Test Drives

Test DrivesMini Cooper S Coupe: The BMW X6 of the Mini Lineup3.5/5
When BMW first announced that they intended to bring the Mini brand back onto the market, there were two main sticking points for most enthusiasts: the news that the upcoming Mini Cooper would be marketed and priced as a premium compact hatchback, and the idea that one of Britain's most …
Test Drives2012 Ford Focus: So gifted yet so annoying3.5/5
After a few months on the market, the Ford Focus has already won its fair share of awards. It’s pretty easy to see why, given the car’s overall quality, very modern appearance and the fact that you can add a substantial amount of equipment. However, I discovered several annoying features …
Test Drives2011 Acura RL: Evidence of an identity crisis3.0/5
This car is representative of everything that can go wrong with the auto industry. Don't mistake the sentiment; it's hardly a bad car. One only need look at the biggest of Acura's track record to discern that Honda's most luxurious car is anything but. Well liked, as reliable as an …
Test Drives2012 Chevrolet Orlando: Exotic name, acceptable execution4.0/5
I must admit that the Orlando name is kind of catchy. It evokes the Florida heat, Disney World, Sea World and so on. And yet, despite its distinctly Floridian moniker, this crossover is exclusive to Canadians, as our neighbours to the south decided not to distribute it (although it’s relatively …
Test Drives2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG: Beauty is a Beast4.5/5
People are constantly telling me that the job I’ve been doing for 30 years is a dream job. No one seems to listen when I explain that automobile journalists spend infinitely more time in front of a computer screen than behind the wheel. So I grin, bear it, and try …
Test Drives2011 Chevrolet Equinox: Worth a look3.5/5
The Chevrolet Equinox is one of several interesting vehicles in the compact SUV category, and its latest generation – introduced last year – continues to play its cards right. So much so that the Equinox, which is manufactured in Ingersoll, Ontario, can hold its own with the category’s big guns, …
Test Drives2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost: 2 Litres > 7 Passengers!4.5/5
That Ford's newest and undeniably greatest Explorer is perhaps the first truly worthy successor to the most famous SUV ever is a fact that's already been discussed at great lengths; anything less would have fallen far short of expectations. However, that the big seven seater could be heartily motivated by …
Test Drives2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman: A Moke; Almost.4.0/5
In the late fifties, Sir Alec Issigonis, the designer of the game-changing Mini, had his sights set upon an unlikely British icon: the Land Rover. Lured in by the various lucrative military contracts Land Rover had been awarded as a result of their stunningly practical Series I, and later, Series …
Test Drives2011 Infiniti G37 IPL: Needs Less IPL, More FUN.3.5/5
It's taken BMW, Mercedes, and Audi a long time to bring their respective tuning branches known as M, AMG, and Quattro into the light. Having earned their proverbial wings on the racetracks and rally roads of Europe in the sixties, seventies, and eighties, each of these storied divisions has lent …
117 / 143