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Aiieee Canada!

journauto — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:29:05 +0000

Canada’s next car of the year will be Korean! And, my money is on this Kia.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) today announced the top three finalists in its 2012 Canadian Car of the Year competition at the Montreal International Auto Show.

The finalists in the three categories are [drum roll]: for, 2012 Canadian Car of the Year, the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Optima. For 2012 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, the BMW X3, Dodge Journey and Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel. And, for 2012′s Best New Design, we have the Hyundai Veloster, Jaguar XKR-S and Range Rover Evoque.

The winner in each category will be announced at an early morning press conference at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on Thursday, February 16th.

Eleven category winners were eligible for the top honours after being announced last October during the association’s annual “TestFest.” Hyundai Auto Canada won three of the 11 categories while BMW Group Canada, Kia Canada and Mercedes-Benz Canada each garnered double wins. Other category winners were Chrysler Canada and Volkswagen Canada.

Back in October, 70 of Canada’s top automotive journalists spent four days in Niagara-on-the-Lake conducting intensive back-to-back comparative testing of 170 “all new” or “significantly new” 2012 vehicles. This is no easy task!

Vote results were determined from more than 40,000 individual data points established during TestFest. That information includes not just specifications and features, but actual performance data and subjective ratings on up to 23 different vehicle characteristics – from interior roominess and comfort to ride quality and handling ability. The vote results were compiled on-site by the international accounting firm KPMG and kept confidential even from AJAC until the winners’ press conference.

KPMG will hand over four envelopes with names of the winners of this year’s competition at the CIAS in Toronto. The 2012 Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year and Best New Design will be announced along with the winner of this year’s Best New Technology award, presented by Shell Canada, the official fuel supplier of the event.

The 70 journalists are all members of AJAC, whose purpose is to provide consumers with sound, objective, comparative data for use as a resource buying guide when considering the purchase of a new car, truck of SUV/CUV.

Consumers wanting to compare a Fiat 500 to Honda Civic Sedan or a Hyundai Accent; or, an Acura TL to a Mercedes-Benz C 350 need look no further than the AJAC web site: www.ajac.ca > Canadian Car of the Year Awards > Results. Looking to buy a 2011, 2010, or even an older vehicle? AJAC archives the comparative test data and vote results from previous years on its website. Visit www.ajac.ca > Vehicle Comparisons for more info.

2012 Canadian Car of the Year Category Winners

journauto — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:35:52 +0000

Journauto recording his scores for the 2012 Kia Optima SX at TestFest.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON – More than 70 of Canada’s top automotive journalists spent last week in the Niagara-on-the-Lake to determine the “Best New” cars and SUV/CUVs in 11 different vehicle categories, as part of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) annual Canadian Car of the Year Awards program.

Journalist members spent four days intensively road and track testing the field of nearly 60 entries at “TestFest,” which has been held at the Niagara Drive Centre, located at the Niagara District Airport, for the past six years.

The results of the AJAC journalists’ rigorous test driving and evaluations throughout TestFest were revealed during a press conference wherein the category winners were announced.

Here is the list of Canada’s “Best New” cars and utility vehicles:
Small Car (under $21k) Hyundai Accent
Small Car (over $21k) Hyundai Elantra
Family Car (under $30k) Kia Optima
Family Car(over $30k) Kia Optima Hybrid
Luxury Car Mercedes-Benz C-Class C350 4MATIC Sedan
Prestige Car (over $75k) Mercedes-Benz S-Class S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC
Sports/Performance Car (under $50k) Hyundai Veloster
Sports/Performance Car (over $50k) BMW 1 Series M Coupé
SUV/CUV (under $35k) Dodge Journey
SUV/CUV ($35k-$60k) Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel
SUV/CUV (over $60k) BMW X3

The results were compiled by the international accounting firm KPMG and kept confidential even from AJAC until the press conference on Friday, October 29, 2011. They were determined from more than 40,000 individual data points established in the testing of 170 different vehicles.

The purpose of the AJAC Car of the Year awards is to provide consumers with a valuable resource they can use when researching the purchase of a new vehicle – one that includes a broad range of comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market. That information includes not just specifications and features but actual performance data and subjective ratings on up to 23 different characteristics – from interior roominess and comfort to ride quality and handling ability.

Our journalists’ vote results – including all of the comparative test data amassed throughout the week – is posted on the AJAC website for use as a consumer resource buying guide. Consumers that want to compare a Fiat 500 to Honda Civic Sedan or a Hyundai Accent, or an Acura TL to a Mercedes-Benz C-Class C350, need look no further than the AJAC website at www.ajac.ca > Canadian Car of the Year Awards > Results.

The 11 category winners listed above now go on to compete for the honour of becoming the 2012 Canadian Car of the Year or the 2012 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. These overall winners will be announced February 16th, 2011, at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, ON. Award winners for Best New Design and Best New Technology, presented by Shell Canada, will also be announced.

Looking to buy a 2011, 2010, 2009, or even an older vehicle? AJAC archives the comparative test data and vote results from previous years here.

2011 New York Auto Show

journauto — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:08:48 +0000

From Autonet.ca, my assignments from the press preview days at the 2011 New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

Ford – 2013 Ford Taurus

Chevrolet – 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Nissan – 2012 Nissan Versa and LEAF

Volkswagen – 2012 VW Beetle

Chrysler – 2012 Chrysler 300

Rolls-Royce – 100th Anniversary Edition

That was day one in a nutshell. On to day two:

Mini – KISS does MINI

Mazda – 2012 Mazda3 and CX-5 Concept

Lotus – 2011 Lotus Evora IPS

Mitsubishi – i MiEV

Porsche Sport Driving School – USA

journauto — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:04:56 +0000

I was in Birmingham, Alabama last week to attend the Porsche Sport Driving School – USA at George Barber’s Barber Motorsport Park (no relation to Skip Barber). My schooling starts with a lead follow lapping session in a Carrera S 6MT with myself trying to stay with Hurley Haywood, a six-time 24 Hours of Daytona champion.

Following a southern-style lunch, it’s back to the big track for three more lapping sessions…

First, it’s back in the manual transmission Carrera S, which, besides getting up to speed, doesn’t require anything but third and fourth gear to get around here. I’d been lucky up until now to not have any other drivers in my session, but somebody had been thrown in with me this session. After a couple laps, however, it was clear that he just couldn’t (or didn’t want to) keep up with the instructor and I, and thankfully sat bowed out of the next sessions.

With Zippy the Wonder Slug back in the paddock, it was time to try out the PDK gearbox and do away with manual shifting. The PDK is so good that, if I’d been in max attack mode with both cars, this one would be three or four seconds faster than the manual tranny.

Next up is the 911 Turbo with PDK. This feels faster than the Carrera, however, has a bit of lag getting back on the throttle when too much speed is scrubbed in the trickier, tighter turns. It takes only a few laps to make the correction permanent though.

With my track sessions complete, I pair up with another writer from Brazil and take to the street in a 911 GT3. What better place is there for a racecar built for the road? I digress, but I enjoy the drive nonetheless.

An hour later I arrive back at the track. Though I’ve depleted my driver’s seat time credits, the fun isn’t quite over.

The day ends similar to how it begins. But, instead of chasing Haywood in a Porsche, I’m riding shotgun with him in one of the 500 911 GT2 RS models that exist, while he tries to shake the camera I’m holding out of my hands.

Fortunately, my grip was strong enough… And I’ve got this video as one killer souvenir. Watch it below!

2011 NAIAS Coverage

journauto — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:46:01 +0000

From Autonet.ca, my assignments from media day at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.

Buick – 2012 Buick Verano – Gallery

BMW – 2011 BMW 650i Convertible

Honda – 2012 Honda Civic Coupe and Sedan

Jeep – 2011 Jeep Full-line

Chevrolet – 2012 Chevy Sonic

I also got to drive the new Chevrolet Volt while in town and will have some thoughts on it soon, as well as more on the factory sport compacts I spotted throughout the show. Check back in the coming days/weeks or subscribe to my feed to be notified directly.

Testing Pirellis greenest tires

journauto — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:36:10 +0000

Yesterday I went to a Pirelli Ride and Drive where I drove on Pirelli’s newest “Green” tire – Scorpion Verde All-Season – back-to-back against the Michelin Latitude H/T A/S in identically-prepped BMW X5 35d xDrive diesels.

Conveniently, there was a handling course set up for us – consisting of a quick four-cone slalom leading into a sweeping right-hander with rumble strips followed by a tight R-L S-bend before a short straightaway and hairpin left into a stop.

The stop is so the instructor riding shotgun can reset the nifty performance computer stuck to the windshield and record my full ABS wet stop from 80 km/h.

They actually captured the panic braking data from the whole group (20 to 25 of us I’d say ) giving each of us three tries in each vehicle. The results were then normalized to give an average stopping distance for each tire.

The Pirelli Scorpion Verdes did this in 31.84 metres (104.5 feet) while the Michelin Latitudes did it in 32.2 metres (105.6 feet). That’s a negligible difference of just 40 cm (only 1.3 feet) but, the intent of this particular exercise (besides getting a feel for the tires) was more to debunk a myth that so-called “green tires” (all-season ones to be sure) don’t perform as well as those labeled non-green.

Besides improvements in its manufacturing processes and in other areas, using oil-free instead of oil-based materials helps make these tires greener, say the Pirelli reps. Considering the Michelin’s are pretty much industry benchmark tires, the Pirelli’s did quite well in this test.

After finishing the X5 exercises, our group moves over to the autocross handling course and into identically-prepped 328i X-Drive models with different tires for some subjective evaluations.

It’s a Pirelli P Zero Nero A/S versus Continental ExtremeContact DWS A/S battle.

My friend (YouTube user SR7800t) demonstrates the short but technical course. As you can see, it only takes about 30 seconds to run it, but it is telling.

Looking closely at the tires (after everyone’s done thrashing on them) reveals more even wear on the Pirelli’s while the Contis look somewhat chewed-up. Notice the peaks and gnarls in its rubber – the white chalk used to mark out the course makes it easy to see.

Clearly, they’ve worn out faster, which helps explain why they were louder than the P Zero Nero. The Pirelli’s felt more stable from mid-corner to the exit too.

Some more food for thought? OEM tire pressures were used in both the X5 and 3 series tests.

PHOTO GALLERY

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GTI is Canuck Car of Year

journauto — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:30:24 +0000

2010 VW Golf GTI

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has announced the results of its annual Canadian Car of the Year competition yesterday at the CIAS in Toronto. Just as I had suspected, the 2010 VW Golf GTI gets the nod.

John White, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. commented, “We are very proud to win this very prestigious award… GTI is the heart and soul of Volkswagen. To have the Golf GTI named Canadian Car of the Year today by Canada’s automotive media is a very proud moment for us.”

I was doing live updates for Autonet.ca, which you can check out here along with some of my colleagues work. For exclusive photos and more info…

I didn’t get a ton of shots unfortunately. Nor did I see much of the show this year. I was using my trusty Nikon CoolPix 4500 for convenience and although I’ve only got one battery for it, it takes some half-decent pics still. Here are some random pics I took on the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show floor during the media preview day yesterday. Enjoy!

VW UpLite compact concept car

Top Tuner 4 - ProStreet Chevrolet Camaro

Carroll Shelby Exhibit

Stillen Nissan GT-R

Ferrari 599XX

Posing with the Chevy Cruze

Models Poses with Chevy Cruze

Coming soon: 2010 Canadian Car of the Year!

journauto — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:26:19 +0000

Today, the team lists were released for the upcoming annual AJAC Test Fest event in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario on October 26-30th, 2009.

Heading into its 22nd edition, this is where the eventual Canadian cars and trucks are put through rigorous back-to-back-to-back testing–on and off road–by members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.

This will be my seventh Test Fest, and I’m really excited to be getting down and dirty with a bevy of new cars in and around the Ste. Catharines airport, which will be hosting us the third straight year, in NOTL.

Who wouldn’t be excited? I mean, I’ll be responsible for test driving the new SPORTS PERFORMANCE models (under $50k), LUXURY CARS (over $50k) and the CONVERTIBLES. Maybe one of them will become the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY).

For the first time in many years, Porsche will enter some cars into the competition. Personally, I can’t wait to drive the new Panamera S, which I got to check out briefly at a Cayenne diesel and hybrid prototype preview event in Detroit not long ago.

Also on the to-do list are the Audi R8 5.2, with its V8 FSI engine and quattro drive, and the new 370Z Roadster. I drove the hardtop version earlier this year at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada and boy was that fun!!! Got some great snaps too! I really hope Nissan brings along a Nismo model just for play because, well, I love tuned Zeds! That’s Zees for you Americans. ;P

2010 CCOTY CATEGORIES:

SPORTS PERFORMANCE (under $50k): Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Taurus SHO, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Mazdaspeed3, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart, Volkswagen Golf GTI

SPORTS PERFORMANCE (over $50k): Audi S4, Jaguar XFR, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe

CONVERTIBLES: Audi A5 Cabriolet, BMW Z4 Roadster, Nissan 370Z Roadster, Lexus IS Convertible

LUXURY CAR (over $50k): BMW 335d Sedan, Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan, Lexus HS250h

PRESTIGE (over $75k): Audi R8 5.2, BMW 7 Series Sedan, Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, Porsche Panamera

SMALL CAR (under $21k): Hyundai Elantra Touring, Kia Forte Koup, Mazda3

SMALL CAR (over $21k): Honda Insight, Kia Forte, Kia Soul, Mazda3 Sport, Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, Nissan Cube, Volkswagen Golf

FAMILY CAR (under $30k): Ford Fusion, Subaru Legacy Sedan, Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Golf Wagon

FAMILY CAR (over $30k): Buick Allure, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Taurus

SUV / CUV (under $35k): Chevrolet Equinox, Subaru Outback, Toyota Venza

SUV / CUV ($35k-$60k): Acura ZDX, Audi Q5, GMC Terrain, Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC, Lexus RX350, Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel, Volvo XC60

SUV / CUV (over $60k): Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Lincoln MKT, Cadillac SRX, Lexus RX450h

More info on the Canadian Car of the Year competition can be found on AJAC’s website. And, if you’re thinking about buying a new vehicle, there’s a wealth of free new car buying info and actual testing results from past, present and future vehicles there too. Go visit.

Supreme tuning week, German style!

journauto — Thu, 18 May 2006 19:13:21 +0000

The tuning goods, look at all that hardware!

I had such a great time in Germany last week and now find myself already trying to book a return trip to complete some unfinished business and I literally just got in the door. Usually, my whole body would be about to collapse after a trip such as the one I’m about to describe, but the Spyder SV slip-on driving shoes that Piloti rushed to me hours before my departure have helped alleviate that.

My feet and hands have had a real workout and now my head is spinning after two days in Hockenheim driving cars like the Z-Art Porsche Boxster and MTM Bentley Continental GT at speeds greater than 240 km/h on the infamous autobahn highway. German automotive tuning press agency Mediatel definitely hooked MLE and I up. They even called up the nation’s top car T.V. show to follow us in the Hamann BMW 6-series to Heidelberg for an award-winning caliber shoot by my Belgian friend PhotoJoost.com.

Some Jaeggermeister for the birthday boy. Mmmm good!

I also turned 29 while in Deutschland and spent the night partying in the tiny town of Hockenheim until much after sunrise. The friendly cheers and congratulations offered by everyone in our party was most overwhelming. Mediatel invited a handful of journalists, photographers and tuning company reps from around Europe, including the U.K., Italy, Spain, Norway, Dubai and Russia. With the few I’d met last year it was like going over old times; but there were many more friendships formed on this trip.
Gallardo and Spyder get together in the paddock

Having my cake and eating it too; when our time in Hockenheim came to and end, Joost and I made bee-line towards the Czech Republic, stopping short of the border by some 150 km, to spend two more days at Mansory headquarters in a small town named Brand. Here, my birthday present came in the form of me driving two more incredible cars tuned by Mansory.

First up was their Aston Martin Vanquish V12, followed by the absolutely stunning Mansory Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Having barely completed but five days prior to our arrival, the car and Mansory’s modifications to it totally blew me away! That’s about all I can say about that right now, but don’t worry because the world premiere of this awesome coupe will take place in an upcoming issue of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine.

Joost and I spoke at length with Kourash Mansory, the company’s CEO, who told us the Aston Martin DBS in the upcoming James Bond movie, Casino Royale, “…has a few parts copied from us.” Definitely keep your eyes peeled for that, but Mansory has done well enough on their own after barely two years in business that the new showroom they’re building in Brand is nearly finished. It should be ready in time to show off their own upcoming Continental GT widebody conversion to be released sometime this year.

Hamann 996 Turbo

A few other cars on hand at Hockenheim included the Hamann 996 Turbo updated to a 997 body with 540 hp on tap. They also had a Range Rover HSE with a full body car. Koch Tuning brought along a driver to illustrate what their 400 whp Mitsubishi Evo 9 could do. And, that’s getting sideways of course. Z-Art’s 2001 Boxster, by the way, has been economically converted to the new body style and they have a hard top on the way.

If all this isn’t enough to make any sane person want to go back to Germany and soak in the passion and knowledge that German auto enthusiasts possess, then I don’t know what is. But, one of the reasons I’d like to go back (and soon) is to test drive the BF-Performance Bentley Flying Spur.

Bentley Flying Spur

I sat in the huge posh back seat of in this ultra-exclusive limo and it even came with a driver named Tommy, but it just was not quite finished enough for a photo shoot. You’re thinking, ‘Did he just say what I think he said? It’s a freaking Flying Spur!’ I had a chance to duck inside the very luxurious limo to cool off in the back seat and chat with Tommy for a bit. The seats are so comfortable and it even gave me a lower back massage with the electric window blinds drawn shut. Some of the other exclusive interior upgrades that had been promised were missing, so we agreed on stopping by their dealership Stuttgart the next time we’re by. LOL!

BFP-tuned Gallardo Spyder

This year, they also brought a Gallardo Spyder model as well as the former car with a few revisions to the chassis and aerodynamics. Being a big fan of the bull-badged cars (I’m also a Taurus), I’m practically salivating as I write this and recall. Mr. Forstner was nice to offer me a test drive in all these cars upon our return. And, I plan to take him up on that. As for Mr. Mansory, he said to me just before he heading off to Italy, “Good things come to those who wait.”