First Drives

BMW introduced the X1 to Europe in 2009 as an entry-level “Sport Activity Vehicle.” It arrived in Canada in 2012, a late arrival that wasn’t due to a possible lack of interest here, but instead because Canada is a relatively small global market and at first sales were focused elsewhere.

When BMW’s 3 Series got its sixth-generation makeover in 2012, the car got a little bit bigger, received some new technology, and in the interest of increased comfort, it got a plusher ride. Most drivers probably welcomed the additional coddling offered by the softer suspension and steering in the non-M …

When I drove the 2016 Nissan Maxima , I couldn't help but scoff at the notion that a front-wheel drive sedan could be considered a sports car. I was quickly convinced otherwise. Fast-forward a few short months, and I was sitting behind the wheel of the 2016 Honda Accord, a …

I first drove the 2016 Yaris sedan in Toronto last July. I was there to test the Scion iM so that I could write the text about it for the 2016 edition of Le Guide de l’auto, our best-selling French publication. I tested the Yaris sedan just because I happened …

The Volkswagen Golf R didn't exactly take the market by storm when it first came to Canada in 2012. It wasn't for a lack of effort on behalf of the hottest of Volkswagen hatches wasn't impressive—it put 256 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft. of torque down to all four wheels—but rather …

The fifth-generation A4, due to arrive in Canada in the spring of 2016 as the 2017 model, has been completely transformed. But its body looks so much like the previous version, it’s almost as though the designers were trying to hide the new sedan’s technical advancements. The A4 is far …

The midsize van market must be booming in Canada because one Japanese and three American automakers have introduced new models here in the last few years. These small vans are more affordable, easier to manage and park in town, and they’re more fuel efficient than their full-sized counterparts. Mercedes-Benz wants …

Until very recently, the MINI line-up was split into two distinct categories: the smaller cars (3-door Cooper, Cabriolet, Roadster and Clubman) and the bigger ones (Country, Clubman and Paceman). The addition of the 5-door last year changed all that, as this new vehicle infringed on Clubman territory. To rectify this, …

Amid the diesel dilemma currently plaguing the Volkswagen Group, I recently learned a valuable lesson: The German automaker still builds fuel efficient gas-powered cars. Like the 2016 Jetta, a car that sheds the 2.0-litre four-cylinder synonymous with the Jetta nameplate for more than 20 years in favour of a smaller, …

Since Infiniti changed the names of its model lines to make buyers’ lives easier, getting your bearings hasn’t been easy. We know that Q is used to designate cars and QX is for SUVs, but there’s nothing terribly straightforward about the rest. So in case you didn’t realize it, the …