Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann reviews the all-new 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid and comes away impressed. Delivering blistering performance, zero-emissions plug-in electric…

2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Road Test Review

A decade or so ago, back when Hummers were starting to lose their cool factor, most of us thought the sport utility vehicle was a thing of the past, but creation of car-based crossover utility vehicles, or CUVs, have kept our love affair with the SUV alive despite an overall rise in the cost of living that has included ever-increasing fuel costs.

These last problems haven't affected the premium sector quite as harshly, where all types of luxury utes are selling very well. Porsche has particularly enjoyed tremendous success with its midsize Cayenne, having sold nearly 600,000 examples since it debuted in 2002 (more than 276,000 first-generation models were produced between 2002 and 2010, and over 300,000 units of the second-gen model since 2010), and now 12 years later has introduced yet another spin on its spicy SUV theme.

For model year 2015, along with the most affordable V6-powered Cayenne, thrifty Cayenne Diesel, V6 turbo-powered Cayenne S, even sportier Cayenne Read Full Story
Jeep is the most legendary name in off-roading and the Grand Cherokee is one of the granddaddies of the modern-day SUV genre, the latest version not only an impressive 4x4 but also ultimately fuel-friendly…

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel 4×4 Road Test Review

Jeep only just gave its flagship Grand Cherokee model an update last year, so there aren't many changes to the 2015 model. The intensely fun Grand Cherokee SRT that I tested last year gets a minor five horsepower and five lb-ft of torque bump in output for a staggering 475 ponies and 470 twisties respectively, while the same SRT model as well as the Grand Cherokee Summit I'm testing here get active noise cancellation plus additional noise abatement to the windshield and second-row windows to reduce NVH levels, the latter appreciated by the well-to-do crowd this model attracts.

It's no secret that the Grand Cherokee is as loved by the worlds wealthy as it is by global adventurers, its go-anywhere capability almost overshadowed by an interior that easily makes it a candidate for premium status. Jeep's legendary name and the all-round capability that comes with it taking care of the rest. That it looks so very good isn't just icing on the proverbial cake, however, it's absolutely Read Full Story
Perforated 10-way powered leather seats with heat and ventilation? A heatable leather-wrapped steering wheel? 8.4-inch infotainment? Is this a premium luxury sedan or maybe a top-tier sports car? No,…

2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Laramie Quad Cab 4X4 Road Test Review

So who's kicking half-ton pickup truck butt in the Canadian market these days? If you guessed Ford with its F-Series you'd be right, but Chevy is no longer number two. That spot has actually belonged to Ram for some time.

It takes two General Motors brands to push Ram off the second-place podium, and not by much. The Ram brand sold 88,521 pickup trucks in Canada last year, an improvement of more than 10 percent compared to 2013. It'll no doubt be some time before Ram gets close enough to Ford for it to even see the big blue oval on the backside of an F-Series truck, but it's been outselling both Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks since 2010, the GM models only achieving 41,959 and 48,046 Canadian sales respectively last year for a total of just 90,005, only 1,484 units more than Ram. At the rate Ram is growing it may not be long before it passes right on by the General's combined dual-brand pickup sales, which may cause some soul searching in Oshawa. Just in case you were Read Full Story
Let’s face it, if you’re trying to compete in the luxury sector without a compact CUV you’re going to lose out. The new Audi Q3 is just one of many new pint-sized crossover SUVs recently added to…

2015 Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI Quattro Road Test Review

I knew there was something Mediterranean about the Q3 as soon as I laid eyes on it.

Somehow, to me at least, it seemed like the kind of vehicle I could see myself meandering through the crowded streets of Barcelona in, pulling up to a quaint bistro in Barceloneta before meeting up with amigos y amigas; casually cruising around Port Vell while checking out all the luxury yachts con mi amor; parking conspicuously near the Rambla del Mar to creatively capture a twosome selfie of the fabulous wooden structure with the Q3 in the foreground; filling up its accommodating cargo hold with all the best brand names after shopping with mi cariño en le Maremagnum; parking it next to the beach so I can enjoy its view along with la hermosa vista del mar Mediterrània; and then later touring through the city to be amazed by all of the breathtaking Antoni Gaudí architectural artwork, from the uncompleted yet incomparably grand Sagrada Família cathedral, to the brilliant Read Full Story
Today on CarCostCanada, auto journalist Trevor Hofmann reviews the 2015 Hyundai Veloster in new base trim with its optional dual-clutch EcoShift DCT gearbox. Sporty, well equipped and highly practical,…

2015 Hyundai Veloster EcoShift DCT Road Test Review

Adding a bunch of fancy features to a car in any given model year is nothing new, but offering a less expensive stripped down version really gets my attention, which is one of the reasons I requested this particular trim level in the sporty Hyundai Veloster, a car that can now be had for a sweet and low $17,999 plus $1,695 in freight and pre-delivery prep charges (plus a $878.34 no-haggle discount at the time of writing).

That's a lot of sports coupe for the money, starting at a price more akin to compact four-door models. It wouldn't be much of a story if Hyundai had left it stark naked, but on the contrary it's filled with the types of standard features that young and young-at-heart buyers want and need, such as a large seven-inch high-resolution LCD video touchscreen, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 compatible audio system with iPod, USB, auxiliary and video input jacks, steering wheel mounted controls, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, a trip computer, air conditioning, Read Full Story
Are you the new 2015 Audi A3 Sedan? The German brand would love to add you to its fold, and at just over $31k this sporty new four-door might be just the ticket to attract an entirely new fan-base of…

2015 Audi A3 Sedan 2.0 TFSI Quattro Road Test Review

The new 2015 A3 is a clear sign that Audi has its thinking cap on. The previous A3, while a very competent compact luxury model, was a five-door hatchback that more accurately wore the body of a sporty wagon. Ingolstadt referred to its configuration as Sportback, but that was marketing not reality, similar to how it dubbed previous sport wagons with the Avant nameplate (and still does in other markets) while continuing to call its beefed up wagon-cum-crossovers by the Allroad name. As much as I personally like sport wagons and many European car fans likewise appreciate the combination of sport sedan and roomy wagon, the vast majority of today's premium level buyers would rather have sedans or crossover SUVs. Hence, Audi replaced the old A3 hatch with three new models.

The new A3 Sedan is the compact four-door that four-ringed faithful have long been pining for, the A3 Cabriolet a reasonably priced drop-top for drivers wanting a little more flair, while the new Q3 crossover SUV Read Full Story
Back in January, Trevor Hofmann reviewed a 2015 Scion tC equipped with its optional six-speed automatic, whereas this time around he strapped himself into a similar tC sporting the slick shifting six-speed…

2015 Scion tC Road Test Review

Remember Toyota's Celica? The now classic model still has a lot of diehard fans that collect, restore and custom-tune the once popular sport coupe, from its Carina-based rear-drive origins to the final front-drive seventh-generation Corolla-sourced model, a car that I quickly fell for as a budding automotive journalist way back at the turn of the century, it's a very special bit of Toyota culture and history.

While Toyota now produces the GT 86, a wholly better-performing sports coupe than the Celica ever was, even when offered in now legendary rally-inspired Turbo AWD guise (I can't describe how much I wanted that car when it arrived on the scene), the Celica filled its 2+2 sport coupe niche respectably and no doubt would still enjoy an ardent following if produced today.

In many respects Toyota's newish Scion youth-brand fills the sporty roll of its parent automaker here in North America, which is a philosophy that's somewhat at odds with the man that heads up all Read Full Story
Whoa! Now this is a big SUV! Toyota is one of few brands that stock a full-size off-road and trailer-towing capable sport utility vehicle, the 2015 Sequoia complete with a powerful V8, standard leather…

2015 Toyota Sequoia Platinum Road Test Review

If you regularly haul heavy loads but need something with more interior room than a pickup truck there's only one alternative, a big body-on-frame sport utility vehicle. Fortunately there's no shortage of full-size SUVs on the market, Toyota's Sequoia being just one of five within the volume branded mainstream sector alone, and there are plenty more being sold by premium marques such as Lexus.

Still, Toyota has always had a tough time in a market that has been dominated by domestic makers. Initial U.S. sales of the previous generation looked rosy with 70,187 units delivered in 2002, but steadily tapered off over the years to the point that 2014 saw only 11,806 examples finding new owners south of the 49th. Here in Canada the Sequoia's decade-long sales chart is skewed mostly the other way, the model arriving here in 2004 and selling a mere 562 units, yet after a few tumultuous years those numbers rose up substantially before steadily ebbing to a 713 unit sales total last year. Read Full Story