First Drive & Video: 2013 Acura ILX
By John LeBlanc SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Honda’s premium Acura brand is in the midst of one of its largest product makeovers ever. And one of Acura’s most important new vehicles for the Canadian market is the new 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan, the brand’s latest entry in a segment it virtually created almost two decades […]
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: 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 […]
Comparo: 2012 Mid-size AWD luxury sport sedans
By John LeBlanc With many of the features found in more expensive full-size models, the mid-size luxury/sports sedan segment can offer a great deal of relative value. Especially if you prefer to drive the car instead of being chauffeured around. Here is a trio of such mid-sizers, each with four-doors, room for five, and the […]