First Drive: 2012 Kia Rio5

Luxury lite Kia’s new Rio brings upscale experience to the bottom-feeder class By John LeBlanc FALL CITY, WA.—Small cars aren’t so “small” anymore. Witness the third-generation 2012 Kia Rio5, where along with being longer and wider than its predecessor, you’ll find a heated steering wheel on its options list — a feature usually reserved for […]

Best 2011 Performance Car for <$50k

By John LeBlanc As the new 2012 models start to infiltrate new car showrooms, here are my top picks of remaining 2011 models that may still be lingering on dealer lots:

From the Fleet: 2012 Porsche Cayman R

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – Jon LeBlanc One look at its sales figures and you’d be forgiven if you thought Porsche was trying to get out of the sports car business. Of the German automaker’s sales of 1,771 units to the end […]

Comparo: 2011 Nissan Cube versus 2011 Scion xB

Compacts Squared Which of these hip-to-be-square compact boxes-on-wheels nails the “cool” factor? By John LeBlanc There are all kinds of ways kids can revolt against their parents. Some even legal. Like buying a Nissan Cube or Scion xB, two new cars that embody few of the qualities their respectively-targeted buyers’ parents would dig.

First Drive: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Super Sedan Adding an “S” to Porsche’s toprung Panamera Turbo creates the world’s highest-performing four-door By John LeBlanc MUNICH, GERMANY — Porsche doesn’t have a skunk works performance group, like BMW’s M division or Mercedes-Benz’s AMG group. Porschephiles know, though, whether it’s a Boxster roadster or a Cayenne sports-utility-vehicle, that the addition of a capital letter […]

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