Picture Gallery: 2009 Pontiac G8     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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With most vehicles these days being front-wheel drive, it is odd to have been driving all-wheel drive vehicles for a few weeks, and now one that is rear-wheel drive. The Pontiac G8 is the only rear-wheel drive Pontiac sedan available and one of the few available rear-wheel drive non-luxury cars available today. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Audi A3     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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I didn’t realize until I jumped into this week’s tester how I have been starving for automotive fun! I had to think back to the last time I drove a small, sporting vehicle, and geez — it was quite awhile ago! The last test vehicle I had that wasn’t a truck, SUV or family sedan was back in September, when I had a pair of Boxsters for a week. This week I am behind the wheel of the 2009 Audi A3 2.0T, something I think qualifies as small and sporty. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Kia Magentis LX     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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Well, I don’t have much of a funny anecdote to throw out there today — writer’s block, perhaps. Last week I was in the all-new Kia Borrego; this week, once again, I’m in a Kia, but this time, it is the Magentis. Refreshed only slightly for the 2009 model year, the Magentis is the sister car to the Hyundai Sonata, which has garnered a great amount of praise over the past couple of years. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS XFE     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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Back to basics this week, with the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS XFE. Those last three letters are not a sport designation or an indication of any extra features; what they stand for is Extra Fuel Economy. Chevrolet has taken the Cobalt LS and made a few tweaks to achieve some pretty amazing fuel economy numbers: 8.0L/100km (city) and 5.4L/100km (highway). But when I say back to basics, I am not kidding — I can’t recall the last time I drove a vehicle so spartan. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |Discuss

Day 1:

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Well well, now — another mid-sized sedan. Two in a row, and a good chance to keep myself in the mid-sized segment frame of mind. And colour me impressed with the Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart that I am driving this week. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Mazda6 GS-I4     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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Zoom-zoom-zoom for me again this week — this time, the latest zoom-zoom added to Mazda’s line-up for 2009, the all new and redesigned Mazda6. A little larger for this year, the new Mazda6 has a few design cues from the RX-8, such as the flared fenders. My tester is a base model GS-I4 with comfort package and automatic transmission, which is likely to be the best selling version. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Saab 9-3     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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This week I am behind the wheel of the new 2008 Saab 9-3, but not just any 9-3. I actually tested a more basic model in the winter: you can read about it here. This time I am testing the new Aero version, fitted with Saab’s newly introduced all-wheel drive system for its 9-3 sedan. It would have been nice to have this all-wheel drive variant during the winter months of record snowfall, though. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Toyota Corolla S     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

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Hot on the heels of the CanadianDriver 50-litre Challenge, where a Corolla in CE automatic trim was the cream of the crop (achieving an amazing 1017km traveled on just 50 litres of fuel), this week I’ll be driving the Corolla S with manual transmission. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4| Discuss

Day 1:

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The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ is my tester for this week. It’s been a few weeks since I had a test car, although I have been super-busy driving for the 50L challenge and other events, so I certainly haven’t been taking a break. This Malibu is a car that has been praised by nearly everyone in the industry. “Camry killer” and “Super-Accord” are phrases that have been used to describe it; those are some mighty praises. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Audi A3 S-Line     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |Discuss

Day 1:

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I still remember it like it was yesterday — it was 2005 or 2006 (okay, so I can’t remember when but I remember what) and I was at the Toronto Autoshow at the annual CarTalkCanada get together. We had just arrived at the Audi booth, all jazzed about taking a seat in the A3. This woman says to her friend “Hey so-and-so has one of these, it’s TINY, and WOW look at the price for this tiny thing!” More…