Car Reviews

When Porsche first entered the SUV market back in 2002, there were hushed whispers in some circles about the move.

Enjoying considerable success and accolades for their sports performance vehicles built to exacting German standards and engineered within an inch of their lives, Porsche’s foray was, to say the least initially questioned.

Until you got behind the wheel of the still impressive Cayenne luxury sport utility vehicle – then all bets were off.

Performance? Check. Handling? Check. For some, they had to remind themselves that this was an SUV, the category created almost single-handedly by Jeep a lifetime ago.

To suggest that a driver should expect the unexpected would be an understatement – in the extreme.

And so, when Porsche announced its entry into the rapidly growing and becoming crowded crossover category with the introduction of the Macan, there was no pre-emptive apathy, rather eager anticipation. Could Porsche once again capture lightning in a bottle?

While that statement itself is more than a little hyperbole, it would be safe to say that yes indeed, Porsche has succeeded where other mainstream manufacturers may have stumbled.

The Macan is the real deal – in so many ways.

This is a vehicle that celebrates its heritage. With great pride.

Some (visible) features will be familiar to those acquainted with the Porsche marque.

But where this vehicle shines – check that – excels – is what you cannot see – yet will soon appreciate and, dare we say, love.\

From the tired and tested receptive engine to the responsive and intuitive dual clutch automatic transmission: note – seven-speed as opposed to trendy eight- or even nine-speed to the air suspension with self-levelling function incorporating height adjustment to the throaty growl of the sport-tuned exhaust system, the attention to detail is something that the team of designers and engineers have not sacrificed.

Perhaps as an automotive journalist I am spoiled; after all, most weeks I have an opportunity to drive many disparate vehicles: sedans; coupes; trucks; convertibles; SUVs; CUVs; and yes, even today, the occasional minivan. While driving this low slung manoeuvrable rocket was a pleasure, for north of $60K, you would almost expect a navigation system. Are we so demanding of technology that features some manufacturers include as standard, their omission induces a mild hissy fit? Then reality sets in; this is a Porsche. It’s meant to be driven. It wants to be driven. And it really doesn’t care if it gets lost in the process!

But I digress.

As tested:

Price: $63.145
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Power: 340hp/339 ft.-lb. of torque.
Transmission: seven-speed (dual clutch automatic) Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)
Fuel economy (L/100km): City 13.7/Hwy 10.3. Actually averaged 11.2L/100 km combined.

Pros: It’s a Porsche! Within the relatively new crossover category, this is a vehicle that could be driven almost anywhere by anyone, and enthrall an enthusiast and a layperson simultaneously.

Cons: One too many buttons in the cockpit for a new driver/owner could be an unwanted distraction. And, if we’re being picky, for $63K, the inclusion of a navigation system and cooled seats would be welcome additions.

Long and the short: worthy of consideration. A lean, mean driving machine with plenty of get-up-and-go.

With the introduction of the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4X4, the manufacturer made what some might call a bold and daring move. The vehicle as tested recently, excluding HST, had a price point small change north of $70K. For a Jeep. The venerable, grandfather to the still-expanding SUV category – a market segment which is ever-so-slowly, beginning to outsell Canadians beloved light truck sector.

Jeep categorizes this SUV as a class-leading mid-size. Fair enough. But in this configuration, it competes directly against the likes of the Audi Q7; BMW X5; Infiniti QX70; and the Land Rover LR4 – among others. Perhaps it needs a catchier alpha numeric name?

Can this vehicle compete with the rich pedigree-laden luxury vehicles it might sell alongside?

Simply; yes.

Today's Jeep Grand Cherokee is a good looking, stylish and yet immensely practical vehicle. This SUV will surprise many. The cabin is richly furnished, with well-chosen textures and materials and provides an inviting layout and design. Frankly, this particular Grand Cherokee is loaded – the end result being a very pleasant surprise.

One of the main reasons for the larger than expected sticker price is the availability of an efficient and torque-rich option with the most welcome Ecodiesel 3.0-litre V-6. Offering 420 ft.-lb. of torque, and an inspiring 11.2L/100km in the city and 8.4L/100km on the highway. A full tank of diesel fuel yields approximately 1,200 kilometres and offers best-in-class towing of 7,400 pounds. Coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and you have a vehicle that can drive great distances – all in practical comfort.

Putting aside the fact that it’s a Jeep which to some potential buyers may hold some stigma, this is an impressive, all round vehicle that will offer everyone something more than expected.

The Grand Cherokee has a feel secure on wet or dry pavement, but it's also vastly talented off-road. The most advanced versions can still clamber over boulders and logs with ease, and the new automatic enables a lower crawl ratio that suits the torquey Ecodiesel especially well.

Jeep continues with the well-tested and accepted Quadra-Lift air suspension, as well as the three four-wheel drive systems – Quadra-Trac I, Quadra-Trac II, and Quadra-Drive II. It also has the Selec-Terrain management system, which automatically caters the powertrain settings for either sand, mud, auto, snow, or rock.

My time spent with this model reminded me of some off-road escapades in the Kawarthas some four years ago. The Ecodiesel would have likely “solved” some of the deep mud terrain issues we experienced, overcome by towing winches and three, non-standard Jeep Wrangler Rubicons. But I digress.

As tested:

Price: $70,375.

Engine: 3.0L V6 turbo diesel.

Power: 240hp – and a stump-pulling 420 ft-lb of torque.

Transmission: 8-speed automatic.

Fuel economy (L/100km): City 11.2/Hwy 8.4. Actually averaged 7.4L/100km on the initial drive from Mississauga to Barrie.

Pros: a value-laden family hauler – just as comfortable driving to and from the cottage or the board room. Excellent fuel economy – do not be reluctant to consider because it is diesel. Over a seven day period with this SUV, we drove almost 600 kilometres for a combined fuel consumption of 8.0L/100km.

Cons: lack of a third row of seating; pricing – to some. Diesel may also be a negative to those that still associate this fuel with farms and tractor trailers.

Long and the short: worthy of consideration. In this configuration, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Mirabel, QC – The Lexus brand is synonymous with luxury, status and safety. Those are many of the key reasons why consumers flock to Toyota's luxury option. Lexus still stands for all that, but over the past half-decade they've wanted to showcase more of its performance-portfolio, and with that they unleashed the F-Sport lineup.

The F Sports name gained plenty of steam when the production LFA super car was introduced at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The plan was to show it as a technological showpiece along with its sporty styling and carbon fibre materials that could trickle down throughout the roster. The excitement from the LFA delighted the entire auto industry leading to the more stylish LF-LC Concept that struck to the core of the car enthusiast. Lexus clearly had something here to make this F-Sport lineup fly, and they quickly acted to offer more of these F Sport variants for purchase.

What is F Sport?

I'm still not sure what the “F” stands for, but when an invite was received to test four of the F Sport models at the iCar race track in Mirabel, Quebec – it sure sounded like something “fun” to do.

To gain more information about what F Sport means to Lexus, I chatted with Romaric Lartilleux, Public Relations Consultant at Lexus Canada.

Romaric explained that: “the F Sport division shows that Lexus isn't just about good cars for the road, but also for the race track. The goal is to attract younger customers, who wouldn't necessarily have picked Lexus in the past. When you see how Lexus is now – you surely can't say we're boring.”

These statements peaked my interest and I was ready to test these puppies on the track. It was a nice buffet of models on-hand that included the all-wheel drive versions of the IS 350 and GS 350 sedans, the RC 350 in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, as well as the RC F sports coupe. We weren't provided many restrictions. The only thing they asked was for us to be cautious (it was raining), but have at it within our limits. To me that just resembles the “F” spirit of the event.

Lexus RC F

The star attraction to the event was the two-door RC F coupe that's fitted with a 5.0-litre V8, ready to show off its 467 horses and 389 lb.-ft. of torque. The RC F is based off of both the IS and GS, but takes on a shorter, sleeker and more sporty profile. Between the smooth coupe silhouette with the two-tone roof and the large hourglass spindle grille with Nike swoosh LEDs – this was built for today's event.

One look at the RC F and you know it's out for trouble. It probably wasn't the wisest move making it for my first choice, considering I wasn't familiar with the track, nor the wet conditions, but I knew there would plenty of time to play around with it.

I slid into the sports-tuned leather bucket seats, fired up the monster and let it roar. Out of the four drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Sport-plus), there were only two to choose from for this mission. I started out in Sport to feel things through, and quickly I learned that the RC F might just be too much car for this wet track. The second you push down on the throttle, the RC F instantaneously bolts out with aggression. This track had many twists and turns along the way, moving the eight-speed automatic transmission constantly between second and fourth gear, only to reach the top gears on the few longer straights.

The RC F is just pure fun. The track is the environment it feels most comfortable in, allowing it to let loose. To make it more interesting, the RC F has a special button, exclusive to it called TVD (Torque Vectoring Differential), that comes with the RC F performance package for an additional $8K. TVD allows you to choose between three additional driving set-ups that can be tuned for either standard, track, or slalom. These functions work independently of the Drive Mode Select, which does mean that you can distort and confuse the RC F's drive by choosing both Eco and Track mode.

As you would figure, slalom mode focuses on quick steering responses and agility; while track mode places an emphasis on stabilizing the vehicle during high-speed turns, as well as assisting that quick acceleration after hard braking. It's all about transferring torque between the left and right tires depending on your situation on track. All of these actions help to improve grip and assist you where your steering inputs imply.

Unfortunately, on this day, letting fully loose in Sport-plus, would have been a tragedy into the guard rail. The combination of the puddles and the tires being slightly worn out by the media wave ahead of us, led to a slight loss in traction, turning the coupe close to sideways in a few instances. Correction was quick and provided a lesson of how quick you should go on iCar's wet track.

The RC F showed a lot of potential, however it can be costly, especially with the performance package that tops it out at $88K. Regardless, it should still be in the conversation with the likes of the BMW M4, Audi RS5, Jaguar F-Type R and the Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe.

The rest of the F Sport division on-hand

I could go on about the RC F for a while, but for now let's go through the rest of the F Sport roster on display. All of the other vehicles I tested were of the all-wheel drive variety, starting with the RC 350, and followed by the GS 350 and IS 350.

The other three will be grouped together, because even though they're different in terms of dimensions, the F Sport packages provides similar elevated driving characteristics from its regular offerings. The performance package set-ups in all of them away from aesthetics included suspension tuning, performance braking and a tuned exhaust that achieved overall better handling, balance and grunt.

The IS 350 and RC 350 provided great traction throughout at speeds topping out at 135 km/h, with a bit more body roll coming from the IS. But it was the mid-size sedan GS350 that I found to be best suited for the iCar track. I'm only assuming that the added weight helped it stay grounded and provided that added confidence for me to take those turns at higher speeds. There was a nice flow and crispness to the sweeping lefts and rights without any need for acceleration release.

I never thought the GS would be my favourite on the day, but that's a true testament to the excitement and flair that the F Sport package brings. All of the vehicles on the day showcased their sporty talents on a rainy day in Quebec without any incidents.

The question that still remains is whether consumers will spend an extra $5-8K for the F Sport package? Many will not get the opportunity to ever fully test it on track, so is it worth it to the buyer? The answer is all about what that extra power and suspension will do for you. Some definitely will take it on track; others might just want to have that sports potential.

All I can say is Lexus has taken the time to develop this sports-performance division – and it shows. The F Sport line is for real, and it definitely stands for “fun”. If you're in the market for something that provides a performance punch, you need to at least take a look at this F Sport lineup before making any decision.

Pearsall, TX – After 101 years in the business, Cooper Tires knows its tires and terrains. As the 5th largest global tire company in North America, it has invested considerable time in perfecting their products, and two of their latest were the main reason why a handful of journalists headed down to Texas.

The Lone Star State is where Cooper Tires has its Vehicle Test Center in Pearsall, just an hour south of San Antonio. For this event, Cooper wanted to show off not only its new all-season Discoverer SRX catered to CUVs, SUVs and light trucks, but also its new Discoverer STT Pro, a premium light truck off-road specialist. The SRX replaces the outgoing CTS; while the STT Pro rounds out the Discoverer family as its dedicated mud tire, replacing the STT.

The two tires are completely different catering to various customers, but the take from this visit was the versatility of the Cooper Tires brand. They're not a company that offer choices for the sake of expanding its portfolio – they have become experts in developing a sophisticated compound that will keep you balanced, in control and most importantly, safe.

We will get to the event challenges in a moment, but let's first talk shop in regards to the tire compound. The development for the new SRX dates back to 2011, where many components came together to create this modern advancement. But the main ingredient to this concoction is the sandy compound known as silica. Cooper Tires representatives pointed to silica being a large contributor to the overall improvement to this SUV offering in terms of  handling, stability, rolling resistance, road noise and tread life.

The Cooper secret is not just about adding more silica, it's about breaking it down and finding the right mix of it with the rest of the materials including carbon black. In total, 20 different compounds were evaluated until deciding on the one that had the right polymers and rubbers to optimize all those driving benefits listed above.

In addition to the compound, Cooper has many design innovations that have become common with many of their new tires. The combination of 3D Micro-gauge sipes, Stabiledge technology and Winter Edge all help in providing improved rubber-to-road grip, crisper handling and steering, as well as stability in light snow conditions.

The STT Pro might share a similar compound mixture, but has the look of a tire ready for warfare on the next Mad Max film. Its groove innovations cater to that rugged lifestyle without having to make compromises for regular roads. A unique alternating 3-2 tread pattern on the inside creates flexibility when needed. It can be flat when you need it be, or cut through extreme conditions with a variable depth siping that has an extra biting edge. In addition, a Mud-Flex Design along the outside of the tire allows mud to flow clear from the tire maintaining constant motion and balance. If stones and rocks are a concern, the STT Pro uses Angled Groove Walls and Anti-Stone retention to prevent from stones and gravel being trapped and causing harm to the tire.

There are a lot more innovations that go into these tires, but without fully boring you, we wanted to just highlight the main parts. Now that you got a sample of what went into the tires, the key was seeing how they performed. The SRX were fitted onto Chevrolet Tahoes and pitted against Goodyear Wrangler SR-As on a wet pad; the STT Pros were placed on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for a hill climb with rocks and a deep mud pad.

Let's start with the Discoverer SRX. The Goodyear run was smooth, but slow. It had some shaky moments with limited traction on a few of the fast corners, which had me lowering my speed. On the flip side, the SRX performed admirably throughout the five laps. No longer was I fearful of a spin, and upped my speed with confidence. Those grooves flushed out the water from the tires maintaining a nice grip for the Tahoe to stay balanced.

At the end of the test, I was able to shave 3.23 seconds off my best lap time in the Goodyears, but more importantly was the smooth and composed ride under such wet conditions. The Coopers rode with such precision, as if we were on a dry track with very little road noise. It was clearly evident in this test that Cooper perfected their compound and design innovations turning my timed wet pad tire test into a Sunday cruise.

After getting wet, it was time for a little rock and mud play. We drove the Jeep Wranglers to a hill climb that had one section of a 30-degrees upward slope of just concrete, and a second test up that same incline with a slew of rocks creating what looked to be a challenging upward rock crawl.

On the first run without the rocks, I eased my way up the wall in no time without a sweat. It was too easy, so the second time around I came to a full stop a quarter of the way up to see how much traction those STT Pros would get. The Wrangler Unlimited rolled back slightly before any throttle was applied, but once a steady stream of acceleration occurred, the Coopers once again made its way up without issue.

The rock crawl was no different. It looks menacing from afar, but with steady and smooth throttle inputs, the STT Pros managed even the trickiest rocks as if they weren't there. The Wrangler glided over each bump with only a shoulder shrug, saying “that's all you got?”

Next up was the mud. We're talking a massive mud pit with deep tracks and ruts along the way. While driving under normal muddy conditions, you would naturally pick a vehicle-made line and avoid those ruts. But this is a tire test, so my goal was to do the exact opposite to fully test out what these Coopers got. I toggled between 4-High and 4-Low and in both cases, the STT Pros stormed through the sticky and slushy mud. It's all about traction in mud, and not once did I lose any momentum or get caught in a rut. For more of a challenge, I came to a complete stop in the middle of the pit, put it into 4-Low and used that extra torque to get that momentum going again.

The Discoverer STT Pro proved to me, it not only looked the part with its rugged grooves, but played the part by attacking head-on anything that came in its way. There was no need for any comparison, as there's not one misstep these off-road tires had.

In the end, Cooper Tires showed off its new offerings in an impressive way. The SRX, specifically made for the increasing crossover/SUV market showed off its grip and smoothness over a tier-one competitor in the Goodyears. For the more adventurous off-roader, the STT Pro showed exceptional prowess under tricky rock inclines and deep mud pits. No matter what the terrain: dry, wet, muddy or even filled with rocks, both the Discoverer SRX and STT Pro met all of their respective challenges with ease.

Both tires are currently available with 36 sizes (4 more at the end of the year) to choose from for the SRX and 41 sizes in the STT Pro. Rim diameter range goes from 16- to 22-inches in the SRX; while the range for the STT Pro goes from 15- to 22-inches.