With the new 1500 EcoDiesel, FCA’s Ram brand revolutionizes the half-ton pickup truck segment with the first-ever diesel-powered offering in North America. Now holding most fuel-efficient title in the…

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Laramie Road Test Review

One summer, when I was around ten years old, my uncle decided to drive us from the Croatian coast to the Alps of Slovenia. A wonderful vacation, though I still remember gagging on diesel fumes as we followed a string of heavily laden trucks along a mountain pass. We couldn't have imagined that in just a few decades, Dr. Diesel's engine would reach today's level of civility.

Dr. Rudolph Diesel either fell, was pushed, or jumped from the deck of a cross-Channel ferry while on his way to England. That was September 29, 1913, some time before his patented engine design became successful. The motor mounted in the Ram 1500 Diesel would have surely done the good doctor proud, it is a gem of a powerplant, ideally suited to light and medium duty trucks. The basic design has been proven over the years in European utility vehicles. In current form it produces 420 lb-ft of torque, the pulling power you need for both work and play. Measured fuel economy during my test, which included some Read Full Story
Want a family van that holds very little back in delivering premium-level luxury? Chrysler says it has the answer in its “ultimate luxury minivan,” a vehicle that pampers all occupants while incorporating…

2015 Chrysler Town

While its true that minivans don't rule the roads like they once did, and many manufacturers have abandoned the segment in favour of three-row crossovers, it's also true that the segment remains an important one. So Chrysler will have a lot riding on the next-generation Town & Country when the company introduces it for the 2016 model year.

Not only will the new Town & Country be following in the footsteps of a carefully refined, eminently practical and immensely popular design that's been serving families faithfully since 2008, it will also be stepping into the spotlight solo: After 31 years in the marketplace its Dodge Grand Caravan sibling is slated to be discontinued.

The transition should see some interesting changes in the Town & Country lineup, especially north of the 49th parallel. After all, while the Town & Country is the segment leader in the US (followed closely by the Dodge Grand Caravan), in Canada the battle is far fiercer. The value-priced Read Full Story
This little oddball must have been called names when it was young, but it grew up to be one of the best all-round sport compacts in the business. The Hyundai Veloster stands out from the crowd for sure,…

2014 Hyundai Veloster EcoShift DCT SE Road Test Review

Up and comers take more chances. Everyone knows that. If you've got more to lose then you play it safe, or at least that seems to be the way of the world. Still, nobody can call Hyundai a wannabe mainstream player anymore. They're way too successful than that, and therefore it came as a bit of a surprise when they introduced the unorthodox Veloster sport coupe a few years ago.

I say unorthodox because of its unique styling and even more unusual body configuration, which shows the sleek sportiness of a two-door on the driver's side and the practical aspects of a four-door on the passengers' side. In reality it's a three-door coupe, or if you factor in the rear hatch a four-door.

No matter how you classify it the Veloster is cool. It looks like a bulldog charging after a scurrying cat, but rather than tear its prey to pieces it's more likely to lick it to death, or at least that's the feeling it gives off to me. Hyundai seems to have answered the question "What do you Read Full Story
When Hyundai replaced its Veracruz with the Santa Fe XL it solved a number of problems in one fell swoop, the result being a familiar name in a larger more family-oriented package. Check out Trevor Hofmann’s…

2014 Hyundai Santa Fe XL Luxury Road Test Review

Back in 2007, Hyundai entered the near-luxury crossover segment with its 2008 Veracruz, and while I wrote the CUV up after a particularly impressive national press launch, the Veracruz completely rewrote the auto sector rulebooks about exactly what connotes a luxury vehicle. Since then the South Korean brand has continued to shake up the premium status quo with cars like the Genesis sedan and Equus, while the Veracruz was replaced last year with the even more enticing Santa Fe XL.

I must admit I was a bit concerned when I heard that Hyundai was replacing its then new Veracruz with a longer wheelbase Santa Fe, but I hadn't seen it yet. The new Santa Fe's completely reworked styling easily had me forgetting the Veracruz, while newfound size and substantive road presence targeted it directly at other large-midsize crossovers such as Honda's Pilot and Toyota's Highlander. Hyundai's reasoning for dropping the Veracruz made sense, the model hardly showing up on the radar of family Read Full Story
Tired of your economy car? Want something fuel-efficient yet still attractive, filled with luxurious features and fun to drive? Hyundai has the answer in its subcompact Accent Sedan GLS. Trevor Hofmann…

2014 Hyundai Accent Sedan GLS Road Test Review

Just one look will tell you the Accent is no ordinary subcompact car. From nose to tail it's endowed with truly attractive lines for the entry-level segment. It's not trying to be the class clown or weird just to get attention, but rather delivers a level of sophistication small cars don't usually pull off, their dimensions too small to emulate a given brand's key design elements effectively, the result being a disproportionate oddball that looks about as natural as a Rolls-Royce grille on the front of a VW Beetle.

Not so for the Accent, however. Hyundai is becoming a pretty classy volume brand, duking it out against big business premium players with its impressive Genesis and Equus models while still willing to mix it up on the tiny tot school ground with the compact Elantra and this impressive little Accent.

Hyundai's uniquely framed trapezoidal grille looks right at home on this small package, although it's bisected with a large body-colour bumper, yet the shape Read Full Story