Comparo: 2010 Kia Forte SX/Mazda3 GT/Toyota Corolla XRS

[svgallery name=”2010_Sporty_Compact_Sedans”] A Trio of Semi-Poorman’s Sports Sedans Sporty editions of three popular compact four-doors vie for your enthusiast dollars By John LeBlanc New car buyers like compact sedans because they can carry a family of four comfortably, and are cheap-to-buy and cheap-to-run. But what if you are looking for a bit of driving fun […]

Road Trip: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG down Mexico way

[svgallery name=”2010_MB_SLS_hirez”] By John LeBlanc OAXACA, Mexico—Before I was handed the keys to a shiny new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG “super” sports cars, officials from the German automaker warned me that driving here would be different. Especially given that our planned route was a section of Mexico’s historic La Carrera Panamericana road race, an event the […]

La Carrera Panamericana: The deadliest road race ever

[svgallery name=”1952_MB_300_SL_hirez”] By John LeBlanc OAXACA, Mexico – Driving the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG on the same route as the historic La Carrera Panamericana road race is no marketing gimmick. The modern Mercedes sports car’s ancestral inspiration, the 1952 300 SL Gullwing racecar and the legendary Mexican road race are intrinsically linked.

Does Volvo’s turning Chinese ensure its survival?

By John LeBlanc Here we go again. For the second time this year, a beloved Swedish auto brand has been sold off. But given the initial news that after a long courtship China’s Geely has finally put pen to paper on acquiring Volvo from Ford, the Swedish brand’s survival looks more promising than sister Swedish […]

The Straight-GOODS/Hot Hatches

2010 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI quattro Base Price: $36,900 Driver Must Haves: Sport Package ($3,100) It’s not as sharp as a Subie WRX265. But think of this classy-looking A3 as the Golf R Volkswagen Canada (shy 80 hp) won’t bring here. The five-door A3 is chock-a-block with all-wheel drive, twin-clutch gearbox, a gutsy 200 hp […]

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