The Crank: Is Fiat (literally) stretching its 500 brand too far?
By John LeBlanc
Let’s be honest: if BMW’s modern Mini had been a sales flop, we would never have seen the modern Fiat 500. Like the new Mini, the teeny Fiat is cute, cuddly, and fun-to-drive, with styling that harkens back to an original post-World War Two city car. And just as Fiat has copied BMW’s formula for a modern small car, it’s also mimicking the German automaker by expanding the 500 brand with a host of body styles and variants. Read more
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Quick Spin: 2012 Chevrolet Orlando
Story and photos by John LeBlanc
Canadian-exclusive Orlando a practical family hauler
What is it?
The Orlando is a three-row, seven-passenger people hauler based on General Motors’ global compact-car platform. With conventional opening rear doors, please, don’t call it a minivan. And in a departure from the norm, the Korean-built Orlando is only sold in Canada in North America — not the United States. Read more
The Crank: New stop/start systems turning off BMW owners
By John LeBlanc
One of the biggest contributors to the fuel savings of any gasoline-electric hybrid is the vehicle’s automatic start/stop systems, a feature that allows the gas engine to shutdown when the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at an intersection. Stop/start systems work so well automakers are now applying them to gas-only models. And one of the latest is Germany’s BMW, with it’s all-new 2012 328i compact sedan. Read more
Top 10s: Collectible Cars of 2012
By John LeBlanc
Let’s make this clear: no one buys a new car as an immediate investment. That age-old bugaboo called depreciation ensures that a couple of years down the road (let alone a couple of decades) your new set of wheels won’t be worth what you paid for it when it was driven off the lot.
Yet a select few of the hundreds of different models available in Canadian showrooms have the potential to someday become future collectibles. To help with your choice, the collector car insurance experts at Hagerty put out an annual “Hot List” of current new cars with an MSRP of less than $100,000 U.S. they predict will one day become collectibles. Read more
Comparo: 2012 Audi A4 vs. BMW 3 Series vs. Mercedes-Benz C Class
Story and photos by John LeBlanc
Which premium German compact sedan deserves your money?
Call it a head start, if you like; whenever an automaker launches a new entry-level sports sedan, the target is pointed at Germany. Since the 1970s, small sedans from Germany’s Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have been the gold standard of this class. And today, more than four decades later, the respective A4, 3 Series, and C-Class four-doors still lead the segment when it comes to innovation, competence, refinement, and status. Read more