Test Drives

Playing it safe is a popular option in the luxury game. In fact, premium brands seem to vacillate between the two poles of 'extreme' and 'bland' when it comes to making changes to well-established products. The first option keeps customers from getting too bored with a particular vehicle, while the …

Volkswagen has enjoyed an upscale reputation amongst Canadian buyers for the past 20 years, as ever-more-comfortable versions of vehicles like the Golf, the Jetta, and the Passat have been gobbled up by price-conscious drivers who perceive German engineering to be a badge of pride. The success of VW in carving …

In a daring move, Volkswagen Canada is crossing the country – from Halifax to Vancouver – in diesel vehicles that can go the distance on only six tanks of fuel. The TDI engine-powered cars selected to participate in the Volkswagen Great Canadian Clean Diesel Tour include the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf …

There’s has never been a car like the Bugatti Veyron and there undoubtedly never will be again – at least none that combines so much excess and so many extremes. With just a few dozen built per year since 2005, it is the most powerful, fastest and most expensive car …

Full-size pickup trucks are a big deal in Canada, with sales figures that trail only the compact car and compact SUV segments. Consequently, it’s in the best interests of major automakers like Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Toyota to make sure that they stay in the mix when it comes …

If you ever needed proof that Lexus’ F Sport line-up was more about image than substance, look no further than the 2013 Lexus CT 200h F Sport. The audacity of sticking the F Sport label on not just a hybrid, but also the most affordable model in the luxury brand’s …

Although totally revamped for 2014, the Subaru Forester remains one of the most serious vehicles on the planet. Its engineers and designers chose not to take advantage of this new generation to inject a little fun into the Forester. There are no real surprises: we’ve become accustomed to certain things …

Just because your friend jumps off a bridge doesn't mean that you should, too. Apparently, product planners at Toyota never heard that particular childhood admonishment regarding peer pressure, and the end result is the 2013 Toyota Sienna SE. The Sienna SE is a 'sporty' minivan that ostensibly targets the same …

The Maserati Ghibli is essentially a shortened Quattroporte, sharing about 50 percent of that car's structure, powertrain and suspension pieces. It is 291 mm shorter than Quattroporte overall, and by 173 mm in wheelbase, with most of that coming out of the rear seat. Disappointing then that it weighs only …

Flagship luxury sedans come in a number of different flavours, but the end outcome is almost always the same: coddling driver and passengers like they've entered a second, motorised womb composed almost entirely of sumptuous leather and polished wood. Traditionally, the market has been divided amongst those who automakers who …