Long-Term Test: 2016 Subaru WRX – Final Verdict

Story and photo by John LeBlancBy definition, any so-called “sport compact” is a compromise. Neither a pure sports car nor low-budget economy automobile, these vehicles need to perform double-duty to satisfy two very distinct customer needs. Which is why we opted for 60 days instead of the typical one-week test drive to properly evaluate the […]

Long-Term Test: 2016 Subaru WRX CVT – Part 3

Story and photo by John LeBlancAs much as we enjoyed flogging our 2016 Subaru WRX CVT around a race track in our last installment, the remaining 99.9 percent of the time in our long-term tester has been what the typical buyer might experience on a day-to-day basis.

Long-Term Test: 2016 Subaru WRX CVT – Part 2

Story and photo by John LeBlancCALABOGIE, Ont. — The idea of owning a car with an automatic transmission can be sheer blasphemy to many sports compact fans. Why would you want to detract from the joys of changing gears – and, arguably, not stay in complete control of your vehicle? Yet our latest 60-day test […]

First Drive: 2016 Volkswagen Golf R

Story and photo by John LeBlanc CALABOGIE, Ont. — I’ve just been handed the keys to an all-wheel-drive turbocharged hatchback, hotter than the shade of red it’s wearing, poised at the entrance to a remote Ontario racetrack. After a handful of “follow the leader” laps behind the watchful gaze of retired Canadian Champ Car World […]

Road Test: 2016 Mini John Cooper Works 3-Door

Story and photo by John LeBlanc Predictability is usually an emotion that keeps your heartbeat in check. Yet the unsurprising debut of the John Cooper Works version of the third-generation Mini Cooper 3-Door – the most powerful and quickest Mini ever – arrives with the goal of getting the hearts of its drivers pumping.

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