First Drives

First Drives2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Family Resemblance
Trucks aren’t quite the market movers in Canada that they are south of the border, but they still represent a sizable percentage of the profits of each of the Big Three domestic car companies. This means that the recent redesign of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado is an important one for …
First Drives2014 Mazda3: Success Is Inevitable
The new generation of Mazda’s popular compact car has just been unveiled at Center 548 in New York’s Chelsea district. And the challenge that lies ahead for this newcomer is significant. With annual sales that account for 30% of Mazda’s total worldwide sales, the Mazda3 is the Hiroshima-based manufacturer’s best-selling …
First Drives2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport: All-Terrain Land Missile
When the original Land Rover Range Rover Sport first appeared on the scene in 2005, the vehicle was a reaction from a company looking to snag a piece of the performance SUV action that had unexpectedly swept across the luxury segment. As with any response formulated under duress and in …
First Drives2014 Nissan NV200: Euro Cargo For The Masses
The Euro-van invasion is one which has hit Canadian contractors, fleet buyers, and municipalities in full force over the course of the past couple of years. The seemingly obvious realization on the part of automakers that not every business has needs that can only be satisfied by a great big …
First Drives2014 Acura RLX : The New RLX Has Claws
Acura’s flagship sedan, the new RLX, is a showcase of technology. Completely redesigned for 2014, it is bigger, quieter, more stylish, more luxurious, safer, and more fuel efficient than the RL it replaces. It also has numerous new driver-assist features, the most prominent being P-AWS. Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) is …
First DrivesVolkswagen Golf GTD 2015 - Crossing Our Fingers...4.5/5
It’s a simple concept: take a GTI, swap its gasoline engine for a turbocharged TDI, and the Volkswagen Group’s little sports car becomes a long-distance express. This is our first meeting with the Golf lineup’s other sports car that sells twice as many units as the GTI in Europe. Got …
First Drives2014 Nissan Versa Note: The Price Is Right
Canadian drivers love their hatchbacks – and they also love to spend money on them, too. It might seem unusual for a subcompact hatch like the 2014 Nissan Versa Note to crib high tech equipment from pricier siblings like the Altima sedan, but that’s just what has happened to the …
First Drives2014 GMC Sierra: 'Glamping' In Style
In recent years the Oxford English Dictionary has seen its hallowed pages invaded by scores of modern words that, despite their improbable origins and loosest possible claims to legitimacy, have achieved recognition by this cherished tome. To their number we may soon be adding 'glamping,' a term that describes 'glamorous …
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