With only a week to go before the opening of the Chicago Auto Show, Subaru decided to get a jump on the excitement by offering   a sneak peak at its new Legacy sedan. The sixth generation of Subaru’s…

Redesigned Subaru Legacy teased ahead of Chicago

With only a week to go before the opening of the Chicago Auto Show, Subaru decided to get a jump on the excitement by offering a sneak peak at its new Legacy sedan. The sixth generation of Subaru's mid-size four-door will debut at the show on February 6.

The teaser image was accompanied by only the briefest of statements, indicating that the "the all-new Legacy offers a sleeker, more coupe-like profile with a faster windshield rake angle and narrower A-pillars that create a sporty and modern sedan."

What is clear from the teaser image is that the production version will stay very close in profile to the Legacy Concept shown at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, and will also get flared wheel arches similar to the Concept. Less clear is whether it will also retain the Concept's aggressive front end treatment with its "hawk-eye" headlights and hexagonal grille.

The Legacy's update comes just in time for the all-wheel drive sedan's 25th anniversary. The Legacy is Read Full Story
While the marketing team at Mercedes-Benz is eagerly referring to the 2014 E-Class as a redesign, we’re a bit reluctant to go   along with them in that regard. See, while the mechanical changes…

2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec 4Matic Road Test Review

While the marketing team at Mercedes-Benz is eagerly referring to the 2014 E-Class as a redesign, we're a bit reluctant to go along with them in that regard. See, while the mechanical changes are relatively minor and the reworked styling is largely a refresh rather than a major revision, we're more apt to label it an update. With that said, this is a considerably significant update however.

E-Class sedans and wagons get the styling refresh, while the coupes and convertibles remain unchanged. However, all models do get new interior design elements, and there are new engines across the board too. OK, so maybe the MBZ team is more on target than we initially gave them credit for. You decide.

However you slice it, the E-Class is one very important model line for Mercedes-Benz. Given that one quarter of all cars the company sells have an "E" on their trunk lids, and when you consider Mercedes offers some 13 model ranges, that's a huge statement. Essentially, the E-Class Read Full Story
For the second time in recent years, Toyota has taken the drastic step of halting sales of most of its U.S. lineup while it addresses a potential safety issue. But unless the National Highway Traffic…

Toyota halts U.S. sales over fire hazard

For the second time in recent years, Toyota has taken the drastic step of halting sales of most of its U.S. lineup while it addresses a potential safety issue. But unless the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration orders otherwise, Toyota says it doesn't plan to recall vehicles already sold.

North of the border, Toyota Canada has not halted sales but is instead consulting with Transport Canada to have the problem deemed inconsequential to safety, with no further action required.

The stop-sale announcement covers six high-volume models equipped with electric seat heaters, including the Camry, Sienna, Tacoma, Avalon, Tundra and Corolla. The problem is that some of the soft material underneath the outer seat upholstery doesn't comply with U.S. safety standards and could potentially catch fire in the event of a short circuit in the seat heating pad. In all, 36,000 cars, trucks, and minivans are affected - about 13 percent of the U.S. dealer inventory.

Toyota Read Full Story
For the 2015 model year WRX, Subaru has dropped mention of the Impreza nameplate. The car is now simply known as the 2015   Subaru WRX. And with it, the boyishness of previous iterations of the car…

2015 Subaru WRX Road Test Review

For the 2015 model year WRX, Subaru has dropped mention of the Impreza nameplate. The car is now simply known as the 2015 Subaru WRX. And with it, the boyishness of previous iterations of the car has been allowed to fall by the wayside as well.

Starting with the look of the car: the huge wings, giant air scoops, and overall cartoonish demeanor have been eschewed in favour of a more subtle, sophisticated, almost European look. What's more, the hatchback, so loved by the wannabe rally-king set, has been dropped as well. You'll now get your WRX as a sedan only, just as it was when the model first came to North America back in 2004.

Furthermore, a continuously variable transmission has been fitted to the car, and perhaps most telling of all, the suspension system has been calibrated for optimal performance on pavement. This is a significant change from previous iterations of the WRX. Those cars, hewing more toward the World Rally heritage of the car, left quite a bit of Read Full Story
Folks, Buick has changed, and then again, it really hasn’t. Spend some time in the new 2014 Buick Regal GS and you’ll experience  Photo: GM an athleticism long disassociated with the…

2014 Buick Regal GS Road Test Review

Folks, Buick has changed, and then again, it really hasn't. Spend some time in the new 2014 Buick Regal GS and you'll experience an athleticism long disassociated with the tri-shield brand. The soft "doctor's" car demeanor the marque came to represent is gone-sort of. Yes, the 2014 Regal GS is luxurious like you'd expect a Buick to be. It is also in possession of a dignified look and stature like you'd expect a Buick to have. But it goes like the European sport sedan upon which the Regal is based: The German Opel Insignia. Which is where Buick has changed-sort of.

You see, in the past there have been a number of performance-oriented Buick models. It's just been quite a while since the company brought a standout performance car to market. The last ones of any real significance were arguably the turbocharged Regal models of the late 1980s. In fact, the 1987 Buick Regal GNX was faster than its Corvette contemporary.

Of course, today a performance car has to be about more Read Full Story
After seven years with only minor updates, a redesigned 2015 Lincoln Navigator will go on sale later this year. The revised model   shows a new bisected grille in keeping with the brand’s current…

New 2015 Lincoln Navigator breaks cover ahead of Chicago auto show

After seven years with only minor updates, a redesigned 2015 Lincoln Navigator will go on sale later this year. The revised model shows a new bisected grille in keeping with the brand's current corporate image, the result being much less chrome for more conservative styling. Likewise, the new Navigator's updated tail end likely won't incite much excitement either, the design appearing much like other SUVs within the full-size segment.

The Navigator's new exterior now includes HID headlamps with LED running lights, along with full LED taillights. Standard wheels are massive 20-inch alloys instead of last year's 18s, albeit they look like they're only just large enough on this larger than life 4x4. A set of very attractive 22-inch rims is available as part of the "Reserve" package, and just might be the highlight of the overall visual overhaul.

Like the exterior, the new 2015 Navigator gets an interior redesign with improved plastics quality on most surfaces and authentic Read Full Story
Arguably the benchmark in its class, the BMW X5 was the first automobile to marry the attributes of a sport utility vehicle with   the driving dynamics of a fine sports sedan. The result became a…

2014 BMW X5 Road Test Review

Arguably the benchmark in its class, the BMW X5 was the first automobile to marry the attributes of a sport utility vehicle with the driving dynamics of a fine sports sedan. The result became a best seller and ushered in a whole new set of sensibilities. So successful was the BMW X5, the model quickly spawned a raft of imitators-some of them quite brilliant actually.

Interestingly, when the X5 was introduced, BMW's marketing team, in its effort to expand upon the concept of the SUV in order to convince consumers the X5 was indeed something different, latched onto the Sport Activity Vehicle moniker-rather than allowing the model to be considered a sport utility vehicle. This was primarily because the BMW was the first vehicle of its type designed to perform more adroitly on the street than on trails and rugged terrain.

Some 15 years later, the first BMW to be built in North America, and the world's first Sport Activity Vehicle has evolved considerably-yet steadfastly Read Full Story
Despite frigid temperatures and blowing snow, the North American International Auto Show closed out its final weekend with   the best turnout in over a decade. In all, organizers said that 803,451…

Chevy reveals its 2015 Corvette Z06 at Detroit auto show

Despite frigid temperatures and blowing snow, the North American International Auto Show closed out its final weekend with the best turnout in over a decade. In all, organizers said that 803,451 paid visitors attended the show at Detroit's Cobo Center, as well as 5,169 journalists and hundreds of senior industry officials.

The show saw over 50 major automotive debuts, including Ford's new aluminum-intensive F-150, the new Chrysler 200, Toyota's FT-1 sports car concept, Kia's GT4 Stinger Concept, and BMW's new M3 and M4, plus many others. Among all these debuts, the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 stood out as a definite highlight.

Chevrolet is calling the 2015 Corvette Z06 "the most track capable Corvette in the brand's history." It features a supercharged 6.2-litre engine that is expected to deliver a whopping 625 horsepower and 635 lb-ft of torque, and is the first supercharged engine offered in a Z06. It can be matched to either a seven-speed manual transmission with Read Full Story