The Crank: My 2011 World Car of the Year is…

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By John LeBlanc

The seventh annual World Car of the Year awards, which yours truly is a judge, announced its top ten finalists for 2011 this week.The overall winner for WCOTY—as well as winners for World Performance Car, Green Car and Design of the Year—will be announced at this year’s New York show in April. Before then, myself and my 65 fellow international automotive journalists must submit our top three finalists for the oveall WCOTY winner, before the trio are announced at the Geneva auto show during the first week of March. Read more

First Drive: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

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More is more

Adding four more cylinders only betters Vantage’s already capable road manners

By John LeBlanc

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. – One look at the latest Aston Martin Vantage’s spec sheet, and one would have thought that that ‘ol Texan chicken farmer, Carroll Shelby, had a hand in its creation. By taking the biggest engine in the Aston barn—the 6.0-litre V12 from the topline DBS—and wedging it into the British marque’s smallest car, the new V12 Vantage looks for all the world like the reincarnation of Shelby’s famous 427 Cobras, the legendary AC Ace roadsters, stuffed with big Ford V8s, normally found under the hoods of Galaxie NASCAR racecars. Read more

The Crank: Will former Explorer SUV owners buy into new metrosexual model?

By John LeBlanc

Like the lampshade-wearing Christmas get-together guest who doesn’t know when to call it a night, the old, truck-based Ford Explorer hung out at the SUV party way too long. Read more

First Drive: 2011 Ford Explorer

Exploring new worlds

In the search for fuel economy, Ford’s iconic Explorer evolves from SUV to crossover

By John LeBlanc

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – You would be forgiven if you thought Ford’s decision to move its Explorer to a car-like unibody chassis after riding for a quarter-century on a body-on-frame truck-style chassis is late. After all, it’s a move that most automakers started making a half-decade ago. Read more

The Crank: Despite the awards, Chevy’s Volt hasn’t won anything yet

By John LeBlanc

Without much effort, General Motors media materials will tell you that its new Chevrolet Volt gasoline-electric plug-in-hybrid is a “winner”. In fact, at this year’s Detroit auto show, the Volt was named 2011 North American Car of the Year, and before that, various American pubs (Automobile Magazine’s 2011 Automobile of the Year; Car and Driver’s 10Best; Green Car Journal’s 2011 Green Car of the Year, Motor Trend’s 2011 Car of the Year; Popular Mechanics’ 2010 Breakthrough Technology award: and Ward’s 10 Best Engines award for its unique power train system won) have also lathered on the accolades and kudos. But does the Volt deserve all of this editorial love? Read more

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