Comparo: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES vs. Mazda2 GS

[svgallery name=”2011_Ford-Fiesta_vs_Mazda2_hirez”] Family feud Which new supermini hatch warms the hearts of drivers the most? By John LeBlanc Small cars are like cod liver oil and sit-ups: Everyone appreciates their virtues, but few of us actually partake. So despite the rhetoric that Canadians love small cars — especially hatchbacks — the sales figures say otherwise. […]

The Crank: The General’s naming games

By John LeBlanc As part of Chevrolet’s recent small car religion— that includes the 2011 compact Cruze, next year’s Orlando compact tall wagon and a future Spark city car—an all-new subcompact  2011 Aveo, left and below, is on the way as well. We saw the production version last month in Paris, initially, next spring it […]

The Crank: 2011 CAJ Best of the Best nominees released

By John LeBlanc Here’s the deal. If you’re reading my blog, it’s safe to assume that you’re one of the wisest, sharpest, most knowledgeable car enthusiasts on the planet. So it goes without reason that if yours truly is to put his name behind an annual new car award, it’s going to be the “best” […]

Bailout Blues: Will Fiat ever deliver on its promise of new Chryslers?

By John LeBlanc With U.S. lawmakers taking Toyota to the wood shed this week, let’s take a look at another automaker with some, ahem, challenges: Fiat-run Chrysler.