First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Up!

By John LeBlanc BERLIN, GERMANY—Alexandra liked my little red Up!. First, for its chunky, iPod-like looks, then for its tidy dimensions. “It looks good; and it looks like it would be easy to park,” she gushed, as I took photos of Volkswagen’s latest city car on the busy streets of Germany’s capital city. As an […]

From the Fleet: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – John LeBlanc Myself and the der nue 2012 Volkswagen Passat didn’t quite hit it off during our first meeting at its debut at last January’s Detroit auto show. As per the new-generation VW Jetta, the “Americanization of […]

2011 in Review: The worst car I drove for <$40k

By John LeBlanc Call all me crazy, but I always like to see a little progress in the machines I test-drive each year. Hence the disappointment in the “new” 2012 Nissan Versa sedan, a car that feels like it’s about 15 years old.

2011 in Review: The best car I drove for <$40k

By John LeBlanc Korean cars aren’t the punch line to a bad joke anymore. Rising from their former positioning as backwater makers of bottom-feeder cars with lowball sticker prices and extra-long warranties, the Hyundai and Kia sister brands have turned into builders of some of the most reliable, safe, smartly-styled, technically advanced and value priced […]

From the Fleet: 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – John LeBlanc Like in the fashion industry, if the seasons have changed, it must be time for a new Mini model to hit the runway. Last spring saw the new arrival of the VW Golf-sized Countryman—the largest […]

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