2009 was a year that most carmakers would rather forgotten, as we have seen the biggest sales drop and many of those storied brands have gone. As we are looking forward to 2010, here are what we are predicting in coming years.
1) Mercedes and BMW will continue to sell most (by Mercedes and BMW’s definition [...]

This year, we divided small cars into 2 sub-categories, both above and below $23 grand. We also have seen the resurgence of hatchbacks in these affordable segments.
Small car of the year (below $23k) nominess:
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Toyota Yaris
The Soul serves as a halo vehicle for Kia because of its cute-as-a-bug styling and loads of standard features. [...]

Vehicle: 2009 VW Jetta Wagon 2.0TDI Highline with 6-speed DSG, rear side airbags, ESP and Sirius Satelite radio
Price as tested: CDN$33035
Mileage since picked up: 12800km
Regular maintenance: 0
Unscheduled repairs: 0
The reason why many consumers dismissed the purchase of diesel was its engine cluttering during cold weather start-up. With the new clean diesel technology in the latest [...]

Vehicle: 2010 Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro Premium
Price as tested: CDN$49250
Mileage since picked up: 9500km
Regular maintenance: 0
Unscheduled repairs: 0
After we have spent a couple of months with the Q5, one thing comes out loud and clear. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system is performing exceptionally well. Its not only enhance its performance, its a proactive system that work [...]

2009: Hyundai Genesis
2008: Mitsubishi Lancer
2007: VW GTI
2006: Hyundai Sonata
2005: Chrysler 300
2004: Mazda3
2003: Mazda6
2002: Nissan Altima
2001: BMW M5
2000: Hyundai Elantra
1999: VW Golf and Jetta
Last year, it was the runaway winner: Hyundai Genesis, who took our overall car of the year. Which car will take the honor as DirectShift’s 2010 car of the year? Stay tuned as [...]

Here are the cars which will be featured on our upcoming season:
2011 Acura TSX wagon
2011 Audi A8
2011 Buick Regal
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
2011 Ford Fiesta
2011 Honda Accord Crosstour
2011 Infiniti M
2011 Infiniti G
2011 Mazda2
2010 Nissan Altima
…..and so much more

Vehicle: 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged with extended leather pkg, rear differential lock and surround camera system
Price as tested: CDN$92160
Performance: The latest update to Range Rover Sport is the engines. Instead of using the outgoing 4.4 liter, it basically shares Jaguar’s AJ-V8. This latest iteration is a 5.0 liter DOHC 32-valve V8. On the “mild” [...]