Comparo: 2012 Ford Fiesta vs. Kia Rio 5 vs. Toyota Yaris

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Bottom feeders, tin cans, s—boxes — if you haven’t been in the market for a new small car lately, these are just some of the adjectives you may associate with subcompact cars. However, automakers are trying to lower their government-mandated corporate average fuel economy ratings, so to soften the […]

The Crank: Can Kia transcend beyond its price-point marketing?

  Arguably—and even with no new cars to present—Kia’s presser at last week’s L.A. show was the best in a long day’s worth of corporate droning on.   For starters, Kia promised 15 salient points in a media-friendly 15 minutes, getting us all up-to-date on the tsunami of new models, the progress of its recently-opened […]

First Drive: 2012 Kia Rio5

Luxury lite Kia’s new Rio brings upscale experience to the bottom-feeder class By John LeBlanc FALL CITY, WA.—Small cars aren’t so “small” anymore. Witness the third-generation 2012 Kia Rio5, where along with being longer and wider than its predecessor, you’ll find a heated steering wheel on its options list — a feature usually reserved for […]

2011 Frankfurt: What’s Coming to Canada

By John LeBlanc FRANKFURT—If you’re in the process of looking for a new car, you may want to wait. This year’s Frankfurt auto show provided plenty of glimpses of what will be arriving in Canadian new car showrooms in the near future.