Comparo: 2012 Ford Fiesta vs. Kia Rio 5 vs. Toyota Yaris

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Bottom feeders, tin cans, s—boxes — if you haven’t been in the market for a new small car lately, these are just some of the adjectives you may associate with subcompact cars. However, automakers are trying to lower their government-mandated corporate average fuel economy ratings, so to soften the […]

Road Test: 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback SEL

Story and photos by John LeBlanc The whingers and whiners; the moaners and groaners; the grumblers and complainers—you know who you are. You’re the greasy wheels who’ve been squawking that automakers here in Canada don’t sell the type of small hatchbacks those lucky bastards in Europe can buy. Sure. Volkswagen keeps flogging its German-built Golf. […]

The Crank: Is Fiat (literally) stretching its 500 brand too far?

By John LeBlanc Let’s be honest: if BMW’s modern Mini had been a sales flop, we would never have seen the modern Fiat 500. Like the new Mini, the teeny Fiat is cute, cuddly, and fun-to-drive, with styling that harkens back to an original post-World War Two city car. And just as Fiat has copied […]

Top 10s: Collectible Cars of 2012

By John LeBlanc Let’s make this clear: no one buys a new car as an immediate investment. That age-old bugaboo called depreciation ensures that a couple of years down the road (let alone a couple of decades) your new set of wheels won’t be worth what you paid for it when it was driven off […]

First Drive & Video: 2012 Kia Cee’d

Story and photos by John LeBlanc KRAKOW, Poland – Compact cars are one the largest new vehicle segments in Canada. But if you think small cars are “big” back home, come over here to Europe. With seating for five-in-a-pinch, easy-to-park dimensions, and low operating costs, compact cars lead the best-seller lists overseas — trucks and […]

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