Always wished you enjoyed the reliability of a Toyota Camry, but never been able to drive something so conservatively styled? Your wait is now officially over, as the 2015 Toyota Camry is sleek and elegant…

2015 Toyota Camry LE Road Test Review

There have already been a lot of new car introductions for model year 2015, but due to its incredibly high sales and how these numbers effect thousands of North American consumers, none is more important than the all-new 2015 Toyota Camry.

First off, what you're looking at is no mild makeover. Powertrains and interior aside, this Camry has been reworked from the wheels up. As you can plainly see, Toyota has given its midsize four-door offering exciting new styling with a larger more aggressive grille, two fabulous looking slanted stacks of fog lamps, attractive multi-angled headlights, elegantly penned taillights, lots of upscale chrome detailing, and sleek, wind-cheating sheetmetal from front to back. The only body panel that carries forward into 2015 unchanged is the roof, and that certainly won't get noticed when everything else looks so new. It's a design that looks good in any trim level, even my base LE tester.

The new Camry also fits into Toyota's new four-door Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, check out Trevor Hofmann’s review of the Fiat 500L, one of the smallest compact crossovers on the market. It might be small on the outside, but the 500L is much larger inside…

2014 Fiat 500L Road Test Review

This job has taught me to expect the unexpected, and I must admit the Fiat 500L was unexpectedly good.

Don't get me wrong. Way before slipping behind the wheel of a 500L I was already impressed by the regular 500 after experiencing it in almost every flavour, but the 500L is an altogether different kind of car. Compared to that little champ the L totally lives up to the alpha portion of its new alphanumeric nameplate, it's Large.

That's the first surprise. Sure you can see it's going to be larger than the wee little 500, but just how much larger it is inside is shocking. Rear seat room is fabulous for two and possible for three while headroom is lofty all-round, my tester's stunning panoramic sunroof making it as close to an open-air convertible as this class gets.

Once you lift up the unexpectedly heavy liftgate there's a surprisingly sizable loading area behind those 60/40-split rear seatbacks too, good for 654 litres (23.1 cubic feet) of gear when they're Read Full Story
Want four-door coupe style on a budget? The only mainstream-badged offering in this segment is Volkswagen’s CC, and auto journalist Simon Hill reviews it here. Suited up in near top-line 2.0T Highline…

2015 Volkswagen CC 2.0T Highline Road Test Review

Four-door coupe. While the term is somewhat self-contradictory, it evokes a rich image: Mercedes-Benz CLS; BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe; Aston Martin Rapide; Porsche Panamera; Volkswagen CC. Wait, Volkswagen CC? That's right. In the rarified territory of four-door coupes, one of the contenders is a Volkswagen.

The CC was introduced in 2008 as the Passat CC, and was given a midlife refresh for the 2013 model year with a new front fascia and grille, new taillights, new LED accent lights, upgraded interior materials and a more practical three-across back seat to replace the original twin rear buckets. As part of this refresh it also dropped the Passat portion of its name, becoming simply the CC. Model year 2014 saw essentially no changes to the CC, and for 2015 it carries over with only minor updates in the form of some good looking new wheel styles.

The 2015 CC is available in three trim levels - Sportline, Highline, and Execline. The Sportline and Highline models feature Read Full Story
Looking for good, reliable transportation with a twist? Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann reviews the one-of-a-kind Scion xB, an ultra-roomy compact wagon-crossover with edgy two-box…

2014 Scion xB Road Test Review

Have you ever wondered what happened to the compact wagon? They used to be everywhere, a stalwart of the new car scene, but now they're few and far between, and even those that are still around don't resemble wagons of the past.

Take the Scion xB. By all account it's a wagon. Its two-box design includes four side doors and an upright rear hatch, but its funky styling somehow seems to slide it into a subset of compact crossovers filled with oddball originals like Kia's Soul and Nissan's appropriately named albeit now defunct Cube, having finally gone the way of the originator of this segment here in Canada, Honda's Element.

While it's difficult to tell, the uniquely shaped xB actually shares MC-platform underpinnings with Toyota's new Corolla sedan, not to mention Toyota's various Prius models, the RAV4 and Scion's own tC sport coupe. Toyota's other compact wagon, the Matrix, is based on old outdated MC architecture, which is why it will soon be dropped from Toyota's Read Full Story
The GMC Terrain has yet to be redesigned since its inception, but nevertheless it remains a favourite amongst compact crossover SUV buyers. The bold looking chrome-laden model gets tested by auto journalist…

2014 GMC Terrain SLT AWD Road Test Review

Despite GMC's compact crossover SUV showing up just about everywhere you look, it really hasn't been with us that long. The General's truck and SUV brand brought it out in late 2009 as a 2010 model, and it's sold very well since then despite not having any significant upgrades over a five-year run. No major changes are planned for the 2015 model year either, so those looking to save a little on a 2014 model of this near midsize CUV don't have to worry about their new ride looking dated shortly after driving off the lot. Actually, the next-generation D2XX-based Terrain is at the very least one, and quite possibly two years away.

The Terrain's solid sales numbers are a good sign that GMC endowed it with a look people like and all of the features they need and want, not to mention a price point they can live with. One thing the 100-plus year old marque understands is how to position its products to appeal to its loyal owners, and to that end the Terrain can be had in five trim levels Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, Trevor Hofmann reviews the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, a fuel-efficient luxury sedan that ups style and substance in the mid-size premium segment. The MKZ leads the Lincoln lineup with…

2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Road Test Review

This car should be black. Then it could silently whir through the set of Andrew Niccol's 1997 sci-fi thriller Gattaca almost unnoticed, its retrospectively futuristic stylings seemingly perfect for this über-kool art noir modern-day classic.

Do you think the new Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is a modern-day classic? Is it a car we'll aspire to own 45 years from now, like the '69 Mk III? I adore the Mk III and really like the new Lincoln MKZ, particularly from its rear quarter view, but I'm not one to prognosticate about future collectables.

While a Ford Fusion underneath, the MKZ's genetically engineered skin doesn't look anything like its mainstream cousin, not unlike how the old Mk III didn't look anything like the equally stunning Thunderbird it was based on. And rather than no-cost Tuxedo Black my tester wore White Platinum paint, a $600 option that's well worth the money as it makes this Lincoln look positively radiant.

Inside, the MKZ Hybrid is shaped with Read Full Story
Today’s Passat is an altogether different kind of car than its predecessor, but some things, like its optional turbo-diesel TDI engine and automated DSG dual-clutch gearbox are pure VW goodness. Read…

2014 Volkswagen Passat Highline TDI Road Test Review

The Passat as we know it today is a very different car than it was at its beginning. Back in 1973 it was a two-door "fastback" penned by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro, while its chassis and mechanicals were pulled from the four-door Audi 80 sedan. In case you've never heard of Giorgetto Giugiaro, he was also responsible for such legendary classics as the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Bertone, 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT/GTV, 1963 Iso Rivolta Grifo, 1966 De Tomaso Mangusta, 1966 Maserati Ghibli and 1971 Bora, 1972 Lotus Esprit, 1977 BMW M1, 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, and many others, plus of course VW's original Golf, Scirocco and Jetta models. On another note, if you were somewhere on the North American continent in '73 you likely won't remember the Passat being available at all, because it wore the Dasher nameplate here. The second-generation Passat that came along in '81 was called Quantum here, the actual European designation for the car not offered on this side of the Atlantic until 1990 Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, Trevor Hofmann reviews the new 2015 BMW X4 in top-line xDrive35i trim. A smaller more compact version of BMW’s X6 sport activity coupe, the X4 will likely find a similarly enthusiastic…

2015 BMW X4 xDrive35i Road Test Review

BMW must be the most efficient operation in the auto sector. And no, I'm not talking about its EfficientDynamics systems that include such leading-edge tech as regenerative braking and idle start/stop on all of its new models, not to mention a blow-by heater that uses residual engine heat to warm up the cabin after the engine temporarily shuts down, or for that matter its extensive lineup of thrifty turbo-diesels, fuel-conscious gas-electric hybrids and new plug-in cars, but rather the very platform architectures the more common of these models ride on.

Ahead of the next-generation 35up architecture, which believe it or not will underpin every rear-drive car and crossover SAV from the 3 to the 7 including their xDrive counterparts, the current F20 to F36 architecture carries everything from the brand's petite 2 Series Coupe/Cabriolet and X1 crossover to the ballsy new X4 I just finished testing and am now reviewing here, not to mention the ubiquitous 3 Series in its various body Read Full Story