Count on Vancouver to receive a freak snowstorm in the middle of March! In my many years of living on the West Coast I can’t recall when it last snowed this late in the winter, mere days from spring. Admittedly the majority the Canadians reading this might not feel much sympathy — after all, Vancouver’s climate is mild compared to most of the county — but these kinds of weather conditions throw a real curve ball into the driving equation, making for tumultuous traffic and backups galore. more...

The A6 is a critical product for Audi, competing as it does with luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series to mention just a couple. As a result of this intense rivalry, changes are made constantly, but major revisions don’t come along that often.  more...

With so many options in the large crossover segment of the automotive marketplace, it is difficult to make viable choices. When those multitudes of options occur within the same family of cars – as they so often do with General Motors – well, what’s a mother to do?  more...

It takes a lot of confidence for an automaker to invite key North American automotive media representatives to its most demanding proving ground and let them compare a new product with its competitors in some of the most punishing situations imaginable.  more...

Suzuki has produced a pickup truck. Kinda. There is a big “S” on the matte black egg-crate grille to announce the vehicle’s entrance, and there are Suzuki logos throughout, but this is a cloned truck made from the underpinnings of the Nissan Frontier. With no apologies.  more...

What’s the most beautiful car in the world? The '20s brought us Bugatti’s T35, the Mercedes-Benz SSK and Hispano-Suiza H6, plus a bevy of Duesenbergs. In the ‘30s it was the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantique, Alfa Romeo’s P3 8C and Auburn’s Speedster. The Talbot-Lago T150C SS was wonderful too, as was just about any Cadillac or Duesenberg and the Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K was glorious. The '40s have me thinking of Buick Roadmaster Convertible Sedans and Cadillac Series 62 Coupe De Villes, but truly my heart swings to the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS. In the '50s the Austin Healey 3000 comes to mind, but then again the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing might just be my favourite. I have a strange love affair with the Citroën’s DS too (voted No.1 of all time by 20 of the top automotive designers in a recent poll, mind you), but what about Jaguar's D-type/XK-SS, BMW’s 507, Lancia’s Aurelia or Chevy’s Bel Air? No, Aston Martin's DB4 GT Zagato has to take it. Then again, I have a particular fondness for Bentley’s Continental S2/S3 and R-type Continental. The late ‘50s and early '60s introduced us to Jaguar’s XKE/E-Type Coupe (as well as the classic Mk2), considered by many to be the most beautiful car of all time. But some will dispute this because of Ferrari’s 250 GT SWB, 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” or 275 GTB or California. I have four personal favourite ‘60s era cars, the beautiful Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, Lancia Fulvia Coupé, Maserati 3500 GT (I previously owned a Mexico) and (I simply must own one someday) Ferrari 330 GTC. Detroit iron fans will point to the '63 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray split-window, Buick’s Riviera, or for that matter one of Shelby’s Mustangs or Cobras, or Cadillac’s Eldorado? Then there was the first mid-engine sports car, Lamborghini's Miura, followed up with Ferrari's beautiful little Dino 206/246 GT, Ford’s muscular GT40 and Alfa Romeo’s outrageously rare and stunningly beautiful T33 Stradale. Whew, the ‘60s were amazing for car design. Lancia’s tiny Stratos made a big splash in the ‘70s, but not as big as Lamborghini’s original and unmolested Countach, and who can deny Ferrari’s beautiful 308. Or the simple, tastefully elegant Lotus Esprit. And while the Porsche 911 began life in the ‘60s, my personal favourite model year is 1973 – S trim, thank you. And what about the ‘80s? Ferrari’s 288 GTO is very special, as is Aston Martin’s V8 Vantage Series 2, and Jaguar’s XJ Series III (yes, I know production started in ’79), while the brought us the McLaren F1, Jaguar XJ220 and attainable exotics like Nissan’s near perfect 300ZX. The ‘00s have been interesting too. The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is gorgeous in every way as is Bugatti’s Veyron, but they’re almost too rare to register on most peoples’ radar. The new Jaguar XK is beautiful, but truly, the most beautiful modern day car is Aston Martin’s glorious V8 Vantage.  more...

The original Honda Insight of 2000 was a groundbreaker without a doubt. In North America, it pioneered a major new trend with its high-tech hybrid gasoline/electric powertrain. It started a rush on this kind of technology from rival automakers that continues today, though the overall market for hybrid vehicles remains very small on a worldwide basis. It’s also worth noting that manufacturers were building hybrid vehicles as long ago as 1901, so perhaps the current surge of enthusiasm is more of a revival than a breakthrough.  more...