It seems that if you want a smaller SUV with a six-cylinder engine you’d better move quickly… quickly to the Mitsubishi store Photo: Jennifer Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press that is. Gone are…

2014 Mitsubishi Outlander ES Road Test Review

It seems that if you want a smaller SUV with a six-cylinder engine you'd better move quickly... quickly to the Mitsubishi store that is. Gone are the days I think back to with fondness. Days of flannel and socks with Birkenstocks, and driving a big SUV without feeling guilty for the environmental costs or the financial burden of ever rising gas prices. The Mitsubishi Outlander is the only mainstream compact crossover in Canada available with a V6 (the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain twins aren't very compact despite how GM categorizes them). I spent the week in a base model ES model that only has a four-cylinder engine, and I was faced with a now more common dilemma: fuel economy or power?

The ES model's four-cylinder is 2.4 litres in displacement and sends power to the front wheels through a CVT, a fuel-saving 166 horsepower made in the process. The V6 I spoke of before is a 227 horsepower 3.0-litre unit available with SE and GT models that comes paired to a six-speed automatic Read Full Story
As part of its five-year product plan, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles announced that it will be axing the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016, 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan (Photo: Dodge) and adding a plug-in hybrid to…

Dodge to cancel Grand Caravan in 2016

As part of its five-year product plan, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles announced that it will be axing the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016, and adding a plug-in hybrid to the Chrysler Town & Country minivan lineup.

The move will mark the end of a 30-year run of building two minivan models at the company's Windsor Assembly Plant, and will also mark the end-of-the-line for Canada's most popular minivan: In 2013, the Grand Caravan outsold the Town & Country by more than five to one.

Chrysler brand chief Al Gardner says the company wants to reduce internal rivalries between Dodge and Chrysler by making the brands more distinct, positioning Chrysler as a mainstream brand and Dodge as a sportier performance brand. Clearly, a minivan doesn't fit into this sporty image.

In additional to dropping the Grand Caravan, Dodge will also cancel its Avenger sedan, which competes too closely with the Chrysler 200. For its part, Chrysler will add a full-size crossover and a Chrysler Read Full Story
When it comes to cars you can plug in, Nissan’s Leaf has been on a bit of a tear lately. Early this year it surpassed the 100,000 Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press worldwide sales threshold,…

2014 Nissan Leaf SL Road Test Review

When it comes to cars you can plug in, Nissan's Leaf has been on a bit of a tear lately. Early this year it surpassed the 100,000 worldwide sales threshold, making it easily the planet's most popular all-electric car (sorry, Ford Focus Electric and Mitsubishi i-MiEV). Now, after battling the extended-range Chevrolet Volt for North America's top plug-in spot over the past couple of years, it has pulled ahead to take the overall lead in the first four months of 2014, beating out the Volt, the Tesla Model S, the Toyota Prius PHV and all of Ford's plug-ins.

You can attribute the Leaf's growing success to several factors that help it find traction among everyday car buyers: First, while its styling is distinctive and unique, it's not freakishly so. Unlike the iMiEV's shouty, pod-like, "I am electric!" design (odd considering its available as a regular gasoline-powered car in other markets), the Leaf has the size, proportions and overall feel of a perfectly normal compact hatchback. Read Full Story
In the mid-size sedan segment, Hyundai’s sixth-generation Sonata has long been one to watch, providing consistent challenge   to the top-selling Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion thanks…

2015 Hyundai Sonata debuts with new styling and increased spaciousness

In the mid-size sedan segment, Hyundai's sixth-generation Sonata has long been one to watch, providing consistent challenge to the top-selling Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion thanks to its feature-rich value and groundbreaking design. With an eye to keeping Sonata at the top of its game, Hyundai recently debuted the seventh generation version at the New York International Auto Show.

Outside, the new Sonata gets crisper and more angular styling than the previous version, giving it a look that's at once more athletic yet more conservative, with a larger and more refined grille and standard LED daytime running lights.

"We crafted the shape of the 2015 Sonata in the same way an award-winning chef refines his recipe over the years," said Chris Chapman, chief designer, Hyundai Design North America. "The evolution to Fluidic Sculpture 2.0's more taut, modern lines reflect the improvements in refinement and driving dynamics for 2015."

Underneath the new Read Full Story
While the past decade or so has seen auto manufacturers tripping over each other in the rush to replace their minivans with crossovers Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press of various stripes, Dodge…

2014 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Plus Road Test Review

While the past decade or so has seen auto manufacturers tripping over each other in the rush to replace their minivans with crossovers of various stripes, Dodge and Chrysler have remained the sole domestic minivan holdouts with the Grand Caravan and Town & Country siblings.

And while it's true that minivans don't garner a whole lot of love from the majority of the car-buying public, they remain surprisingly popular with those who need or appreciate the family-friendly space and practicality that only a minivan can truly offer. Indeed, with few rivals to offer real competition, the Dodge Caravan has become a bit of a sales phenomenon: During the first quarter of 2014 it didn't merely outsell every other minivan in Canada by a huge margin, but outsold every crossover and SUV out there as well, not to mention all but one of the top selling cars, sneaking in behind the Honda Civic (12,407 cars sold) with 11,130 vans sold.

With a sales record like that to defend and Read Full Story
While some manufacturers are still debating whether or not to enter the gasoline-electric hybrid market at all, Toyota offers eight Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press under its namesake brand…

2014 Toyota Prius C Road Test Review

While some manufacturers are still debating whether or not to enter the gasoline-electric hybrid market at all, Toyota offers eight under its namesake brand alone. Six of these are available here in Canada, four of which wear the trusted Prius badge. The Prius C is the smallest, sharing underpinnings with the Yaris, or more specifically the Yaris Hybrid that isn't offered here.

If you've never driven a Yaris, you're in for a treat. Amongst the subcompact crowd the Yaris is one of the most entertaining to drive. Oddly enough, the Prius C is even more fun on a twisting road. I say oddly because hybrids from mainstream brands aren't usually noted for driving enjoyment, but more so for fuel-efficient, environmentally responsible transportation. Certainly the Prius C is clean and thrifty, its 3.6 L/100km city, 4.0 highway and 3.8 combined Transport Canada estimated mileage some of the best claimed numbers for non-plug-in cars in Canada, all of which is expected of a model that's smaller Read Full Story
Chevrolet has been on a bit of a roll lately with concept models introduced at the industry-only SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Atlantic (Photo: GM) Association) trade show:…

Unique SEMA designs are soon available for 2015 Corvette

Chevrolet has been on a bit of a roll lately with concept models introduced at the industry-only SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show: The marque's Camaro Hot Wheels edition and Sonic Dusk concepts both proved so popular that they were later introduced into production, and now its 2015 Corvette Atlantic and Pacific Design Package concepts have also made the transition from the SEMA show floor to the open road.

The coastal design packages include a luxury-focused Atlantic Convertible and a performance-oriented Pacific Coupe. "One of the design goals for the Corvette Stingray was to provide customers with the flexibility to tailor the car to their personality," said Kirk Bennion, Corvette exterior design manager. "The Atlantic and Pacific Design Packages were originally designed to showcase how the Stingray could be configured as a luxury sport GT car or as a high-performance motorsport car."

The 2015 Corvette Stingray Atlantic Design Package takes Read Full Story
Big power. Outrageous speed. Unbeatable efficiency. It’s the holy grail of automotive trifectas, and British boutique carmaker   Trident claims to have achieved it with the stunning diesel-powered…

British boutique carmaker Trident launches diesel supercar

Big power. Outrageous speed. Unbeatable efficiency. It's the holy grail of automotive trifectas, and British boutique carmaker Trident claims to have achieved it with the stunning diesel-powered Iceni.

After years of being considered smelly and slow, diesels are having a bit of a renaissance these days, winning the hearts of everyday motorists thanks to improved injection and emissions technology that allows them to deliver tremendous efficiency while achieving emissions on par with their gasoline-powered counterparts.

They are also quietly winning converts among enthusiast drivers who appreciate the immense torque that diesels typically offer on tap.

Trident has taken these two characteristics - superior efficiency and tremendous torque - and developed an automatic transmission that capitalizes on them to deliver what it claims is the punch of a supercar with the efficiency of a hybrid.

It's certainly easy to see where the Iceni gets its power: Read Full Story