Kick-Ass Caddy for Grocery Gettin’ _ The new ATS-V has little more than half the displacement of the even newer CTS-V. It develops 464 turbocharged horses compared to its brethren’s 640 supercharged Detroit ponies (on two fewer cylinders I might add). It starts at nearly $26,000 less than the CTS-V. There’s clearly a little bro, big brother relationship going on… Read more →
Tag: TestFest
2014 TestFest
Viva Niagara! What a week it has been, my friends! I just returned home from six days and six nights in the beautiful and vivacious gorge town known as Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was no second honeymoon and, no, I wasn’t there to gamble. I did break even at the Fallsview Casino roulette wheel though — the only gambling device… Read more →
Photos from TestFest
As an eight-year voting member of the Automobile Journalist’s Association of Canada, I get to participate in the annual TestFest event, which helps decide the Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year. The 2012 CCOTY field gets whittled down from 57 vehicles across 11 categories. There are too many to drive them all and I’m only interested in a… Read more →
2012 Canadian Car of the Year Category Winners
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… Read more →
TestFest’s Crème de la Crème
Audi R8 Spyder, $204,900. BMW 550 Gran Turismo, $90,800. Jag XJ Supercharged, $107,300. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, $207,700. Porsche 911 Turbo S, $201,470. Getting to drive all of them in one day, priceless. All together that’s $812,170 (CAD). Plus taxes, freight, delivery et al and you’re approaching a cool million were you to buy them all at retail. With a combined… Read more →
Wheels on Edge captures Journauto in 911 Turbo S
Just finished writing my Autonet.ca piece on judging the Prestige category at the annual AJAC TestFest this past week. The weather was great for this time of year ( a bit windy at times) and I accomplished what I’d set out to do. That is, to drive some of the most expensive cars money can buy in Canada and drive… Read more →
Car of the Year Category Winners
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON – Seventy of Canada’s top automotive journalists spent this week in the picturesque tourist town of Niagara-on-the-Lake; but not for the scenery or the wine tasting. Journalist members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) were there for the express purpose of determining the ‘Best New’ cars and SUV/CUVs in 11 different vehicle categories, as part of… Read more →
Canuck Car of the Year
The first round of voting is over and there are winners and losers. Here’s a video of me thrashing around the Ste. Catharines Niagara District Airport runway test track in the one of the winners: They’re not all this crazy and “TestFest” is not all fun and games! Seventy of Canada’s top automotive journalists spent a week in the picturesque… Read more →
Inside: GT-R
‘Twas the night before “TestFest,” when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even my mouse. My Pilotis sat snug in their space near the door. In hopes that my feet would soon be there; The dog sleeping at the end of my bed, Wonder what in the world’s going through her head. And my old lady… Read more →