Dear John: Large, family sedans

By John LeBlanc While some parents use the excuse of having children to go out and buy a large people mover — like a minivan or crossover — this month’s Dear John letter is asking for advice on buying a new family sedan.

Top 10s: The most fuel-efficient hybrids for 2013

Story by John LeBlanc When Natural Resources Canada announced its top fuel-efficient new 2013 models, there were a host of pure-electric vehicles that sip no fuel at all. But not all new car buyers can afford the limited driving range and inconvenience of plugging in these EVs. For the rest of us, here are the […]

Road Test: 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Six years ago, when its retro-styled FJ Cruiser first went on sale, Japan’s Toyota was the best-selling import automaker here in Canada. The majority of those Toyota and luxury Lexus vehicles sold, though, were achingly conservative in nature, whether to look at or drive. It was almost like Toyota […]

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 […]

The Crank: Toyota’s Prius no longer niche

By John LeBlanc Remember when the original Prius went on sale in the late 1990s? As one of the first, mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid cars, the quirky Toyota was considered a cult car at best. Today, 15 years later, the Prius family—consisting now of four models, the original Prius hatchback, the Prius plug-in hybrid, the larger […]

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