There’s still plenty of sunshine left for al fresco touring, and BMW has just the right car to do it in. BMW’s beautiful Z4 roadster is a visual dream on wheels, and auto journalist Trevor Hofmann…

2015 BMW Z4 sDrive35i Road Test Review

Look long and hard to find a better-looking two-seat roadster than BMW's Z4. It's difficult to do.

Styling is always a personal thing, of course, as is human beauty. But just as experts in the field of the fine arts or for that matter the modeling profession will tell you there are certain physical features that most people find more aesthetically pleasing than others, there are also classic sports car design cues that cause grown men to go weak in the knees and people who don't even pay attention to cars to sit up and take notice. BMW combined the classic long hood and short rear deck to design perfection with its graciously beautiful Z8 in 1999, the Grace Kelly of sports cars and possibly the four most memorable days I've ever spent in a road car. As much as I love this ode to the perfectly proportioned '56 507, it's my personal opinion that they one-upped the brilliant Henrik Fisker design when they introduced this second-generation E89 Z4 in 2009.

It's also stood Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann takes a 2014 Toyota RAV4 to beautiful Victoria, BC. Enjoy the picturesque gallery created by our new staff photographer and photo editor Karen Tuggay,…

2014 Toyota RAV4 LE AWD Road Test Review

I wasn't in the automotive journalism field when the first RAV4 came into existence way back in 1994. I just remember being amazed by the little compact. I felt it was a lot cuter, a bit funkier and generally better looking than the first Honda CR-V that followed a year later, but both immediately caught on with the buying public and the rest is history.

That RAV4 was a revolutionary vehicle for the time. Certainly there had been small SUVs prior to '94; Suzuki's original LJ80 that first appeared in 1979 comes to mind, followed up with the same Japanese brand's Samurai in 1985, the Sidekick in 1988 and the Vitara in 1999. What made that first RAV4 different was its car-based platform architecture, a unibody design we now refer to as a crossover SUV or CUV. That Toyota's RAV4 and others like it now make up one of the fastest growing vehicle segments in North America, and Suzuki, while continuing to make body-on-frame SUVs to this day no longer sells any road-worthy four-wheel Read Full Story
How we love to speculate about the future of the automotive world, and nothing gets us going like a teaser image. Most give us a hint of what’s coming down the line, but Infiniti’s latest gives no…

New Infiniti teaser image taunts fans of the brand ahead of Paris

If you were to do a complete accounting of a given brand's new vehicle lineup, you might be surprised at what they're missing which would otherwise help them compete more effectively.

Cadillac and Lexus, for instance, don't have seven-passenger crossover SUVs, whereas the latter is only just getting its compact crossover now and the former has nothing at all to offer. As for cars, Lexus does a good job in the full-size luxury sedan flagship department with its LS, but Acura's RLX and Cadillac's STX don't quite measure up to the class leaders from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, while Infiniti's Q70, its largest sedan, clearly battles it out in the mid-size luxury segment.

Why all this banter about "white" spaces needing to be filled? Because Infiniti's latest teaser image gives us no clue as to what they're planning to introduce next, but rather it causes us to speculate as to what the brand requires most.

The press release that accompanies the photo is quite Read Full Story
Most new car buyers have at least considered buying a hybrid, and cars like the 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid make the move to partial electric power seem easy. Automotive journalist Simon Hill dissects this…

2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE Road Test Review

Following its ground-up redesign for the 2013 model year, Ford's Fusion Hybrid has received only a few relatively minor changes over the past couple of years. Key amongst these changes was the introduction for the 2014 model year of a new entry-level Hybrid S trim level that jettisoned the Hybrid SE's power seats, rear seat HVAC ducts, rear seat armrest and cupholders, rear floor mats, compass, exterior temperature indicator, keyless-entry pad, satellite radio, and heated side mirrors with approach lights. It also restricts the options list, meaning you can't get the MyFord Touch infotainment system or any of the company's sophisticated driver assistance equipment with the S trim. 2014 also saw the introduction of available inflatable rear seatbelts (optional on all models), a heated steering wheel (optional on SE and Titanium models), and ventilated front seats (optional on Titanium models).

For 2015 a rearview camera has been made standard across the range, and the available Read Full Story
What’s more special than a mid-engine Ferrari? A special limited edition version of a mid-engine Ferrari. Specifically, reports from last weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey,…

New limited edition Ferrari 458 Speciale Spider on the way

The word from last weekend's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is that Ferrari will build a new model that combines the topless beauty of the retractable hardtop enhanced 458 Spider with the brute muscle of the 458 Speciale, and limit its availability to just 458 examples.

The new 600-horsepower model was reportedly unveiled at a private function at the Monterey, California event. It will succeed the F430-based 16M Scuderia Spider when it goes on sale, but before it hits the road we can expect it to show its pretty face at the upcoming Paris motor show in October.

And what are your chances of getting one? While a total of 458 examples hardly makes the 458 Speciale Spider (or whatever name it will eventually receive) as exclusive as some special editions, if you weren't at the closed-door Pebble Beach event or haven't yet received your exclusive preview invitation from Ferrari, you're likely too late.
©(Copyright Canadian Auto Press) Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, we bring you Trevor Hofmann’s review of the 2014 Mazda3 Sedan in top-tier GT trim, a compact premium model minus the pricy luxury badge. Mazda has thoroughly improved its new…

2014 Mazda3 Sedan GT Road Test Review

Want a BMW 3 Series but can't quite afford it? No problem. Mazda has the next best thing: the new 3 GT.

Of course I say that with tongue in cheek, but then again I'm only half joking. The new 2014 Mazda3, especially when kitted out in top-line GT trim, looks and feels a lot more upscale than most in the mainstream compact class. What's more, it delivers sportier performance than the majority of its rivals too. It's the 3 series for those on a budget. No wonder Mazda chose 3 for its numerical designation so many years ago.

Actually, the Mazda3 hasn't been the Mazda3 for all that long. The current designation only came into existence 11 years ago for the 2004 model year. Happy belated anniversary, by the way. What is the 10-year anniversary present anyway? Diamonds? Hmmm… I think the traditional gift of tin or aluminum is more fitting, but I seriously digress. Prior to the 3, the misspelled Protegé was Mazda's compact model, and before that it was the 323. Read Full Story
Want something that will not only attract every passerby within a hundred feet, but also every honeybee searching for daffodils, dandelions and tulips? If so, the bright yellow 2014 Volkswagen Beetle…

2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR Road Test Review

A couple of things about the Volkswagen Beetle GSR: First, yes, it's loud and showy with its bright yellow-and-black paintwork and bold racing stripes. Second, it comes by its extroverted personality honestly. The GSR pays homage to the 1973 Beetle GSR, a tweaked and tuned version of the original Beetle that was produced in limited numbers (3,500 units to be exact) mostly for the German market.

The original Beetle GSR borrowed its distinctive colour scheme - a yellow body with black hood and engine cover - from the Salzburg Rallye Beetles of Austria, and took its name from the same colour scheme: GSR stands for Gelb Schwarzer Renner, which translates as Yellow Black Racer. How's that for honesty?

While the original GSR had a naturally-aspirated, air-cooled 1.6-litre motor that made all of 50 horsepower, the 2014 Beetle GSR gets Volkswagen's turbocharged 2.0TSI four-cylinder engine, cranking out a comparatively massive 210 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. And while Read Full Story
Missed out on the M1 but you still want something ultra-exclusive with a blue and white roundel on the hood? BMW will only bring 30 30th Anniversary M5s to North America, so start the conversation with…

BMW’s 30th Anniversary M5 puts 600-hp to the rear wheels

Want to get a car enthusiast's attention? You can spend millions on a sensationally styled supercar concept with soybean-sourced faux suede upholstery and solar energy-enhanced plug-in-hybridized biofuel-powered greenness, which will never get produced, or you can simply pump up the power in our favourite sport sedan, douse it in some matte grey paint, add a few special badges and call it a day.

That's what BMW has done with its legendary M5, although the "30 JAHRE///M5" (30 Years of the M5) badges found on the front fender engine vent trim, doorsill plates, and sewn into the seat inserts, plus the "30 JAHRE///M5 x/300" plaque fixed to the passenger-side dash are a great deal more important than most special edition hardware, as they celebrate 30 years of the most revered sport sedan to ever hit the road. The only bad news is that the "x" in the nomenclature above represents 1 through 300 limited edition models.

No tears will be shed by the lucky 300 who get to own Read Full Story