First Drive: 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid

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Hybrid hottee

Is Honda’s new “sporty” hybrid more resurrected CR-X, or Insight coupe?

By John LeBlanc

MAPLE, Ont.-In today’s hyper-competitive new-car market, it’s a rare occurrence when a newly-introduced vehicle can be called truly “unique” or a “one-of-a-kind.” Yet as a two-seat sports coupe powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain, the lineup of competitors for Honda’s new 2011 CR-Z Hybrid is short — as in, none. Read more

The Crank: Driving in P.E.I.—great roads, shame about the drivers

By John LeBlanc

Just got back from a couple of week’s en famille on Prince Edward Island. Let’s just say, that as a family vacation spot, it’s hard to beat Canada’s smallest province. The waters of the beaches of the North Shore near where we were hunkered down, just east of Cavendish, were remarkably warm. Thank you global warming. And with a five-and-three-quarter-year-old Anne of Green Gables fan in tow, between the Upper Canada Village-style Avonlea, and the countless former stomping grounds of Anne’s creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, to explore, nary a day went by were we weren’t happily exhausted by the end of each evening. Read more

First Drive: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Returning to a grander Jeep

More refined on-road and off-, can Jeep’s latest Grand Cherokee win back lost fans

By John LeBlanc

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – It’s back to the future with Jeep’s new 2011 Grand Cherokee. Specifically, Chrysler’s off-road brand wants to party like it’s Nineteen-Ninety-Nine. That’s when its second-generation midsize SUV debuted, and seriously considered by well-to-do customers as a legitimate alternative to the much pricier Land Rover Range Rover. Over a decade and two generations of Grand Cherokee later—and after a down-market detour with the 2005 to 2010 version—Jeep has the same upmarket aspirations with this fourth-generation 2011 Grand Cherokee. Read more

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Sentra soldiers on

Nissan’s aging compact sedan struggles for attention in crowded market

By John LeBlanc

If the current Sentra was a person, you would almost feel sorry for it. In Nissan showrooms, it occupies the slot between the less expensive and smaller Versa hatchback and the larger Altima family sedan. But when it comes to Canadian new car buyers, the compact four-door may as well reside in the Bermuda Triangle. Read more

The Crank: Are manual transmissions worth saving?

American buff book Car & Driver editor and Targa Newfoundland veteran, “Fast” Eddie Alterman, has gone all Jerry-Lewis-for-the-Kids-like and has made a YouTube plea to save the apparently soon-to-die manual gearbox. Now, Alterman says only about 1 in 10 new cars in the States are bought with three pedals. Why? Alterman doesn’t get into the details. But I will. Read more

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