Usually car manufacturers are falling over themselves at this time of year, introducing new models, debuting industry updates, unveiling new technology, providing new vehicle test drives and so on. It’s also traditionally when auto scribes start attending various new car launches and industry events, and filing update stories. But with COVID-19, social distancing and all…
As you would expect from any Toyota, the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid is very driver-accessible and immensely driveable
Hybrid engineering, once thought to be bridge technology, is stronger than ever. Sometimes it seems every other vehicle on the road is a hybrid of some kind. And this includes SUVS – virtually all the major carmakers have something on offer. Volvo XC90, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Kona, Ford Escape, Subaru Crosstrek and others are available…
Just because you ride a bike, that doesn’t put you on the side of the angels or make you better than the rest of us
In Vancouver, my hometown, city council is using the COVID-19 pandemic to fulfil a long-held fantasy: the elimination of cars and the end of vehicle traffic throughout the city. While the rest of us are coping with one of the worst economic crisis in Canadian history and bungling along with reduced public transit and dwindling…
This car is all about practicality and common sense. Toyota is on top of its game when it comes to hybrid technology
Toyoto Prius is the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle – by a long shot. This is the hybrid against which all others are judged. Its hybrid drive system is used by Toyota and Lexus throughout their lineups, as well as used under licence by other manufacturers worldwide. Well over six million Toyota Prius units have gone…
Show up at a Harley gathering with your Yamaha or Kawasaki and you can definitely expect the cold shoulder
As a lifetime rider who has ridden just about every kind of motorcycle ever made, and spent more time than he probably should at bars and various watering holes, I’ve narrowed bikers down to two main groups: Harley-lovers and Harley-haters. Harley-Davidson riders tend to travel in packs and gather at the same places like clockwork.…
It offers hell-for-leather performance, yet idles like a purring cat at stoplights and is perfectly civilized on the highway
In the spirit of social distancing and stay-at-home isolation, here’s a look at a nearly forgotten classic and one of my favourite cars. One that got away from me and I really wish I’d kept: the third-generation Mazda RX-7. In the 1990s, sales were brisk for this Japanese company. Its motor sports division was basking…
The 2020 version does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s comfortable, roomy, powerful, easy to drive and pleasant to look at
Sometimes, going with the flow is the best course of action. Not making waves, being consistent and taking your cues from those around you. That strategy has certainly served Hyundai well over the years. Going right back to the 1980s-era Pony, the South Korean company has kept a sharp eye on industry front-runners and built…
Polaris now has control of the classic name and is manufacturing a seven-model lineup. There are dealers across Canada
No other motorcycle name has had as storied and controversial a history as Indian. After a dizzying number of bankruptcies, owner changes and legal wrangling, Indian Motorcycle has been re-established. This time it’s under the umbrella of Polaris Inc., which purchased the company in 2011. Polaris manufactured the now-discontinued Victory line of motorcycles, and still…
The G90 matches anything in the luxury market when it comes to comfort, performance, engineering finesse and usability
Although upscale luxury cars ostensibly represent the pinnacle of automotive engineering and are something many people aspire to own, I find them kind of tiresome to drive these days. When a top-tier luxury mobile appears on my schedule, I often groan inwardly and sometimes find myself reluctant to drive it. It seems car makers are…
Part motorcycle and part automobile, the three-wheeled vehicle is innovative and provocative. But will it ever be allowed in Canada?
There’s no shortage of alternate forms of personal transportation these days. Manufacturers from every corner of the industrial sector are on a never-ending quest to come up with a workable alternative to the automobile as we know it. They come in all shapes and sizes, from battery-powered skateboards, to hover boards, to the remarkable but…
The 2020 version of this SUV has plenty of prestige and presence, but it's not perfect
Is bigger better? Mercedes-Benz has always thought so. If you’re talking bigger performance, bigger presence, bigger luxury and, yes, bigger price tag, Mercedes has always risen to the challenge. This applies in spades to the company’s full-size SUV line. These are big automobiles and the 2020 GLS 450 is right near the top of the…
Changes are definitely in the wind, starting with the all-electric LiveWire sport bike. Shifting rider demographics are at the heart of the changes
When we think of Harley-Davidson, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That unmistakable rumble that drives some people to distraction but is music to the ears of hard-core enthusiasts. It’s the company’s trademark and biggest source of controversy. It’s funny then that the all-electric Harley LiveWire is front and centre on the company’s…
It’s a state-of-the-art compact sport utility vehicle that stands at the head of the class in almost every department. You just need to overlook the transmission
The qualities that have made the CR-V such a winner – driver-friendliness, usability, thrift and driveability – are still very much in evidence in the newest iteration of this Honda mainstay. I spent some time with the 2020 CR-V and liked just about everything about it. Available in five trim levels, with front- or all-wheel…
In a world filled with anonymous SUVs and universally similar sedans and hatchbacks, seeing a Morgan going down the highway is like a breath of fresh air
Last year, the Morgan Motor Co., which started selling its iconic three-wheeled runabout in England in 1910, was sold to an Italian investment firm. Egad! But the beat goes on and the Morgan is still as iconic as ever. Arguably it’s most recognizable model is the three-wheeler. Available in the U.S., the 3 Wheeler is…
Honda hasn’t lost the ability to build nice driveability. Ignore the shifter and interface and the 2020 RDX is still reasonably pleasant to drive
I drive 50 to 60 new vehicles a year, of all kinds: sports cars, hybrids, pickups, mini-vans, sedans, luxury, economy box, electric – you name it. And most of the time, I look forward to sliding behind the wheel, for a bunch of reasons. If it’s a new Porsche, for example – well, that speaks…