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What can I say about Lexus ES’ that hasn’t already been said countless times before, other than it’s a front-wheel drive, mid-size, premium-branded anomaly that’s managed to weather regular storms…

In Our Garage

2017 Lexus ES 300h

What can I say about Lexus ES’ that hasn’t already been said countless times before, other than it’s a front-wheel drive, mid-size, premium-branded anomaly that’s managed to weather regular storms of negative driving dynamics criticism and come out shining as a top seller in its field?

Of course, there really isn’t much else directly in its field to compare it to other than Lincoln’s MKZ or the front-drive Acura RLX that’s no longer available in Canada. Alternatively we could look down market into mainstream volume brands in order to face it off against its own platform-sharing Toyota Avalon or others like Buick’s LaCrosse, Chevrolet’s Impala, Chrysler’s 300, Dodge’s Charger, Ford’s Taurus, Kia’s Cadenza, or Nissan’s Maxima.

The major differentiator in this class is this electrified 300h that brought Toyota’s storied Hybrid Synergy Drive to the mid-size luxury class in 2012 (a year after the MKZ Hybrid), but even this is now old news in the premium sector thanks to much more advanced plug-in hybrids from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and the like. And after all is said and done, most luxury buyers will look for their hybrid (or non-hybrid) fix in the SUV segment where Lexus’ own NX 300h utilizes the identical drivetrain in a more popular and more utile body style.

To get a clearer understanding of all this, let’s take a look at sales. Unfortunately Lexus doesn’t report hybrid numbers separately, other than the dedicated CT 200h, but lumps them in with their conventionally powered equivalents, so we’re left to guess that hybrids sell at similar percentages of total sales from model to model. Lexus sold 2,153 ES models in Canada last year, a far cry from the 4,251 purveyed in 2007 yet better than the 1,892 delivered in 2011. The NX hasn’t been around that long, but its sales have steadily grown from 6,127 in 2015 to 6,295 last year. What’s more, after five months of 2017 the NX has found 2,766 new owners, so it looks like it’s on schedule for another record year, whereas the ES’ has only managed to lure in 775 buyers, which could result in a new low. Then again, compared to the 432 MKZs sold over the same five months, the ES is all roses.

As for which vehicle matters more in the market, the numbers speak for themselves. To be clear, these sales totals in no way reflect which model is better or worse, but rather have everything to do with a near universal shunning of four-door sedans and adoption of crossover SUVs, other than a few exceptions like BMW’s 3 Series and Mercedes’ C-, E- and S-Classes in the premium sector and Honda’s Civic, Toyota’s Corolla, and Hyundai’s Elantra amongst mainstream brands.

The sad reality is this 2017 ES is the best ever, and while halfway through the second year of its sixth-generation facelift, it’s still worthy of much higher sales than it’s getting, that is if there was anyone under 70 interested. We’ll likely never know if its traditionally conservative clientele has been rubbed the wrong way by the model’s adoption of Lexus’ avant-garde styling or if its drop in popularity is just a sign of the times, but a quick rundown of those “competitors” mentioned earlier shows a similar downward trajectory for the Taurus, Avalon and Cadenza, plus the MKZ mentioned earlier, although sales of Charger are surging (it had one of its best months ever in May) and 300 strong, while the Impala, LaCrosse and Maxima are on track to make small gains as well.

As far as mid-size front-wheel drive sedans go, I find the ES 300h attractive from front to back. Its spindle grille, Nike swoosh driving lights and chromed apostrophe-squiggle fog lamp bezels are big bonuses in my opinion, giving the car a more daring façade than its inner personality deserves, while its rear end design, with its subtle deck lid spoiler overtop gracefully understated LED taillights and lovely lower body diffuser/undertray, is as pretty as its backside has ever been.

Inside, the ES 300h combines high-grade furnishings with low-rung hard shell plastics, some top-tier switchgear with others pulled up from the Toyota parts bin, some old-school glossy albeit real woodgrain trim next to nice looking metallic surfaces albeit often hollow and plasticky, and one decent electronic interface with another that shouldn’t show its face in the premium class, making my comparison to the many mainstream volume-branded players earlier quite fair. The ES raises its game over these in some respects, but falls below some of them in others.

Under the “What’s new for 2017” column, all ES 300h trims get standard rain-sensing wipers, a rearview camera, and Lexus Safety System Plus, the latter package adding auto high beams, dynamic cruise control with emergency autonomous braking, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist. You’ll need to spend more for blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, but this is hardly uncommon in any class.

I’ll go into more detail in my upcoming road test review, in which I’ll also dispel myths about comfort-focused, melted butter driving dynamics, or not, and praise its fuel economy—maybe (of course I’ll nee to compare it to the MKZ Hybrid). You’ll have to come back to find out, but either way Lexus won’t be selling anywhere near as many of its ES 300h models as it will the NX 300h, so I might as well skip this one and go straight to writing my review of the hybridized SUV, right? I suppose not. Instead I’ll get both finished as soon as possible. Stay tuned…

Since arriving on the subcompact crossover scene halfway through 2015, Mazda’s CX-3 has been a class favourite. It’s good looking, sporty, fairly upscale, nicely equipped and plenty practical, all…

In Our Garage

2017 Mazda CX-3 GT AWD

Since arriving on the subcompact crossover scene halfway through 2015, Mazda’s CX-3 has been a class favourite. It’s good looking, sporty, fairly upscale, nicely equipped and plenty practical, all good reasons for its rise in popularity.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the folks at Mazda Canada’s Richmond Hill headquarters are starting to look over their shoulders at new competition now that Toyota’s equally sporty CH-R has shown up, just like Honda is hoping its HR-V’s lead doesn’t get consumed by the new Nissan Qashqai, a mini-Roque that looks like it’ll put up a good fight in this once fringe segment.

In total, the subcompact SUV category has 11 entrants, including the bestselling HR-V with 12,371 sales last year, runner up CX-3 with 9,354 deliveries, third-place Chevrolet Trax with 9,072, Mitsubishi RVR with 6,196, Buick Encore with 5,533, Nissan Juke with 4,442, Jeep Renegade with 3,962, Fiat 500X with 766, and Mini Countryman with 694. I can’t decide if the Mini and Buick should be counted in the subcompact luxury SUV segment because they’re priced higher, but in reality they’re somewhere in the middle. Neither has much effect on the CX-3, however, so it’s a moot point.

The new CH-R is relevant, however, having sold 690 units in its first month of May. This won’t cause too much concern at Honda where the HR-V found 1,687 new buyers, and I suppose the CX-3’s 1,089 May deliveries were strong too, in fact that was the model’s best monthly sales results ever, but it’s just the beginning for the Toyota subcompact and this initial jump out of the gate (a time in a vehicle’s lifecycle when availability is compromised and therefore real sales may have been better) is better than two of the CX-3’s poorer months this year, and stronger than many others it’s competing against, like the Trax that only found 464 buyers, plus the Juke and Renegade that attracted just 270 apiece. Even Fiat’s 500X did better than these two thanks to a best-ever tally of 305 sales, while I believe we’ll see a lot more than May’s 191 units from the new Qashqai.

Other than mention of the upcoming Ford EcoSport (due to arrive later this year) and just announced Hyundai Kona (a Kia version can’t be too far away), that’s the state of the subcompact SUV segment, and the CX-3 remains near the very top for all the reasons just stated as well as Canada’s adoration of its independent Japanese parent.

I won’t go into U.S. numbers, but suffice to say they’re not pretty with respect to anything Mazda sells, save the MX-5 “Miata”. Their number one seller in this class is the Renegade, a model far down the pecking order here. With all due respect, every one of the above noted SUVs is worthy of your attention and would likely provide an enjoyable ownership experience, some of my favourites being lower on the popularity poll, but in the case of the CX-3 I can wholly agree with its success.

I’ve read others knock its styling on social media, but I love every inch of the little Mazda sport ute, especially in as-tested top-line GT trim. Moving up from the $20,695 base GX model or $22,695 mid-range GS to the $28,995 GT allows for more sophisticated looking and much brighter LED headlights with stylish signature detailing, plus the world’s tiniest LED fog lamps inserted within the upgraded metallic bezels of its sporty front fascia, not to mention stunning twinned V-spoke 18-inch gunmetal-finish alloys around each side. Move inside and its well laid out cabin gets leather and Lux Suede upholstery, plus loads of exclusive features.

I’ll go on in more detail in my upcoming review, plus relate how the CX-3’s sole Skyactiv-G 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder responds to aggressive input, its 146 horsepower and identical 146 lb-ft of torque plenty for an SUV that weighs just 1,339 kilos. This said Mazda joins many other manufacturers in unforgivably making their normally standard six-speed manual transmission unavailable in the CX-3’s sportiest trim, but at least the six-speed automatic has manual mode with an engaging set of steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and best of all it’s not a CVT.

If you want AWD you’ll need to accept the autobox anyway, so therefore the CX-3 GT drives all four wheels, which aids traction and doesn’t detract much from efficiencies thanks to a five-cycle rating of 8.8 L/100km in the city and 7.5 on the highway compared to 8.2 city and 6.9 highway in the manual-equipped front-drive model.

I don’t think I’m going to worry too much about fuel economy this week, because the CX-3 GT is way too much fun to let such concerns ruin the moment. Come back soon and check out my road test review to get all the details…

If you’d asked me last year to name the Canadian small car market’s most and least entertaining cars, I’d have put Nissan’s subcompact Micra city car and compact Sentra sedan on the respective…

In Our Garage

2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo

If you’d asked me last year to name the Canadian small car market’s most and least entertaining cars, I’d have put Nissan’s subcompact Micra city car and compact Sentra sedan on the respective lists. For 2017 the Micra remains a personal favourite cheap performer in the entry-level categories, and much to my delight Nissan has elevated the Sentra’s fun factor times ten.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Sentra SE-R was a highly respected sport compact, and while this once revered model is no more, the Sentra four-door can now be had in as-tested SR Turbo guise as well as top-line Nismo trim. I’ll leave the Nismo for a future garage entry and road test review, because the SR Turbo is what currently occupies my driveway.

Before delving into this all-new 2017 trim, Nissan gave its Sentra a thorough mid-cycle refresh for the 2016 model year that pulls its much more agreeable styling cues from other models within the Japanese brand’s lineup, particularly the Altima mid-size sedan. The most prominent change was the addition of Nissan’s now trademark V-motion grille in chrome and black mesh, extending upward into a new hood and downward into a revised lower fascia, while new complex headlamps included LED low beam projectors in SL and SR trims. Around the sides new 17-inch machine-finished alloys with black painted pockets were added to the latter two trims as well, while all Sentras received new taillight lenses and a reworked rear bumper in typical mid-cycle makeover fashion.

All of this remains the same except for the elimination of SR trim and adoption of this SR Turbo nameplate for 2017, plus the engine and other performance tweaks that make it so fun to drive. The new 1.6-litre direct-injected four-cylinder gets borrowed from the already impressive Juke crossover, complete with 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque (up a sizeable 58 horsepower and 49 lb-ft of torque over the base 1.8-litre four). Even better, it can be paired with the as-tested six-speed manual gearbox or an available continuously variable automatic (CVT), both boasting unique tuning specific to SR Turbo trim.

Additionally, the SR Turbo gets reworked electric power steering for more direct response and feel, aided by stiffer springs and dampers plus extra bracing for greater rigidity overall. I’ll fill in all the driving dynamic blanks in my upcoming review, but suffice to say it’s worthy of contention with Honda’s new turbocharged Civic powerplant, and can mix it up with the new Elantra Sport as well.

Back to the changes that came with last year’s car, the 2017 Sentra carries forward all interior updates such as its more refined surface treatments that now make generous use of soft-touch synthetics and metallic accents, while the SR Turbo gets a sporty new 370Z-inspired three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel that’s a lot better looking due to a reshaped centre hub and side spokes (it’s no longer a big ugly blob) and less crowded multifunction controls. Additionally, new trims were added to the centre stack and doors, the one in my SR Turbo particularly nice.

On the digital front, all 2016 Sentras received a 5.0-inch colour TFT multi-information display within the primary gauge package, with higher end trims getting better screen resolution, while Siri Eyes Free was also added to the mix.

I’m not going to go into every trim level being that this overview is for the SR Turbo, a very different type of car targeting a more performance-oriented buyer, but take note that S and SV trims offer a little more enjoyment from the base engine thanks to their standard six-speed manual gearbox, whereas the more efficient CVT is available with these trims as well, and comes standard on the luxury-focused SL.

Diving right into the SR Turbo, which starts $5,800 higher than the base $15,898 S at $21,598 plus freight and fees, the equipment list includes all items mentioned thus far as well as fog lamps, 205/50VR17 all-season tires, larger 11.7-inch front ventilated sport brakes with upgraded pads (the base car gets 11s), 11.5-inch solid rear discs (base gets drums), active understeer control (when you “upgrade” to the CVT), LED turn signals integrated within the side mirror housings, side rocker extensions, a rear deck lid spoiler with an LED centre mounted brake light (CHMSL), a sport rear fascia with a matte black diffuser-style centre insert, a chromed exhaust tip, and more on the outside.

Proximity-sensing keyless access gets you inside and pushbutton ignition gets the motor percolating, while interior upgrades include the leather-wrapped sport steering mentioned earlier, a leather and metal shift knob, exclusive sport inlays, microfiltered air conditioning, a 5.0-inch colour infotainment display with a backup camera, SMS- and email-reading capability, Siri Eyes Free, AM/FM/CD six-speaker audio, satellite radio, Bluetooth phone with streaming audio and more, with additional SR Turbo features including premium sport cloth upholstery, heatable front seats, a sliding front armrest, a flip-down rear seat centre armrest with cupholders, tire pressure monitoring with Easy-Fill alert, etcetera.

My tester came with $300 Aspen White paint, the only other available option being the $3,400 SR Premium package that adds an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a HomeLink universal garage door opener, upgraded sunvisors with extensions and dual illuminated vanity mirrors, an auto-dimming LED centre dome light, a powered moonroof, an upgraded NissanConnect infotainment interface with a larger 5.8-inch touchscreen, voice recognition, navigation, eight-speaker (including two subs) Bose premium audio with satellite radio, leather upholstery, an eight-way powered driver’s seat, and blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. All the extras pumped the price up to $25,298 before freight and fees, which seems pretty reasonable, especially considering Nissan’s current (at the time of writing) $3,500 cash discount.

Of course this all gets added to myriad features available in lesser trims, of which I’ll go into in more detail as part of my upcoming road test review, although take note if you’d like your Sentra with enough active safety gear to qualify for IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus status, which it does, such as emergency autonomous braking and adaptive cruise control, you’ll need to step into a less powerful CVT-only model.

To its credit that seemingly anemic base Sentra powerplant gets the segment’s best fuel economy at 8.1 L/100km in the city and 6.3 on the highway with its optional CVT, or 9.0 city and 6.8 highway with the standard six-speed manual, while the turbo increases consumption to a claimed 9.1 city and 8.9 highway.

Before signing off I’ll mention one of the Sentra’s greatest attributes, its accommodating passenger compartment and massive 428-litre trunk. I’ll run over more dimensional details and comment on the car’s overall comfort in my review, but its standard 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks are a bonus no matter how it measures up.

Until next time, sport compact fans might want to consider testing out this new Sentra SR Turbo or its even quicker Nismo sibling. I’ll be back with my road test results and more soon…

Well Scion was certainly an interesting project. It was more successful for longer in the U.S., particularly California where it was initiated and headquartered in 2003. Compared to Ford Motor’s Merkur…

In Our Garage

2017 Toyota 86

Well Scion was certainly an interesting project. It was more successful for longer in the U.S., particularly California where it was initiated and headquartered in 2003. Compared to Ford Motor’s Merkur (1985–1989) brand and GM’s Geo (1989–1997)—the General did better with Saturn (1985–2010), a fourteen-year run is pretty good as far as marketing projects go, the cars it sold only rebranded versions of global Toyota models.

It therefore made perfect sense to give the outgoing FR-S a version of its global GT86/FT-86 moniker, the “86” portion of the name paying homage to the now classic rear-drive Corolla GTS/AE86 that’s still tearing up racetracks around the world. This said I’d rather have seen Toyota combine old and new by coining FR-86, being that they don’t have the rights to use the GT86 name here (exclusive to Europe and New Zealand), and FT-86 (only available in Jamaica and Nicaragua) makes little more sense, but I wasn’t on that marketing panel so I can only wonder what went down within Toyota’s inner circle. As it is, 86 is the name given to the car in Asia, Australia and South America, and we being part of the Americas, get the simpler nameplate.

Enough about renaming misnomers, most FR-S/86 fans won’t care all that much for what it’s called, and those purists who do have long been replacing Scion logos with Toyota crests along with chromed FR-S lettering for stylized GT86 badges. They’re already doing the same here in North America, so Toyota continues to inadvertently help online aftermarket vendors trying to make a little extra coin servicing this ultra-niche market.

What matters more is the 2017 model’s mid-cycle refresh, a subtle but effective update of a model that had become slightly stale despite still being one of the prettier sports cars on the market. The big differences to styling come up front, its headlights now incorporating de rigueur full LED elements with LED turn signals, and its lower fascia integrating a more organically stylized centre intake with a black mesh insert, plus new triangular-shaped black straked corner “vents” to each side, which are really bezels for fog lamps available from the accessories catalogue or Special Edition upgrade.

Toyota has ironically removed the circular 86 badge from each of the FR-S’ rather complex front fender engine vents and replaced them with a sleeker more minimal design, while at the back it’s all about new LED taillights. Lastly, new standard 17-inch alloys round out the package.

Toyota has upgraded the new 86’ interior over the outgoing FR-S with more soft synthetic surfaces across the dash top and instrument panel, plus fancy ultra-psuede door uppers, as well as attractive new fabric upholstery featuring black side bolsters with white contrast stitching and grey inserts. There are plenty of satin-silver accents throughout the cabin too, while the old Pioneer-sourced 6.1-inch infotainment touchscreen gets new Toyota-branded graphics and integrates a backup camera, USB integration, Bluetooth phone and streaming audio, plus more.

Call it a 2+2, but the rearmost seats are designed more for two 0.5-sized adults or kids, which is par for the course in the compact coupe class. Rather than look at the glass half full, it’s best to appreciate the additional passenger and cargo possibilities offered by the 86’ rear quarters over convertible competitors like Mazda’s MX-5 or Fiat’s 124 Spider, which are solely two-place prospects. I once had a friend show me how he was able to store four racing wheels on slicks with the rear seats of his FR-S folded, which simultaneously told me as much as I needed to know about the car’s practical aspects and performance prowess. The 86, incidentally, gets the same 196-litre trunk as the FR-S, plus its non-split folding rear seatback.

At the heart of that performance-focused ideal, which is really the 86’ raison d’être, the updated model gets a mildly revised version of the FR-S’ Subaru-sourced 2.0-litre horizontally opposed “boxer” four-cylinder. A tweak here and mod there has allowed for a minor bump from 200 horsepower to 205 and 151 lb-ft of torque to 156, but only six-speed manual-equipped cars get the upgrade. Those fitted with the paddle-actuated six-speed automatic featuring rev-matched downshifting via Toyota’s “Dynamic Rev Management” system, as was the case with my Hot Lava painted tester, carry forward with the unmodified engine. Being that I already drove (and reviewed) a new 2017 Subaru BRZ with the manual and therefore experienced the same performance boost, I’ll relate my comments as well as the benefits (if any) of the autobox.

Either way both 86 models receive a reworked suspension with retuned damping, whereas the manual gets a revised rear differential for a quicker launch from standstill up to speed. Getting off the line in mind, both manual and automatic equipped trims incorporate hill start assist.

Now that we’re talking features, Toyota continues to follow Scion’s lead by keeping the new model’s trims to a minimum, simply offering the 86 6M (for six-speed manual) and 86 6A (for… sigh… I don’t really need to explain this, do I?), while as noted an 86 Special Edition is also on the menu.

Standard features not yet mentioned include a limited slip differential, 215/45R17 tires, auto on/off LED headlamps, heated power-adjustable side mirrors, remote keyless entry, a tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped multifunction three-spoke sport steering wheel, a leather-clad shift knob and handbrake handle, aluminum sport pedals, a trip computer/multi-info display, cruise control, variable intermittent wipers, air conditioning, eight-speaker AM/FM audio with aux and USB inputs plus an Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL), Bluetooth phone and streaming audio, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, power windows with auto up/down all-round, dual vanity mirrors, all the usual active and passive safety equipment, and more.

On top of this the $32,555 Special Edition, which solely comes with the manual gearbox, adds fog lamps, a rear spoiler featuring black-painted accents, black side mirror housings, proximity-sensing keyless access, pushbutton ignition, a 4.2-inch colour TFT multi-information display with vehicle performance data, dual-zone auto climate control, leather upholstery, heatable front seats, and an alarm. That’s certainly the one I’d want to live with every day, but that’s not the one I was given to test.

Also important, like the FR-S and Scion in general, the new Toyota gets plenty of accessories to spice up the look and add to the experience overall, including the usual block heater, exterior protection film wraps, hood and side window deflectors, rear spoiler, and cargo liner, plus the less expected Bongiovi Acoustics DPS sound system upgrade; the Extension Box premium display audio system with navigation, Push-to-Talk voice recognition, various apps such as Aha, Harman on iTunes, and Google Play, etcetera; gorgeous 18-inch TRD lightweight alloys; TRD sport exhaust; TRD 1 1/8th-inch lowering spring kit; TRD performance air intake; TRD performance front and rear brake pads; and stiffer gloss red powder coated TRD sway bars.

As is understandable due to new standard features, the 86 adds $2,090 to last year’s base FR-S price tag, the new tally still below $30k at $29,580 plus freight and fees. One thing to consider is the aforementioned BRZ, however, which was previously pricier but can now be had for just $27,995. The two cars were developed side-by-side and use many of the same components, especially at the core, so keep both the Subie in mind when shopping, and for that matter throw in a visit to your local Nissan dealer for a look at the repositioned 370Z that starts at just $29,998 with its 332 horsepower V6 included.

Of course, the Z’s big 3.7-litre V6 won’t provide anywhere near the 86’ superb fuel economy, its five-cycle estimate being 11.3 L/100km in the city and 8.3 on the highway for the manual, or 9.9 city and 7.3 highway for the auto, both aided by D4-S direct and port fuel injection.

As for me, despite the autobox, I’m going to enjoy every minute behind the wheel of this new 86, which since arriving on the sports car scene as the FR-S has been one of the more entertaining cars available for the reasonable sum asked. Come back to read my assessment of that automatic transmission, the retuned suspension, its many improvements inside, a little look at how it’s being received by you, the people that matter (sales data), etcetera. As always, I won’t hold back my true thoughts and feelings.

The Dune arrived last year and caused quite a stir amongst the VW Beetle faithful. I’m not talking about those who adhere to the wonderful little air-cooled rear-engine “Bug” that put Volkswagen…

In Our Garage

2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune

The Dune arrived last year and caused quite a stir amongst the VW Beetle faithful.

I’m not talking about those who adhere to the wonderful little air-cooled rear-engine “Bug” that put Volkswagen on the global map more than half a century ago, but more so those weaned on the modern-day front-engine, front-drive version that wowed the world as the Concept One when it hit VW’s Detroit auto show stage in 1994 and eventually arrived as the New Beetle in 1997.

It was thoroughly and effectively redesigned in 2010 for the 2011 model year, the “New” internally named A4 version then old, resulting in the simpler “Beetle” nameplate getting the nod for this A5-based third-generation. It remains less frou-frou and therefore appeals to brawnier types, which has inevitably led to some very eye-catching special editions.

The best of these, in my opinion, is the Classic that arrived for 2015, which now seems to be a permanent fixture within the Beetle lineup, whereas the crossover-styled Dune is on its second year, with a convertible version added for 2017, so it appears this wonderfully unorthodox new addition will become a perennial regular too.

The Dune does a pretty good job of toughening up the Beetle’s less than masculine image, as seen here at its photo shoot next to a local river about five kilometers from my home. The gritty dirt underneath and natural background seems fitting, this being the “dune buggy” of the family, although a Golf Alltrack might be the more capable compact VW to take up and over unpaved hills.

The expected SUV-like matte black plastic cladding is tastefully applied as a lower body wraparound, adding a little more beef around the wheel cutouts, while VW spiffs up the design with aluminum-look grille trim and undertrays front and rear. A 10-mm raised “Rough road” suspension adds to the crossover look, allowing more room for a decidedly non-4×4-like set of 18-inch machine-finished Canyon alloys, while wider front and rear tracks and a thicker 23-mm front stabilizer bar make sure that any additional top-heaviness is offset by added stability and extra rigidity in the suspension.

Exclusive Sandstorm Yellow Metallic paint (it’s also available in Deep Black Pearl and Pure White) gets carried over to the dash and door uppers inside, where it’s joined by Curry Yellow piping and stitching on the otherwise black leatherette bolstered seats with Dark Ceramique cloth inserts (no matter the exterior colour chosen), while the Curry Yellow stitching is also found on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, shifter boot, handbrake handle, and centre armrest.

The $28,890 Dune hardtop is not only a style icon taken to the next level, but it’s a well-equipped daily driver filled with the types of features today’s buyers want, such as auto on/off HID headlights with delayed shut-off, LED daytime running lights, fog lamps, LED taillights, heated power-adjustable side mirrors, proximity-sensing access with pushbutton start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, heatable front seats, a 6.3-inch colour infotainment touchscreen with proximity-sensing digital buttons, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, a backup camera, navigation, two SD card slots, a USB port, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, eight-speaker 400-watt Fender audio, a large power moonroof, front and rear parking sensors, an alarm, and more.

Front-wheel motivation comes via VW’s 1.8-litre turbocharged and direct-injected 1.8-litre four-cylinder that’s capable of 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, and partially due to its six-speed auto with Tiptronic manual mode is rated at 9.7 L/100km in the city and 7.2 on the highway. While it looks like an off-road warrior the Dune isn’t available with 4Motion all-wheel drive, but its electronic traction and stability control, amongst other driving aids, reportedly help it go farther into the wilderness than most would think possible, but unfortunately we won’t be bushwhacking this week.

We will be enjoying the Beetle Dune on the streets of our fair city instead, although this week it’s particularly cool and cloudy, albeit mostly dry, so we probably won’t be taking it to the beach where it would fit in most ideally.

Either way, come back for a full review where we’ll give you the ins and outs of its passenger and cargo compartments, the pluses and minuses of its driving dynamics, the pros and cons of is various features, all the while wandering through various (hopefully entertaining) digressions…

Volvo has been very busy remaking its entire brand over the past few years. It started with a focus on powertrains, its various five-cylinders and V6s gradually replaced by a lineup of efficient direct-injection…

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2017 Volvo S60 T6 AWD

Volvo has been very busy remaking its entire brand over the past few years. It started with a focus on powertrains, its various five-cylinders and V6s gradually replaced by a lineup of efficient direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinders. Pricier trims went a step further by integrating both turbocharging and supercharging into the same 2.0-litre four, while the all-new award-winning XC90 SUV even has a plug-in hybrid version of the latter.

That XC90 ushered in the second phase of Volvo’s metamorphosis, a wholesale brand-wide design that included an entirely new level of opulent luxury and future-tech feature sets. The XC90 was quickly followed by an entirely new mid-size luxury sedan dubbed S90 (replacing the S80), this model including a wagon variant named V90 (replacing the V70), plus an immediately more popular raised crossover model that—in Volvo tradition—goes by the name of V90 Cross Country (replacing the V70 Cross Country/XC70).

While all of this is thoroughly exciting to anyone working for Volvo or supportive of the storied Swedish marque, the new 2018 XC60, which looks like a smaller interpretation of the XC90, will certainly become Volvo’s new sales leader when it goes on sale later this year.

This leaves the D-segment S60, currently in our garage, as well as its V60 and V60 Cross Country siblings, which I’ve reviewed previously, as the lone Volvo line yet to go under the surgeon’s knife, plus of course an entire line of subcompact cars and SUVs that have yet to surface.

While not as new in styling or features as the updated models mentioned, the S60 is still very worthy of attention, especially those who tend to hold onto their cars longer and therefore wouldn’t suffer from as much depreciation when the updated model arrives next year on a new modular chassis architecture that Volvo will use exclusively (the current S60 reaches back seven years to when Ford sold the brand to China’s Geely, while the Volvo V3/Ford EUCD chassis it rides upon is 11 years old—coming into use with the S80—and has been shared with many Ford and Land Rover models ever since).

The design is clean, uncluttered and especially aerodynamic, and I must admit still looks smart if not the newest kid on the block. Unfortunately it sells into a premium sector that thrives on latest and greatest, hence why newer Volvo designs have mostly seen big boosts in sales (especially the XC90) and why this one has seen its once strong market share slowly and steadily erode from a high of 3,227 units in 2002 to an initial bump of 1,519 in 2011 and then a slightly higher blip to 1,525 in 2012, both after the redesigned version hit the road, to just 657 examples last year. There’s a silver lining in all of this dreariness, however; the previous low before this second-gen car arrived in 2010 was 208 deliveries, meaning they’ve got a lot more to build upon this time around.

While it’s fair to say the exterior sheetmetal is still plenty attractive, the cabin is very high in quality and designed with one part minimalism and another button overkill, but being a fan of classic high-end audio equipment this works well for me. The majority of buttons are clustered atop the floating centre stack, still a lovely design element, and they’re positioned to make a lot of sense once acclimatized, especially the HVAC interface that’s basically a body pictograph (you don’t even need to speak Swedish to figure it out—or English).

Above that is a fully featured infotainment system with good graphics and nice contrast for good depth of colour, and while not as impressive as the best-in-class tablet-style touchscreen interface found in the XC90 and S90/V90 series, it’s quite serviceable and includes a backup camera with active guidelines as well as navigation in my top-tier T6 AWD tester.

Even more impressive is the S60’s fully configurable primary gauge cluster. Volvo was early to adopt a feature that’s now becoming more prevalent in competitors’ higher trims, and they did a very good job on this one, plus its resolution quality is extremely good.

No matter the trim level the S60 delivers an upscale environment with superb attention to detail, very high quality padded soft synthetic surface treatments, tastefully applied satin-finished and brushed metals, and some of the best seats in the car industry.

I’ll leave my road test analysis to my upcoming review, and won’t comment too much further on the S60’s other attributes or detractors, but only add that my tester was equipped with the upgraded turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 302 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, plus AWD fed through an eight-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and paddle shifters.

That’s a cutting edge drivetrain considering its conservative styling, and one I’ll soon tell you all about. Come join me back here in a couple of weeks for the full review…

Ford F-150 buyers love their special editions, and I must admit the new 2017 Lariat Special Edition added to my SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost 4×4 tester is one I could definitely fall for as well. This…

In Our Garage

2017 Ford F-150 Lariat 3.5 Ecoboost Special Edition

Ford F-150 buyers love their special editions, and I must admit the new 2017 Lariat Special Edition added to my SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost 4×4 tester is one I could definitely fall for as well.

This thing looks fabulous! I can’t tell you how many rubbernecking stares I got while driving around town, and my neighbourhood is one of the rarer places to find pickup trucks, at least when it comes to those that live here. There are plenty of plain white work trucks with side signage scattered across the myriad building sites throughout my ever-burgeoning inner-city-like suburb, while the streets are literally littered with the bourgeois supercars of the nouveau super riche, from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, and the like. Cars like that are commonplace, but a truck like this totally stands out.

Lariat sits third amongst seven trims, the others being XL, XLT, King Ranch, Platinum, Raptor, and Limited. We really should consider the Raptor a completely unique model due to exclusive body panels and an extreme off-road specific driveline, but for the time being we’ll just leave it alone, being that Ford has promised a full week’s test with one in the near future.

Back to the Lariat, while third-rung up the F-150 ladder, its $46,149 price tag is somewhat higher than the XL’s $28,249 starting point, or the XLT’s $30,549 base window sticker. Then again the King Ranch starts at $63,349, which is well into premium-branded luxury mid-size SUV territory, and the Platinum delves even deeper into the luxe class with a sticker of $65,549. The Raptor, incidentally starts at $68,399, while the end-all-to-be-all luxury trucks (or at least Ford would like to have us think of its F-150 Limited this way) is a highfalutin $73,149: ranch owners and contractor/developers only need apply.

All of a sudden this Lariat is looking pretty approachable, even with its fancy additions. Upgrading to the four-door SuperCrew cab with the five-and-a-half-foot short box, the 3.5-litre Ecoboost V6, new 10-speed automatic (yes, a 10-speed, just like the bike my big brother got when I was relegated to a 5-speed) with auto start/stop, and four-wheel drive elevated that Lariat price to $58,249 (back up to mid-size luxury SUV territory again), while its Ruby Red paint adds another $450.

That black stripe down the side and its black hood decal are part of the Special Edition package mentioned a moment ago, as are the strips of red running across the otherwise grey-tone grille. There’s much more to this $2,400 package than that, mind you, such as LED headlamps with dark housings (my tester also had the Luxury package, so expect halogens in lesser equipped models), body-colour front and rear bumpers, unique 20-inch alloys on 275/55 all-terrain tires and a set of black running boards between them, unique red and black fender and tailgate “F-150” badges, and finally a unique squared off chrome tailpipe finisher on the outside.

Inside, the F-150 Lariat Special Edition gets an exclusive red-stitched leather-wrapped steering wheel, red-stitched detailing on the unique instrument panel and doors, a red-stitched console top, and a very fine looking set of red-accented, leather and psuede-trimmed Special Edition seats, plus all of the features that come with the Lariat and the Luxury package noted a moment ago.

The latter is a $4,900 package that adds whollops of high-end features like those LED headlights that are actually comprised of very cool looking dual-stacking beams and infused with auto high beam technology, while the taillights are upgraded to LEDs as well. The package normally comes with 18-inch chromed wheels and a whole host of chromed exterior trim, all of which gets nixed for the Special Edition package above, but the normally chrome-capped side mirrors (black as-tested) benefit from power-folding capability, auto-dimming, LED side-mirror security approach lights, blindspot monitoring warning lights, and more, while rear cross-traffic alert is also part of the 502A Luxury upgrade.

Additional kit from this package includes rain-sensing wipers, a universal garage door opener, a heatable steering wheel rim, a powered tilt and telescoping steering column with memory, 700-watt 10-speaker Sony audio (with a sub), satellite radio, voice-activated navigation, Sync Connect services, and heatable rear seats.

We could leave it there, but you might notice the addition of the $1,250 Technology package in the photos, which ups the ante with a 360-degree parking monitor with a split-screen display and Dynamic Hitch Assist, plus lane keeping assist.

A $550 spray-in bedliner made the box much more serviceable, while Ford’s exclusive (and still brilliant) $400 Tailgate Step made getting in and out much easier (money well spent for the 50-plus crowd). Likewise for the $300 retractable Box Side Steps, and there were more extras added on, but I will leave it there as this is supposed to be a “Garage” piece, not a complete review.

That means I’ll be back soon with that full road test review where I’ll talk about how the modern-day legend 3.5 Ecoboost mates up to its new 10-speed partner, and how intrusive (or not) the auto start/stop system is. Fuel economy matters a lot in this class and was one of the key reasons Ford spent all the crazy money needed for this truck’s fully aluminum body shell, so will go over in detail, plus hauling specs, and of course the experiential stuff, how it drives in town, rides overall, pulls away from a stoplight, manages highway speeds, handles, coddles, comforts, etcetera.

Come back soon for a full report…

Two years ago Honda hadn’t even staked their claim in the burgeoning subcompact SUV category, but after its first seven months of availability the HR-V shot right up to the top of its class in the Canadian…

In Our Garage

2017 Honda HR-V EX-L Navi

Two years ago Honda hadn’t even staked their claim in the burgeoning subcompact SUV category, but after its first seven months of availability the HR-V shot right up to the top of its class in the Canadian market with 8,959 sales compared to the next-best Chevy Trax that had 12 months to achieve its 8,156-unit final tally.

What about 2016? With a full year under its belt the little Honda SUV became the only segment challenger to break five figures with final sales of 12,371 units compared to 9,354 deliveries from the the next-bestselling Mazda CX-3.

The subcompact SUV segment almost doubled in 2015, thanks to two additional models added alongside the HR-V and CX-3. The all-American Jeep Renegade and its Italian Fiat 500X cousin haven’t fared as well as the two Japanese entries in Canada at least, ranking seventh and eighth respectively last year with sales of 3,962 and 766 units apiece, the third through sixth positions filled with the Trax (9,072), Mitsubishi RVR (6,196), Buick Encore (5,533), and Nissan Juke (4,442), with the final ninth spot in the category filled by Mini’s (arguably premium-level) Countryman (694).

Interestingly, things are very different in the U.S. where the Renegade was number one last year with 106,606 deliveries, the HR-V number two with 82,041, Trax a close third with 79,016, Encore an even closer fourth with 78,565, Outlander Sport (RVR) a distant fifth with 33,067, Juke even further away with 19,577, CX-3 unfairly relegated to the lower ranks with just 18,557 (for some reason Mazda sells poorly in the States), the Countryman with 12,706, and the 500X still getting no respect with a mere 11,712 sales. The common denominator? The HR-V rocks both sales charts.

So how is it doing now? With five months of 2017 down the road, the HR-V is so far ahead in Canada it could get quite embarrassing for the others, thanks to 6,627 sales compared to 3,867 for the CX-3, 3,379 for the Encore (a mid-cycle update is boosting its sales), 2,787 for the Trax, 2,687 for the RVR (it’s update wasn’t so well received), 1,645 for the Renegade (up one position), 1,103 for the Juke, 773 for the 500X, 690 for the new Toyota CH-R (after just one month no less), 411 for the Countryman, and 191 for the new Nissan Qashqai (also after its first month).

The two new entries make the subcompact SUV class 11 competitors deep, with the Ford EcoSport yet to make its North American debut. Consider for a moment that calendar year 2014 only found five in this category, while there were just three competing in 2011 and only two going head-to-head in 2010 (the Juke and RVR in case you were wondering). That a newcomer arrived on the scene and managed to steal most of the thunder is shocking, but it will all make sense to anyone who’s lived with the amazingly practical little runabout.

We Canadians are particularly practical when it comes to buying small vehicles, which we do more often than our friends to the south. Next to big Ford Series trucks (that derive much of their sales from the commercial market), our bestselling car is Honda’s Civic, which sold 64,552 units in 2016 and already found 30,450 buyers this year. The Honda CR-V fares well in the compact SUV segment too, in a constant battle with Toyota’s RAV4 that sees one ahead of the other depending on the month (the RAV4 took top sales honours last year and is slightly ahead again now), while the subcompact Honda Fit hatchback was second-most popular in its class last year, although has experienced an uncharacteristic plunge to sixth over the first five months of 2017.

This must have something to do with its availability at the dealer level, because the current third-generation Fit (second in our market) is three years younger than the segment’s long-in-tooth albeit bestselling Hyundai Accent, and by my experience remains one of the best in the class. On that note a mild refresh is expected later this year as a 2018 model, so it could be that Honda is slowly phasing out this 2017 version so that its dealers don’t end up with too many in stock when the new one arrives.

Then again it could be this very HR-V that’s cannibalizing the Fit’s sales. As you may already know, the HR-V is based on the Fit and is therefore similarly sized and equally efficient in its packaging. It’s quite a bit pricier with a base of $21,050 compared to $15,050, which puts it out of reach of price-sensitive first-time car buyers that normally shop in the subcompact car class, but some that come shopping for a Fit might very well be upsold to the HR-V. We’ll just have to see how the Fit story pans out as the year unfolds, but either way the really big story will be the HR-V and how it continues to dominate its class.

The HR-V rightly gets no significant changes for 2017, with only two items on the list. The first is the cancellation of the lovely Misty Green Pearl hue (a dark forest green) that coated the exterior of the 2016 HR-V AWD EX-L Navi I tested and reviewed last year (I reviewed the 2016 HR-V EX-2WD as well). Therefore, the only difference between this 2017 HR-V AWD EX-L Navi is its stealthy Modern Steel Metallic grey.

This means Honda now provides six exterior HR-V colours to choose from including this nice shade of grey, Crystal Black Pearl, White Orchid Pearl, Deep Ocean Pearl (a dark blue), Milano Red, and Mulberry Metallic (a dark aubergine purple).

The second change is another subtraction, the elimination of the six-speed manual on mid-grade EX trim. This might cause a small handful of HR-V fans to grimace, but if there were going to be a major outcry they wouldn’t have done it. As it is, only the base LX model gets the wonderful DIY gearbox for 2017, all other trims making do with Honda’s efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT).

From the outside it’s difficult to figure out exactly which trim level you’re driving, mostly because the HR-V is so nicely featured in base trim. All come with the same sizeable 17-inch five-spoke alloys on 215/55 all-seasons, body-coloured side mirrors, and body-coloured rear rooftop spoiler, while the headlights are multi-reflector halogens and taillights filled with LEDs. Lastly, matte-finish black plastic cladding trims out the lower front fascia, wheel arch edges, side skirts, and the bottom half of the rear bumper in typical SUV fashion. The move up to EX adds circular fog lamps up front and LED turn signals within the side mirror housings, while the top-line EX-L Navi gets a set of silver roof rails to make it stand out.

I could see would-be buyers loving or loathing the HR-V’s styling, a theme that I’ve witnessed firsthand while living with Honda’s latest designs. People are either enamoured with the modern, edgy, origami look or they won’t be caught dead in one, which is certainly a different strategy than the mainstream volume brand has played for most of its existence. I’ve always loved Honda’s engineering, but been lulled to sleep by its styling, so I can hardly complain after they’ve spiced things up. I can’t say I’m in the enamoured camp, but I’m hardly frothing at the mouth in rabid rage either.

For me the optimal looker in the segment is Mazda’s CX-3. It’s one of the best to drive too, but if forced to decide between styling and performance or overall practicality, I’d probably lean towards the latter.

I’ll get into what makes the HR-V best in class in my upcoming road test review, at which point I’ll run over more of its standard and optional features, performance, fuel economy, etcetera. As good as it is the HR-V is not perfect, so I’ll dissect these issues at length as well. Make sure to come back for all the sordid details soon…

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