Road Trip: 2008 BMW X5 4.8i

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Mont Tremblant, Quebec – As the old Canadian joke goes, there are two driving seasons in this country: winter, and construction. Embracing — rather than bemoaning — winter behind the wheel of a car is the smarter and saner way to get from November to April. During Life before […]

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 […]

First Drive: 2009 Toyota Venza

Story and photos by John LeBlanc PITTSBURGH–According to Toyota, its new Venza is not a car, station wagon, or SUV. Instead, the company says its latest unibody utility vehicle has “no direct competitors in the market … It is a new kind of vehicle … a segment buster.” So while the Venza looks, smells and […]

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 […]

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