First Drive: 2009 Audi A4

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Bowmanville, Ont. – With one-in-two Audis sold in Canada an A4, one doesn’t have to have a degree in economics to understand how important the premium compact sports sedan and wagon are to the German automaker here. Since the first A4 debuted in Europe in 1972 (then known as […]

Road Test: 2009 Subaru WRX265 Sedan

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Don’t you just hate it when your favourite cult music band – the one you discovered, nurtured and cared for like a little puppy – goes mainstream? It’s a feeling Subaru had to come to grips with when it tried to broaden the appeal of its WRX sports compact […]

Road Trip: 2008 Targa Newfoundland – Part 2

Story and photos by John LeBlanc St. John’s, Newfoundland – A lot of things run though your mind when you realize your Targa Newfoundland racecar is no longer pointing in the desired direction, but rather heading swiftly towards a ditch – sideways – at about 60 km/h. You think … 1) Oh! So that’s why […]

Road Trip: 2008 Targa Newfoundland – Part 1

Story and photos by John LeBlanc My road to this year’s Targa Newfoundland road rally started on the last stage of the last day after completing the 2006 event. Arriving back where I had started five days earlier, near St. John’s harbour, overwhelmed by simply surviving such a grueling event as a navigator, I swore […]

Comparo: 2009 Audi A3 3.2, BMW 135i, Mitsubishi Evo, Subaru WRX STi

Story and photos by John LeBlanc CALABOGIE, ONT.–Essentially a gussied up Volkswagen Golf, Audi’s A3 started the premium compact genre in Europe 12 years ago. Today, almost every automaker has a compact car with a big car price in its stable. With all the features and performance of larger cars – but in a more […]

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