First Drive: 2015 Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro

Story and photo by John LeBlanc MALMO, Sweden — In the past, American new-car buyers haven’t shown the same level of affection for diesel-powered vehicles as we Canadians. But that difference between our two car-buying cultures seems to be changing, especially if vehicles like this 2015 Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro become more readily available.

Road Test: 2014 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Despite being available for almost a decade-and-a-half now, modern gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles still make up only a few percentage points of new vehicle sales in Canada. For instance, the best-selling hybrid in Canada last year was Toyota’s Prius family. But with just over 7,808 sold — or about 1/15 […]

First Drive: 2015 Audi S3 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI Quattro

Story and photo by John LeBlanc MUNICH, Germany — Audi has big plans to expand its compact A3 family. The proof lies in the new 2015 Audi S3 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI Quattro, just one of a host of new and future models in the German automaker’s burgeoning small car corral.

First Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Golf R

Story and photos by John LeBlanc MUNICH, Germany — After a couple of days embedded in the annual GTI Wörthersee fan festival in Austria, it seemed all-too-appropriate to make my half-day return drive to my awaiting flight in Germany in what is known as the ultimate Volkswagen Golf, the R.

Road Test: 2014 BMW 228i Coupe

Story and photo by John LeBlanc With BMW’s recent niche-within-a-niche product strategy, maybe it’s best to describe the new 2014 BMW 2 Series Coupe for what it isn’t. As in it’s not a coupe-slash-SUV nor a coupe with four-doors nor a tall-hatchback-crossover thingee. Nope. The new-this-year 2 Series is a relatively straightforward, rear-wheel-drive, two-door small […]

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