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
Arguably one of the best-looking Mustangs ever created, Trevor Hofmann reviews the last of a dying breed, the 2014 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Convertible in classic Mustang Club of America trim. Enjoy this…

2014 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Convertible Road Test Review

Every time Ford gives its Mustang a thorough makeover I get a little nervous. Certainly I enjoyed a very calm quarter century while the Fox-bodied model creaked and groaned over speed bumps and other pavement imperfections, but since the blue-oval team redesigned its iconic pony car for the 2005 model year and subsequently in 2009 for model year 2010, I've had more than one restless night pondering what they might do next.

We now know that model year 2015 ushers in an entirely new modern-day Mustang with unprecedented styling that I'm still not quite accustomed to, which makes me all the more appreciative of the current model. Like the 2005 and 2010 redos, the 2014 Mustang pulls inspiration from the late '60s, early '70s era, just before muscle cars got neutered by stringent (for the times) emissions regulations and the resultant power robbing catalytic converter. Of course, today's 662-horsepower Shelby GT500 makes an original '69 GT500 KR "King Cobra" I once drove seem almost Read Full Story