Close down a regional airport for a week, fill it up with the latest and supposedly greatest new cars available, add a heaping helping of car writers and what do you get?

TORONTO, /CNW/ - Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) sold 18,813 Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks in October - up 18.7% from October 2008 to set a best ever October record.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is delighted to announce a new sales record for the month of October. Total sales of its lineup of symmetrical full-time All-Wheel Drive vehicles were up 39.3 percent over last October. Continued strong sales across the entire Subaru lineup in October also led to the second-best month of sales results in the company’s history.

Now, before I go on, I should advise owners of the smart fortwo to stop reading now or risk getting your feelings hurt – and isn’t “feelings” what the “smart” is all about?

Or perhaps more accurately, which of these popular SUV’s turned my crank the most after spending back-to-back weeks with them: the Acura RDX or Mazda CX-7?

It sports a new set of clothes and a grown up demeanor, but is the TSX still Acura’s bad boy, the little sedan with attitude?

A3: it’s small, it’s a wagon and, as usually happens when I live with an Audi for a spell, it tore at my heartstrings to give it back.

It’s another one hit out of the park for Audi and its A6.

Remember when calling something “The Cadillac of (whatever)” really meant something? Those days may be dawning again, if the new Cadillac CTS is any indication.

The 2009 Chevy Aveo is a good little commuter car, suited perfectly for trips around town. It’s small, pleasant to drive and be in, and seems as easy to please as a new puppy.

If the Chevy Traverse is any indication, General Motors has the potential for a rosy future if the financial Sword of Damocles can be removed from over it.

Talk about making a fuel of yourself. The Dodge Dakota midsized pickup is a heavy duty beast that for 2008 is capable of driving right past the gas pump – and straight to the ethanol one.

Europe has it already, and now Ford’s terrific little Fiesta subcompact is getting ready to tackle the North American market.

The original muscle car finds itself facing serious competition from the government-controlled domestic car industry as the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro vie for a slice of the Pony car market the Mustang once had to itself.

I spent nearly back-to-back weeks with the four cylinder Fusion and the V6 MKZ, both of which were new 2010 models, and came away more impressed than I had expected to be. What really surprised me was that I actually preferred the lower end Fusion; I thought I’d be struck by lightning….

With the grass finally rizzing in my area, it’s safe for companies that make outdoors-oriented stuff to show off some of their latest wares without worrying excessively about getting snowed out. 

What used to be both companies’ entry level – and bread and butter – vehicles have grown up over the decades, getting bigger in every way and far more sophisticated. And that isn’t a bad thing; technology advances. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that endearing simplicity and ease of use that Honda once used in its commercials: “We Make It Simple”.

“Fun to drive” may not be everyone’s priority, but if an everyday vehicle also has some of that factor built in it can certainly make life with it more pleasant.

Maybe it can be thought of as a “Post-Prius”.


Honda’s brand new Insight is the carmaker’s second kick at making a hybrid by that name, but the two Insights are very, very different from each other.

Talk about retro!

TORONTO, /CNW/ - The Lexus LF-Ch compact hybrid concept made its world premiere today at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. It will also be on display for the first time in North America at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December.

TORONTO, /CNW/ - Confident and smooth performance, a go-anywhere attitude and distinctive luxury and comfort are hallmarks of the Lexus LX series full-size luxury SUV - and the 2010 Lexus LX 570 delivers more of what Canadians love about this vehicle, with additional luxury appointments, entertainment and safety features now included as standard equipment. Available in a choice of two trim levels, the LX 570 delivers full-size luxury that is both refined and outgoing for up to eight travellers.

Lexus’ most popular model has undergone its first major restyling and reengineering, a process designed to keep it current and competitive.

You certainly can’t accuse Mazda of false advertising for using “Zoom-Zoom” as their slogan.

Other than some tweaking of options, Mazda’s little six seater hasn’t changed much for 2009 – and that may be ‘cause this miniature minivan didn’t need much changing anyway.

It’s the Mazda6 , which the company says is all new from stem to stern and top to bottom – and which surely looks and feels that way. In fact, so far as its looks are concerned, I think this is one of the best-looking sedans on the road today, sporty and modern and lovely to behold. And that’s saying something; I thought the previous 6 was one of the nicest styling jobs around, yet park it next to the fresh 6 and the previous generation looks positively frumpy.

Take some world class cars from one of Germany’s top marques, add a day on a road course race track learning and honing your driving skills, and what do you have?

Mercedes-Benz’ C class is the most affordable of the German carmaker’s sedan line, but that doesn’t mean it feels like an entry level vehicle.
It is, after all, a Mercedes. And that means even its lower end cars are upper echelon in the grand scheme of things. So it is with the new C.

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada (MMSCAN) announced, today, its new zero-emission electric car I MiEV could hit the streets of Canada as early as November 2009.

It’s raw! It’s visceral! It’s “Basic transportation on steroids”!

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada (MMSCAN) announced, today, its new zero-emission electric car I MiEV could hit the streets of Canada as early as November 2009.

If you thought Nissan Murano Version 1.0 was a pretty decent vehicle, you’ll probably love what they’ve done to it in Version 2.0.

Take a popular mid-sized sedan, weld two doors shut and what do you get?

Pontiac’s little wagon is back, with new looks, new features and new power. It’s a nice car, too, roomy and reasonably fun to drive.

They called it the “Catch the Vibe”  Challenge, and it was definitely challenging.

Porsche continues to tweak its lineup, making it sportier all the time. To illustrate this, they’ve added a GTS version to the Cayenne, and a new “automatic” transmission that’s anything but shiftless.

Can a lowly V6 propel a 4800 pound Porsche to the kind of blistering speeds for which the company’s vehicles are known? Or is it more a way to save some bucks and gas while still getting the Porsche cachet?

While the name Saab is also associated with cool jet fighters such as the Gripen, when it comes to the Saab 9-3 Aero sedan, the Swedish manufacturer’s automotive offerings are far more down to earth.

The Saturn Astra, according to a radio commercial in my neck of the woods, is the top selling car in Europe.

Really? It’s certainly not a “disAstra”, but the bestselling car of any sold in all of Europe? I don’t get it.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, /CNW/ - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the new 2010 Subaru Legacy as one of only two cars tested that received a rating of “acceptable” in recent tests to assess how well bumpers resist expensive damage in minor collisions. The IIHS evaluated 17 midsize cars - and rated 15 of them as marginal or poor for bumper protection.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, /CNW/ - The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a consumer watchdog organization that independently assesses current motor vehicles for effective occupant protection, has just announced that the entire Subaru product lineup - the 2010 Legacy, Outback, Impreza, Forester, and Tribeca - receives the IIHS “Top Safety Pick” designation for occupant protection. Subaru was the only automaker with an IIHS winner in all four vehicle classes in which it competes.

TORONTO, /CNW/ - The Toyota FJ Cruiser is the authentic SUV that masters rocks, streams, mud, sand, snow, ice and whatever else stands between you and adventure. FJ’s strong roots make it the perfect combination of distinctive, utilitarian style, and impressive off-road performance.

What used to be both companies’ entry level – and bread and butter – vehicles have grown up over the decades, getting bigger in every way and far more sophisticated. And that isn’t a bad thing; technology advances. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that endearing simplicity and ease of use that Honda once used in its commercials: “We Make It Simple”.

Then there’s the New Beetle convertible.

I got to drive both vehicles back to back, spending about three weeks with them in total – mostly (fortunately) puttering around in the Golf, no pun intended. Well, okay; I did make the pun deliberately. The Golf City restored the good taste for Volkswagens that I’d had before I was infected by the nasty bug.

It’s cute and it’s a ute – and Volkswagen is hoping to score a share of the popular small SUV market with its new Tiguan.

Before I give you my impressions of Volvo’s newly-redesigned crossover, I’d like to correct some misinformation I disseminated in my piece on the Mazda Tribute a few weeks ago.  I wrote that it has disc brakes on all four wheels, which isn’t true: it has front discs/rear drums. I apologize for this sloppy reporting – though on the other hand it also helps to make my point that it’s time the Tribute were dragged into the 21st century.

Globalstar Canada Satellite Co., a leader in satellite voice and data services for commercial and recreational users, today announced that the SPOT Assist Roadside service is now available to SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™ customers in Canada and the Continental United States. SPOT Assist Roadside is the world’s only portable roadside service provider to operate solely on satellite communications, independent of cellular networks.

What is a tune-up? Go and ask 10 vehicle owners their definition of the term and chances are there will be 10 different answers. Certainly the classic tune-up was once the heart and soul of the automotive business.

Whether high tech or low tech, there’s a gadget for just about every occasion these days. It seems that, wherever there’s a need perceived, there’s an inventor who wants to fill it.