Test Drive: 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe

By Kevin Harrison

For my very first job I had the distinction of being recognized as an artist. Hold your astonished acclaim for me because I was the type of artist that had their title sown onto their shirt. That’s right, according to Subway, I was indeed a ‘Sandwich Artist’.

It was by no means a job I’d recommend to anyone, but it worked well for a gawky teenager still in high school – I didn’t come home with french fry grease all over me for instance, just the undesirable smell of onions and pickles. But I did meet a lot of interesting characters, not least of which was a regular who came by every day for lunch.

This woman intrigued me because at no point during my sandwich artist days was I ever able to figure her out, mainly because of what she always ordered.

She always requested a footlong veggie and, believe it or not, all she got on it was cheese, extra mayo and about half our container of olives. That’s it. My fellow sandwich artists would always be disgusted by her order, but I was just more dumbfounded. Why would anyone get just one toping when you can get unlimited topings at no extra cost?

This happens from time to time in the car world too and BMW has lately dabbled in the same sort of puzzling territory. When the X6 first debuted my immediate thought was why would someone want a less practical more expensive X5?

And now they’ve gone and done it again with their Mini brand with the Cooper coupe. Why would anyone want a less practical more expensive Mini? I drove one to find out.

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Test Drive: 2012 Nissan Versa SL

By Kevin Harrison

With a potential transit strike looming in Halifax, the idea of car ownership may now on some level seem like less of a burden. Since many in the city seem to think our transit service is non-existent in the first place, perhaps a strike will seem like any other day anyway. But for some people like my friend Erin, having absolutely no transit means absolutely no work or social life. She just can’t afford to lose it.

Likewise, she can’t afford a new car either. While she may be able to get a decent second hand car which would have someone else eat most of the depreciation, there’s still that unsettling feeling that something could go wrong with her ‘new-to-her ride’ at any moment. The question then remains, will she have the money to fix it?

With close to zero knowledge of cars in the first place makes car ownership for Erin more anxious than Charlie Sheen at a drug testing lab. Luckily for her, her friendship with yours truly has many advantages not least of which is someone to help her pick out a good reliable used car.

But why ‘settle’ for a used car when a new one is actually within Erin’s grasp? Nissan has just redesigned the Versa sedan and they’re boasting the lowest MSRP of any new car in Canada in the process.  It certainly makes for an interesting new versus used argument.

Has Nissan come up with just a cheap car or a good valued car? I tested one to find out.

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Test Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5

By Kevin Harrison

Jon Voight turned 73 last week. Can you believe it? The man best known for his role in The Rainmaker in the 1990′s, his outspoken liberal political views and, most notably, for helping to spawn Angelina Jolie has actually been around for over seven decades. It seems like just yesterday he was playing Ben Stiller’s coal-miner father in Zoolander. He certainly has quite the resume.

Although as impressive as it is, the Volkswagen Beetle certainly has done a lot in its 73-year history as well. It’s the most manufactured car based off a single design (though the Porsche 911 could take second place easily). There were 21,529,464 Beetles sold worldwide and that was up until 2003 when that first generation body style officially went out of production. In fact, that body style was the star of my all-time favourite Disney movie (and probably the only Disney movie I’ve ever liked), Herbie. No one could beat the little Bug with the #53 painted on its hood, even though many Lancia’s, Alfa Romeos, Lamborghinis and Ferrari’s tried. Back then as a mini car nut, Herbie, and subsequently the Beetle, earned a special place in my heart. Even to this day when I see a Type 1 Beetle it puts a smile on my face.

I remember being fairly unimpressed with the ‘New Beetle’ which debuted in 1998. While the overall shape of the originally was captured, it’s bubble styling cuteness was hard to overlook. It was clear that Volkswagen was after a specific market with the New Beetle and was not me. Available in a wide variety of bright colours and even a daisy on the dash, the New Beetle become quite a hit with mostly women. Meanwhile I, and pretty much every male on the planet, was left wondering what Volkswagen had done with my beloved Herbie.

Well it seems Volkswagen has had a new train of thought with this all-new second generation New Beetle. Volkswagen realized that in order to achieve their goal of world domination, they had to make a vehicle that pleased both men and women alike.

Have they succeeded?

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Test Drive: 2011 Mazdaspeed3

By Kevin Harrison

It costs about $30 million to go to space. Seriously, if you have the dough you can be one of the few people on Earth to ever leave it. Seeing the moon, the stars and even looking back at your home planet would be thrilling to say the least. But then there’s that price tag. Even billionaires, I suspect, would have a hard time swallowing that bill.

So, what can we do for cheap thrills? Well I recently went to see a movie where the real draw was cheap ticket prices that evening. But considering how uncomfortable the chairs were, the schizophrenic audio and the movie itself being about as interesting as a gnat, the thrill part of equation was severely lacking. Cheap yes, thrilling no.

So where is the balance between value and thrills? Mazda thinks they have it nailed down in the form of the new Mazdaspeed3. They’ve been at it since the inception of the Mazda Protege MP3 back in 2001. Have they perfected the recipe?

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Test Drive: 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman S ALL4

By Kevin Harrison

There was once a time when the Mini Cooper was the smallest vehicle you could buy. The year was 1959 and everyone loved the original Mini for its small size, small price and its light, fun-to-drive nature. It was truly a British automotive success story.

The original Mini chugged on for a very long and unheard of 40 years without many changes save for special editions – a testament to the Mini’s appeal. Mini obviously didn’t want to mess about too much with a good thing. But all good things must come to an end and in 2000, production for the original Mini ceased with the brand moving quickly into hiatus as the sale of Rover, which Mini was a part of, was dealt to BMW. BMW then went and winded the Rover brand down.

However, BMW promised to keep the Mini brand alive with an all-new iteration of the Mini Cooper which officially bowed in 2002. The design was definitely polarizing for Mini purists, despite BMW’s effort to keep the design and spirit of the original. Most Mini maniacs had cried blasphemy at the new Mini’s size. While it was still a small car, it was much bigger than the original.

And here we are now with the biggest Mini ever produced. While the Mini Cooper is still selling well today, a common complaint from new customers to the brand was that it was too small for their needs. So, BMW then created a longer Mini with three doors called the Clubman, but it’s polarizing looks and remaining tight quarters kept potential Mini customers begging for something bigger.

Well, BMW listened and now we have the Mini Cooper Countryman – the first ever five-door Mini. Does it have what it takes to wear the Mini badge?

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Test Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5

By Kevin Harrison

My uncle used to play street hockey with Cliff Ronning and another friend. While my uncle could do well enough for pick-up street hockey, Cliff Ronning  was clearly in another league. Literally. He ended up getting drafted to the NHL. My uncle, on the other hand, decided to take the geology route in life, while his friend decided to have a go at accounting. Let’s call him John.

My uncle still keeps in touch with John from time to time and without fail, John always loves to bring up the time when the trio used to play hockey together. As John remembers it, he used to be able to keep up with Cliff Ronning and sometimes used to best him.

“I probably could’ve made the NHL too,” John always says. He maintains his passion for math (yes, apparently such a passion exists) is what kept him from playing alongside Cliff. But without fail, John always brings up how good he used to be. To be honest, today, John has settled into middle age and likely wouldn’t be able to skate up a rink without stopping to catch his breath at centre ice first before continuing on. And that’s generally what happens when you get older. You become bigger, more sluggish, softer and not quite as agile as you once were.

Some say that this has happened to the new Passat. The car once hailed as a nimble, refined, premium vehicle at a not-so-premium price always scored top marks in the quality and performance part of the family sedan segment. Now, however, it’s much bigger than its predecessor and much cheaper. Does that mean the Passat is starting to settle into middle age?

I took one out to find out.

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Test Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI

By Kevin Harrison

My nephew has just marked his sixth month on this earth and he has got to be one of the most entertaining babies around.  A mere tap on the glass of the window will have him laughing in stitches. He seems to have an extreme fascination with place mats and whenever you present him with his favourite glow-worm, he becomes more hypnotized than a young girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

Trying to feed him, however, can be a bit of a challenge. It’s quite clear that the little guy just does not like his apple puree. And trying to trick him to open his mouth by making him laugh with some window tapping doesn’t work either because he then proceeds to just laugh with his mouth closed. Smart kid.

There can be quite frustrating challenges in the automotive industry as well. For instance making an efficient SUV is just as difficult as feeding apples to my nephew. You’ve got a vehicle that’s inherently heavy shaped like a drag producing box with a need for a powerful engine. Not the best recipe for efficiency indeed.

But that doesn’t stop automakers from trying. Volkswagen introduced their first ever SUV in 2005 and it took them until them three years to figure out how to make the Touareg more efficient. The TDI was then born, back in a time when diesel engine technology, for some reason, still left a sour taste in peoples mouths despite the advances in technology to make them cleaner, quieter and more efficient.

The Touareg TDI is back again for this second generation, but it actually faces some stiff competition, from its German peers, of which I thought bested the previous generation iteration of the Touareg TDI.

Is this version a more credible contender?

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Test Drive: 2011 Ford Focus 5-Door Titanium

By Kevin Harrison

This past weekend I met up with a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while to catch up. I suggested a local pub that he had never been to. Once we arrived, I wasted no time in telling him what to get.

“The steak is unreal here,” I said, salivating at the thought. “The ribs are great too. In fact, everything is pretty good, the only thing I wouldn’t recommend is -“

“I think I’ll give the liver and onions a try,” interrupted Andrew, choosing the one item I tried to warn him about. Now, while I realize liver and onions are an acquired taste, I was not suggesting he avoid them due to some sort of personal disgust. It was more the fact that I had tried them before and nearly vomited on the spot. This joint could not make good liver and onions, no matter how hard they tried.

Stupidly, Andrew brushed off my warnings and went with the liver and onions. Not wishing to concede that his decision was a bad one, Andrew managed to put on a forced smile once it arrived and an “mmm” with every second bite knowing full well he was feeling the exact opposite.

Later that night I sent him a text about an unrelated matter and Andrew replied, “can’t talk now, really not feeling well”. The next day I later found out that Andrew’s stomach had smartly rejected what Andrew was forcing down.

Needless to say, being the good friend that I am, I promptly called him up repeating ‘I told you so’ in between laughs.

I also used to do that with friends that bought a car without first consulting me. Usually they’d come home with everything from a Ford Focus, to a 15 year old Mercedes-Benz S-class because they were cheap. The latter is particularly well known for its reliability (or lack thereof) while the former was best known as the best buy for rental companies only. It wasn’t particularly good at anything other than saving you money in initial cost.

Well now there’s a new version out and Ford promises it won’t disappoint and won’t be anything like Focuses (Foci?) of the past. I tried one out to see if it was true.

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Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

By Kevin Harrison

The last Nissan I reviewed was the Sentra and it got me thinking about Nissan’s specifically, the odd overlap between models. I wondered why the Sentra was necessary since it is quite an old design and seemingly lagging compared to its competition. Besides, the new Versa is just as big and is thousands cheaper. I later came away from the Sentra concluding that the Sentra was much more refined than the Versa and that that alone might be enough to convince some people to plunk there money down for it as opposed to the Versa.

Well here we are again with the same sort of conundrum. The Nissan Altima has gone from an after thought to a credible contender in the mid-size (which really has become full-size) segment. So, why would anyone pay more for a Maxima when the Altima is just as big and just as stylish? Wouldn’t the most value be found in the form of a base Altima as well?

I took one out to find out.

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Test Drive: 2011 Ford Edge Limited

By Kevin Harrison

When I was in university I befriended a guy named Matt who was such a political junkie he could have made Rex Murphy sweat. His political enthusiasm wasn’t limited to Canadian politics either, he could have eaten Bill O’Reilly or Keith Olbermann alive on their own shows. Politics is what Matt lived and breathed, and he wanted to be a politician very badly despite the horrible reputation they hold. A recent survey showed that politicians are the second least trusted professions in Canada just beating out used car salesmen.

But there were a lot of people that bet against Matt ever becoming a politician. Despite his obvious passion for the sport, Matt wasn’t exactly the most approachable individual and sometimes having a conversation with him would  be like talking to a gnat. His appearance was a bit menacing for some reason, mostly because he was about 6 foot 5 and weighed about 250 pounds. His resting face was the same face you’d make if you found out your significant other was cheating on you. And on top of it all, his past wasn’t exactly squeaky clean. Let’s just say that Matt was known to the police.

But despite all that, I was one of the few people that believed he would achieve his dream of becoming a politician. That much passion doesn’t just go away because of road blocks. Ford knows this all too well.

While Ford’s reputation may not have quite overcome the days of Explorers rolling over, Windstars blowing their transmissions or Escorts rusting to the frame, Ford recently kept its head high and decided to move forward without the bail out money that was begged from its rivals. The idea was so simple it’s a wonder why they didn’t think of it before: just make better product.

One of the recent models to come of this new found mantra is the Edge. Does it have what it takes to put Ford back in the game?

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Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Sentra 2.0

By Kevin Harrison

I never understood why anyone would buy canned goods. Price advantage aside, the ‘real’ version of peaches, mushrooms, chicken, and tuna etc can all be found in the very same grocery store. It’s all just one aisle over. So buying canned goods is not a convenience thing. Some people apparently just prefer to buy canned versions of above mentioned items. And I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that, however, I prefer my food to be more, shall we say, pure.

This sort of discrepancy sometimes happens with car manufacturers too, and I’ve noticed it with Nissan especially. While the Maxima may be marketed as being of a more sporting nature, and it’s design perhaps more compelling, the Altima is almost identical in size, available power, sharp looks, but costs way less.  This is true of the Versa and the Sentra as well. Why would anyone take a Sentra over a Versa when you get just as much space, more versatility (that’s probably where the Versa gets its name from), better fuel economy and costs less? Does that not make the Sentra redundant? But the public is preferring the Sentra to the Versa. In fact, the Sentra sells approximately two thirds more Sentras than they do Versas.

So, what’s the big draw? I drove the latest version of the Sentra to find out.

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Test Drive: 2012 BMW X1 Xdrive 28i

By Kevin Harrison

This Canada Day weekend, I can’t help but reflect on what makes Canada such a great country. Our championing of human rights, liberation of slaves, invention of the telephone and, well, our amazingness at hockey all comes to mind.

But we have lots to be proud of in Canada when it comes to cars too. No, seriously. Did you know that Canada has its very own super car? It’s called the HTT LC-750 Plethore and it’s damned sexy and quick.

Some automakers also count on us Canadians to actually build their product. With plants in Ontario, automakers such as Toyota, Honda, Chrysler and GM know they can rely on a well built iteration of their product when it’s built by a Canadian. Automakers also like to give us some exclusivity as well. Whether it be Canada-only editions such as the Acura TL A-Spec or the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition, automakers definitely see us as a relevant market, despite our small size compared to our American neighbours.

Speaking of our American neighbours, sometimes we’ll even get cars that they don’t get. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Audi TT-S and BMW 323i are vehicles that Americans don’t have the pleasure of owning (unless they make the trek north of the border).

There’s another BMW that the Americans don’t get either – at least not yet. The X1 is the smallest SUV the German automaker has ever produced. In a world where gas prices seem as unstable as Charlie Sheen, having a compact SUV seems like a good idea. But is it worthy of that BMW badge on the hood?

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Test Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

By Kevin Harrison

I recently went to Vancouver for business related to my day job and I must admit, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been to Vancouver once before but I was about 14 years old so I didn’t remember much, but there were two noticeable differences this time around.

1) The Vancouver Canucks are a way bigger deal now then they were back in 1994. That was even the year they got to the finals but the New York Rangers ultimately won the cup. I even saw a playoff game between Vancouver and Calgary but I don’t remember 100,000 people littering the streets downtown and cops high-fiving random people in the streets after a Canucks win.

2) I don’t remember there being so many rare and expensive cars being around.

Honestly, the typical cars you see around in Halifax are Civics and Corollas. But in Vancouver their Civics and Corollas are BMW’s and Benz’s. In order to stand out in this crowd you need to be driving a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Maserati to get noticed, and even then you’ll only get noticed if the car is modded to the gills.

But in fact there’s one car that will get you noticed in this performance car haven and it won’t cost you your house either. It’s the Chevy Cruze.

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Test Drive: 2011 Volvo C30 T5

By Kevin Harrison

Have you ever seen a flock of seagulls fight each other for a piece of bread crumb? Or if you don’t live on a coast, have you ever seen a flock of any-birds fight for a piece of bread crumb? There’s always that one lone bird that fights his way in there only to come up short. And then you end up feeling a bit bad for him because he worked so hard to get a measly morsel of someone else’s discarded lunch but the other seagulls were just more aggressive and driven to get that food.

Volvo is a bit like that bird that tried to get in but didn’t quite make it. It’s not as if they’re not trying, every single model in their lineup is now quite attractive, offers exceptional performance, plus boat loads of safety and luxury. Yet their sales numbers have not seen a whole lot of improvement. Volvo doesn’t usually get mentioned in the same sentence as BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz – the big seagulls that always get the bread crumbs.

The C30 is meant to help lure people into the brand and is marketed as a sporty alternative to the BMW 1-series, Audi A3 and Lexus CT200h. Has it got what it takes to grab a piece of the proverbial bread crumb?

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Test Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback SE

By Kevin Harrison

You’ve probably heard by now that Mitsubishi has apparently decided that this generation of the Lancer Evolution will be the last that it will build. Now, this is quite tragic. Aside from the fact that the Lancer EVO is the best car that Mitsubishi makes and can make cars that are tens of thousands more money sweat on the track, there is another reason why this is a bad idea.

To help prove my point, let’s play a little word association game. What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Montreal’? If you said, the Canadians, strip clubs, poutine or terrible roads, you’d be right. How about when you hear ‘Charlie Sheen’? If you said Two and a Half Men, terrible actor, terrible haircut, manic depressive or coke head you’d also be right. All those things can be associated with Charlie Sheen.

Now, what about Mistubishi? If you said EVO and couldn’t think of anything else, well don’t feel bad because I’d wager a lot of people wouldn’t be able to come up with much else either.  And that’s my point. Mitsubishi killing off the EVO would be like Chevrolet killing off the Corvette. What would they be left with?

But Mitsubishi is pretty adamant that their new direction be focused on fuel efficient vehicles and there’s nothing wrong with that necessarily, especially since fuel efficiency isn’t an area where the EVO excels. But what kind of brand would Mitsubishi be without the EVO? Surely the regular Lancer would be able to hold its own?

I tried a Lancer Sportback SE to find out.

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