First Drives

First DrivesThe 2011 Volvo S60: New blood, at last!4.0/5
It’s not easy to compete in the entry-level luxury sedan segment with vehicles like the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, not to mention Lexus’ IS and Infiniti’s G. But that’s precisely what the Volvo S60 has set out to accomplish, and I must say that the …
First DrivesThe 2011 Volkswagen Jetta: It’s not a Golf anymore!
The new 2011 Jetta was unveiled in New York City’s Times Square in front of an interested crowd and plenty of automobile journalists from all over the world. It was a coming out party of sorts for this model. Until now, the Jetta was derived from the Golf, but after …
First Drives2011 Mazda 2: A very nice surprise4.5/5
Since this model’s world premiere launch at the 2007 Geneva International Auto Show, journalists and Mazda dealers alike were asking the manufacturer why this lovely subcompact wasn’t offered on the American and Canadian markets. Mazda repeatedly used a lack of production capacity and even a potentially limited market as excuses …
First DrivesAudi TT 2011: Still beautiful, better performance
The Audi TT is not only one of the most elegant sports cars on the market, it’s also the most popular in the world in the category. In fact, Audi says that sales of the TT surpass that of all its competitors – but that doesn’t mean that they’re going …
First Drives2011 Jaguar XJ: From Jurassic to the 21st Century!
In 2009, Jaguar sold 77 units of the XJ in Canada. Otherwise put, it was a miserable year. And things weren’t much better south of the border, when you look at per capita sales. But Jaguar’s luck should change for the better with the arrival of the new XJ, which …
First DrivesIn Korea at Kia: Three not-to-miss new vehicles
When it merged with Hyundai in 1998, Kia had just gone through some very turbulent financial times. What’s more, this manufacturer had specialized mainly in producing vehicles for other companies, and its line was based primarily on models that were more economical than Hyundai’s. But that was then... Once the …
First Drives2011 Audi RS5: A V8 with 450 HP
The ongoing duel between German auto manufacturers has a plus side: it means we get to drive some of the most exciting performance vehicles on the planet. And that’s certainly the case with the new RS5, whose 450-hp V8 totally checkmates the BMW M3, which delivers a mere 414 hp.
First Drives2011 Ford Mustang: The 5.0 is back!4.0/5
Forty-five years later and with nine million units sold, the Ford Mustang is one of the most recognized cars on the market. But for a little more than a year, sales have been slipping. The reason? Some very serious competition has edged into this segment with the Chevrolet Camaro, the …
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