Comparo: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. Volkswagen Tiguan
By John LeBlanc Few vehicle types can offer the do-it-all capabilities of luxury sports-utilities-vehicles. Spawned from the groundbreaking 1970s Land Rover Range Rover, almost every automaker now has a utility vehicle that can take the family to the cottage and your boss and his wife out for dinner. Here is what I consider two of […]
The Crank: Do stripes make BMW’s Minis go faster?
By John LeBlanc Automotive legend has it American road racer Briggs Cunningham put the first ever stripe on a racing car. After his white 1951 C4-R was seen with the contrasting pair of blue stripes that ran across the car from trunk to hood, a trend was quickly started, one that eventually migrated to production […]
First Drive & Video: 2013 Acura RDX
By John LeBlanc PHOENIX, ARIZ.—Compact luxury crossover historians will tell you the 2004 BMW X3 was the vehicle that jump-started this new class. Soon after, you couldn’t walk into a new-car showroom without bumping into a small, premium crossover. For Honda’s Acura luxury brand, it was the RDX that debuted in 2006.
First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Scirocco BlueMotion TDI
By John LeBlanc NICE, France – Whether they are hyper-French super minis, molto bene-Italian hot hatches or English-cottage-industry sports cars, Canadian driving enthusiasts have been forced to adopt a “look, but don’t touch” stance towards a variety of niche European cars not sold in our country. Arguably the one car that elicits the strongest feelings […]