Test Drives

The Mazda MX5 is the sports car of my generation. Created in 1989, the first Mazda Miatas began appearing on Vancouver’s city streets right around the same time as I entered the first months of sensible communication and self-awareness that are apparently the hallmarks of a child’s fourth year of …

It’s amazing how much one can deduce from what someone chooses to park in their driveway. Although some cars may possess little to no character, there are just as many that can speak volumes of their owner. A classic English sports car usually tells you the owner is fastidious and …

In most markets, three direct injection V6s are available for the new generation of the Cayenne. First, there’s an updated version of the previously used 3.6-litre engine. Then, there’s a supercharged 3.0-litre engine outfitting the new Cayenne S Hybrid. And, like before, the Cayenne Diesel has a turbocharged 3.0-litre based …

Once in a while, a car comes along that causes you to question how you define a given class of vehicle. Family sedans, for example have gone from massive, V8-powered behemoths to diminutive Hybrid runabouts. Economy cars have gone from Messerschmitt bubble cars, to Reliant Robins, to Ford Falcons, to …

Porsche has added two new models to the Panamera family – both of which are powered by a newly designed six-cylinder Porsche engine. These additions round out this spectacular five-door hatchback’s line of products. With the double-clutch Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission and the automatic Stop-Start function, they’re not technically anaemic versions …

This is, far and away, the most important car that Honda has produced in decades. As a company that built their reputation on producing reliable, economical and diminutive runabouts, Honda has been steadily moving towards larger and larger vehicles ever since, with sometimes questionable results. But with the CR-Z sports …

For those readers hailing from the other side of the Rocky Mountains, let me tell you one thing you need to know about Vancouver: it’s full of incredibly wealthy people. Stand on a streetcorner in trendy Yaletown, and you’ll be treated to a cavalcade of motor vehicles that would look …

Acura is something of an enigmatic brand. Just 26 years old, Honda’s luxury brand predates both Lexus and Infiniti, but seems to suffer from a relative lack of identity when compared to either of those brands. Reaching its performance apogee in the ‘90s, Acura’s image was once one buoyed by …

Every year, when possible, The Car Guide puts the Car of the Year through its paces in a long-term test drive. Since the Mazda3 is the reigning COTY, we got our hands on a Mazda3 Sport GT last fall and racked up the kilometres at a staggering rate. Indeed, by …

When it comes to pleasure purchases, people usually balk at the notion of buying something ugly. Avid sailors may be familiar with the phrase “why buy an ugly boat,” but it's a notion that escapes too many car buyers. Happily accepting visual compromise in the name of increased safety, efficiency …