If you want an excellent midsize family sedan without the negative stigma some of this segment’s sales leaders carry, consider the Mazda6. It has been given a refresh for 2016, with subtle changes to…

2016 Mazda6 GT Road Test Review

You could be forgiven for not noticing that the 2016 Mazda6 has been given a mid-cycle refresh, as updates to its exterior styling are quite subtle. In my opinion this is a good thing, however, as it's already a fabulous looking mid-size sedan and any radical changes for the sake of change might have undermined the original design.

As it is, Mazda has only modified its grille slightly by replacing the thicker topmost horizontal rung with two thinner slats, resulting in six uniform ribs from top to bottom. These are chromed on as-tested top-line GT trim, while all models get a thicker version of Mazda's trademark bright metal grille surround wrapping around its lower half before becoming even more pronounced as it blends into the newly redesigned headlamps, these incorporating full LED illumination in GT trim. Last but hardly least, GT models get stylish chromed eyelids overtop the fog lamps, which are upgraded to LEDs with the GT. While all of this is good, if you only caught Read Full Story
Are you aware that a gorgeous Audi A5 can be had for less than $45k? For that you get a timeless design, fuel-efficient yet powerful 220-hp turbo-4 engine, 8-speed automatic, Quattro AWD, 18-inch alloys,…

2015 Audi A5 Coupe 2.0 TFSI Quattro Progressiv S Line Road Test Review

Let's face it. Some cars are simply better than others. Take Audi's A5. From styling to engineering it was a winner from day one, and nearly nine years later it's still a beautiful luxury coupe that sells more than five times better than it did when new.

Crazy, huh? After only 35 units left Audi Canada showrooms in 2007, the A5's first full year of sales only resulted in 400 deliveries across the country. I don't know why 2008 was such a dud. Maybe it was an allocation issue or possibly it took a bit of time to get sales traction, but I'd find that latter hard to believe. Just look at it. I could call Audi's PR department to find out the "real" reason and while I'm sure I'd get an answer, I'd likely end up being fed some slick marketing spin, yet that would hardly matter anyway. The hard numbers show that sales picked up quickly, 2009 ending in 1,520 A5s out Audi Canada's collective dealership door, 2010 resulting in 2,309 deliveries, 2013 being the first full year after its Read Full Story
Thinking about an AMG-branded SUV? Give it a chance and BMW’s X5 M might have you reconsidering. Boasting a 575-hp bi-turbo V8 with 553 lb-ft of twist and an 8-speed auto with paddles it shoots to 100km/h…

2015 BMW X5 M Road Test Review

I certainly didn't expect this. I became a diehard M fan at first sight of the original M1 in my dad's Popular Mechanics magazine, which was long before my first stint at the wheel of a '94 Euro-spec E36 M3, followed up by a drive in a second-gen '95 M5 and many more recent M experiences since, but there's no way you could've told me a month ago that my new favourite M-badged BMW would be an SUV.

It's a clear sign that I'm aging and prioritizing what matters most under the luxury and refinement categories rather than all-out performance, but while this X5 M is endowed with what is by far the most enticing BMW interior I've experienced yet, let alone one of the best quality and most stylish SUV cabins ever created, the X5 M is also a mighty skilled performer when called to task. It looks pretty damn good too.

From its blacked out grille inserts to its bolder more aggressive lower fascia, stylish twinned five-spoke alloys on optional 285/35ZR21 front and 325/30ZR21 Michelin Read Full Story
Summer might be waning in some parts of Canada, but this can be the best time to buy a convertible. And with a premium branded compact drop-top starting at just over $40k, what are you waiting for? Meet…

2016 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI Cabriolet Progressiv Road Test Review

Audi hasn't had a sedan-based convertible in its lineup since the advent of the A5 Cabriolet in 2009, at least not in name, so the A3 marks a return to a formula that won a lot of fans over to the four-ringed brand during the A4 Cabriolet years.

The A3 Cabriolet is significantly smaller than any A4 Cab, a car that was already shorter than the A5, so it literally opens Audi up to a new market segment not available to the Ingolstadt brand prior to the new model's introduction last year. Previously, these buyers looked to BMW's old 1 Series Cabriolet or Volkswagen's Eos and others in the mainstream volume sector, but ask any in this latter crowd if they'd rather drive an Audi for the same price and you'll get a vigorous nod.

The A3 Cabriolet can actually be had for a bit less than the current Eos, at $42,600 compared to $42,990, but to be fair VW's four-seat convertible gets a retractable hardtop and is only available in one fully-featured Wolfsburg edition for 2015, plus Read Full Story
Want a premium convertible, but don’t want to stretch the budget too far? You can get into a 2015 BMW 228i xDrive Cabriolet for just $45,200 and still enjoy a 241-hp turbocharged, direct-injected 4-cylinder,…

2015 BMW 228i xDrive Cabriolet Road Test Review

Compared to the old 1 Series Coupe and Cabriolet, the 2 Series two-door hardtop that arrived on the scene last year and this drop-top, new for 2015, seem to have grown up. They've transcended from cute and somewhat pudgy shapes to sleeker more athletic profiles, each model's longer, narrower twin kidney grille and sharply angled headlamps looking downright menacing, my tester's upgraded M Sport lower front fascia more aggressive, curvaceous side panels more mature and shapelier angled taillights more upscale. The 2 Series twosome are altogether more alluring than their predecessors.

The 2 Series Cabriolet continues forward with a similar fabric soft top to the 1 Series, instead of the retractable hardtop used by the larger 4 Series Cab, which is probably good being that the 2's stubbier length would've made graceful C-pillars and rear glass in the latter challenging, while a complex folding mechanism and the various metal panels would have robbed the trunk of its current usability. Read Full Story
Want a sporty coupe, yet not ready to give up practicality? VW has long offered a good solution in its midsize CC, so maybe it’s time to take a closer look. Sporting a standard 200-hp I-4 or optional…

2015 Volkswagen CC Highline Road Test Review

Looking back over the last couple of years it becomes apparent that I deprived myself of two weeks of very nice motoring, at least that's how I see it after spending a week in Volkswagen's impressive CC. I don't remember why a 2014 model and this 2015 CC initially slipped out of my grip and into the lucky hands of another staff writer, the former a 2.0T Sportline and latter this 2.0T Highline, the last one I tested being a 2.0T R-Line, but such was the case and the result a shame, that is until I managed to get into the same 2015 CC 2.0T Highline with its optional Technology package.

I've always been a fan of Volkswagen's sportiest mid-sizer, the lone four-door coupe entry in the entire mainstream volume brand auto sector. Certainly others provide swoopy D-pillars and some even include claustrophobically cramped feeling rear quarters, but the very fact VW offers a large mid-size sedan in its Passat as well as this more streamlined variant sets the brand and car apart in the mass Read Full Story
With 2014’s complete redesign the Nissan Rogue went from bland to brilliant, and sales have skyrocketed. The stylish CUV also gets great fuel economy and impressive standard tech to improve driving…

2015 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Road Test Review

In case you hadn't noticed, Nissan's got its mojo back. One look at the sexy new Maxima or ultra-hot Murano and you'll understand just what I'm talking about, the brand's recently redesigned flagship duo delivering shockingly bold style, beautifully creative interiors, impressive driving dynamics and seriously aggressive pricing with resultant sales that are way up over last year, but if you want to look at the model that's most responsible for Nissan becoming Canada's fastest growing brand, look no further than the Rogue.

The compact crossover SUV has always been a strong seller for Japan's second largest automaker, but the growth experienced since this second-generation model launched across Canada in November of 2013 has been phenomenal. Its comparatively timid looking predecessor, which never seemed capable of living up to the model's studly albeit ill-conceived name (which actually refers to a dishonest or unprincipled man, a scoundrel, villain, miscreant, reprobate, rascal, Read Full Story
Sport-luxury sedans don’t come much more exclusive than Acura’s impressive RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, which means you probably won’t see one parked in the adjacent driveway unless the dealer principal…

2015 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD Road Test Review

With last year's RLX sales close to 10 times greater than its RL predecessor experienced in 2012 it appears Acura's new flagship luxury sedan is quite the success story, at least at first glance. The two cars' sales numbers became cloudier after it was introduced during the summer of 2013 because Honda's luxury division combined RLX and RL sales into the same category, the remaining second-generation 2013 model year RLs trickling off dealer lots at an aggravatingly slow pace that even bled over to the 2014 calendar year. Over the first seven months of 2015 the RLX is still selling well compared to the waning years of its predecessor.

While all of this initially sounds good, 10 times a total of 29 sales is still less than 300 units sold within a Canadian market of about 12.5 million 45 to 75 year old potential RLX buyers (this car's likely target demographic), but in reality Acura's new flagship (plus the handful of old RLs) only found 243 buyers last year, while the situation Read Full Story