Land Rover’s Discovery is entirely new for 2017, replacing the aging LR4 with a lighter aluminum body and suspension design that’s a lot sportier to drive and much sleeker to look at, yet doesn’t…

2017 Land Rover Discovery HSE Luxury Td6 Road Test

Full disclosure: I'm still a big fan of the LR4. In fact, if Land Rover had stuffed the Td6 turbo-diesel under its blocky grille for our market I'd already be an owner. Then again, I would've purchased it long before the all-new 2017 Discovery arrived, at which point I might have wished I'd waited.

After all, there's much the Discovery does better than the LR4, but before we delve too deeply into all the improvements we should pay our respect to one of last classic big box 4x4s on the market. The LR4, simply known as Discovery in other markets, perfected the original squared off chockablock look it inherited from the LR3 in 2009. The two models were almost identical in shape and measurement, but anyone who'd seen, entered and then drove both would tell you the experience was night and day. This new fifth-generation Discovery can make that claim tenfold.

For starters, it no longer looks like geometric linear art. Yes, lovers of the rolling rectangle will need to spend Read Full Story
Volvo is in the process of completely revamping its model lineup and the 2018 XC60 is next in line. We test it in T6 AWD Inscription trim featuring its mid-range 316-hp turbocharged and supercharged 2.0L…

2018 Volvo XC60 Road Test

With such a wide array of crossover and sport utility vehicles now on the market, wily auto manufacturers are in a pitched battle to infuse their 'utes with the latest comfort, convenience and safety technology.

Volvo is no different. Once on the brink of extinction, the renowned Swedish brand was purchased by Chinese auto giant Geely, which wisely pumped cash into Volvo to resuscitate it, while allowing Volvo to do what it does best -- build superb cars with tons of luxury and safety. The result has been a string of hits for Volvo, including the XC90, S90, V90 Cross Country and the 2018 XC60.

Let's start outside with the all-new XC60 where surprisingly, Volvo's are now known for sensuous, sleek styling. Up front, "Thor's Hammer" daytime running lamps with LED technology are a "smashing" styling hit. Loosely based on the shape of Thor's Hammer from Norse mythology, these lights make quite a statement that carries into the side styling. Along the sides, the profile sports Read Full Story
If this van caught your interest, you’ve got serious work to do. Ford’s Transit has quickly become the industry bestseller, and for good reason. It comes in three lengths and three heights, plus offers…

2017 Ford Transit 350 Diesel Van Road Test

If your business needs a new cargo van, Ford's full-size Transit is a good place to start your search.

The Transit 350 Diesel Van available for my weeklong test made the just noted term "full-size" seem understated, as it was a bit too big for my garage. I left it sitting on the long patch of gravel in front of my office when not in use, although it's sheer mass had me worried it would cave the side of an adjacent ditch in, and we'd walk out to find it lying on its side. Fortunately, my concerns weren't warranted.

It really wasn't parked for much of its short tenure anyway. As you can likely imagine, I had a number of mobile activities that required such a large, dry space, foreknowledge of such a useful appliance causing a preplanned agenda that could never be fulfilled in just seven days.

The Transit 350 Diesel had no problem accommodating our every wish, mind you. Our tester's massive passenger side-slider and tall 50/50-hinged rear doors provided access Read Full Story
Why be predictable? If you show up in a Jaguar your colleagues will think you paid much more than you did, while you’ll have a lot more fun getting there than if you’d bought a heavier less sporting…

2017 Jaguar XJ Portfolio AWD Road Test

If I were purchasing a full-size luxury sedan the XJ would be top priority, and I'd take it exactly as my most recent tester was optioned.

It looks stately in Fuji White, a name that would probably be more apropos for a Japanese luxury sedan rather than something from Britain. Of course, Cumbria's Scafell Pike would be an odd moniker for anything car related, and at 978 metres it only gets a dusting of white in mid-winter. The Scottish Highlands is a more likely place to find snowcapped peaks, albeit Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui are even stranger names for car paint. Fuji White it is.

The light colour offsets its black glass roof and black rear pillars perfectly, Jaguar finishing off the rear bumper with a glossy black diffuser-style cap featuring a bit of chrome on top and two polished stainless oval tailpipes at each corner. It's a stunning look, finished off with gracefully arcing LED taillights in back and sharply dressed full LED headlamps up front.

The latter Read Full Story
Lexus’ RX has always been a good looking luxury SUV, but now its daring design pulls eyeballs wherever it goes, especially in as-tested F Sport trim. The upgrade adds a unique mesh grille, more aggressive…

2017 Lexus RX 350 F Sport Road Test

I was about to start this story by saying there has never been a more successful luxury SUV created than the Lexus RX, but after a little research I'm finding out that's an old, outdated statistic.

The RX, which was the first car-based luxury crossover SUV ever produced, has been amazingly successful here in North America where it remains number one by a long shot, but within Canada alone it's currently second behind Audi's smaller albeit almost as accommodating Q5, while globally they both get beaten badly by Buick's number-one selling Envision that found 123,397 buyers worldwide during the first five months of 2017 (you can thank China for that), as well as Mercedes-Benz' GLC runner up that sold 117,856 global units over the same period. I don't have exact numbers for the RX in all the countries it's sold in because it didn't make the top 100 vehicles list. So much for starting out this review with a bang.

Of course, with 109,435 total U.S. sales last year and 8,147 Read Full Story
What do you get when you combine a sport wagon and crossover SUV? Meet the new VW Golf AllTrack, a good looking, sporty alternative to an SUV that provides 170-hp, 6-speed dual-clutch auto, AWD performance…

2017 Volkswagen Golf AllTrack Road Test

Drumroll please… And the winner of the 2017 Auto Journalist Association of Canada's Canadian Car of the Year award is (ratatatat) the 2017 Volkswagen Golf AllTrack!

Well that one caught me by surprise, as did the selection of the 2017 Subaru Forester for the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. Not that these two compact crossovers aren't worthy, but the Subie was merely a mid-cycle refresh, and a mild one at that, and the COTY winner was (as just stated) more of a crossover SUV than a car, or at least that's how VW classifies it on their retail site.

Yes, I'm aware that it's actually a Golf SportWagen and therefore kind of qualifies for Car of the Year, but it's adequately raised and moderately pumped up on oxandrolone thanks to plenty of matte black body cladding including a quad of flared fenders, slick looking aluminized front and rear undertrays plus rocker moulding trim, a set of aluminum roof rails up top, as well as some trick aluminum-finish mirror Read Full Story