The Crank: Can an all-wheel-drive 911 be a real Porsche?

By John LeBlanc

Welcome to winter. Like the rest of Ontario, you probably woke up to the inevitable First Big Dump this week. But what if you had a Porsche in your laneway. Specifically, a new-for-2011 911 Turbo S, which, to the layman’s eyes, seems like the most ridiculous winter vehicle you could drive. But unlike most Porsche’s that aren’t SUVs, this new 911 Turbo S had traction not only at its rear wheels, but at its front pair as well. Which, the snob that I am, meant that despite the car’s 530 hp at my disposal, I wasn’t clutching its keys in anticipation. Read more

Feature: Aston Martin Performance Driving Academy

Story by John LeBlanc/Photos by Aaron Kiley.

ROMEO, Michigan – Exclusivity is part and parcel when you enter the realm of Aston Martin. Even in its best sales year ever, 2007, the British automaker only rolled out about 7,000 hand-made sports and grand touring coupés. To put that in perspective, Porsche sells about 1.2 million cars and SUVs a year. Lexus touts the exclusivity of its LF-A supercar with “only” 500 samples being built. Yet Aston’s forthcoming 1-77 supercar will only be built to the tune of—you guessed it—77 examples. So it stands without reason that the new-to-North America Aston Martin Performance Driving Academy is equally exclusive. Don’t worry: you won’t be standing in line for seat time. The daylong driving school is limited to only three students, each paired with an instructor. Read more

The Crank: Mustang vs. Camaro winner depends on which side of the Canada-U.S. border

By John LeBlanc

The bleating from General Motors’ U.S. PR flacks about the Camaro beating its archrival Mustang on the sales charts, can be heard all the way north of the 49th parallel. So far in 2010 in the U.S., Chevy has sold 75,685 Oshawa-built Camaros, 7,421 more than its bitter, pony car archrival, Ford’s U.S.-made Mustang.But up here in the Great White North, the Pony Car War couldn’t be any more different. Through October, Ford Canada has sold 4,687 Mustangs, compared to the 3,842 Camaros GM Canada has moved. Read more

Road Test: 2010 Toyota Yaris Hatchback RS

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Yaris cries “Uncle!”

Toyota’s subcompact quickly losing ground in competitive class

By John LeBlanc

In a subcompact segment that’s already crowded and is set to get even more so in the near future, Toyota’s 2010 Yaris is starting to feel its age. This year alone will see more sophisticated rivals like the new 2011 Ford Fiesta and Mazda2, as well as the Yaris-based xD from Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand. But in the years coming, the floodgates will be opening, with arrivals from Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia and Suzuki coming in 2011 and beyond. So how does Toyota’s bread and butter subcompact Yaris, in its sportiest RS guise, holding up in this hotly contested class? Read more

The Crank: Why Honda’s hybrids are the right cars, but at the wrong time

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By John LeBlanc

Here’s one thing you need to know about the car industry: nothing happens too quickly.Unlike a Nike or Apple, car companies can’t whip off all-new designs and products almost seasonally. It takes years to research, develop, and build new cars. So its natural that sometimes a vehicle is released that seems at odds with its times, like the new 2011 Honda CR-Z I’m driving this week. Read more

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