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CarTest!TM
Expert Car Reviews
"For grownups who still love to play with cars."
Award-winning content
Independent & unbiased
Established: 2002
CarTest! includes
hundreds of pages of
practical information and
more than 2,000 images
to help you select, drive,
enjoy and maintain
your vehicle.
 Vol. 8, Issue No. 272
ISSN 1703-535X
© 2002-2010
Editor-in-Chief:
Bill Roebuck
Assistant Editor
James Roebuck
Reviewers
Bill Roebuck
Kevin 'Crash' Corrigan
Contributors
Dennis DesRosiers
Mark Derry
Stephen Hess
Doug Neilson
Malcolm Gunn
Katie Roebuck
Travel Writers
Bill Roebuck
Roslyn Ralph
 CarTest! reviewers are members of AJAC, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. See the results of the annual TestFest of new cars by clicking on the AJAC logo.
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Buckle up! Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
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 TEST DRIVE
Claiming ownership of a Cartier watch or a Mont Blanc pen might indicate your position of fiscal superiority, but brandishing a luxo-ute the size and strength of the Infiniti QX56 boldly announces to the world that you can afford the finer things in life. 2011 Infiniti QX56
TEST DRIVE
 Pigs haven't yet figured out how to fly and Hades remains without a skating rink, but the Hyundai Equus is about to turn the luxury-class automobile scene on its asymmetrical chrome-tipped tailpipes. 2011 Hyundai EquusTEST DRIVE
 Today, there are certainly sexier interiors with more interesting shapes and new materials, but the Impala still shows well, despite the old-school four-spoke steering wheel. As a plus, you can actually still order a front bench seat to increase total capacity to six people. 2011 Chevrolet ImpalaTEST DRIVE
 It's a little thing, but the coin holder stores $7.53. Not $7.52 and not $7.54. No matter how big the 2011 F-Series Super Duty pickup is and no matter how much it can haul, it's this overall obsessive-compulsive attention to every small detail along with a vastly improved performance profile that makes plenty of dollars and cents for buyers of Ford's popular mighty-monster. 2011 Ford Super DutyTEST DRIVE
 It just might be the perfect sports car. It might even be the perfect Porsche. The Cayman, along with its Boxster roadster relation, constitutes the entry point into the Porsche sports-car fold, but the Cayman gets the nod as one of the best looking mass-produced automobiles ever made. 2010 Porsche CaymanTEST DRIVE
 If you're thinking small for your next new-car purchase, the Mazda2 could become Number One on your shopping list. The Japanese automaker's perky sub-compact, due to arrive in North America this July, shares its platform with the upcoming Ford Fiesta (Ford retains an interest in Mazda), but goes its own way in terms of design and powertrain. 2011 Mazda2TEST DRIVE
Anyone believing that a sport utility vehicle has to be big and bold to pass as the real deal needs to meet the Nissan Juke. The vehicle arrives later this year with the sort of rough and rugged off-roader looks that are important to this class, but shrink-wrapped to an efficient and practical size. 2011 Nissan Juke
TEST DRIVE
 When it comes to heavy-duty haulers, you can always expect a scrap between General Motors, Ford and Dodge as to which brand has the most power, offers the biggest payload and can haul the biggest yacht. The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD appears determined to assume the lead when it makes its summer debut. 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HDVEHICLE RELIABILITY
 Twenty-five of 36 vehicle brands have improved in long-term dependability in 2010, compared with their performance in 2009, continuing a steady trend of industry-wide improvement. The J.D. Power and Associates 2010 US Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) ranks the best 2007 models. Most dependable 2007 vehiclesTEST DRIVE
 Are you charged up about electricity? Even if you have no idea how you're supposed to feel about electric cars, your high-voltage future is right around the corner, ready or not. Along with the new Nissan Leaf, a host of battery-powered vehicles - not gasoline-electric hybrids - will be offered for public consumption. Just how many of us will be prepared to adopt this radically different and silent-running technology? 2011 Nissan Leaf TEST DRIVE
 The sticker price of $1.8 billion might seem a little steep, but it's likely a bargain for a certain automaker with Swedish roots. The recent sale of Volvo by parent company Ford to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. of China is less than one third of what Ford paid for the brand back in 1999. 2011 Volvo S60TEST DRIVE
 Apparently Acura hasn't heard the old saying, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it." Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the MDX. In fact, it's one of the company's best-selling models. However, after three seasons on the market, here we are, wondering what all the fuss is about. 2010 Acura MDXTEST DRIVE
 There's more than meets the eye to the 2010 Suzuki SX4 JLX, a compact five-door hatchback. The Suzuki SX4 has been on sale in Canada for a number of years now and still most people, when told about it, didn't know what it was. Until they saw it, that is. 2010 Suzuki SX4 JLX AWDTEST DRIVE
 Your passion for the Great Outdoors and the desire to get there in style yields a surprising number of automotive choices for 2010. Why surprising? Despite high gas prices and economic setbacks that have taken a big bite out of big sport-utility sales, there are actually few casualties. In some cases even, manufacturers are developing new models. [Recall updates included] 2010 Lexus GX 460TEST DRIVE
 Forget what you know about the Taurus you grew up with, because that ship has sailed. Long gone is the class-leading, Euro-inspired mid-size sedan. No, the Taurus today has evolved into something more. 2010 Ford TaurusTEST DRIVE
 Somewhere beyond Earth's firmament, Zora Arkus-Duntov must be smiling. The engineer credited with turning the Chevrolet Corvette into a street and racing icon has had his most rousing nameplate, the Grand Sport, return for 2010. Of course, the new Grand Sport pays homage to the original in name only. 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand SportTEST DRIVE
 Now, that's a relief. For a while it appeared as though both the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger - with their more potent engines - were going to dine on the carcass of the Ford Mustang. But seemingly from out of nowhere, Ford's pony will strut its stuff with punchier and more fuel efficient powerplants that should keep this war horse as spirited and relevant as ever. 2011 Ford MustangTEST DRIVE
 The fix is in at Jeep.That is, the wholesale revisions, updates and various high-tech additions to the fourth-generation Grand Cherokee give this wagon added passenger comfort, carrying capacity and off-road capability. The iconic Jeep brand is a dominant anchor of the new Chrysler-Fiat management group, which is counting on the Grand Cherokee to knock one out of the park. 2011 Jeep Grand CherokeeBEST VEHICLES
By Bill Roebuck
 During the opening of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on February 11, 2010, the 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI was declared the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). At the same time, the 2010 Subaru Outback was named the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year. 2010 Canadian Car of the YearTEST DRIVE
 It was designed in Germany and is already a big hit in China, but will the Buick Regal connect with buyers in Canada? There's a lot riding on the answer to this question, both for General Motors' senior division as well as for the corporation itself as the Regal prepares for its early-2010 arrival. 2011 Buick RegalTEST DRIVE
 One of the more muscular and longest-serving members of the Kia family is changing its stripes along with its country of origin. Yes, the Sorento, Kia's truckish sport utility vehicle that specialized in travelling well past the point where the pavement or the trail ends, has become a lot more civilized as it prepares to enter the 2011 model year in early 2010. 2011 Kia SorentoCLASSIC AND COLLECTIBLE CARS
CarTest!
 Inspired by the thousands of readers who have an interest in old cars, classic cars, collectible cars and investment vehicles, CarTest! has launched a new section of descriptions of such vehicles, including their current Canadian prices at the time they were offered for sale. Our purpose is to provide a simple reference point to the value of a vehicle, as well as giving you a few interesting details in the descriptions of the models listed. Classics and collectiblesCARTEST! SITE MAP
Here is your easy guide to the hundreds of pages of practical automotive buying information that you can find on our award-winning website.
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