Does Aston Martin ever sit still? Apparently not, made clear by a recent announcement regarding upgrades to the top-line 2015 Vanquish and equally impressive four-door Rapide S. A new eight-speed transmission…

Aston Martin reworks 2015 Vanquish and Rapide S

Aston Martin might be small compared to rivals like Porsche, with 4,200 sales under its belt for 2013 compared to the German carmaker's 162,145-vehicle tally, but that hasn't stopped it from churning out a full line of performance cars.

Only having just shown its new V12 Vantage S Roadster ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it will debut next month, not to mention confirming production of a new Lagonda ultra-luxury sedan, the British automaker has just announced updates to its flagship V12-powered Vanquish sports car and Rapide S four-door coupe.

For 2015, the Vanquish Coupe and Volante convertible, plus the Rapide S will get a new ZF-sourced Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic transmission. The sophisticated gearbox delivers better performance, efficiency and refinement than the current six-speed unit, while reprogrammed electronics pull an additional three horsepower out of the Vanquish V12 for a new total of 568, plus two more horsepower from the Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, Simon Hill reviews the 2014 Nissan Altima in 2.5 SV trim, which combines the fuel economy of a smaller four-cylinder engine with many of the features found in a more sophisticated…

2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV Road Test Review

When it comes to sophomore designs, you know the manufacturer got it right when it doesn't make any significant changes. Such is the case with Nissan's Altima, which was thoroughly redesigned for the 2013 model year and carries into 2014 with only a few relatively minor content revisions.

These revisions include improved sound deadening, revised seat cloth, chrome exhaust tips on all models, and the introduction of the NissanConnect Apps smartphone integration platform. There are also some new packages available according to Nissan, chief amongst them a Technology Package with navigation, blind-spot warning system, moving object detection, lane departure warning and Sirius Travel Link, available on SV and SL trim Altimas.

Stylistically, last year's redesign brought the Altima in line with the appearance of the bigger Maxima (and not coincidentally the new, smaller Sentra as well). It's a good looking family car in my opinion, with the "Coke bottle" beltline giving it Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Lyndon Conrad Bell reviews the shockingly fast Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon. The hyper powerful family hauler fills a micro-niche no one realized was empty, and does…

2014 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon Road Test Review

Something about driving a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon makes you swagger when you step out of it. After parking the super Caddy, you'll find yourself walking into places with an authoritative air, as if you own the world. It has been said power corrupts, and while we wouldn't characterize the feeling as corrupted per se, the phrase "infused with attitude" does resonate quite vigorously in this circumstance.

And, IT'S A STATION WAGON!!!

Like so many high performance cars, the Cadillac can get you from Adele to Beyonce with insane quickness. However, unlike numerous other high performance cars, the CTS-V Sport Wagon accomplishes this with a sophistication completely belying its amazing potential. While the angular, sharply drawn lines of this unorthodox five-door would lead you to imagine a harsh ride and an all-enveloping exhaust note, the CTS-V Sport Wagon instead displays polish, sophistication, and refinement. And, as if all of this isn't good enough, when you factor Read Full Story
Is the world ready for a seven-passenger Land Rover crossover SUV? LR will argue that it’s not a crossover, but a true 4x4-capable SUV. Still, everyone knows an Evoque can’t do battle with a Defender…

Land Rover shows off seven-occupant Discovery Sport in camo trim

As you may have already heard, Land Rover will soon bring to market a seven-passenger crossover SUV to go up against luxury carmakers' already experiencing strong sales of premium family haulers.

The upcoming Discovery Sport (North American models may receive a different name being that the Discovery is called LR4 here) will go up against seven-passenger CUVs currently sold into the mid-size premium crossover segment by such luxury nameplates as Acura, Audi, Buick, BMW, Infiniti, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo, with yet more expected to join the fray from premium players such as Cadillac, Jaguar, and Lexus.

In keeping with current Land Rover (and Jaguar) practice, photos of the new Discovery Sport were released wearing unique "peeled back" cut-away camouflage, the new model's second and third rows of seats making the vehicle's active lifestyle family target market quite clear.

"As you would expect from a Discovery, the versatile Discovery Sport will feature Read Full Story
Would Canada’s premium consumers accept a Chinese-built luxury car? We can’t say for sure, nor do we know if the long-wheelbase Volvo S60L will be heading north of the 49th at all, but we do know…

Volvo expected to sell a Chinese-produced S60 in the U.S. by next year

We knew it was only a matter of time before Chinese-built vehicles were sold in North America, but it reportedly will happen a lot sooner than anyone figured.

We're not talking about major Chinese brands such as SAIC, Dongfeng, Guangzhou, Chery, BYD, or Brilliance going head-to-head with the big players already entrenched in our markets, but rather a global luxury brand currently sold here that's owned by an Chinese automaker.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Corp, which produces five automotive brands including Volvo that it purchased in 2010 yet doesn't even rate amongst China's top 10 automakers, will bring a special long-wheelbase version of the S60 luxury sedan to North America starting next year, report According to Automotive News China (ANC).

The Chinese branch of Automotive News claims that an official Volvo spokesperson revealed the story, but wanted to remain anonymous. According to the source, the Chinese-produced long-wheelbase S60L luxury sedan would be Read Full Story
Kia is about to take some of the Euro-influenced styling panache that has made its Rio, Forte, Optima and Sportage models such smash hits, and add it to its best-selling Sorento crossover SUV. The longer,…

Kia teases larger more stylish third-gen Sorento CUV

We love a good tease, and it appears that Kia is up to its old tricks with the release of two slick looking renderings of the upcoming 2015 Sorento crossover SUV.

Like what you see? The completely updated mid-size model doesn't only appear to be getting longer, according to Kia it will grow in overall length and wheelbase for more second- and third-row space, allowing it to compete more effectively against seven-passenger rivals such as Toyota's Highlander and Nissan's Pathfinder.

Like the Highlander, the updated Sorento will get a lower roofline that will combine with a higher beltline and the SUV's longer profile for a sleeker, sportier look plus a "more muscular stance," says Kia, while more curvaceous bodywork featuring "rounded shoulders at the rear and deeply sculpted body surfaces" joins a "larger, more upright" version of Kia's new trademark "tiger-nose" grille for much more identifiable branding. Other details include uniquely shaped headlight clusters that Read Full Story
Looking for a great value in the personal sport luxury coupe segment? Trevor Hofmann makes a great case for the 2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe, a car he tests in top-tier Sport AWD trim. An older model, the…

2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Sport AWD Road Test Review

Just because something is new, doesn't make it better. Annual car of the year award programs make a big deal out of the "best new" model in a given segment and best car and truck overall, but few such professional auto journalist opinion polls pit these completely redesigned vehicles against models that are one, two, three or more years into their lifecycles. That would be too complicated and likely cost too much money to organize. And let's face it. It would probably get a bit boring too.

After all, how many years could we continue to watch the cream rise to the top? Even F1 fans eventually tired of Sebastian Vettel's whoops, hollers and nummer eins index finger pointing upward as he rolled his Infiniti Red Bull Racing car into its winning centre parking spot at the culmination of most race weekends, ahead of four consecutive Formula One Drivers' and Constructors' Championship victories.

Change is necessary, as it drives interest and excitement into every sport, every Read Full Story
If you want to know the true character of an automaker, take a close look at its least expensive models to see if the brand identity it purveys on pricier vehicles trickles down through its entire product…

2014 Mazda3 Sedan GS Road Test Review

While a number of manufacturers rely on giant-sized grilles, beefy aero kits and gimmicky styling details to get their compact models noticed, Mazda has turned to good, clean, elegant design in order to keep their faithful customers coming back, as well as win over the hearts and minds of new potential buyers.

The 2014 Mazda3 is arguably the most attractive compact model on the market, in either hatchback or sedan body style. My most recent tester was the latter, dressed up in mid-grade GS trim and replete with its optional Convenience package. Therefore, along with its good looks my example included such niceties as automatic headlights, heatable exterior mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, three-way heated front seats, and a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, plus a leather-wrapped parking brake handle and boot, all accented with racy red stitching for a sporty look.

Together with this upgrade package, my tester also incorporated the Read Full Story