The new 2017 Honda Civic Si goes on sale throughout Canada today, in both two-door Coupe and four-door Sedan body styles. To sport compact fans, the Honda Civic Si is the stuff of legend. In North America…

All-new Honda Civic Si Coupe and Sedan on sale today

The new 2017 Honda Civic Si goes on sale throughout Canada today, in both two-door Coupe and four-door Sedan body styles. To sport compact fans, the Honda Civic Si is the stuff of legend. In North America the "Si" name dates all the way back to 1985 when first introduced as a range-topping CRX, that model now a very collectable two-seat Civic-based coupe. The Si most enthusiasts grew to love came along in 1986 as a special sport-tuned variant of the third-generation Civic Hatchback. Both models incorporated a 91 horsepower, 12-valve, SOHC, 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox, which was a potent package for the era. The Civic Si has been available for most model years ever since, growing in power and handling prowess while developing a devoted cult-like following amongst sport-compact fans. The most recent ninth-generation 2012–2015 Civic Si was available in Coupe and Sedan forms and boasted 205 horsepower and 174 Read Full Story
It was only a matter of time before Audi anted up with a four-door coupe in the compact luxury D-segment. After all, BMW teased all rivals into this new market segment when unveiling its 4 Series Gran…

New Audi S5 Sportback leads its four-door coupe competitors in performance

It was only a matter of time before Audi anted up with a four-door coupe in the compact luxury D-segment. After all, BMW teased all rivals into this new market segment when unveiling its 4 Series Gran Coupe at the 2014 Geneva motor show and then releasing it as a 2015 model, and Mercedes, which invented the four-door coupe concept with the release of its 2005 CLS, has been stirring up the smaller subcompact luxury class with its diminutive yet strong selling CLA since 2013. Enter the new 2018 A5 Sportback and its S5 Sportback sibling, which like the Ingolstadt, Germany-based brand's A7 and S7 Sportback models are actually five-door coupes thanks to a handy rear liftback. This is the same formula used for the 4 Series Gran Coupe with much success, the only other "premium competitor" to join the two being the upcoming 2018 Buick Regal Sportback (kudos to Buick for bravery). Audi deviates from BMW by delivering an S-badged performance version of its new Sportback, the Bavarian automaker having Read Full Story
As if winning Vincentric’s 5th Annual Best Value in Canada Awards for the Fit subcompact hatchback, CR-V compact SUV, and Odyssey minivan wasn’t enough last year, or for that matter the Odyssey and…

Honda Canada receives five retained value awards

As if winning Vincentric's 5th Annual Best Value in Canada Awards for the Fit subcompact hatchback, CR-V compact SUV, and Odyssey minivan wasn't enough last year, or for that matter the Odyssey and new HR-V subcompact SUV also winning their categories in Vincentric's Lowest Cost to Own in Canada awards, ALG recently recognized the Fit, CR-V, Odyssey and Accord at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto for its 2017 Best Residual Value awards program. Winners of ALG Canadian Residual Value Awards are chosen after the third-party analytical firm studies the competition within each vehicle segment, as well as historical vehicle performance and industry trends. Additionally, vehicle quality, production numbers relative to demand, pricing, and marketing strategies are factored in. Retained value is important because the actual price you pay for a vehicle is the difference between the cost at the point of purchase and what you receive back for it when it's traded in or sold later. With Read Full Story
Audi achieved multiple victories in the Canadian Black Book 10th annual 2017 Best Retained Value Awards, winning the “Luxury Car” prize with its sleek A7 four-door coupe, while also earning second…

Audi does well in CBB and ALG best retained value awards

Audi achieved multiple victories in the Canadian Black Book 10th annual 2017 Best Retained Value Awards, winning the "Luxury Car" prize with its sleek A7 four-door coupe, while also earning second place in the same category with the popular A5 sport coupe and convertible. Additionally, Audi's Q5 once again ran away with the "Compact Luxury SUV" segment, and TT held onto second in the "Sports Car" class. "Depreciation is the single largest expense of owning a vehicle, more than gas, maintenance or insurance," said Brian Murphy, VP Research and Editorial, Canadian Black Book. "Understanding your vehicle's retained value is extremely important for anyone researching to buy, sell or trade-in any vehicle." In other words, the real price paid for a car is the difference between the cost of purchase and what's left over when that vehicle is traded in or sold later. It's also important to understand that CBB's "2017" Best Retained Value Awards are focused on 2013 model year vehicles. Vehicle values Read Full Story
Everyone in business understands that saving money is just as important as increasing revenue, with real earnings, or profits found in between. No wonder business leaders love Land Rover. ALG, an analytics…

Land Rover number one in ALG Residual Value Awards

Everyone in business understands that saving money is just as important as increasing revenue, with real earnings, or profits found in between. No wonder business leaders love Land Rover. ALG, an analytics subsidiary of TrueCar, recently named Land Rover with top Overall Brand Honours in ALG's 9th Annual Canadian Residual Value Awards (RVA) within the Premium Brand sector. "Residual values are a key indicator of the overall market success and health of a vehicle and brand. Whether a consumer is looking to purchase or lease a vehicle, the largest cost consideration is how much a vehicle will retain its value over time," said Jim Nguyen, president of ALG. "And with vehicle leasing on the rise, resale values have never been more important to both consumers and automakers." The RVA forecasts brands and models that will most likely retain highest average values when compared to their original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) after three years. This was the third consecutive year Read Full Story
To say Volvo has been on a roll would be an understatement, the Swedish brand’s new XC90 mid-size crossover SUV and S90 mid-size luxury sedan rejuvenating interest in the brand’s entire lineup.…

Volvo Car Canada reports 27.5 percent growth for 2016

To say Volvo has been on a roll would be an understatement, the Swedish brand’s new XC90 mid-size crossover SUV and S90 mid-size luxury sedan rejuvenating interest in the brand’s entire lineup. Volvo Canada sold 6,103 units in calendar year 2016, which showed a 27.5-percent increase over the 4,788 deliveries experienced in 2015. December resulted in 433 units down the road compared to 340 total sales for the same month the year prior, this strong result marking the fifteenth consecutive month of sales growth in Canada. “2016 was truly an exceptional year for Volvo Canada. Exciting new product, the introduction of advanced technologies and a motivated retailer network led to the Volvo Car brand exceeding expectations in Canada,” said Alexander Lvovich, Managing Director, Volvo Car Canada Ltd. “With three new models being unveiled in 2017, the brand is poised for another year of growth as the Volvo Car brand continues to make its impact on the premium car segment in Canada.”
Everybody wants a good deal, but sometimes the “great” price paid at purchase, even after factoring in a deep discount, doesn’t seem as good later on. Kelley Blue Book tries to remedy this problem…

Acura has lowest cost of ownership over five years amongst luxury brands

Everybody wants a good deal, but sometimes the "great" price paid at purchase, even after factoring in a deep discount, doesn't seem as good later on. Kelley Blue Book tries to remedy this problem by educating consumers about the real cost of owning a vehicle, and then recommends models it believes drive real long-term value. As part of this exercise its 5-Year Cost to Own Awards program recognizes high achieving vehicles and brands. Acura earns KBB 5-Year Cost to Own Luxury Award two years straight For the second consecutive year Acura took home KBB's 5-Year Cost to Own Luxury Brand award thanks to its entire lineup placing either first or second in more than half of seven total 5-Year Cost to Own factors, which include the vehicle's upfront price, depreciation, finance and insurance fees, expected fuel costs, maintenance and repair costs, and jurisdictional fees. With all totals tallied up, KBB projects Acura models will incur the lowest ownership costs over the next five years. "This Read Full Story
Honda completely redesigned its innovative unibody pickup truck for the 2017 model year, and as a reward for a job well done is being named 2017 North American Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline has long…

Honda Ridgeline wins Truck of the Year

Honda completely redesigned its innovative unibody pickup truck for the 2017 model year, and as a reward for a job well done is being named 2017 North American Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline has long been lauded for providing crossover SUV-like handling, ride comfort, and fuel economy in a versatile pickup truck package, but the mid-size model goes much further to win over would-be buyers than that. Like its predecessor, which came on the scene in 2005, Honda has taken a very different tack with this mid-size entry. The new second-generation Ridgeline also features a crossover-SUV-like unibody design albeit with a closed-boxed frame integrated within, combining much of the towing and hauling strength of a rugged frame with the taut structure of a monocoque body shell. What's more, its industry-exclusive Dual Action Tailgate both lowers in the usual fashion and swings sideways so it doesn't need to be detached when clamping on ramps designed to work with ATVs, motorcycles, ride-on mowers, Read Full Story