Need a full-size crossover SUV for your big family? There’s nothing larger than GM’s trio of CUVs, which include Chevrolet’s Traverse, GMC’s Acadia and Buick’s Enclave. Today on CarCostCanada,…

2014 GMC Acadia Denali Road Test Review

The GMC Acadia Denali is one hot looking family hauler. Proportionally it's better looking than the comparatively portly Audi Q7 that it appears to be trying to emulate, with a brusquer more truck-like chromed grille, a more elegantly detailed lower valence, a more aggressive stance thanks to bulging fender flares, a longer, lower and leaner profile, and a cooler looking chrome-enhanced rear bumper with integrated rectangular tailpipes. By its styling alone it deserves the ardent following it garners, but let's get something straight right off the bat: the Acadia Denali is no premium CUV.

General Motors would like us to mentally position all of its Denali models within the premium sector, and within the pickup truck sector at least I have no problem with this. After all, other than the now defunct Cadillac Escalade EXT (the crested wreath brand's take on the also discontinued Chevy Avalanche) there isn't much finer within the full-size pickup truck class. Amongst large crossovers Read Full Story
Hatchbacks might be slow sellers in the U.S., but here in Canada they’re styling and practicality have long made them hot commodities. Hyundai is a major player in the hatchback market with multiple…

2014 Hyundai Accent Hatchback GL Road Test Review

One look at the Accent Hatchback is all you'll need to realize that performance is part of the equation, but zipping away from stoplights and taking to the corners is only part of what Hyundai has on offer with this stylish five-door.

The Accent, whether in hatch or four-door form, is an impressive subcompact, easily capable of mixing it up with the bevy of Japanese and domestic entry-level offerings currently available. Along with its sporty styling and strong performance it delivers a nicely finished cabin with high style, good materials quality and better than expected refinement, not to mention the roominess of some compacts.

Make yourself comfortable in the sizable front seats, my GL tester covered in two-tone upholstery that combines woven black cloth on the sides and bolsters with a lighter patterned fabric for the inserts, the latter material adopted for the nicely finished door panel inserts as well. For me, the doors are this car's design highlight, featuring Read Full Story
If you’re in the market for a small car your options are better than ever. Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann offers a detailed review of the value driven Hyundai Accent in popular…

2014 Hyundai Accent Sedan GL Road Test Review

I recently drove a fully loaded Accent Sedan GLS and must say I was extremely impressed, so when opportunity knocked and a mid-grade Accent Sedan GL asked me if I could come out to play I happily agreed.

Yes, while classy looking for a subcompact four-door, there's a playful attitude residing inside. It comes from one of the most powerful standard engines in the compact class, not to mention an advanced set of standard six-speed transmissions. That direct-injected, 16-valve, DOHC 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine puts 138 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque down to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic, the latter being le mode de faire in my GL tester.

In a car that weighs a mere 1,124 kilos (2,400 lbs) I'm sure you can imagine how these components combine together for quick takeoff and great highway passing power, while the autobox's shift lever-mounted manual mode gives even greater control through the corners, but probably Read Full Story
If you’re like the majority of Canadian new car shoppers, you’re likely driving a compact crossover now or considering purchasing one. It’s Canada’s fastest growing automotive segment, and Hyundai’s…

2014 Hyundai Tucson Limited AWD Road Test Review

Earlier this year I had opportunity to test Hyundai's refreshed 2014 Tucson, but in mid-grade GLS AWD trim. This time around a top-line Limited model made itself available, and this model truly hits the high life.

It wears most of the same exterior upgrades as the lower priced GLS, such as the better looking hexagonal grille with upscale chrome trim, beautifully detailed headlight clusters with their strips of premium-like LED DRLs, updated front and rear fascias, and newly shaped tail lamps, although over and above these shared changes the Limited infuses those rear lights with prettier LED-enhanced lenses, as well as a set of turn signals integrated into the side mirror housings, both giving the SUV a more premium look, while larger 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/55R18 Kumho Solus KL21 tires combine for a more capable looking stance with better road holding.

Inside, the same dual-pane panoramic sunroof featured in my last Tucson GLS once again sheds winter's Read Full Story
Bridging the gap between mainstream volume models and true premium level features and prestige, Honda’s Acura brand has found a lot of diehard followers since being launched in 1986, with the second-generation…

2015 Acura RDX Tech Road Test Review

Introduced for the 2013 model year, the current second-generation Acura RDX quickly established itself as a top seller in the small luxury SUV segment, with only the Audi Q5 outselling it during 2014. Not wanting to mess with success, Acura has mostly avoided tinkering with the formula, with updates to the RDX restricted to a new Kona Coffee colour for 2014 and no further changes for 2015.

From the moment you climb aboard the RDX, it's easy to see the appeal: The doors close with a muted thud, and the interior is a hushed, cocooning space. The standard-equipment AWD system and extra ground clearance compared to a sedan make tackling winter roads easy and relaxed. The decent-sized luggage area and split-folding rear seats make carrying cargo a snap, aided by an intelligently-designed power tailgate that lets you easily override it for quick manual operation, and convenient seatback release levers in the cargo area.

On the road, the RDX delivers positive driving impressions Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann reviews the new Chevrolet Silverado in value-packed LT Crew Cab 4WD trim. Showing a new level of interior refinement and improvements everywhere,…

2014 Chevrolet Silverado LT Crew Cab 4WD Road Test Review

In the truck business, styling might make more of a difference to buyers than in any other sector. A good example is the 1994 Ram 1500 which transformed an also-ran half-ton pickup into a major player thanks to big rig road presence, but Chevy's light duty trucks never had design problems to begin with.

Certainly there were years the Silverado wouldn't be considered a head-turner, but bowtie branded trucks were long considered the best looking of the lot even before the Silverado nameplate came into existence in 1998. Prior to that it was a trim level for a variety of Chevrolet's trucks and SUVs, the full-size C/K pickups boasting great looking designs since the '60s, while the Task Force trucks of the '50s are some of the most sought after by custom tuners today, and prior to that the late-'40s to mid-'50s Advanced Design pickups were very attractive for their era.

Speed forward to 2014 and Chevrolet's new Silverado 1500 is as bold, brash and downright good looking Read Full Story
Not exactly falling into the sport compact camp, the Dodge Dart GT is nevertheless one of the sportier compact sedans on today’s market, much thanks to its underpinnings and powertrain being pulled…

2014 Dodge Dart GT Road Test Review

Remember when Chrysler was attempting to be a premium brand and Dodge was targeting a more mainstream market? The company's Auburn Hills team, then under the DaimlerChrysler umbrella, came out with some very nice models including the 300C full-size sedan, which was based on the mid-2000s Mercedes-Benz E-Class, plus the pricey albeit impressive Pacifica crossover-like tall wagon that used a combination of Mercedes and Chrysler minivan underpinnings, and the Crossfire coupe and convertible, a concept turned reality thanks to the Merc SLK it rode upon. Fortunately the 300 sold very well, but unfortunately the others didn't and DC abandoned Chrysler's premium aspirations along with all of its American brands in 2007, leaving the domestic automaker to fight it out on its own with much depleted cash reserves. To make a long story short Chrysler is now under Fiat's umbrella and that Mercedes' based 300 now underpins the Lancia Thema in Europe, a model that previously shared its unibody with an Read Full Story
What’s one of the best handling sports coupes you can get for under $30,000? If you said the Hyundai Genesis Coupe you’d be correct. Trevor Hofmann reviews the fully independent suspended, rear-wheel…

2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Road Test Review

What you're looking at here is the last of a dying breed. Don't get me wrong, Hyundai won't be giving up on the 2+2 sport coupe segment, but like its four-door Genesis luxury sedan the Korean brand's next generation Genesis Coupe will grow into a more sophisticated premium-level car.

The first sign of this will come in model year 2015, when the 2.0-litre turbocharged model tested in this car will no longer be available. Some will find this a shame, as the 2.0T is lighter than the 3.8-litre V6 and therefore the car is a bit nimbler while still plenty powerful and of course easier on fuel. I once blasted back from Whistler, BC along the famed Sea-to-Sky Highway in a 2.0T with the R-Spec package and made it in record time, a trip that indelibly stamped the Genesis Coupe's handling brilliance on my cerebral cortex. I've since had numerous GCs and enjoyed every minute in them (except a V6 GT that came to me with a bent tie rod which Hyundai Canada humbly fixed and returned), and have Read Full Story