If you overlook its hopeless stereo system, the Mazda3 is everything you could ask for in a compact car. It ticks most of the boxes
Years ago, while teaching my eldest daughter to drive, I tried to impress upon her the value of learning to drive a manual stick shift. “All the really cool cars have one,” I reasoned. “And it’s just more fun to drive a car with a manual transmission. You are more in touch with the car’s…
The MX-5 has better handling and braking, a much more appropriate engine, better rust resistance and a manageable soft-top
In its 18-year production run – from 1962 to 1980 – the MGB was purchased by more than half a million people. It was – and still is – one of the most successful two-seaters ever made and, even today, stands up well. There are still thousands of them around the world and the parts/service…
It’s a little twitchy at highway speed but around town it’s nimble, easy to manoeuvre and simple to park
Take a look at what’s filling up the highways and byways these days and you’ll come to the inescapable conclusion that the day of the traditional family sedan is over. The four-door people carrier with a trunk that many of us grew up with seems to be going the way of whitewall tires, bell-bottom pants…
Buying used: the 2010 version offers plenty of options, including some unusual features
With spring just around the corner, it’s top-down time. If you're in the market for a pre-owned model, the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster is a decent choice. After a major redesign, in 2009, Nissan lowered the price and reduced the size of its flagship roadster. Strictly a two-seater, it was now shorter and lighter, with…
Buying used: With its legendary liquid-cooled, six-cylinder powerplant, it remains one of the most enjoyable cars to drive
No car has a closer link to its past than the Porsche 911 series. It’s been front and centre, in one form or another, for 50 years. And despite numerous engineering updates and redesigns, it still has a horizontally-opposed engine hanging out the back for power. In 2009, the 911 was on the receiving end…
The full measure of the high-end European sports car, with a symphony of mechanical noises emanating from the engine
Built on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform and patterned after one of Audi’s LeMans racers, the Audi R8 was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 2006. Initially offered as a two-door hardtop, and later as a Spyder convertible, it was an instant sensation. Easily the most eye-catching production car ever put forward by the German…
The Speed3 was that rarest of creatures: an affordable hot rod, accessible to just about everybody
Not to be confused with the garden-variety Mazda3, the Speed3 version of this popular econobox was the fastest car under $35,000 sold in 2010. Behind the wheel, it was a different automobile entirely. With some 263 horsepower in hand, it could rocket from zero to 100 km/h in well under six seconds and had a…
Review: 2018 Kia Stinger GT Limited is a lot of car at a price point just under $50,000
By Doug Firby and Lisa Monforton Troy Media Like its cousin Hyundai, Kia is a Korean carmaker known for its value-priced vehicles. The cars and SUVs offer great value in hardy vehicles with lots of features. They’re also offered for relatively low dollars. Until now. Kia is busting out of the hive with its first…
Review: 2018 Kia Stinger GT Limited is a lot of car at a price point just under $50,000
By Doug Firby and Lisa Monforton Troy Media Like its cousin Hyundai, Kia is a Korean carmaker known for its value-priced vehicles. The cars and SUVs offer great value in hardy vehicles with lots of features. They’re also offered for relatively low dollars. Until now. Kia is busting out of the hive with its first…
My car looked like a Mustang but drove like a Taurus, lacking that rough-around-the-edges, tactile edginess that made the car so endearing in the first place
If you follow the automobile industry at all, you probably know that Ford will be discontinuing production of all its passenger sedans and focusing on SUVs and trucks within the next few years. Fiesta, Fusion, Focus, Taurus, etc., all gone. The single exception is the Mustang, which will carry on. And just last week I…