The new Navigator is big news for Lincoln, the luxury brand best known for warmed-over Fords until just a couple of years ago. For much of the 20th century, it was Ford versus GM, or Lincoln versus Cadillac. This Detroit rivalry was a big deal. It was not just about bragging rights, but it was also about national pride in and for the US of A. America was the leader of the free world, and therefore was also supposed to be the best of the best at building luxury cars. Today, things are a bit different. After a few years of stagnation, Lincoln is mounting its strongest offensive yet as the traditional luxury car segment evolves. The Navigator is not just the largest, most opulent, and most powerful Lincoln ever; it delivers what an American luxury vehicle arguably has to be in this day and age. And Lincoln has chosen...

BMW has been a major player in the SUV sector ever since the company introduced the car-like X5 back in 1999. The X5 was one of the first SUVs to blend in the practicality of an SUV, the look and feel of a premium luxury vehicle, and handling of not just any car but one worthy of being associated with the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. The X5 was one of the gold standards that helped to redefine the SUV market over the last two decades or so, but will the X2 do the same? Probably not. Nonetheless,  it does help to broaden BMW’s offerings as consumers become more discerning, and the competition continues to be more plentiful and stiffer than ever. What is it? Yes, the X2 is a new name and yet another addition in the BMW range. The X2 is an interesting addition to BMW’s lineup in that it...

Since its debut in 2002, the Mazda6 has been the plucky alternative family sedan. Offered with a performance turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive, and a manual gearbox as the sole transmission offering, the Mazda6 has been the hot-handling counterpoint to stalwarts like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But fast forward to 2019. These days, virtually any sedan you can name off the top of your head is being overwhelmed in the marketplace by crossovers and SUVs. So what happens when you become the alternative to the alternative? Third time’s the charm Credit where it’s deserved to Mazda Canada for not giving up even though it has three successful SUVs in the form of the CX-3, CX-5, and CX-9. Yet if Mazda isn't giving up on the family sedan market, it is giving in somewhat to the desires of sedan consumers. For the third time in five model years, the Mazda 6...

Can you remember when the iPhone 4S was released by Apple? It was shipped with iOS 5, which was the first introduction of a new automated voice control system called Siri. It was also the first introduction of iCloud. Why am I writing about the iPhone 4S and the introduction of Siri and iCloud? Because the year was 2011 and that was when Infiniti first introduced their full-sized body-on-frame QX56 luxo-SUV. Yup, it was actually that long ago...when Siri was first introduced to the world. Amazing! In 2016, the outgoing model actually accounted for about nine per cent of Infiniti’s global sales, with more than 20,708 units sold globally. Rebadged as the QX80 a few years ago, Infiniti’s largest vehicle rumbled along relatively unchanged. However, it received an exterior refresh for 2018 and yes is still one of the few big luxurious yachts still available to two up to 8,500...

Fun fact. Did you know that the Jetta was originally created due to the tastes of North American customers? When the Volkswagen Golf was launched North America markets in 1979, it enjoyed considerable success. However, the company noticed that the hatchback design of the Golf didn’t appeal to American customers who still preferred the traditional three-box configuration of the sedan. Therefore, the solution was to have the Volkswagen stylists essentially graft a trunk onto the Golf’s tail so as to produce a larger saloon/sedan. In not too long of a duration, the Jetta became one of the best-selling European cars in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and still remains popular in Europe. Sharing is Caring Volkswagen spent much of the (previous) sixth-generation Jetta’s era undoing the harm it did by decontenting the model back when it was last redesigned in 2011. Yes, prices were slashed, but it was done as...

“What’s the big deal about this car? It looks fast even when parked because of that crazy big wing”, says my neighbour, owner of a fully-loaded 2016 Honda Accord V6 Touring. He’s someone whom I’d like to think of as an example of the typical bread-and-butter Canadian Honda customer. There are Honda Civic fans and then there are JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Honda Civic Type R fans. The Civic Type R has actually been around since 1997, originally based on the 6th generation Civic known as the EK9. Previous Type R’s were not available in North America, and the very first Civic Type R had a lot of bespoke go-fast bits such as a hand-ported engine, front limited slip differential, and a close ratio gearbox. The engine, known as the B16B, boasted one of the highest ratios of power output per litre at the time. The chassis was also different...

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the BMW 6-Series GT. In all seriousness, the new BMW 6-Series GT is neither a sedan, a crossover, or an SUV. You may be wondering whether the 6 GT, which bears an immediate resemblance to the 5-Series, is just a stretched 5-Series. Or perhaps a shorter version of the flagship 7-Series. The answer is both. But as Aristotle said, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What is it? The 640i Gran Turismo replaces the awkward ugly duckling that was the 5-Series Gran Turismo. That beast looked ungainly from almost every angle where as the 6 GT represents a quantum improvement in the looks department. Is it as eye catching as the 4-Series or 6-Series Gran Coupé? Perhaps not, as it does look slightly awkward still from some angles largely due to how practical it is. But more on that...

You may have seen the SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) badge affixed to certain Range Rovers, namely the Range Rover SVR. But now you’ll also start seeing them on top Jaguars. What does that little round insignia actually represent? Well it does exactly what the badge says. The SVO team engineers and develops Jaguar Land Rover’s more specialized vehicles. These vehicles sit outside of the mainstream ranges, whether they be more performance or more luxury-focused. Think of it as sort of what AMG is to Mercedes-AMG, what Maybach is to Mercedes-Maybach, and perhaps a combination of what BMW Individual and the M division is to BMW and you’ve got the right picture. So far, SVO has been developing its vehicles into various sub-brands, each with their own distinct ethos. The SV Autobiography moniker is one of these badges, appearing on high-specification Range Rovers. As mentioned, SVO isn’t just about performance engineering,...

The Ioniq is a tremendously important car for Hyundai. Not only has it been spearheading the brand’s electrification push but it’s doing so on all three fronts. First launched in Hyundai’s home market of South Korea and then at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the Ioniq covers all green car bases by being available in three powertrain configurations - conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric powertrains. This makes the Ioniq the world’s first car to offer three differently electrified versions based within a single body. The clear comparison that one will gravitate to is that Hyundai is targeting the Prius (although the latter is not offered as battery electric only version). Given that the initial target of the Ioniq is only 77,000 units a year globally for the hybrid model, it would appear that the Korean carmaker understands the challenges ahead in taking on Toyota. What is it? The Hyundai...

It’s a mini bus, it’s an off-roader, it’s a mega-hauler. It’s the all-new 2018 Ford Expedition. The Expedition has been redesigned from the ground-up for 2018. Based on the best selling vehicle in North America, the Ford F-150 pick-up truck, the Expedition now shares its latest platform as well as the adoption of aluminium bodywork. Despite the Expedition being larger than before with its increased technology, luxury, safety equipment, and passenger space, it’s also lighter and more capable. How much lighter? By as much as 300 pounds. What’s new? Aside from the aforementioned major platform change and the substantial dieting thanks to the shift to aluminium, the Expedition’s game remains the same. Before the 2018 model year, the vehicle had soldiered on with a few updates since the second-generation SUV was introduced back in 2003. But now after 15 years, this all-new model moves the class forward significantly. The Expedition’s...

In Chinese culture, the number six is an auspicious number meaning smooth and or well-off. Many people in China regard six as a fortunate number because it sounds like “flow” in Chinese. In fact, many businesses even display the number six to bring good fortune. Why am I talking about number six? Well it’s because this review is all about the all-new sixth generation BMW M5 (codenamed F90), which is likely to bring good fortunes to BMW thanks to clever engineering, blistering performance numbers, and a huge dollop of character that has been missing for the last few years. What is it? Over 30 years ago, BMW engineers decided to borrow the motorsport derived straight six-cylinder engine from the legendary M1 sports car and transplant it into the chassis of their 5-Series executive sedan. The E28 M5 was born and it instantly became the fastest production sedan available. With each...

Most people would associate the words “mid-sized family sedan” with brands and models such as the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Ford Taurus, and of course the Nissan Maxima. Eight generations and almost 40 years later, Nissan’s flagship Maxima sedan still carries on proudly, but has changed quite a bit over the years from the square and mild-mannered Japanese-built Datsun 810 in 1981. Back in those days, the “Maxima” was actually just a trim line to denote a fully loaded and more luxurious version of the Datsun 810, a la “810 Maxima”. Today, the Maxima is assembled in Smyrna, Tennessee, with engines assembled in Decherd, Tennessee. What is it today? Rare are the model lines that span over two decades, but there are a few notable exceptions including the Maxima. Other models that prove the rule include the Porsche 911, the Chevy Corvette, the Honda Accord/Civic, and the Toyota...

What do you get when you take the Golf Sportwagen, add 1.5 inches of ground clearance and some rugged looking body panels? Say hello to the 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack wagon. What is it? Following on the popularity of the Subaru Outback and Audi’s A4 Allroad, Volkswagen continues to offer consumers another type of crossover as a response to customer demand. Although it’s rather late to the game, the Alltrack joined Volkswagen’s Golf range as a 2017 model back in 2016. Basically, the Alltrack brings a pseudo-SUV appearance to the Golf Sportwagen. The right ingredients are all there: Volkswagen’s 4Motion Haldex-based all-wheel-drive system, plastic cladding around the wheel arches and on the door sills for a more rugged image. Polished satin-finished roof rails are a nice touch and worthy of even being on an Audi. Ground clearance is bumped up to 6.9 inches, helpful if you should find yourself needing...

When BMW’s i3 first made its debut in 2015, it was regaled as the most revolutionary mass-produced electric car yet. Not only is the i3 able to fit four adults comfortably, it’s also able to retain reasonable cargo space while fitting everyone and everything in a package that has an overall length of less than four metres. However, buying trends over the last few years have still indicated that Canadians, including those who live in the city centre, still favour the flexibility of larger vehicles overall. The crossover/SUV/truck market is still booming, which puts it at odds with more compact cars. That being said, in the Greater Vancouver area, electric vehicle ownership is noticeably on the rise, as are the number of available high speed charging stations. Indeed, this is the current environment in which BMW Canada is launching their latest iteration of the i3, the 2018 i3s, a sportier...

Is the Qashqai the ultimate urban compact crossover? Despite the fact that Canada and the USA share a border, many things are just different North of 49th parallel. No disrespect to our Southern neighbours of course. One of these things happen to be our preferences in vehicles. Whereas the top selling car in the USA is a mid-sized car (the Camry), our top selling car in Canada is a compact car (the Civic incidentally). Perhaps partly due to our higher fuel prices, and perhaps slightly smaller waistlines, Canadians seem to prefer more efficient compact cars. With the Nissan Qashqai built following almost lock, stock, and barrel using the same formula (albeit it at 85 per cent of the size) as the Rogue, it is likely that crossover Canadians will find the Qashqai as appealing a choice as its big brother. What is it? More than a foot shorter than the...