First Drives

First DrivesThe 2010 Volvo XC60, a new war horse
Like many manufacturers, Volvo has seen a slowdown of late. Station wagons are less popular, the XC90 crossover SUV is getting old and their sedans are simply not selling. In fact, only the XC70 has seen its sales increase – but that vehicle alone is obviously not enough to generate …
First DrivesHyundai Elantra Touring: Learning to love wagons again!
The old Hyundai plant in Bromont is now home to a manufacturer of wind turbines, and since Hyundai seems to have the wind in its sails right now, the connection is almost too easy. This year, Hyundai is celebrating 25 years in Canada. Rather than downplaying the contribution of the …
First DrivesFord Fusion Hybrid: Lean, green and back on top!
At this point in time, the slightest piece of good news coming from an auto maker should make headlines. Ford, for instance, if you believe the journalists who attended a recent event organized by the boys behind the blue oval, is looking calmly toward the future. Like every year before …
First Drives2010 Mazda3, better than ever!
The current Mazda3 remains the manufacturer’s best selling model, accounting for 30% of its sales worldwide, and it is even more popular in Canada. It would be an understatement to say that Yoshiyuki Maeda’s task as the person in charge of developing the 2010 Mazda3 was a huge challenge. With …
First Drives2009 Audi S4: A true sleeper
A “sleeper” is a very powerful car that does not flaunt its superiority. An iron hand in a velvet glove, if you will. The Audi A4 has not been available in North America for very long at all and the S4 has already reared its head. For those of you …
First Drives2009 Toyota Venza: Pulling a rabbit out of a hat?
If you’re like me, you have barely heard anything at all about the Venza 2009, a vehicle that will be on sale beginning in January. There were no Internet rumours about Toyota’s newest release, no grandiose unveiling at one of the car shows, we didn’t see multiple spy-photos and the …
First DrivesAt the garage with the Nissan GT-R!
Much has been written about the Nissan GT-R, to say the least. While testing the sports car over a few days last summer, we brought it to Garage Roch Lavallée et Fils in Granby for a more thorough inspection. The findings were interesting and sometimes surprising… Under the hood Right …
First Drives2008 Ford Fusion SE – Are you serious?
Those three words were my neighbour’s response when I told him that I was pleasantly surprised with the Ford Fusion that I was testing this week. In fact, when I told him that it was one of the most underrated cars on the road, he approached the vehicle to give …
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