First Drive: 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Story and photo by John LeBlanc FRANKFURT, Germany — Traction at all four wheels and a taller seating position are two of the main reasons why so many former car owners have recently moved into crossovers, trucks and SUVs. And these two features are the highlights of a new compact station wagon, the Volkswagen Golf […]

First Drive: 2016 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI

Story and photo by John LeBlanc KANATA, Ont. — Just how old is Volkswagen’s outgoing 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine that is being laid to rest for 2016? Even the folks at the German automaker aren’t quite sure.

First Drive: 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S

Story by John LeBlanc MIRABEL, QUEBEC — By simultaneously employing the steering wheel column-mounted shift paddles and arresting carbon fibre brakes, the new Aston Martin I am piloting at Quebec’s iCar race track instantly drops two gears from fourth to second and suddenly sheds speed. With its front mid-mounted engine and rear transaxle, the British built car’s […]

First Drive: 2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost

Story by John LeBlanc SANTA MONICA, California – Do you know anyone that orders half an enchilada? Of course not. But that was the consensus when Ford brought back its Fiesta subcompact to North America three years ago. While lauded for offering both four-door sedan and hatchback models, good (if not great) fuel economy, “big” […]

First Drive: 2009 BMW 335d

Story and photos by John LeBlanc MUNICH–If you’re a fan of fast, fine-driving, yet frugal automobiles, you should be thanking 19th-century German chemist Friedrich Wohler, best-known for his artificial synthesis of urea without the use of kidneys from man or dog. Urea, naturally found in mammalian and amphibian urine, as well as in some fish, […]

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