The Fusion Energi is Ford’s mid-size plug-in hybrid, and with 188-hp plus fuel economy equaling 2.7 L/100km, not to mention 32 km of EV range, it’s a large mid-size luxury sedan capable of mini-car…

2015 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium Road Test Review

Energi is Ford-speak for "plug-in hybrid", a name it's only given to two vehicles thus far, the C-Max Energi and this Fusion Energi. Two plug-in models, however, is one more than main competitor Toyota offers, while the domestic brand's Focus EV means that it's also ahead of the Japanese brand when it comes to 100-percent electrics.

Interestingly, there isn't a global brand that offers more plug-in models than the blue-oval, while Ford also makes a couple of regular hybrids, and even more importantly from an environmental perspective, its full lineup of cars, crossovers and trucks offer some of the cleanest, most fuel-efficient direct-injected and turbocharged gasoline powerplants in the industry, along with innovative dual-clutch and multi-speed manual and automatic transmissions. They've also got renewable bio-diesels running around Europe, trucks and vans powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), while the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle I Read Full Story
GM’s new line of mid-size pickup trucks have added a new competitiveness in their segment, and after a week in a Chevy Colorado Z71 Crew Cab 4x4 Trevor Hofmann gives his reasons why. With an off-road…

2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Crew Cab 4×4 Road Test Review

Like what you see? You've probably noticed the new Chevrolet Colorado driving by and while many will know exactly what it is and had possibly been waiting for its return, many more will wonder where it came from. No matter where you fit into this scenario or some other unmentioned one, know that having the Colorado back in our midst is a very good thing.

GM had all but given up on the compact to mid-size truck segment a few years ago, as did Ford with its once best-selling Ranger and Dodge (now Ram) with its Dakota, all watching their once significant market share erode against Toyota's all-conquering Tacoma, but truth be told it wasn't the market that wasn't working for the domestics, it was that none of them bothered to update their trucks often enough to warrant buyer interest, while Toyota kept making theirs newer and better. The Big 3 abandoned the small truck market to Toyota, Nissan and Honda long before they discontinued production of their respective models, and instead Read Full Story
Nobody does retro muscle cars like Dodge, and this year’s updated Challenger is no exception. With revised styling front to rear plus a reworked interior the 2015 Challenger gets cool new Scat Pack…

2015 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Shaker Road Test Review

Really, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm 50-plus, over the hill, on the downward slope and coasting, but wouldn't you know the latest Challenger Scat Pack Shaker had me feeling like a silly schoolboy.

It's been a while since I turned back not once, not twice, but three times while walking down the path to my home, yet this ballsy all-American muscle car has an all-consuming, overpowering pull on eyeballs. When passersby first heard and then saw this big red beast rumble past they either smiled widely or sneered in disdain, the latter obviously not amused by the unrepentant attitude toward environmental issues this car's fire-breathing V8 represents. In reality it's a lot cleaner than the old Volvo diesel wagons that show up at save the trees rallies, but of course it's no Prius. It harks back to the era I grew up in when people protested against "the bomb" while worrying about the coming ice age, how things have changed. The Challenger Scat Pack Shaker is the Classic Coke of the car Read Full Story
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear, there’s no bad Porsche 911, but there are some that are better than others. Enter the new-for-2015 911 GTS, tested here in C4 Cabriolet guise. Making 430-hp and…

2015 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet Road Test Review

I've long loved Porsche's legendary 911. As far back as I can remember my dad lauded this sports car of sports cars while driving around in his '76 VW Scirocco, the closest we could affordably get to owning one of Zuffenhausen's rear-engine super coupes. We (that would be me riding shotgun) road tested a 924 when it came out in 1976, the week after first seeing it at our local auto show no less, but despite trying to make the numbers work my dad traded the old '66 Beetle in for a classic metallic silver Scirocco complete with black "SCIROCCO" lettering along each rocker.

Graphics like that were all the rage back then, the lime green 924 with bold checkered seats we'd tested prior featuring something similar along its lower midsection, not to mention mirrored "PORSCHE" windshield tint stuck under the roofline. Today both German brands are much less expressive when it comes to branded decals, my most recent 911 tester making do with a subtle "GTS" stamped on the front portion of Read Full Story
Cadillac has hit the 2015 model year with the all-new ATS Coupe, a compact model that targets the heart of the premium two-door market. How does it measure up? Trevor Hofmann delivers a cutting and candid…

2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe 3.6 Road Test Review

When Cadillac first unveiled the ATS sedan at Detroit's College for Creative Studies as part of a soirée the evening before its full song and dance intro at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it was a forgone conclusion that an ATS two-door would follow. The then-new ATS meant that the CTS would likely grow in size, which we now know occurred for the 2014 model year, a reality that we expected would more than likely eliminate the much-lauded CTS Coupe and, alas, the fabulous CTS Sport Wagon (RIP). All said the sleeker and sportier ATS Coupe was inevitable.

Where Cadillac dabbled unsuccessfully in compact four-door luxury in the early to mid-'80s, the 2015 ATS Coupe is altogether new territory for GM's topmost luxury division. Prior to either ATS body style, Cadillac's previous CTS appeared to be a winning solution for attracting premium D-segment buyers that were snapping up Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class models at record rates, offering Read Full Story
The subcompact SUV class is booming and Chevy’s little Trax is number 1 for good reason. At less than $20k it boasts a 138-hp turbo four, remote entry, tilt and telescopic multifunction steering, Bluetooth,…

2015 Chevrolet Trax 1.4 Turbo AWD LTZ Road Test Review

There aren't many domestic branded vehicles that get their first run in Canada before heading to the US, but launching the Trax north of the 49th a couple of years ahead of Chevy's largest and most important market allowed it to gain some traction in a safe environment.

Why safe? The move made sense due to Canada's greater acceptance of small rolling stock, and the Trax is certainly diminutive for a CUV, slotting into the subcompact SUV category. It's not like we don't have a history of such practices. We received Smart's ForTwo four years ahead of the US, and more recently Nissan launched its sub-$10k Micra here, although there are no plans to sell it south of the border despite Nissan USA hosting a journalist ride and drive program for it. There are many similar Canada-only and Canada-first small car stories such as the Acura EL and CSX (now the ILX which is available in the US), Mercedes-Benz B-Class (still a no go), Toyota Echo Hatchback (Yaris hatch predecessor) and first-generation Read Full Story
After more than 30 years on the road, FCA’s minivans are still totally dominant with 60% of their market in Canada, but it certainly can’t hurt to add a new S trim line for the luxury-equipped Town…

2015 Chrysler Town

Can you imagine what would have happened if Chrysler group had actually replaced the Grand Caravan with the Journey back in 2008 as was expected? They certainly would've sold a lot fewer vehicles, 333,800 since 2009 in Canada alone to be exact (and another 764,709 in the US, plus who knows how many more in the rest of the Americas and overseas?). The Journey does very well in its mid-size crossover SUV class, but it's nowhere near as successful as Dodge's trusty old family van north of the 49th. If we merely cherry pick calendar year 2014, which was hardly the Caravan's best 12 months, Dodge sold 51,759 Grand Caravans to Canadian customers compared to just 24,715 Journeys, that last number making the crossover utility one of the top sellers in its mid-size class, yet dwarfed by the humble minivan, the fifth best-selling vehicle in Canada overall, incidentally. As of September this year it's sold 34,762 units to the Journey's 19,156, so all-round it appears to have been a decision well Read Full Story
For a bit more than $31k you can get a gorgeous Audi A3 Sedan with turbo power, a dual-clutch gearbox, an electric parking brake, a leather-clad steering wheel, partial leather powered seats, dual-zone…

2016 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro Technik Road Test Review

There's only one better compact sport sedan in the premium sector than Audi's A3, and that's the same brand's S3. Having already covered that sportier model in 2015 trim, I await a second turn at the wheel with eager anticipation, although another spin in the A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro is certainly a good way to wile away the time.

If you're a fan of Audi's big, bold grille, LED enhanced lighting elements and chiseled flanks, the new A3 sedan will certainly fit your preferred style. From the front and profile it looks just like most other Audi sedans, only smaller, while its blade-shaped taillights are uniquely elegant. My tester rode on a neat and clean set of simple silver 10-spoke alloys on 225/45R18 Continental ProContact all-seasons, while up top about two-thirds of the rooftop gets covered in black glass making it appear as if there's a panoramic moonscape from below, but in reality it's just a nice large sunroof shedding light on the front half of the passenger compartment.
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