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Lexus

FIRST DRIVE

Lexus gets serious

Red-hot, uber-sport sedan shows off Toyota's racy side. The F Series is the Lexus brand's answer to the Mercedes AMG family, the R cars from Audi and BMW's M-class.


ALTERNATIVE FUEL

Students go for glory in hydrogen car

The University of Waterloo vehicle is the only hydrogen-based competitor among 17 Equinox crossover vehicles re-engineered by university students to run on a range of alternative fuels.


HONDA PILOT

Killer deals out there on this reliable SUV

Honda wants the 2008 models off the lot before the 2009s arrive


YOU & YOUR CAR

Don't let battery run down when car is in storage

A trickle charger will keep your battery topped up and fully charged, perfect for cars in storage; Did you know that your car has a "black box" system? The Vehicle Data Recorder keeps tabs on your driving.

AUDI A8

Audi A8

The only thing missing is snob appeal

The brand lacks the kind of cachet that commands unfiltered premium pricing


VOLVO S80

Volvo S80

S80 lives up to Volvo's reputation for safety

The coolest feature: the flashing light in the side-view mirror warning of an obstacle in the blind spot


HYUNDAI SONATA

Hyundai Sonata

A great four-banger for the price

You can get up to 750 kilometres out of a tank of gas

 

Feature Cars 

The fortwo cabriolet.

SMART FORTWO: Easy on the eyes and the gas

With fuel prices rising, the fortwo makes you look pretty Smart

MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER: Save the top-down experience for a sunny day

But with a push of the button, the top is back up

PORSCHE BOXSTER: She says it's not a chick car

Boxster intrigues and intimidates "it just oozes testosterone and taunts me"

FORD MUSTANG GT: Feels like a '60s muscle car

Mustang's 2005 retro redesign a hit for Ford

AUDI TT: First ride of the season is liberating

Top up or down, the second-generation TT roadster has a sexy, streamlined silhouette


News 

BMW 1-SERIES: Slimmed down, but packed with charm

Cabriolets are not for people with a practical streak

HONDA CIVIC DX-G: Thrifty coupes don't come better than this

You simply won't find a smoother, livelier or more frugal four-cylinder engine on today's market

VW vehicle deliveries climb 10% in April

German auto maker had predicted growth of 6%

Laid-off workers face grim new ballgame

They're seeking new jobs and new training on concern the manufacturing slide isn't cyclical, but has become the norm

Auto parts production, profits to tumble, report says

Canada's parts manufacturers will see production decline of 8 per cent in 2008 to lowest level in 10 years, Conference Board projects

Premier pitching Ontario for a Fiat auto plant site

Dalton McGuinty in Turin visiting executives at Italian auto giant

AUTO BUZZ: Chrysler drops CUV clone in favour of small car

The company is set to put the B-segment model on sale in North America in 2010; Ferrari unveils baby GT; Safety group looks at small versus big; Hyundai 'Sync' system coming from Microsoft

Automotive: Life after Buzz

The CAW's Buzz Hargrove is all smiles after his final round of deals. But his successor faces a grim challenge, with an industry that could soon pack up and move on

Ford truck recall affects 50,000 vehicles in Canada

Auto maker is recalling more than 655,000 Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks to fix a hose that could affect the vehicles' braking power.

GM lobbies for funds as job losses mount

Auto maker calls for $140-million handout even as it slashes 2,300 jobs


One on one 

ONE ON ONE: 'We can move a lot of product around'

Michael Vaughan speaks to Frank Ewasyshyn about Chrysler's new muscle car, the Dodge Challenger. It won't win any awards from David Suzuki, but the company has already sold all 7000 that it plans to build at its Brampton plant.


You & your car 

What does rpm mean?

One sexist car salesman lost a sale by declining to answer a new driver's question about engine speed; Another reader is wondering about why bumper regulations differ in Canada and the U.S.


Motorsports 

Green racing: ALMS series goes green with alternative fuels

Like much of the rest of the world, the drive to reduce the environmental footprint, or in this case, tread mark, of cars has arrived in the world of motorsports.

CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: Muscle cars eliminated this season

It might have a little less horsepower, but drivers and teams in the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) are still revved up for another season of wheel-spinning and fender-banging.

VW JETTA TDI CUP SERIES: 'I've always been the youngest in the field'

Sunday's race is second in the eight-event schedule


Car enthusiasts 

They're more reliable and high-tech, but tires still need maintenance

Tires have become so reliable and long lived that they rarely impinge on the average driver's consciousness. But in motoring's pioneering era, tires and the problems related to them were a daily fact of driving life.


Motorcycles, etc. 

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLSTC: A marriage of technology and old-school character

Harley-Davidson has been pumping out air-cooled V-Twin bikes for more than 100 years. There have been changes and refinements along the way, but the basic recipe has remained the same: big motorcycles, with lots of flash and an engine note that is unmistakable.


Cars and drivers 

BETTER DRIVER: Don't count on other guy to do your thinking and driving

While sometimes referred to as defensive driving, the practice of expecting the unexpected is one of the primary factors in safe driving.

ALL & SUNDRY: Feature-rich Q2 a boon for bikers

Q2 is a feature-rich headset for motorcycle helmets that allows bike-to-bike communicating with fellow riders, and permits the connection of a variety of devices.

BETTER DRIVER: Leave enough room to pass safely

For many younger drivers, the process of overtaking another vehicle on a two-lane road is a rare experience, especially if you live and drive in an urban environment.

Better Driver: Don't turn to check blind spot

YOU & YOUR CAR: Do I really need premium gas?

With the escalating price of gas in Canada, one reader is wondering if it's really necessary to spend more at the pumps; another reader is wondering if she can minimize her fuel consumption by using her car's cruise control feature.

SAFETY: Today's sturdier cars make it harder for rescuers

Captain Clint Roberts makes his living cutting accident victims out of hideously mangled vehicles, but even he could hardly believe it when two people in a 2007 mid-size car survived a head-on crash with a full-sized pickup last year.

YOU & YOUR CAR: What's the advantage to rotating tires?

One reader would like to know if it's really necessary to rotate his car's tires as often as his repair shop suggests, and another reader is interested in tires with retractable studs, if they're legal in Canada.


How it works 

Convex secondary mirrors help you see other car

Ford has announced plans to put two of the most recent development on some 2009 model-year vehicles: a blind-spot mirror and a radar detection system.


More reviews 

MERCEDES-BENZ CLK 63 AMG: The sound of a first-rate hot rod

This speed demon will get to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds in second gear. By 160 km/h, you'll be shifting into fourth gear. For safety reasons, the engine software limits tops out at 250 km/h but if you could let it fly, it would reach 320 km/h.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE: Go with the "You're busted" red paint job

Still as large as life and twice as fast

CADILLAC XLR-V: Deals available on Caddy's most powerful car

This convertible is the most expensive car Cadillac has produced

BMW 335i CABRIOLET: Elegant design and a marvel under the hood

BMW says this is the slimmest-stacking hardtop around — that leaves room for luggage or golf clubs in the trunk

SAAB 9-3: Sport sedan has everything you need

I've rarely driven a manual gearbox sedan with this level of refinement

MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN: Modern Mini's brilliant second act

But it's hard to be rational about a car that puts a smile on your face

SUBARU IMPREZA: Racer's soul hiding beneath the bodywork

In this case, it was buried rather deeply

MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION: Finally, a taste of Evo magic

Mitsubishi's turbocharged Lancer Evolution rally replicar trickles into dealers, blasts onto streets

PONTIAC VIBE: Not too old to catch the Vibe

Aimed at young, media-hip, city dwellers who are as comfortable with a BlackBerry as I am with a half-inch box-end wrench.

JEEP LIBERTY: Some odd compromises in this compact SUV

A Jeep should be utilitarian and yet sufficiently handsome

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