Comparo: 2014 Fiat 500L versus Mini Cooper Countryman

Story by John LeBlanc Between the birth of our country and today, the percentage of people living in rural instead of urban settings has reversed, with now more than 80% of Canadians being city dwellers. So if you’re in the majority of Canadian families living in a city, it only makes sense to consider a […]

Top 10s: New cars for hipsters

By John LeBlanc If you were born sometime during the mid ‘80s and mid ‘90s, live in a city, come from a middle-class upbringing, jeer at Coldplay fans, and have a wardrobe that consists mainly of plaid shirts, skinny jeans, and fedoras, you very well may be considered a hipster. Automakers are struggling to connect with […]

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 […]

Third annual Canadian Automotive Jury’s Best of the Best Finalists announced

By John LeBlanc Reflecting the wide variety Canadian new car buyers are faced with, the third annual Canadian Automotive Jury’s Best of the Best Finalists range from entry-level compacts to luxury-sport sedans.

Comparo: 2011 Mini Countryman vs. Nissan Juke

Mini Utes Nissan and Mini battle for the Next Big Thing in cars By John LeBlanc In the 1990s, it was truck-based sports-utility-vehicles. During the past decade, it was car-based crossover-utility-vehicles. And now as we zoom into the second-decade of the 21st Century, it looks like compact crossovers may end up as “The Next Big […]

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