First Drives

San Francisco, California – Ford is taking Toyota head-on in the hybrid vehicle market, which has been the Japanese manufacturer’s uncontested territory for years. Just three months after launching the C-Max Hybrid to challenge the Prius and Prius V, Ford is releasing the C-Max Energi, a plug-in hybrid that will, …

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Volkswagen wants to market its first hybrid in Canada as a fun vehicle to saddle up (did you notice that the Touareg Hybrid never came to our country?). And I’m certainly not going to contradict them! Yes, the Jetta Hybrid is nice to drive. It …

They don’t make small cars like they used to. Sure, it’s a cliché, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. In fact, cars simply aren’t small anymore – at all. Nissan has pushed the envelope a little further with its new Sentra, which marks the seventh generation of this series …

Its best-in-class sales numbers don’t lie: since the new generation of the Ford Explorer arrived in 2011, it has been an unmitigated success. Originally offered exclusively with the 3.5-litre V6, the offer was diversified last year with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost whose main purpose is hard to explain. You may …

Graz, Austria – The Austrian Alps are already underneath a blanket of snow and the roads around Graz are wet. Comprised of a series of tight turns and larger, faster bends, these mountain roads are often icy in shaded areas. All of these elements add up to ideal conditions for …

What was Nissan thinking when they built the last Pathfinder on a slightly shorter version of the Titan pick-up’s frame? With its optional 5.6-litre V8, rugged look and large tires, this macho Pathfinder was equipped to either climb mountains or tow them. But the market changed and its sales plummeted; …

In the past, the Buick division’s forays into the compact car category have been unconvincing. But with the Verano, its more recent attempts are much more positive. To win buyers over, the Verano combines an efficient platform, complete equipment, a meticulous finish and flawless handling. In a few months, it …

Introduced in 2006, the Fusion has helped Ford become a serious competitor in the mid-size sedan class, after several years of concentrating on trucks and SUVs. The Fusion has always done well with its excellent style, different engines and good quality for the price, but it was missing something that …

Mazda is set to release the latest generation of its mid-size sedan, the Mazda6, at the start of 2013. Its arrival will be the culmination of a project that began several years ago with the goal of radically transforming all of this manufacturer’s vehicles. The dawn of this program dates …

The number of luxury sedan owners who will ever flog their rides on the race track is admittedly a small one. That doesn't mean, however, that the closed circuits of the world aren't a great place to test and tune a premium car before it is unleashed on the public.