The 2020 Mitsubishi RVRMitsubishi Mitsubishi is cramming more advanced tech into its popular RVR sport utility while keeping prices competitive at a low starting MSRP of $22,998 in Canada.A refreshed exterior, 8-inch display, safety features like blind-spot monitoring and the brands All Wheel Control (AWC) system are now available at prices lower than theyve been before, and on the Mitsubishis best-selling model, too.The base price is attached to the five-passenger ES FWD trim, which includes bits like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a large rear-view camera, heated front seats, heated power side-view mirrors, and a suite of safety features. AWC on the small SUV can be had on an ES AWC trim that starts at $25,498; while the ranges biggest seller, the SEL AWC, with a 168-hp 2.4-litre instead of the base 2.0 litre, starts at $29,798.The range is topped by a GT AWC that adds a panoramic roof, leather seats and a 710-Watt Rockford Fosgate sound system; it starts at $33,998.The 2020 RVR gets new styling fronted by the brands Dynamic Shield grille; plus three new colours. Mitsubishi has sold almost 59,000 RVRs in Canada since it was launched in
Origin: The 2020 Mitsubishi RVR starts at $22,998 in Canada
Canada
Ford recalling more than 23,000 SUVs in Canada for seats that cut
2017 Ford Explorer Ford is recalling some 23,380 Explorer SUVs in Canada because the sharp edges of the front seat frames have been cutting passengers hands as they reach down to adjust it.In North America, a total of roughly 338,300 Explorers from model year 2017 equipped with power seats are affected by the issue.The sharp seat frame edges have led to Ford so far fielding some 31 reports of people cutting their hands as they reached down between the power front seat and the center console, the automaker said September 13.Dealers will add flocked tape to the exposed edge and tab on the inboard side of the power seat frames. Ford told customers that, in the interim, they should use caution and avoid contact with the seat frame edge until the repair is
Origin: Ford recalling more than 23,000 SUVs in Canada for seats that cut
The 2020 Kia Forte range to start at $17,695 in Canada
The 2020 Kia Forte5Kia The 2020 Kia Forte range will start at $17,695 when it hits dealerships this fall, with the new Forte5 hatchback starting just above that at $22,245.Prices for the sedan are up slightly over the 2019 model, which began at $17,195 for the base trim, $500 less than the 2020 LX with manual transmission. The base price of the Forte5 has stayed the same.The sedan comes in LX trim and premium EX trims, the latter starting at $22,595; while the Forte 5 ditches the low-cost LX offerings.Kias offering a new sporty GT trim on both Forte and Forte5 for 2020, which includes a 1.6-litre 201-turbo, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters and tuned springs and dampers out back. The Forte GT sedan starts at $28,995 and the Forte5 GT at $27,395, with a $29,995 Forte5 GT Limited topping out the models range (before
Origin: The 2020 Kia Forte range to start at $17,695 in Canada
Here are the cheapest new cars you can buy in Canada
2019 Nissan MicraNissan Did you know the average new car today will set you back when you tally all associated costs over the next 15 years about $100,000? Depreciation, insurance, gas, repairs, interests they all add up, says Canadian stats guru Dennis Desrosiers.Still, what if you want a new vehicle with some comfort or security features (powered windows! Bluetooth! AWD!) but you want to save, oh, just a tad? Well, here are the cheapest cars you can pick up at a Canadian dealership as of September 2019.Canada’s absolute cheapest carIts the Chevrolet Spark. Add the $1,600 freight and delivery fees to the base MSRP of $9,995 and youve got the cheapest new car you can buy in Canada just $11,595 before taxes.What do you get for that money? Bluetooth connectivity, Apple Car Play/Android Auto, a 7-inch infotainment screen, 4G LTE Wi-fi hotspot (if your cell phone has data), voice recognition controls and semi-generous cargo space for such a small vehicle (770 litres). Oh, and there are 10 airbags! What are you giving up? A telescopic steering wheel (yeah, it only tilts) and be prepared to lose a friend: there are only four seats in the Chevrolet Spark. Also, dont dream about powered windows or powered mirrors. And forget pretensions of doing power burnouts: With only 98 hp from the teeny four-cylinder 1.4-litre engine, performance is not the reason to buy the Spark.Transport Canada-certified fuel consumption: 8.0 L/100 km (city); 6.0 L/100 km (highway)Swear by Japanese cars? The cheapest one is—At $10,488, the Nissan Micra. Add the $1,670 freight and delivery fees and youre driving the cheapest Japanese new car you can get, for $12,185 before taxes.What do you get for that money? Seat belts for five passengers (one up on the Spark) and the most fun-to-drive little 109-hp car you can ask for. Youre laughing? You shouldnt: Have a look at what Quebec and Ontario racing drivers do to those Micras on the track or watch our senior contributor David Booth demonstrate what not to do with it. Oh, although sub-compact cars hardly ever offer accessories, the Nissan Micra has 17 of them for you, from colour-keyed body pieces to sport stripes and chrome exhaust finishers. #CheapCanLookGoodWhat are you giving up? As with the Chevrolet Spark, your windows will have to be hand-cranked down and your steering wheel will be only tilting. You will also have to unlock your doors manually, one by one. And there are only two speakers in the entire car.Transport Canada-certified fuel consumption: 8.7 L/100 km (city); 6.8 L/100 km (highway)The cheapest car with powered windowsAt $10,998, its the Mitsubishi Mirage. Add the $1,575 freight and delivery fees and youre on a roll for the cheapest new car with powered windows and mirrors for just $12,573 before taxes.What do you get for that money? Yes, you do have powered windows. But only at the front. Compared with the Chevrolet Spark (a $978 difference) and the Nissan Micra ($388 difference), you also get a fully telescopic steering wheel. Youll want it, if youre taller than the average, because the Mirage is teeny-tiny. What else? Mitsubishi offers one of the best warranty coverages in the industry, with its 10-year/160,000-km Powertrain Limited Warranty. And the Mirage claims very low fuel consumption with its three-cylinder 1.2-litre engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.What are you giving up? Well, for one thing, that claimed low fuel consumption isnt that miraculous, considering the Mirage, with its 78 hp, is currently the least powerful vehicle on the market. For some perspective, let us remind you even the gas smart fortwo used to have more power 89 hp than this. Another infamous achievement: The Mirage drives on 14-inch tires, the smallest rubber in the Canadian market.Transport Canada-certified fuel consumption: 7.1 L/100 km (city); 5.8 L/100 km (highway)The smallest – cheapest – but best-equipped carFor $15,690, its got to be the three-door Toyota Yaris CE. Add the $1,620 freight and delivery fees and youre buying yourself the best-equipped little car of our market for $17,310 before taxes.What do you get for that money? You have the heated front seats. I repeat: you have the heated front seats. Although Korean small cars offer that treat for a price tag equal or even lower than Yaris, the small(er) Yaris comes standard with half of the award-winning Toyota Safety Sense suite. So you get the auto-high-beams, the lane-departure warning and the pre-collision alert, some items rarely if ever found in this vehicle segment.What are you giving up? The base three-door Yaris doesnt have air conditioning. And since it doesnt have cruise control either, you wont get the dynamic radar cruise control, a (very nice) constituent of Toyota Safety Sense package. If you want this intelligent cruise control, youll have to jump in bigger Toyotas the Corolla and up.Transport Canada-certified fuel consumption: 7.8 L/100 km (city); 6.5 L/100 km (highway)The
Origin: Here are the cheapest new cars you can buy in Canada
Arrivederci: the Fiat 500 will no longer be sold in Canada
2019 Fiat 500 AbarthDerek McNaughton / Driving The writers at Driving regret to announce the death of Fiat 500, aged 108 months in this country. It is survived by cousins 500L and 500X, plus distant relative 124 Spider.Fans of the diminutive Fiat 500 hatchback will need to get themselves in gear if they want one before theyre gone for good. All signs point to the little 500, a car which served as the beachhead for Fiats return to this country, not returning to the Canadian market in 2020.Absent from Fiat Canadas lineup description for the upcoming model year it lists only the above-mentioned 500 variants and the 124 convertible customers will have to choose from remaining dealer stock once new copies of the car stop being shipped to Canada.The 500 lineup was consolidated greatly in recent years. For 2019, Pop and Lounge trims came equipped with the 1.4-litre MultiAir turbocharged engine, a 135-horsepower mill once reserved for the standalone Turbo model. The roary Abarth made 160 horsepower and gloriously naughty sounds while plastering a permanent grin on the face of its driver.This decision effectively chops the number of vehicles available in Fiat showrooms by 25 per cent. In June of this year, the brand sold just 31 cars in this country, 10 of which were 500s of various trims. Through the first half of 2019, Fiat has moved 209 cars, down from 368 cars during the same time-frame one year ago. The 500 reliably makes up about one-third of those numbers. Fiat dealers will be left hucking the Renegade-related 500X; the Mazda-related 124 Spider; and the weirdo-related 500L. The former, assembled in Italy and now the brands volume leader, is presently offered solely with a 1.3-litre turbo making 177 horsepower, by the way. All-wheel-drive remains an option. Serbian-built 500L models soldier on with the 1.4-litre mill.Will the 500 return to these shores? Fiat has left the door open by refusing to quash rumours that it may come back in a different shape as an electric vehicle. The company also marketed the all-electric 500e south of the border, a car which will also vanish after this model
Origin: Arrivederci: the Fiat 500 will no longer be sold in Canada
Porsche’s US$3,100-a-month subscription service is coming to Canada
2019 Porsche Cayenne SNick Tragianis / Driving Porsche is expanding its app-based subscription service to four new cities in the U.S. and Canada, deepening its experiment in flexible car ownership even as other automakers back away.The luxury sports-car brand of Volkswagen is adding Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix and Toronto to the pilot program it started in Atlanta almost two years ago.The price of its two-tiered monthly subscription service, Porsche Passport, will cost US$3,100 a month in the States; and $3,200 a month in Canada.In Canada, the first tier will let users swap between Porsches 718, Macan and Cayenne models and their variants; while the higher $4,200-per-month Accelerate level opens up the chance to drive its 911 and Panamera cars as well.Automakers are dangling subscriptions to try to reach younger consumers accustomed to streaming movies on Netflix or summoning rides from Uber, with mixed results. While Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are expanding their tests, General Motors pulled the plug on its Cadillac BOOK subscription service in December; and Volvo Cars is battling California car dealers over its Care by Volvo program, which combines lease, insurance and maintenance into one monthly payment.Its not fundamentally a cheaper way of consuming your mobility, said Mark Wakefield, head of the automotive practice at consultancy AlixPartners. There has to be enough people that want to pay for the convenience factor.Most subscription services cost more than a comparable three-year lease, which limits their growth potential, according to a study that car-shopping researcher Edmunds released last year.That may not be a problem for a company like Porsche. The US$2,100 tier of Porsche Passport is 20 per cent more expensive than leasing a Porsche for three years, the automaker said. Still, 180 people subscribed over the course of two years, 80 per cent of whom had never owned one before. Typical users were in their mid-40s, eight years younger than the average Porsche owner.The question is not a bookkeeping exercise or accounting; the question is how much are you willing to pay for that much freedom? said Klaus Zellmer, head of Porsche Cars North America.Monthly subscribers can drive as many as 20 different model variants, have vehicles delivered to them, and only pay for gas, after a US$595 one-time activation fee. Insurance and maintenance are included. Porsche chose the four additional cities based on their support of the brand and the companys expectation of
Origin: Porsche’s US$3,100-a-month subscription service is coming to Canada
World’s first armoured Bentley Bentayga is built in Canada
Are you secretly a James Bond villain or international despot jockeying for world domination? Does your commute regularly take you through Downtown Eastside Vancouver a firing range? Do others routinely use your car for target practice? Then one Canadian company has the answer for you.Just be sure to bring half-a-million dollars.Inkas, a Canadian-based company specializing in the design and production of armoured vehicles, has built what it claims to be the worlds first bulletproof Bentley Bentayga.Said to be armored to meet CEN 1063 BR6 ballistic standards, it provides protection for fuel, battery and electronic control unit compartments. Ballistic protection encompasses the vehicle with 360-degree, floor-to-roof coverage.According to the company, this armoured Bentayga can withstand fire from high-power rifles like AK47s and AR10s; as well as the simultaneous detonation of two DM51 grenades placed beneath the vehicles floor.In case youre wondering, heres what a brace of those puppies can do.Additional equipment includes emergency lights mounted behind the vehicles front grille, as well as a siren and PA system to made sure those pesky dissidents move out of your way.Additional upgrades include tailpipe protection; smokescreen system; engine bay fire suppression system; and electric door handles that presumably give a surprise jolt to those daring to rudely intrude on your personal space. Inkas seems to leave the powertrain basics alone, which is fine since Bentley factory-installs a 6.0-litre W12 making 600 horsepower in these things. Its interior doesnt give up much in the way of comfort compared to a stock truck, either, with 24-way climate-controlled seats and a signature surround sound system.Unsurprisingly, Inkas also makes armoured Escalade and Land Cruiser SUVs it even plies its trade on the pedestrian Toyota Sienna. Hey, you never know when an early morning hockey practice will get out of
Origin: World’s first armoured Bentley Bentayga is built in Canada
Toyota recalls almost 4,000 RAV4s in Canada over rear cameras
2019 Toyota RAV4 LimitedDerek McNaughton Toyota is recalling close to 4,000 new RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles in Canada because the rearview camera display might not turn when the car is put in reverse.Some 3,896 model year 2019 RAV4 vehicles are affected in Canada, along with 14,215 in the U.S., or about 18,000 in total.In affected vehicles, a faulty connector could keep the rearview cameras dashboard display from showing up when the SUV is placed into reverse, increasing the risk of a collision while backing up.The automaker will contact owners of these vehicles beginning in
Origin: Toyota recalls almost 4,000 RAV4s in Canada over rear cameras
VW recalling roughly 117,000 cars in Canada over a rollaway risk
2018 Volkswagen GolfHandout / Volkswagen Volkswagen is recalling roughly 117,000 cars in Canada and 679,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix a problem that could let the cars roll away unexpectedly.The recall covers certain 2011 through 2018 Jettas; 2015 through 2019 GTIs; 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 Golfs; 2012 through 2019 Beetles and Beetle Convertibles; and 2017 through 2019 Golf SportWagens.All have automatic transmissions, manual hand brakes and keyless entry.VW says silicate can build up on a shift lever switch, allowing the key to be removed if the lever isnt in park. That could let the cars roll off unexpectedly.Dealers will add a switch and circuit board to fix the problem. The recall starts on October 11.A VW spokesman says hes not aware of any crashes or injuries due to the
Origin: VW recalling roughly 117,000 cars in Canada over a rollaway risk
Ford recalls 239 new SUVs in Canada over roll-away risk
2020 Ford Explorer STFord Ford is recalling some 239 brand-new SUVs in Canada because a missing part and a faulty setting could combine to pose a roll-away risk.The safety alert covers a total of about 14,000 model-year-2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator trucks, most of them in the U.S. and most of them still on dealership lots, but Ford notes all affected vehicles are still safe to drive.The SUVs are simply missing the manual park release cover, meaning its now a lot easier for owners to accidentally pull the manual park release, which could result in the truck rolling away.One vehicle has already been damaged this way during transport, after rolling off a truck. No one or no other vehicles were hurt or damaged in the incident.Compounding the risk is the fact some vehicles instrument clusters may have been left in factory mode, which disables warning alerts and chimes and means the dashboard wont show which gear position is
Origin: Ford recalls 239 new SUVs in Canada over roll-away risk
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