But range anxiety remains an issue if you want to use this electric car for longer trips
In California, they recently introduced an amendment that will make it illegal to sell or purchase new fossil-fuel-powered automobiles after 2035. You will apparently still be able to buy a used gas-powered car, but in California the writing is on the wall when it comes to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Battery-powered cars are certainly…
This is as comfortable a truck as you’ll find and little touches make everything that much more civilized
Introduced in 2005, the Ridgeline was Honda’s first attempt to penetrate the pickup truck market in North America. How did that work out? Famously. The Ridgeline was an almost instant success. In 2010, it was propelled by a transversely-mounted 3.5-litre V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and a full-time all-wheel-drive system. Fuel economy…
This mid-size SUV spoils the driving experience with too many convenience features that only serve to irritate – and bump up the price
The well-known phrase “leave well enough alone” is something carmakers should take to heart. We could throw in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” while we’re at it. But either way, it seems automobile manufacturers are incorporating more and more features and designs of questionable value – or no value at all – into…
Unlike other hybrid cars, the Volt is designed to run on battery power alone for 60 km before the auxiliary gas engine cuts in
Hybrid cars have exploded in popularity over the past few years. It’s to the point where you can’t always get one right away from a dealer and have to place your order and wait. But what about used? Hybrids with a few kilometres on them are making their way onto the used car market and…
The engine is one of the most responsive yet well-behaved power plants in this market. Remarkably powerful, yet docile in the city
If I was a traffic cop and I wanted to make city roads safer and fulfil my ticket quota, one of the first things I’d do is pull over every full-size pickup truck that crosses my path. That would be especially true of the jacked-up, fat-tired, lift-kit behemoths that seem to be piloted by testosterone-addled…
This sport utility is arguably one of the safest vehicles on the road and it’s loaded with luxury features
One of the things that cemented Volvo’s presence in Canada was the company’s reputation for building cars that seem to run forever. For example, despite being out of production for some 25 years, the 240 is still a fairly common sight on city streets, at least where I live. The same seems to be true…
With a starting price of just over $39,000 and a glitzy paint job, I’d think twice about putting this truck through its paces in the boonies
Canadians love their pickup trucks. Out of the 10 top-selling vehicles in Canada, four are full-size pickup trucks: Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ram Truck and Ford F-150. And the F-150 has been the top-selling vehicle, period, in Canada for at least the last decade. It outsells perennial favourites like the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra…
With seating for seven, this edition of the Quest also featured a lower step-in height and improved fuel economy
Looking for a decent used minivan? I am and one of the models I’ve had a look at is the Nissan Quest, 2011 edition. This is the fourth generation of Nissan’s people-carrier. The previous generation was, by the company’s admission, a bit of a disappointment. So they went back to the drawing board and redid…
In every respect, the 2020 Aviator is truly a luxury vehicle. Ford hasn’t missed much when it comes to pampering its occupants
Much like General Motors with its Cadillac division, Ford has decided to funnel a substantial portion of its resources into its flagship Lincoln line. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a kind of renaissance from this previously low-key marque. Lincoln has six models in its lineup, four of which are SUVs. Clearly, the powers…
Designed for work, not play, the Forestry Service models weren’t built in large numbers. There might be a dozen of them left
During the 1950s and early ’60s, before anyone had heard of Honda, Nissan, Toyota or Hyundai, the bestselling import brand in Canada was Austin. Models like the Devon, Somerset, Cambridge, Westminster and, eventually, Mini, dominated the small-car market. Like a lot of other Canadian families, we usually had an Austin of one type or another…
Two SUVs – one ultra-modern and one a throwback – will be available to consumers in the coming year
Car manufacturers would start to roll out their new models right about now under normal circumstances, getting the word out to journalists about what they’re doing in the upcoming year. Traditionally, new car introductions, press briefings, test drives and interviews with the brass would be the preferred method of spreading the word. But with COVID-19,…
Buying used: Definitely not a conventional sedan but not quite a fully-fledged SUV either
According to Consumer Reports, the average life expectancy of a new vehicle these days is around eight years or 250,000 km. Some can even go 15 years and up to 500,000 km, if properly maintained. With that in mind: the 2010 Toyota Venza. Available with front or all-wheel drive, the Venza was introduced to the…
Fussy controls and bad ergonomics take away from an attractive car that should just be a pleasure to drive
Sometimes it seems car manufacturers are rolling backwards when it comes to usability and driver friendliness. Despite – or maybe because of – things like touch screen controls, continuously variable transmissions (CVT), driver-vehicle interface, climate control, etc., etc., some cars are nowhere as driveable as they used to be. No argument, automobiles are more sophisticated…
The 2010 version offers plenty of refinements and is, in general, a pleasure to drive
Ten years on, let’s look at Lexus’s first self-parking car: the 2010 LS 460. Available in two wheelbase sizes, with optional all-wheel-drive, it featured two versions of Lexus’s 4.6-litre V8 engine, and the transmission was an eight-speed automatic with manual shift mode. Whatever you chose, you were getting one of the smoothest and most usable…
Things have definitely changed in the car industry over the past decade. Especially with domestic manufacturers. What was known as The Big Three – General Motors, Ford and Chrysler – pretty much owned the car industry in North America right up to the early 1980s and had an iron grip on most buyers’ affections. But that…