July 13, 2002: 2002 Volvo C70 coupe. Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Volvo design director Peter Horbury is a charming and sometimes-cheeky Briton who was among the very first -- if not the very first -- to tell the world that the Volvo C70 coupe was, on the day it arrived, as good as automotive design gets. At least in terms of proportion and elegance. The first time I heard him say so was ... Read Article

May 26, 2002: 1993 Mazda RX-7 By Jeremy Cato We got the bad news in the middle of the last decade: Mazda Canada had decided to drop the RX-7 sports car from its lineup after the 1995 model year. The good news, of course, is that Mazda is about to start selling an all-new RX-8. The RX-8 is powered by a rotary engine and has four doors to appeal to sedan owners and those with children. In the meant... Read Article

March 29, 2002: 2000 Nissan Maxima SE, Click image to enlarge The redesigned 2004 Nissan Maxima started rolling off the assembly line at the NMMC plant in Smyrna, Tennessee last month. It's the first Maxima to be built in North America, so a retrospective review of the current Japanese-built "Max" is appropriate. The Maxima nameplate actually dates back to 1981 when it replaced the 810, as the flagship... Read Article

March 20, 2002: by Bob McHugh 2002 Ford Ranger. Click image to enlarge A compact pickup truck, the Ford Ranger dates back to 1982 and was initially introduced to combat a growing tide of smaller imported trucks from Japan. It was an immediate hit, and the Ranger has been a consistent sales leader in this market segment. The Ranger appeals to a wide range of potential buyers from commercial fleet us... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2001 Saab 0-3, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Saab (which is now completely owned by General Motors Corp.) introduced the 9-3 in 1999 with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine (185 horsepower), but, alas, it wasn't all smooth sailing from then on for this Swedish automaker. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with the 1999-2002 9-3. On the contrary. The 9-3 delivers sporty ... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2002 Suzuki Esteem, click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Okay, folks, we're not talking about the sexiest of used cars here when we recommend the Suzuki Esteem station wagon. But if you're looking for a very tidy, very well put together station wagon, one that delivers excellent fuel economy, a satisfactory driving experience and won't likely break, this is a car worth tracking down. ... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2001 BMW 325i, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato In 1998, they called it the car the old BMW 3-series would go to bed dreaming about becoming in the morning - "they", being BMW officials. So here we are three-plus years later and it turns out "they" knew what they were talking about. The first total re-make of the 3-series in eight years has proved to be something pretty special. ... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 1999 Lexus RX300, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota Motor Corporation, consistently ranks at the very top of customer surveys for quality and reliability. Just why is illustrated wonderfully by the small handful of buyer's alerts and recall notices for the RX300. In terms of quality issues, there just isn't anything there to get very worried about. ... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2000 Toyota Celica GT, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Want a nearly-new sporty car that won't break? Buy a late-model Toyota Celica. Since the Celica received its last full makeover for the 2000 model year, Toyota hasn't issued a single recall for this model. (And if you're keeping track, in the entire history of the Celica in Canada, Toyota has issued just three safety recalls... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2000 Toyota Echo. Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato Toyota Canada is aiming to sell as many as 50,000 Echo subcompacts each year, now that the 2004 hatchback versions (three- and five-door) are available. If you want to know why they have a good chance of achieving that goal, take a look at the Buyer's Alerts. The number of problems noted for used Echos, as indicated in the www.allda... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2000 Chevrolet Impala LS, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato The made-in-Oshawa, Ontario Chevrolet Impala arrived as an all-new model for 2002. And while it lacked the tail fins and abundant chrome of the first Impalas in the late 1950s, this family sedan has been successful with many buyers anyway. True, this Impala has nothing in common with the astonishingly successful Impalas of the... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2001 Buick LeSabre Limited, Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato General Motors Corp. came within a whisker of getting all the quality issues just exactly right when the Buick LeSabre was completely restyled and reengineered for the 2000 model year. But don't believe me; look at the evidence. Since 2000, there has been only one Transport Canada safety recall on the LeSabre. And the han... Read Article

March 18, 2002: 2002 Ford Taurus. Click image to enlarge By Jeremy Cato For the 2000 model year, Ford looked closely at the best-selling Toyota Camry and then created Ford's version of it. But with a slight twist in that there was also a huge, huge emphasis on safety features. And Ford changed the design, too. Oval was out, wedge was in. That was only one of the changes Ford made to the 2000 Taurus w... Read Article