First Drive: 2011 Audi Q7 3.0 TFSI/Sport

[svgallery name=”2011_Audi_Q7_hirez”] New sixes for Audi’s Q7 German automaker downsizes its large crossover’s gas engines for 2011 By John LeBlanc INGOLSTADT, GERMANY–Right up front in the automaker’s press materials, Audi says its Q7 is “the large Audi for the sporty individualist — the high-performance SUV for sport, leisure, family and business.” While most of the […]

First Drive: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4

[svgallery name=”2011_Mini_Countryman_Vienna”] Maximum Mini BMW pushes the limits of its Mini philosophy with new, larger Countryman By John LeBlanc VIENNA, Austria —How much larger can a Mini get before it stops being a Mini? That’s the question parent BMW will be asking new-car buyers less than a year from now when the Cooper Countryman — […]

First Drive: 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 6M

[svgallery name=”10_Acura_TL_6M”] Manual labour of love New six-speed gearbox finally tilts Acura TL to the the sports side of the sports/luxury equation By John LeBlanc CARMEL, Calif. – Some driving enthusiasts are coming around to the idea of automated-manual transmissions. The latest dual-clutch setups are able to shift gears quicker than humanely possible, and often […]

First Drive: 2011 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Quattro

[svgallery name=”2011_Audi_TT_hirez”] By John LeBlanc INGOLSTADT, Germany—All the cultural signposts are there to suggest these are troubling times if you’re in the business of making sports cars. The economy’s still recovering from one of the worst downturns of this generation, politicians want us to be driving antiseptic electric pods, plus the burden of having to […]

Used: Top 5 towing vehicles for under $20,000

[svgallery name=”Top 5 Used Tow Vehicles”] By John LeBlanc In preparation for the warm-weather recreation season, the need to haul a boat or camper trailer may have you looking for a new-to-you tow vehicle. So here, in ascending order of preference, is my choice of the top five, up-to-10-years-old, $20,000-and under, pre-owned, tow vehicles:

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