Picture Gallery: 2009 Mazda RX-8     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

The year was 2003; the month was August; the car… the Mazda RX-8. I remember it vividly: the first RX-8 to hit Ottawa was a 2004 Velocity Red GS model. I promptly headed to the dealership for a gander and fell in love with it. A few days later, it was in my driveway. That was almost five years ago to the day, and once again I have an RX-8 in my driveway… eerie. More…

Picture Gallery: 2009 Nissan GT-R     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

It is rare occurance for a car to come onto the automotive scene and make a huge splash. But two years in a row, two different companies have managed to do so. Last year, Audi introduced the R8: a car with supercar looks and performance for a bargain price (well, in comparison to other supercars). The R8 was voted Canadian Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. This year, Nissan released the 2009 Nissan GT-R, a car with supercar performance but perhaps not-quite-supercar looks. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Subaru WRX STi     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

What do you say when someone hands you the keys to the new Subaru STi? You say: “Thanks.” Then, you say: “C-ya”, as you select first gear, stomp on the go pedal and rocket away from your gift-giver. It’s not too often I get an “extreme machine” to test — we’ll have to make the most of this one. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Audi RS4     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

Audi has been causing a lot of stir in the automotive world lately. First, there’s the Canadian Car of the Year, the 420hp Audi R8, which was closely followed by the A5/S5 coupe and finally, the new 2009 Audi A4, which was revealed at the Detroit auto show with larger dimensions and more refinement than ever. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe V6     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click to play video (flash required) Music by If…

My week with the Honda Accord Coupe V6 could not come at a better time: it has been almost one year to the day since this 2008 model was revealed in Detroit and almost exactly two years since I reviewed the seventh-generation Accord Coupe V6. The eighth-generation Accord is, once again, larger than its predecessor and the coupe more sculpted than the sedan, with the traditional flowing lines that all coupes should wear. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Nissan Altima Coupé     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Discuss

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

Welcome back from the holidays, all. The holiday season has come and gone, and once again, it seems like the year just whisked by. This week I am testing the new 2008 Altima Coupé 2.5s — I’ll apologize upfront for the photos of a dirty car with snow on it, it has been close to -30 Celsius the past few days here and believe it or not, the car was clean 20km before I took the photos. More…

Picture Gallery: 2008 Honda Civic Si Sedan     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

After a short hiatus of sorts I am back with another car. This time, something a little sporty in nature yet still reasonable on the pocket book: the much debated and perhaps anticipated 2008 Honda Civic Si Sedan. Originally, rumours had this car as only being available in the U.S., but Honda has decided to bring it to Canada. More…

Picture Gallery: 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

Finally, I get a convertible I can test. Oh, wait, I did have the New Beetle… anyway, a convertible! Hopefully the weather network is wrong and it doesn’t rain all week, as this week’s ride is the Pontiac Solstice GXP, the turbocharged performance car from GM that has been turning heads since it was revealed in Detroit a few years back. More…

Picture Gallery: 2007 Mazdaspeed3     | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Day 1:

Click Image to Enlarge

Quelle surprise! My test vehicle for this week literally showed up unexpected to me today. I was originally booked in another vehicle for this week, but it was canceled and replaced with this wonderful morsel of fun. And it could not have come at a better time. In fact just Sunday I was admiring one these bad boys during an autocross event here in Ottawa and spoke to the owner for a bit. More…

Picture Gallery: 2007 VW GTI 5-Door

Click Image to Enlarge

It is not often I get to jump out of one vehicle and into another that is nearly identically-priced and classed. Having just stepped out of the go-kart-like Mini Cooper S, I was not sure what to expect from the GTI. Would it be as fun and sporting? Would it live up to its history as one of the best hot hatches? Let’s find out. More…