Just when it seemed like wagon aficionados were going to have to make an occupy-every-auto-manufacturer movement, BMW swoops in with some exciting news.

If Endras BMW is to be believed (who by the way seems to have taken over representing BMW in Canada from the ever dormant BMW Canada), the 5-series is going to be available on our shore in diesel form! The 550d in Europe gets a tri-turbo 3.0 litre six which makes 375 horsepower and a whopping 546 pound feet of torque all while returning on average 6.3 L/100 kms and producing 167 g/km of carbon dioxide.

But wait, it gets better.

The 550d will also come with BMW’s X-Drive all-wheel drive system optional as well as BMW’s M package being available to spruce things up look-wise.

But probably the best news of all? This can all be had in wagon for as well. BMW had decided to not sell the 5-series wagon on our shores with the 5-series GT stepping in to fill the gap. However, as good as the 5-series GT is, it’s not exactly a sales star.

The 550d with the M-pack and in wagon form was actually Jeremy Clarkson’s pick for car of the year this year and it’s not hard to see why.

All this seems too good to be true and when that happens, it usually is. However, Endras BMW claims an 550d Xdrive M wagon can be available to us Canucks as early as March.

Now, all BMW needs to do is add a manual transmission to that wagon and boy, do we ever have one drool-worthy family hauler.

[Endras BMW]

With the leaves starting to change colour and steadily falling to the asphalt, this seemed like a fitting time for Nissan to introduce another kind of leaf to Nova Scotia’s roads: their all-electric LEAF 5-door hatchback.

It was announced yesterday that Nissan Canada will partner with the province of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Power to introduce the electric vehicle to the province.

“This announcement adds the Province of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Power to a growing list of like-minded partners equally as committed as Nissan to promote and encourage the adoption of zero emission vehicles as a way to combat climate change,” said Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada Inc. “As a manufacturer we provide innovative vehicles that Canadians love and want to drive, but our partners play an important role in helping build the infrastructure support for electric vehicles that will make a roll-out of the Nissan LEAF, and other electric vehicles in Nova Scotia possible.”

Indeed a key partner in promotion and building infrastructure is Nova Scotia Power who also announced their purchase of 10 Nissan LEAF’s for its ShareReady Electric Vehicle program. The program will help NS Power to study and understand the impact of electric vehicle use in Nova Scotia.

Here’s hoping I can snag a LEAF sometime soon for a review!

[Nissan Canada]

Audi has had quite an agreeable reaction to the new A8 as production for their flagship sedan has increased. A new iteration is just around the corner in the form of a hybrid and if the fuel efficiency numbers are to be believed, this is quite the technical achievement.

Audi is claiming that the new A8 hybrid will get an efficiency score of 6.4 L/100 kms. And what makes it even more impressive is that the A8 hybrid uses a 2.0 litre TFSI engine which makes 245 horsepower and 345 pound feet of torque. So while it won’t be the most powerful A8 ever made, it certainly is no slouch.

The A8 hybrid has a lithium-ion battery which stores energy and can use it to power the wheels up to three kilometers at as much as 60 km/h. Once up to highway speed, the A8 can run on the battery alone at around 100 km/h.

While 6.4 L/100 kms is not Prius levels of efficiency, it’s pretty much at Ford Fiesta levels of efficiency which is incredible considering how much the A8 weighs and considering the power plant under the hood. It’s especially impressive considering it absolutely slaughters the efficiency of the regular gas-only A8 which is rated at 13.3 L/100 kms city and 7.2 L/100 kms highway. The A8 hybrid’s closest competition is the BMW Active Hybrid 7 which is rated at 10.2 L/100 kms. The BMW offers much more power though with 440 horsepower and 480 pound feet of torque.

Which would you rather? The more efficient but less powerful Audi or the more powerful but less efficient BMW?

[Audi]

This is the North American version of the Mitsubishi i-Miev. It’s a substantially bigger than the Japanese version. It’s 11.2 inches longer, 4.3 inches wider and 0.2 inches taller. You know, because North Americans are so fat that making it bigger is necessary.

But what really caught my eye aside from the obvious bump in size was something in the picture above. Look closely. Notice anything strange? I mean, aside from the rather odd bubble like shape, do you notice anything specifically off?

I’ll help you out. Look at the windshield wipers. Is that a third wiper? Or maybe it’s two wipers with the passenger side wiper being angled at a 90 degrees. In any event, it’s a really strange set up and I’m not quite sure what the advantages would be.  Since it’s 4.3 inches wider, that naturally means a wider windshield, so you would have to alter the wipers, but isn’t that just as simple as using bigger wipers? I checked out pictures of the Japenese i-Miev and it appears to have regular wipers. Weird.

Anyway, the all-electric i-Miev should make it’s North American debut in 2011. We’ll get better pics and maybe even an explanation well before then, I’m sure.

[Mitsubishi]

By Kevin Harrison

Have you ever really liked something that was really popular, then all of a sudden people decided it wasn’t cool anymore? For instance, I like sweater vests. Believe me, I know they are terribly uncool, but the fact of the matter is, they really aren’t uncool. If you haven’t noticed, old men wear sweater vests and old men have completely fresh style. Think about it. Most old men are married and have been for a long time. How many single old men do you know? Exactly. I guarantee you their old man clothes had something to do with getting them a woman.

The same thing could be argued for wagons. I mean they used to be cool, but now, where are all the wagons? They’ve all turned into stupid useless SUV’s. As a result, wagons are seen as uncool and I really don’t understand that either. Going back to my old man analogy, how many old men to do you see in Hummers, Navigators, or even Explorers? Yet think of what old men typically drive. Cadillacs and Buick’s of course, but if they’re a bit more adventurous, they all get wagons. And on top of that, they always have a woman in the passenger seat. Wagons therefore = cool. On the flip side, How many douchebags do you see in SUV’s blasting questionable music with absolutely no girls in the car? See my point?

There are still a few automakers that are smart enough to get this. Volvo and Subaru are the ones that usually come to mind when you think of wagons, but Volkswagen should be considered as well. They’ve had the Passat wagon going for decades (and is still going strong) and they smartly introduced the Jetta wagon in the early 2000′s. It has since turned into the Golf wagon. It should also be noted that the Golf wagon name is just for Canadians. In the States, they still call in the Jetta wagon. That’s probably inaccurate now that it has a Golf front facia. Once again, Canada does it right.

But the bigger question is, does it actually do what a good wagon should?

First things first, does it look good? A big reason people don’t buy wagons is because they don’t think it’s cool enough, which largely has to do with how it looks. Luckily, the Golf wagon looks pretty slick, especially with the new Golf front end. That said, like an SUV and a minivan, there’s only so much you can do with its styling. I think a refresh of the rear end should have been in order, but otherwise the Golf wagon keeps a “sport wagon” styling theme throughout. You can even get optional 5 spoke 18 inch wheels which really bring out the look.

So, it looks good, but does that come at the expense of versatility and functionality – the marque of any good wagon. Well, no. Not at all. With 32.6 cubic feet with the seats up, the Golf wagon has more cargo space than the Matrix, the Elantra Touring, the Impreza hatchback, the Lancer sportback, the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep Patriot. The Golf wagon also humiliates a lot of compact SUV’s for cargo space including its own sibling the Tiguan. That’s because, with the rear seats down (which fold flat by the way), the Golf Wagon can swallow a massive 60 cubic feet worth of stuff. It used to be with the old Jetta wagon, you had to remove the rear headrests if you wanted a perfectly flat surface, but now you can keep the headrests in place to fold the seats.

The news for the interior is also good up front where typical VW fit and finish can be found with soft touch materials and a relatively easy layout. One gripe though is the sunroof. All VW’s use a dial to operate the large panoramic sunroof located above the rear view mirror. Since it is an unconventional way of operating the sunroof, it definitely takes some getting used to. As a result, you find yourself looking up at the dial to find the placement you want, which of course takes your eyes off the road. Granted this may be something you would get used to, but being different for the sake of being different is a bit annoying and in this case, a bit unsafe. The steering wheel has controls for the audio system, bluetooth and the multifunctional information screen which ensures your eyes don’t leave the road more than they already have. The dials for the heated seats are difficult to use, I can only imagine how much worse they’d be with a glove hand.

Driving dynamics are good. The Golf wagon doesn’t have an overly firm suspension, but it is firm enough to invite confidence for more spirited driving as well. As was the case with the Audi A3 TDI that I tested earlier, the Golf Wagon suffers a tad from under steer thanks to the large diesel engine. That combined with the front wheel drive system means lots of weight in the front end making it nose heavy. Still, with its general low centre of gravity and the fully independent suspension, the Golf wagon much more nimble in the corners than its compact SUV counterparts. However, being longer and heavier than the Golf hatchback, it’s not quite as good.

The Golf wagon uses the same 2.0 litre 4. cylinder engine from the Jetta TDI I also tested a while back. It makes 140 horsepower and a healthy 236 pound feet of torque. When mated with my tester’s standard six speed manual (kudos to VW for offering a manual transmission), which replaces the five speed manual from last year, you definitely will not be left behind when the light turns green. That’s because the torque kicks in at just 1750 rpms. The only thing is though, when you push the engine hard, it reminds you that it is in fact a diesel. At normal speeds, the engine is excellently quiet. Volkswagen has gone to great lengths to deaden the sound of their diesel and they’ve done an excellent job.

But the main reason why anyone buys a diesel is because of its efficiency. I’m quite fond of this unit because it blends performance with efficiency nicely (not to mention you don’t need to sacrifice a manual transmission if your main concern is efficiency like 99% of hybrids out there). The Golf wagon TDI is rated at 4.6 L/100 kms highway and 6.7 L/100 kms city when equipped with the manual. If you opt for an automatic, you take a bit of a penalty is the auto returns 4.9 highway and 7.0 city. Obviously the Golf Wagon TDI is more suited to longer highway trips.

So the Golf Wagon is pretty much the only compact wagon you can buy these days. At least, the only one you can buy on the cheap. And of course, cheap is relative since this particular model was optioned all the way out to $33,000. What’s it’s direct competition? Well, you could say all those hatches and crossovers mentioned in the review, but none of them are true wagons. Therefore I’d venture to say the Volvo V50 is the Golf wagon’s true competition.

But let’s hope the Golf wagon sticks around and that the emergence of all these crossover SUV’s don’t kill it off. In a way the Golf wagon has an advantage of being almost the only wagon standing in its segment. But is being alone really all that cool? Damn right it is. It will only become uncool when old men stop buying it.

Price as tested: $33,230

Pros:

• Lots of cargo room
• Good blend of efficiency and performance
• 6 speed manual now available
• Excellent fit and finish

Cons:

• Rear end styling is getting dated
• Some interior controls not user friendly
• A bit nose heavy
• Price can climb fast with options

Overall: 8/10

By Kevin Harrison

For this new car review I’ll skip my usual pretentious introduction where I talk about something that seemingly has nothing to do with the car, but then I somehow tie it all together at the end . Because this review is definitely very unique – it’s about a car that isn’t even available for sale in Canada.

Why even bother writing a review that very few Canadians will get to drive? Well, for that very reason. It’s a unique experience. But on top of that, this is a car that BMW very well could bring over to Canada and it would fit in quite nicely. BMW currently sells its 1-series in two forms (coupe and cabriolet) in Canada, but there are some people that may not realize that there is actually a hatchback version available world wide everywhere but here. I think that’s a mistake. While the 1-series hatchback may not be palatable to American taste buds, Canadians tend to find hatchbacks more agreeable.

On top of that, this particular model would likely do quite well. It’s a diesel and diesels are well suited for long distance driving. And if you haven’t noticed, Canada has the second largest land mass in the world. As a result not only do we do lots of driving, but we are the 3rd largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person in the world because of it.

So is the 118d a car that we’re missing out on, or is it best kept elsewhere?

Firstly, I should explain how I was actually able to drive the 118d in Canada. By now, you’ve likely noticed all the English and French writing on the 118d’s paint. That’s because the car belongs to Transport Canada. They were in town doing to real world evaluations of three cars, one of which is the 118d. They bought the car straight from Germany (the owners manual is even in German which is pretty cool) and have been taking it across the country. Transport Canada’s evaluations will help the government with future policy regulations. Obviously they would like to have public input.

Since I’m really into cars and am an upstanding Canadian citizen (though the Halifax Regional Police seem to disagree for some reason), they actually let me take the 118d out for a spin. Usually they don’t let people do this. The other two cars were a Toyota Prius plug-in and Mitsubishi’s all-electric i-Miev. The latter is generally used for people to try out if they want, but the BMW is not to be used by the public. Obviously I talked my way into driving it like an asshole.

The 118d does not use the same diesel engine that can be found in the 335d and the X5d. It’s a smaller 2.0 litre turbodiesel which produces 148 horsepower and 221 pound feet of torque. The 118d recently won World Green Car of the Year and it’s not hard to see why. The 118d is rated at an impressive 4.9 L/100 kms. By comparison, the Toyota Prius is rated at around 4.0 L/100 kms and it uses a million pieces of technology to help it achieve that. The 118d relies on the engine alone for its rating – meaning, it’s quite simply a brilliant engine. The 118d is a million miles kilometers ahead of the Prius when it comes to driving dynamics as well.

While you won’t have your head slam back into your headrest at take-off, there is still decent punch, especially when mated to the 6-speed manual, which this car has. 0-100 takes about 8.8 seconds which is a full second faster than the Prius. It certainly feels faster than it is actually going. Engine noise is very untypical for a diesel in that it doesn’t sound like one at all. If I didn’t know it was a diesel before hand, I probably wouldn’t have noticed right away. It sounds and feels like a regular gas injected engine. Again, kudos to BMW for making such a great engine. One notable problem though was the engine cover. When I started to push the 118d, you could hear something clattering around in the engine bay. After pulling over for further examination, I found that the cover was lose. I tried to snap it back in, but no dice. I then just removed the cover all together and stored it in the hatch. I told myself that I would just put it back in before I returned the car, but as I write this, I realize that I didn’t do that. Oops. In fact, you can see it in the hatch in one of the pics I took. Anyway, that’s either some shoddy build quality which is not typical of BMW at all, or Transport Canada was messing about with the engine and didn’t put the engine cover back on properly.

Cruising at highway speed is definitely this car’s forte. Even though the engine is not designed for performance (at least not performance typical of BMW’s) I still found myself way above the speed limit most of the time without realizing it. The engine is quite smooth – extremely smooth in fact for a diesel. And despite my driving over the speed limit, I was averaging 5.1 L/100 kms. One of the Transport Canada guys told me that they actually beat the 118d’s 4.9 L/100 kms rating as they got 4.2 L/100 kms on the way to Nova Scotia. That’s quite impressive since it’s hard to meet or beat any vehicle’s efficiency rating, though admittedly they probably used efficient driving techniques to help out.

One interesting gas saving feature is the stop/start technology. This is typically used in hybrids where the engine automatically shuts off when you come to a stop and restarts itself once you take your foot off the brake. It’s all very seamless, and quite easy to get used to. I’ve never experienced it on a manual transmission before, however. What you have to do in order for the stop/start to work is put the car into neutral before coming to a complete stop and keep your foot off the clutch. The engine will then automatically shut off. The engine will restart itself once you depress the clutch. It takes some getting used to if you are used to keeping the clutch depressed and in gear when stopped.

Being a 1-series, handling is sublime. Very sharp, precise steering with no body roll. The 118d has a tendency to over steer every so slightly, even with the traction control still on, but this definitely will not hinder in spirited driving. Despite having smallish 16 inch wheels with ridiculous hubcaps, the 118d will not disappoint in the handling department.

The interior on the other hand is a bit of a disappointment. It’s quite obvious that this car is a base car. Even the steering wheel looks cheap. Quality of materials are decent, but overall the layout is quite bland and uninspiring. The seats, however are supportive. The rear seat room is tight, there’s no other way of putting it. In fact, it feels smaller back there than in the 1-series coupe. Still, the 118d has a middle seat and the 1-series coupe doesn’t, so it’s a bit more practical. The boot is also smallish, but with the rear seats folded down, there’s a decent amount of room.

The overall styling is something I’m not quite sure about. The coupe is so sexy and eye-catching that when you turn it into a hatch, it sort of loses something. Plus, those wheels really take away from the overall look in my opinion. The side profile gives almost a bit of a micro-van look, but the view from the rear is good. Also those clear euro turn signals are quite a nice touch, but those would never pass Canadian safety regulations if the 118d ever came to our shores.

Speaking of coming to our shores, I really hope it does. Until this point, if you wanted to save gas or if you had any concern for the environment, you had to sacrifice performance. BMW has proven that you don’t necessarily have to anymore.

The 118d is an excellent blend of acceptable performance with incredible efficiency.

Price: N/A But Transport Canada paid $35,000 for this 118d.

Pros:

• Incredible fuel efficiency
• Handling abilities
• Brilliant engine – one of the best in the world
• Solid feeling on the highway
• Added versatility of the hatchback over the coupe
• One of the cleanest diesels around
• Being a diesel is not noticable

Cons:

• Strange styling
• Dorky hubcaps
• Subpar interior for a BMW
• Tight interior space

Overall: 8.5/10

Lotus has unveiled a pic of the 2014 Elite Concept (though it looks production ready to me) ahead of the official unveiling in Paris.

Along with a pic came more details on the specifications and they are quite impressive. The Elite will come with a 5.0 litre V8 which makes 611 horsepower and 531 pound feet of torque. Wowsa! Combine that engine with typical Lotus lightness and you’ll be able to get from 0-100 in just 3.5 seconds in the Elite.

On top of that, though, Lotus will apparently work with Toyota in incorporating hybrid technology into the Elite as an option. With a big V8 you can almost certainly bet that fuel efficiency will be dismal so the hybrid technology isn’t a bad idea – so long it doesn’t upset the handling.

Toyota’s got its PR game in full swing with this announcement claiming it doesn’t mind sharing it’s hybrid technology with other manufacturers “because we would like to see environmental technologies adopted and used as widely as possible.” Right. It’s not because you can make sick amounts of profit by licencing out the technology. No, it’s because you really care for the environment that badly. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling with statements like that, Toyota.

[Autoblog Green]

The all-electric E-tron is expected to make production in the next few years, promising to be an efficient alternative to those who value performance but have a concern for the environment and how much they spend on gas. It is said to have similar performance of the Audi R8 but uses absolutely no gas. Cool idea.

What wasn’t a cool idea though, was naming it E-tron. While the name sounds cool and futuristic, obviously the whole world doesn’t speak English. Which means that different words have different meanings in cultures across the world. Audi is finding that out the hard way.

Turns out in French Etron is slang for feces. Obviously having a car named after excrement is not ideal. It would give way to way too many puns such as “that car is a piece of shit.” This isn’t the first time Audi has screwed up names. Remember when they insensitively created the Green Police? The same guy responsible for that in Audi’s research department must’ve come up with the Etrons name.

This also isn’t the first time a new car’s name meant something hilariously different in another language. GM came to the startling realization that the name of its top selling sedan, the LaCrosee, means rather crudely to masturbate in la Francais Quebecois. Luckily for GM, they came to this realization before the LaCross went on sale and named it the Allure in our market. Since then, GM has decided that LaCrosse will be the name of here and Canada too. They apparently don’t care about Quebec culture or references anymore.

[Green Car Ports]

What do you get when a Toyota Prius mates with a Subaru Baja? A Toyota Prija of course.

Steve Woodruff is probably the only person in the world that thought combining the two ideas would be a good idea, but he went and did it anyway. The result is a rather ugly looking pick up that is probably the most efficient pick up in the world.

Woodruff claims his Toyobaru gets about 40 mpg (or 5.8 L/100 kms in Canadian speak) which is awesome. The added weight of the pick up bed hasn’t affected fuel mileage that much as it’s not far off from a regular 2006 Prius.

Even though the Toyobaru does amazing fuel wise, it still isn’t likely to have any towing capabilities. But hey, it still hauls a lot of stuff just like a pick up is supposed to. Woodruff didn’t mention how much the crazy experiment cost, but it was likely a lot. Which means any fuel savings would likely be a bit of a moot point. But in terms of the environment, it’s definitely a win.

Too bad it looks hideous.

[AutoBeYours]

The Mazdaspeed3 is one of the few pocket rockets that actually deliver on the performance end. The Honda Civic Si and Chevrolet Cobalt SS might try their damndest, but they really don’t measure up to the Mazdaspeed3 or the GTI.

As good as the Mazdaspeed3 is, it’s not without its faults. For instance, the turbo lag is almost as bad as the turbo lag in the Saab Viggen. And on top of that, it’s trying a little too hard to seem boy racer-ish, doesn’t it?

Well it seems that Mazda is going to give the new Speed3 quite a big change that will probably address neither of those problems. Well done, Mazda.

Anyway, according the VP of product development of Mazda USA Robert Davis, the next generation Speed3 could get a diesel in its engine bay. Say whaaaaaat?

Actually it’s not a bad idea. Since diesels are inherently torque-y there will likely be minimal or no loss of performance and the Speed3 would get excellent mileage to boot. In fact, I wonder why it’s taken other manufacturers (besides the Europeans) so long to figure this out. Mazda is undoubtedly concerned about the new CAFE standard and needs to do something about its sporty lineup. That’s why the RX8 is getting the axe next year. Don’t worry, the RX8 will return in 2013 with a new efficient engine.

[Car and Driver photo credit: edmunds.com]

YES!

Thanks to all those luck enough to afford a 918 Spyder writing in to Porsche. It’s because of that that Porsche was able to build a business case to build the 918 Spyder and now it has officially been confirmed. It will indeed enter production, albeit in limited numbers.

I think this is going to be the most significant car for the next five years, despite what GM may tell you about its Volt (see my post below for why I have doubts). While I appreciate the Volt and am very intrigued by it, I think Porsche is going to truely upstage it with the 918 Spyder. Being able to make a car that can get from 0-100 in 3.9 seconds, emit just 70 g/km of carbon dioxide all while getting 3 L/100 kms is astonishing. Mind boggling even. On top of that, the 918 Spyder will be able to keep classic handling abilities that Porsche is known for and will be quite the looker if the concept is any indication.

Pricing is the downside, but that’s the case for any supercar. It is expected to start around $650,000 US. Yikes. But considering the technology packed into it and what it’s capable of, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. Also this is likely the reason why it will be produced in limited numbers. I’d be surprised if Porsche was able to make any profit on it too, actually.

People are already saying that this could be the successor to the amazing Carrera GT. And if the history of the Carrera GT is any indication, the 918 Spyder should have no problem fitting in with the big boys.

[Canadian Driver]

GM, GM, GM. What were you thinking?

Why would you go and develop a car that is supposedly going to be your saviour as well as an industry game changer for fuel efficiency and the environment and then go and make it require premium gas?

That’s like encouraging people to practice safe sex, yet charging them a premium to use condoms.

And the things is, I don’t even understand why the Volt would require premium gas. Why would a tiny 80 horsepower engine need a high octane output? I will concede, however, that’s it might be possible to get added efficiency by using higher octane for the Volt’s generator. And if it is, and it’s also the reason why premium gas is required, then you need to explain that to the public, GM. Because right now it looks kind of foolish offering no explanation for people to spend more money for your supposed halo car.

However, it’s not like you’ll be going through loads and loads of premium since GM claims you can go up to 65 kilometres on the electric motor alone before using a single drop of premium. It’s still a bit of a disappointment nonetheless.

[The Truth About Cars]

By Kevin Harrison

I was driving behind an old Mercedes-Benz diesel a while back and I have to say, it was about as desirable as playing strip poker with your parents. It was just awful.

I actually had to turn my radio up because that diesel clatter was making my ears bleed. Then, despite being 30 degrees outside, I had to roll up my windows because the exhaust coming out of the tailpipe had a rather black/purple-ish hue that would make even Stephen Harper concerned about its effect on the environment. On top of that, the smell was less agreeable than a hockey player locker room after the second period.

For the first time ever, I finally started to understand North American tendencies. Diesels of the past were terrible.

Since then, many automakers have refined diesel technology, most notably Volkswagen. Even though most automakers bailed on the idea of bringing diesels back, Volkswagen stuck with it, leaving them with virtually all the market share. Not a bad move. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have followed suit with each brand offering a small dosage of their diesel technology for open minded North Americans.

Volkswagen has expanded the technology into four of their models. But what if you want a little premium with that oil burner? Well, for the first time Volkswagen has made its famous TDI engine available in the Audi A3. Is it worth it?

The A3 is a bit of an odd entity. While I understand that Audi wishes to usher people into the brand with a lower priced model as BMW has done with the 1-series and Mercedes-Benz has done with the B-Class, I don’t quite understand why anyone would pay the premium over a Golf, which is essentially what the A3 is. Adding the TDI as an option certainly helps separate it from the 1-series and B-class however.

First things first, the A3 looks good. While I’m still on the fence about Audi’s LED overload on all its models, I think it works nicely on the refreshed A3. It definitely has a sleek premium yet sporty look to it with the black roof and multi-spoke wheels. The single exhaust pipe looks terribly out of place on an Audi, however.

Inside is very much on par for Audi though as fit and finish is terrific. Some have complained that Audi/Volkswagen have lost their reputation as being among the best in the business, but I’m not one of them. Quality of materials is superb, and while the positioning of all the buttons and switches takes a bit of getting used to, the layout is quite pleasant as is the white gauges with red undertones.

There is adequate space in the backseat for two adults – three in a pinch- and good cargo room especially with the seats down.

The engine is identical 2.0 litres that Volkswagen uses in the Jetta and Golf diesels. As such, it produces 140 horsepower and a very healthy 236 pound feet of torque which gives it its get-up-and-go. This is a tremendous engine only bested by BMW’s diesel offering in the 335d. It is smooth and refined. Even at idle, you have to listen very hard for that infamous diesel clatter. When the engine is pushed, the A3 makes more of a roaring sound, untypical of the traditional exhaust note, however it is inoffensive and is not intrusive to the cabin.

The good news with this engine continues as it gets a combined rating of 5.8 L/100 kms. That is excellent. A Smart Fortwo gets a city rating of 5.9 L/100 kms by comparison. In addition the A3 TDI emits only 111 g/km of C02. Good stuff.

Handling is adequate. The A3 TDI has a tendency to under steer however, mostly due to the fact that it is nose heavy. Diesels are usually heavier than gas engines, however BMW is able to retain handling abilities with its diesel, so it’s not really an excuse. Oddly enough, I didn’t experience the same under steering nature in the 2010 Jetta TDI (review coming soon!). But considering Audi is known for its handling abilities, I was slightly taken aback.

Likewise, Audi is known for their superb Quattro all-wheel drive. Don’t expect to experience it in the A3 TDI though. Front wheel drive only is the order of the day. I have no idea why Audi decided to do this. Buying a front wheel drive Audi is like trying to eat soup with a fork. Pointless.

And that’s the thing. While this car is very well put together, has typical Audi style and quality, decent handling and excellent fuel mileage it really doesn’t make any sense. At $35,000 to start, I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would take this over a Golf TDI which is just as good looking, has the same quality materials for the interior, virtually the same room, the exact same engine and handling capabilities but it’s $10,000 cheaper. If Audi had done something to set it apart – to justify the extra premium if you will, then it could have made sense. Audi could have put its Quattro standard and it would be the only all-wheel drive diesel engine car available. It would have the market to itself. Or maybe they could’ve boosted the torque, or improved the efficiency. Something. Anything.

But alas no. The only thing the Audi has the the Golf doesn’t is LED tail lights, leather and a premium badge. And if anyone thinks that’s worth 10 grand more then I’m pretty sure there is still tons of room available to check themselves into the Betty Ford Center.

I really wanted to like this car, and in fact I do, but I just can’t justify the price premium, much in the same way the Jersey Shore cast can’t justify why they’re famous.

Base Price: $35,500

Pros:

• Great style
• Great engine
• Great interior
• Great efficiency
• Great power

Cons:

• None of that matters when you can essentially have all of that in the form of the Golf for 10 grand less.

Overall: 7/10

The Honda CR-Z.

Previously Honda themselves held the honour with the very unimpressive and underwhelming Insight which starts at $24,900. Honda even scared Toyota with that price and had them scrambling to make a hybrid version of their Toyota Yaris so that they could take the cheapest hybrid crown. But I’m sure that idea took the back burner when the results were in on the Insight. Just terrible.

Well Honda has just released Canadian pricing and the supposed successor to the CR-X will start at $23,460 for the six speed manual or $24,290 for the automatic making it the cheapest hybrid available in our market. The CR-Z is also the first ever hybrid available with a manual transmission. Sweet!

But the numbers don’t seem so sweet on paper. I mean, being the successor to the CR-X means that you gotta hold your own in the performance department. And with a 1.5 litre four cylinder engine making 126 horsepower and 136 pound foot torque, well, it just doesn’t seem possible to be fun to drive.

But at least it will be really efficient, right? Nope. While its 5.6 L/100 kms city (6.5 for the automatic) is nothing to sneeze at, this is a hybrid! There are regular gasoline cars that can do those numbers.

So, basically the new CR-Z is going to be nothing special in either performance or efficiency. Way to go, Honda. Let’s just hope it’s better than the Insight.

Oh and by the way, I’m fully aware that the pic above is not the production version of the CR-Z. It’s just I think the concept looked so much better.

[Honda Canada]

Toyota isn’t effing around anymore, are they?

Toyota Canada has quickly issued a stop sale on the Lexus HS 250h due to fire risk concerns. Apparently if a rear collision is severe enough, excessive amounts of fuel can spill out causing a risk of fire, or even an explosion.

Toyota said in a press release:

“As part of its annual compliance testing program, the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently conducted a test of the
2010 model year HS 250h. The test involved striking the vehicle with a
deformable barrier from the rear at approximately 80 km/h. The vehicle
is struck by a moving deformable barrier with a 70 per cent overlap. As
part of the test, the vehicle was then rotated on its longitudinal axis
incrementally to each successive increment of 90 degrees. During the
rotation, the vehicle exhibited fuel spillage that exceeded the
requirement in the standard.”

That’s all fine and good, but what is the solution Toyota? They have no idea. Until they can think of something, no new 2010 HS 250h’s will be delivered or sold to the public.

Better get on a solution soon, Toyota.

[Toyota Canada]