Top 10s: Cars not sold in Canada

[svgallery name="2010_Cars_not_sold_Canada"] By John LeBlanc We Canadians have a lot to celebrate — universal healthcare, poutine and mosquitoes at the cottage. But living in the Great White North isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, sometimes. Take, for instance, Canadian driving enthusiasts being denied access to cars only found in other markets. Now, I’m not referring to the Spykers or Koeniggseggs of the rarefied exotic car world. No, I’m talking about cars that normal people with normal amounts of money can buy, but only in other lands: 10. 2010 Land Rover Defender Contrary to the posh and pricey Land Rover models Canadians get (that rarely see gravel, let alone any true, off-roading use), the brand’s iconic Defender model, priced between $32,000 and $46,000 in the U.K., hasn’t been sold here since the late 1990s. A direct descendant of the first Land Rover Series I from 1948, the current British-built Defender is a hardcore, blunt piece of industrial design. The only vehicle Canadians can buy that comes close to its off-road worthiness is a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. But tell me: Which one would you rather be seen in? 9. 2010 Volkswagen Phaeton Yes, I know the Phaeton — VW’s first attempt at a full-size luxury sedan — was a sales bummer when it was sold in Canada between 2004 and 2006. Yet the über-luxurious People’s Car may have been ahead of its time. In other markets, the German-made Phaeton never stopped being sold, and can still be had with a 450 hp 12-cylinder. As the economy still seems a bit sluggish, even the rich could use a deal or three and at less than half the price of a Bentley Continental (that’s the big VW sedan it shares a platform with) the Phaeton is a steal. 8. 2010 Citroen C3 Picasso Trust me: Small, tall cars like Nissan’s Cube or Honda Fit are the future. In fact, they litter European streets today. And one of the best is France’s C3 Picasso. Inside the stylish subcompact French box, you’ll find plenty of cargo and passenger flexibility. Its rear seats split and fold-flat and slide independently over 150 mm. And there’s still 500 litres of cargo room in the trunk. Plus ride comfort and refinement are allegedly impressive. 7. 2010 Honda Civic 5-door Imagine: a Civic that’s not a staid sedan. Yes, they do exist. But not in Canada. Three- and five-door models, no less. There’s even a hi-po Type R for those who miss their old Civic Sis. Rivals Toyota, Mazda, Kia, Volkswagen, Ford, Dodge — heck, even Suzuki — offer five-door compact hatches to Canadians. But not Honda. Not since 2005. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Honda’s sales in Canada have been on a downward spiral for years. I’m just saying . . . 6. 2010 Suzuki Swift Well-made, stylish, and fun-to-drive — a real alternative to the Mini Cooper — the fifth-generation Suzuki Swift that’s been on sale in other markets since 2004 is the complete antitheses of the rebadged GM-Daewoo disposable econoboxes we’ve been saddled with here in Canada over the years. Similar to the Suzuki Kizashi sedan recently launched in Canada, the Swift was designed with the European driver in mind. Its road manners are refined and its interior isn’t a penalty box. Industry rumours suggest Suzuki will design the next-generation Swift to meet North American market requirements, some time in 2012. Just do it, I say. 5. 2010 Opel Astra If you’ve been doing a Rumpelstiltskin the past year or so, you have missed General Motors’ switch from Saturn to Buick as its North American channel to sell its European Opels (i.e. the new 2011 Regal is a virtual clone of the European Insignia.) When it comes to the next new Buick, though, supposedly a car smaller than the mid-size Regal, Canadians will be getting a conservative, compact, four-door sedan. That’s too bad. Because on the same chassis, Europeans get the stylish and practical Opel Astra five-door model, just the thing for GM to take on the likes of VW’s excellent Golf. 4. 2010 Seat Ibiza Put your hand up if you think that Canadian drivers could use some of the hot, Latin Seat lineup here? I agree, but parent VW doesn’t. What a shame, because the automaker’s Ibiza subcompact is almost as much fun to drive as a weekend stay at its hedonistic island namesake. Bigger, more refined, and more giggles behind the wheel than the outgoing model, the Ibiza is based on the same corporate chassis as the VW Polo. Allegedly, Canadians will be getting a Polo sometime soon. But it will only come in a stodgy four-door sedan — aye, carumba! 3. 2010 BMW 1 Series 5-door You may know the Canadian 1 Series as a shrink-wrapped 3 Series coupe or convertible. But long before the constricting two-door rear-drive 1 Series models debuted here in Canada, the rest of the world was enjoying a more practical (and arguably more aesthetically pleasing) five-door 1 Series. Go ahead, blame the Americans. I am. Their fear of hatchbacks has kept one of the best handling small hatchbacks from being offered to Canadian driving enthusiasts. Again. 2. 2010 Audi A5 Sportback As you may have surmised by now, many of these not-sold-in-Canada cars are virtuous and practical five-door cars that, ultimately, aren’t very popular with our friends south of the border. Like it or not, with a 10:1 market ratio, the U.S. dictates what we Canadians can buy. And the Audi A5 Sportback is one of those cars. Like the Porsche Panamera and BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, the A5 is a “four-door” coupe. It marries the sexiness of the A5 with the practicality of a fifth door, but without the awkwardness of BMW’s too-tall 5 Series hatch. The truth is, the German automaker doesn’t think it can sell enough of the five-door hatchbacks to still dazed and confused Americans who continue to experience AMC Gremlin and Datsun B210 flashbacks. 1. 2010 Renault Megane Renaultsport 250 One of the things Canadian driving enthusiasts have been denied on a regular basis is some of the legendary European hot hatches. And one of the best out there now is the hottest French hot hatch you can buy, the Megane Renaultsport 250. The track-day special Megane sports a 2.0-litre turbo engine, just like our VW GTI. But naught to 100 km/h only takes a little over six seconds, almost a second quicker than the Vee-Dub. And unlike the previous Megane, this one’s a looker, having shed the old model’s Jennifer Lopez-inspired rear end. And yes, at around $35,000, the French hot hatch may sound pricey. But given the opportunity, would you pony up for one? Yeah, thought you would.

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