALENCIA, Spain – Blasphemy is running rampant in the auto industry. BMW is building mid-size hatchbacks. Porsche is making sedans from SUVs. Heck, even Mini is going to try to sell you a crossover. So when we got wind that Aston Martin — longtime maker of British sports cars and […]

First Drive: 2010 BMW 5 Gran Turismo

[svgallery name=”535i_GT_pics”] Story and photos by John LeBlanc LISBON–BMW’s been kicking around the idea of a “tall sedan” for some time. Industry types first labelled spy photos of the shorter-than-an-SUV, taller-than-a-wagon new Bimmer as a future V-series – “V” as in versatile. Perhaps “versatile” was too plebian for BMW’s marketing team, a bit too populist […]

First Drive: 2010 Acura MDX

[svgallery name=”10_Acura_MDX”] Story and photos by John LeBlanc PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.–Compared to German brand rivals that take a lot more from your wallet, we’ve always liked Acura’s value-laden MDX sports utility vehicle. And seeing as it has been Acura Canada’s best-selling vehicle for the past few years, Canadians seem to agree.

First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E 550 4MATIC

[svgallery name=”10_E550_PICS”] Story and photos by John LeBlanc ROSSEAU, Ontario – According to economists, frugal Canadian consumers have reacted to the current Great Recession with what they call “a move from steak to hamburger,” buying cheaper or discounted products, particularly such “big-ticket” items such as luxury cars.

First Drive: 2011 BMW X1 xDrive28i

[svgallery name=”2011_BMW_X1_2″] Story and photos by John LeBlanc MUNICH – The reasons were piling up almost as high as the nearby Alps to loathe the X1, BMW’s newest compact utility vehicle. First, BMW already has a pair of small five-doors on sale. There’s the fine-driving 3-series Touring sports wagon. Its taut handling, silky straight-six engine, […]

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