First Drives

After decades of insanity in the automobile industry, the age of moderation has arrived. Think green, think simplicity (not always voluntarily), think small – all this to avoid unnecessary waste. The presence of microcars on the Canadian market is a perfect reflection of this trend. The diminutive smart was the …

I must admit that I wasn’t very impressed with the Cadillac ATS when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last January. Its style just didn’t seem to have the same punch as the CTS and it looked more like a smaller version of the XTS. But first impressions …

The Q5’s success speaks for itself and now Audi, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer, is launching a new version with a few subtle modifications to the body. This marks the start of a series of technical modifications for the 2013 model-year. The esthetic changes made to Audi’s best-seller aren’t exactly obvious: there …

These days, every luxury brand has its own line of powerful and sporty models. Mercedes-Benz has the AMG Division, while Audi has its dynamic RS models. And then there’s Jaguar and its high-performance R models. At the Bavarian manufacturer BMW, the Motorsport division is tasked with creating cars that are …

The third generation smart electric drive will be marketed in Canada as of summer 2013. Priced at $26,990, the coupe will become the least expensive electric car available in our country. But the smart line-up doesn’t stop there: there’s a cabriolet too, offering a zero-emission ride under the open sky …

The Ford Escape has been around for several years now and has become one of the automaker’s most popular models. So great is the demand for it that there are even waitlists for certain versions, particularly the hybrid. But the time to replace it with something more modern has come.

The premise of the He Said, She Said chronicle is simple: we lend a press vehicle to a couple to test drive extensively for two weeks and give the two participants one simple instruction: to take note of all of their impressions, both good and bad. Each of the test …

The new Altima tones down its sportiness: gone is the manual gearbox – replaced exclusively by a CVT – and the suspension is more accommodating, at least on the V6 version. Instead, there’s a glut of technology and the outside – and the inside when it has leather upholstery – …

The launch of the Shelby GT500 was befitting of this most regal of Mustangs: well planned and packed with punch, without the slightest waste of energy and yet totally relaxed. You could say that it was the work of engineers who know what they’re doing. In fact, several engineers were …

A new coupe that wants to be a sports car but comes with two-wheel drive and no turbocharger? This begs the question, did Subaru planners fall and hit their heads, or what? Not at all, in fact. We’d even say the opposite after examining and driving the BRZ on a …