Mainstream brands in the subcompact arena had better be ready for the upcoming launch of the 2016 Mazda2, as it’s one very smart looking hatchback with one very appealing cabin. The next-gen 2 gets…

New 2016 Mazda2 unveiled in JDM Demio guise

We won't be seeing the new Mazda2 in the metal just yet, but next year the stylish subcompact hatchback will make its way to Canadian Mazda dealers. Ahead of that 2016 model year Canadian-specific car, Mazda's home market of Japan will receive the updated 2 under its Demio nomenclature later this year.

The 2015 Demio looks a great deal like the Hazumi concept vehicle that rolled onto Mazda's Geneva Motor Show stage last March, so those who like that stylish hatchback should be pleased with what the automaker has done with the new production car's design. As expected, the company's new trademark five-point grille looks much like it does on the larger Mazda3, 6 and CX-5, as does the brand's unique headlight treatment. The new Demio is proof that the automaker's Kodo design language works well on any size vehicle, car or crossover.

In case you're thinking that it's somewhat soon for Mazda to be bringing out a new 2, being that the model only debuted here in 2011, consider Read Full Story
The MX-5 has been around for 25 years, so isn’t it about time you bought one? No doubt Mazda wants you to be asking yourself such questions, now that its best-selling roadster is the best it’s ever…

2014 Mazda MX-5 GT Road Test Review

On any given Saturday or Sunday, the world's autocross courses and racetracks are filled with weekend racers attempting their fastest lap while taking on other would-be Nico Rosbergs and Lewis Hamiltons. The most popular car of choice is Mazda's petit MX-5 a.k.a. Miata, a lightweight sports car with such a deep cult following that performance upgrades are cheap and reasonably priced mechanics that know how to work on them are plentiful.

While this might be of some interest, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that all of this racing stuff doesn't matter to you. After all, most of us are so busy on weekends that the concept of checking our track-tuned racer in at the motorsport park (if there even is one in your area) is just a pipe dream. No, we remain content with the reality that a weekend getaway at a not-too-distant resort is about as much as we can handle, and that a nice car to get there would be ideal.

Such down-to-earth dreams have been fueling Mazda Read Full Story
If your V8 Vantage doesn’t get you going in the morning anymore, maybe Aston Martin’s latest variation on the theme will cause you to jump out of bed with a little more spring in your feet. Your right…

New V12 Vantage S Roadster quickest Aston drop-top ever

Aston Martin certainly knows how to keep a good thing going. It's V8 Vantage is coming up on 10 years, but nevertheless it's still as beautiful as ever, while today's model is as enticing as the first one that rolled out of Gaydon, Warwickshire thanks to loads more power.

The original V8 Vantage that hit the market in 2005 as a 2006 model incorporated a 4.3-litre V8 pulled from then corporate cousin (under the Ford PAG umbrella) Jaguar's parts bin tuned to make 380 horsepower, whereas the 2014 model's hand-assembled naturally aspirated 4.7-litre V8 makes a much more pleasing 420 horsepower.

While this is great for most Aston fans who simply want a wonderfully balanced, adequately fast and fabulous sounding objet d'art on wheels, it's simply not enough for those that want it all. For these connoisseurs of speed, AM released the equally beautiful V12 Vantage in 2009, a model that produced 510 horsepower and thanks to a reasonably light 1,680-kilo curb weight it managed Read Full Story
Want a Prius, but can’t give up your larger CUV? Toyota has the answer in its Prius v, an XXL version of its regular Prius Liftback. Check out Simon Hill’s review of the latest 2014 version in Touring…

2014 Toyota Prius v Touring Road Test Review

When Toyota first introduced its iconic Prius to the world almost 15 years ago, car buyers could be forgiven for wondering just how robust the gas-sipping little hybrid would prove to be. Even Toyota hedged its bets by testing the Prius for three years in the Japanese domestic market before the car's worldwide debut.

Since then however, the original Prius (now called the Prius Liftback) has proved itself to be a durable, reliable and generally rather practical. It soon became a favourite workhorse with taxi fleets in several North American cities (including Vancouver, San Francisco and New York), prized for its thrifty fuel economy and (thanks to its regenerative brakes) less frequent brake service.

In 2011, with more families and more taxicab operators cottoning on to the Prius Liftback's practical charms, Toyota introduced the bigger Prius v. The "v", Toyota tells us, stands for versatility, and the Prius v certainly excels in that department.

It has 50 Read Full Story
Mercedes initiated the four-door coupe sector with the first-generation CLS-Class, and despite remaining a sales leader the luxury brand is updating it to stay ahead of the competition. Make sure to check…

Mercedes-Benz offers minor updates for 2015 CLS-Class

The car that initiated the four-door coupe craze back in 2004 gets a number of subtle modifications for 2015, five years after its complete redesign in 2010.

First off, the car's interior benefits from a new three-spoke steering wheel and an eight-inch floating infotainment display screen, while passing admirers will be able to take note of a new front bumper that employs larger air intakes and above these, a new Multibeam LED headlamp system that incorporates 24 individual projectors joined up to a camera system that shows the road ahead illuminated in as many as 255 stages of brightness (one at a time, of course), for the best in night driving clarity without blinding oncoming motorists.

As for powertrain options, mums the word as to what we'll get here in Canada. Currently, only Mercedes' twin-turbocharged V8 is available in two stages of tune, starting with a 402-horsepower 4.6-litre variant in the CLS 550, followed up by a 550-horsepower 5.5-litre unit in the CLS Read Full Story
With the CT 200h, Lexus combines the affordability of an entry-level model with the fuel-efficiency benefits of a hybrid. Mix in loads of luxury and the practicality of a five-door hatchback design and…

2014 Lexus CT 200h Road Test Review

All it takes is one quick glance at the new CT 200h to see the big change for 2014, the adoption of Lexus' new trademark spindle grille. As with all cars and SUVs in the luxury brand's lineup, the uniquely attractive front fascia appears as if it was designed for the car from the beginning, even though in the case of this entry-level model not all that much else has changed.

Let me clarify that last point, as it's only partially true. The front styling is obviously new, but the additional exterior updates are subtler, such as new 10-spoke, 16- and 17-inch alloy rims, a new shark fin-style roof antenna, and a more horizontally-shaped rear bumper integrating cool new L-shaped reflector housings and a black diffuser-style centre section for a sportier stance.

Inside, the 2014 CT 200h receives yet more updates. First and foremost, Lexus upgraded the car's tactile quality so that more surfaces are soft to the touch. Even nicer, the binnacle shading the primary instruments Read Full Story
The new Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid incorporates all the qualities of the iconic Prius as well as the added advantage of pure electric power over longer distances and zero emissions capability. Sound…

2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Road Test Review

As hybrid and electric propulsion systems mature, buyers can be forgiven for perhaps getting a little confused about what models are available, and exactly how their individual powertrains differ from each other.

Take the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid for instance: Launched rather quietly into the Canadian market for the 2013 model year and unchanged for 2014, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is visually almost indistinguishable from the regular Prius. If you drive longer distances or in a lead-footed manner, it can also be virtually indistinguishable in operation. But for city dwellers that typically drive short distances in a moderate fashion, and have access to power at home, the Prius Plug-in can seem like a substantially different and much improved car.

The key difference between the Prius Plug-in Hybrid and a regular Prius is the installation of a higher-capacity 4.4 kW/h lithium-ion motive battery under the rear cargo floor, replacing the 1.3 kW/h nickel metal hydride Read Full Story
Do you like the idea of paying little to nothing for gas, but hate the idea of running out of electric power halfway through your commute? Chevy’s innovative Volt is a plug-in electric with the added…

2014 Chevrolet Volt Road Test Review

Maybe it was the gloss white dash in the interior or the green leaf that flashes across the screen when you open the door, but my first thought when getting into the 2014 Chevrolet Volt was that I was meeting EVE, the plant-loving robot from the Disney movie WALL-E.

The Volt can't fly, but entering its fourth year of production it remains a technological marvel that many non-EV enthusiasts still don't quite understand. Then again, with a sticker price this year that's $5,000 cheaper than last year's model, there are a lot more interested parties asking questions.

The Volt is an extended-range plug-in vehicle with a lithium ion battery, an electric motor, a smaller motor slash generator, and an onboard gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. While the gasoline engine does transfer some power to the wheels, its primary function is to drive the generator to produce the electricity that propels the car.

With a fully charged battery, drivers can expect a range Read Full Story