Or perhaps more accurately, which of these popular SUV’s turned my crank the most after spending back-to-back weeks with them: the Acura RDX or Mazda CX-7? 

It sports a new set of clothes and a grown up demeanor, but is the TSX still Acura’s bad boy, the little sedan with attitude?

A3: it’s small, it’s a wagon and, as usually happens when I live with an Audi for a spell, it tore at my heartstrings to give it back.

It’s another one hit out of the park for Audi and its A6.

TechnoFile.com
Avid bicyclists, environmentalists, or weenies who don’t want to work hard may want to check out OHM bicycles, power-assisted units that certainly made the ordeal of bicycling easier for this sedentary writer/weenie.
OHM bills itself as the premium brand of power-assisted bicycles and claims to offer the only power-assisted bikes equipped with the patented “BionX” torque sensor. It’s a technology they say responds automatically to the way the rider pedals, providing a smooth, natural sensation – even, supposedly compensating if one of your legs is pedaling more strongly than the other.

It’s getting hard to find a bad vehicle these days, an ear which is a legitimate golden age for the automotive industry, technologically if not financially.

Remember when calling something “The Cadillac of (whatever)” really meant something? Those days may be dawning again, if the new Cadillac CTS is any indication.

Media servers are becoming popular in this age of wireless home networks, delivering audio and video content from a computer or the Internet to whatever device you may want to use, within reason.

I usually use such devices to stream music, because most of the videos I watch are on Blu-ray and no matter how much hype you hear about downloads taking over, there are still bandwidth and file compatibility issues. I admit reluctantly to accessing YouTube and its ilk for some casual viewing sometimes, but media servers are increasingly playing back music in other rooms of my house.

Driving or working at night can be tough enough without having to worry about what’s lurking in the dark. Fortunately, today’s modern lighting fixtures are doing a better job than ever of not only banishing the darkness, but of ensuring that you can be seen by those around you as well.

Some of today’s brightest ideas are advancing the state of the art in LED’s, or Light Emitting Diodes. Solid-state LED’s are not only super bright, they’re also getting quite intelligent, allowing their owners to do more things with fewer fixtures. 

If the Chevy Traverse is any indication, General Motors has the potential for a rosy future if the financial Sword of Damocles can be removed from over it.

Suzuki’s new Grand Vitara could be the perfect SUV for many consumers looking for a vehicle in the “cute ute” class.

Talk about making a fuel of yourself. The Dodge Dakota midsized pickup is a heavy duty beast that for 2008 is capable of driving right past the gas pump – and straight to the ethanol one.

When it comes to having fun in a Mustang, you don’t absolutely need a V8 engine.

Okay, an “eight banger” does up the oomph ante substantially, but with today’s six cylinder engines now putting out power that was once reserved for eight or more cylinders, it’s amazing to see just how quickly you can go from zero to “Oops, sorry Officer” in a V6.

Six cylinders also offer the advantage of generally using less gasoline than eight, so there’s not only the initial savings you can achieve by buying the more “entry level” engine, but the ongoing costs at the pump. 

Ford’s new little delivery van really does “deliver the goods”, as it were.

Depending on the type of business you own, the Transit Connect might be just what the doctor ordered. It’s small for such a vehicle and the fact that it doesn’t offer a huge amount of power may limit its practicality, but for what it is, it’s very good. 

Anyone who remembers the Honda CRX fondly will probably find a soft spot in his or her heart for the new CR-Z sport hybrid.
Honda bills the CR-Z as “the world’s first sport hybrid” but, first or not, what really matters is that this is a nifty little car, cute as a bug’s ear, fun and efficient – and priced reasonably to boot.
For what more could anyone ask?

Honda invited a gaggle of writers including me to a special introduction of the car in Edmonton, Alberta, timed to coincide with the Honda Indy Edmonton, which made for a wonderful and exciting long weekend. Before hanging out at the race, we were given the opportunity to drive the CR-Z on a variety of roads and even on a large karting track they’d taken over for the purpose.

Well, if you smashed in the front and rear ends you might call it an “Accordion,” but perhaps more relevant is the new Accord Crosstour, a crossover/SUV-type beastie that raises Honda’s immensely popular car to new heights.

The rather bulbous-looking Accord Crosstour may be an answer to a question few have asked: How do you make a highly functional, if stylistically-challenged, vehicle even more functional – and stylistically-challenged? Honda has done this by creating a vehicle that works well, is nice to drive and which lets you haul more stuff than you can in a garden variety Accord.

Talk about retro!

It’s the Lexus HS 250h, the luxury car maker’s first four cylinder model, and at heart it’s a luxury hybrid. It’s also a very nice car that would undoubtedly be easy to live with.

And it’s so green, regardless of which color you order it in, that it could drive you nuts. Not only is it supposed to sip gas (Lexus claims a mileage rating of 41.3 mpg or 5.7L/100 km, though I never got that), but it’s also supposedly equipped with an interior that’s nearly one third populated by “sustainable ecological plastics” whatever the heck that’s supposed to mean.

TORONTO, /CNW/ - The Lexus LF-Ch compact hybrid concept made its world premiere today at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. It will also be on display for the first time in North America at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December.

As the latest concept hybrid vehicle from Lexus, LF-Ch offers dramatic style, premium features, an innovative drivetrain with low emissions, and impressive fuel economy in a sporty yet versatile five-door package.

They’ve upgraded its looks and features a bit for 2010, but at heart the Mazda CX-9 is the same big SUV it has been since its introduction. And that’s a good thing.

Not a lot needed to be changed. Heck, my chief complaint is that they still use red illumination on the instruments, and that is not only about as minor a beef as you can have, but whether or not it’s even a beef at all is something clearly in the eye of the beholder.

You certainly can’t accuse Mazda of false advertising for using “Zoom-Zoom” as their slogan.

The phrase captures the Mazda driving experience beautifully, whether you’re behind the wheel of the RX-8, MX-5 Miata, the CX-7 and CX-9 crossovers or, the topic of this piece, the little Mazda 3.

The previous 3 was a huge success for Mazda. According to them, it sold nearly 1.8 million vehicles in over 100 countries since its 2003 launch and won more than 90 automobile awards, including the 2004 “Canadian Car of the Year”. 

Take some world class cars from one of Germany’s top marques, add a day on a road course race track learning and honing your driving skills, and what do you have?

Mercedes-Benz’ C class is the most affordable of the German carmaker’s sedan line, but that doesn’t mean it feels like an entry level vehicle.
It is, after all, a Mercedes. And that means even its lower end cars are upper echelon in the grand scheme of things. So it is with the new C.

TechnoFile.com
I kept missing the first version of Nissan’s popular SUV and/or crossover, like two ships that passed in the night repeatedly as review vehicles came around. It drove me nuts, especially since I have a neighbor who has one and who loves it dearly and I really wanted to try it for myself.

Take a popular mid-sized sedan, weld two doors shut and what do you get?

Pontiac’s little wagon is back, with new looks, new features and new power. It’s a nice car, too, roomy and reasonably fun to drive.

They called it the “Catch the Vibe” Challenge, and it was definitely challenging.

Sports cars are a blast during good weather, and it might surprise you to learn they can even be a hoot after Old Person Winter has come a-calling.

That fact was driven (no pun intended) home to me during a wintry week I spent recently with a Porsche Boxster, a pretty basic model of Porsche’s entry level sports car on which the only real options of substance were Bi-xenon headlights (which should be standard) and the seven speed PDK double clutch auto/manual transmission I’ve grown to appreciate greatly.

Can a lowly V6 propel a 4800 pound Porsche to the kind of blistering speeds for which the company’s vehicles are known? Or is it more a way to save some bucks and gas while still getting the Porsche cachet?

While the name Saab is also associated with cool jet fighters such as the Gripen, when it comes to the Saab 9-3 Aero sedan, the Swedish manufacturer’s automotive offerings are far more down to earth.

The Saturn Astra, according to a radio commercial in my neck of the woods, is the top selling car in Europe.

Really? It’s certainly not a “disAstra”, but the bestselling car of any sold in all of Europe? I don’t get it. 

The 2010 Subaru Impreza sports a few upgrades and enhancements designed to make it more attractive to its base of loyal customers – and others – while remaining true to its “rally-bred” roots.

And why not? The Impreza 2.5i I drove may not be the most refined vehicle on Earth, but it still has a lot going for it. Chief among these is Subaru’s famous symmetrical all-wheel drive system coupled with the “boxer” engine that sits low up front, pistons moving horizontally toward each other (hence the “boxer” moniker), helping give the car a very, well, down to earth center of gravity. Both features come in very handy in climates that experience stuff like snow and ice.

Subarus seem to grow on you. At least, that’s been my experience when reviewing some of their models. While I liked the Forester immediately (and still do), when I drove the new Legacy last year it took a while for me to warm up to it. 

LOS ANGELES, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) debuted today the second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV at a news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  A total of 35 vehicles will be built for a demonstration and evaluation program through 2011, aiming at market arrival of a fully-engineered vehicle in 2012.  The fully-engineered vehicle will have a target range of 100 miles (160 kilometres) in actual road driving patterns, in a wide range of climates and conditions. 

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) named the 2011 Toyota Sienna as the Best New Minivan in the 2011 Canadian Car of the Year Awards following rigorous testing during the annual TestFest for the Canadian Car of the Year Awards competition. 

When the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada named the GTI as its 2010 Canadian Car of the year, I didn’t agree. I thought it should have gone to the Porsche Panamera, because it was a completely new car – as opposed to the GTI’s being merely another generation of a long-running vehicle – and it had represented a bigger risk for its company.

Obviously, my opinion means little in the grand scheme of things, and once I had stopped blubbering in frustration I waited impatiently for my turn with the GTI to come so I could get some quality seat time in it.

My love affair with Volkswagen’s current product line continues with the 2010 Jetta sedan and wagon. Heck, if I were French, I’d simply look at the car’s flanks, say “Jetta door!” and be done with it.

Of course that doesn’t make for much of a column, let alone a decent pun.

TORONTO, Volvo Cars of Canada Corp., (VCCC) announced the start of its upcoming Naughty Volvo Tour and Event to launch the All-New 2011 Volvo S60. The Naughty Volvo Tour will stop at three major cities across Canada, starting in Montreal, QC, July 22 and 23, opening in Toronto, ON, July 26 to 28, and simultaneously in Vancouver, B.C., July 26 and 27. A Special “Night of Naughty” will be the featured event in Toronto’s Distillery District the evening of July 26. 

Before I give you my impressions of Volvo’s newly-redesigned crossover, I’d like to correct some misinformation I disseminated in my piece on the Mazda Tribute a few weeks ago.  I wrote that it has disc brakes on all four wheels, which isn’t true: it has front discs/rear drums. I apologize for this sloppy reporting – though on the other hand it also helps to make my point that it’s time the Tribute were dragged into the 21st century.