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 […]

The Crank: New stop/start systems turning off BMW owners

By John LeBlanc One of the biggest contributors to the fuel savings of any gasoline-electric hybrid is the vehicle’s automatic start/stop systems, a feature that allows the gas engine to shutdown when the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at an intersection. Stop/start systems work so well automakers are now applying them to gas-only models. […]

The Crank: Japan’s automakers are in catch-up mode

By John LeBlanc The big stink south of the border last week was the launch of the new 2012 Toyota Camry family sedan (above left). A “big stink” because like Honda’s compact Civic sedan (above right) up here in the Great White North, the midsize Camry has been the perennially best-selling non-pickup new car for something like 13 […]

The Crank: Driving in P.E.I.—great roads, shame about the drivers

By John LeBlanc Just got back from a couple of week’s en famille on Prince Edward Island. Let’s just say, that as a family vacation spot, it’s hard to beat Canada’s smallest province. The waters of the beaches of the North Shore near where we were hunkered down, just east of Cavendish, were remarkably warm. […]

The Crank: Is Toyota’s luxury hybrid strategy a flop?

By John LeBlanc When Lexus launched its HS 250h last year, I was a bit befuddled. Why parent Toyota went to the trouble of stuffing the hybrid Prius’s drivetrain into the chassis of the European Toyota Avensis compact sedan (which less rear legroom than a Corolla), style it like a Lexus RX SUV, and price […]