Despite being around for about two decades, gas-electric hybrid technology has only recently become widely available in the compact crossover segment. Ford has the most experience in the compact hybrid SUV class: It offered a hybrid version of its Escape from 2005 through 2012. Toyota didn’t offer a hybrid in this class until 2017, but
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All about compact cars
Compact Sedan Comparison
For many years, the compact sedan segment was the anchor of the Canadian new-vehicle marketplace and the source of some of the country’s best-selling vehicles. Compact sedans can no longer boast that kind of sales supremacy, but they remain an important part of Canada’s automotive landscape for their combination of affordable price, efficient performance, and
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Gas vs Electric
The more the electric vehicle marketplace grows, the easier it gets to find exactly the type of EV you want. While the segment started out small with compact cars like the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric, you can now choose battery-powered mainstream and luxury SUVs, small and mid-size cars, and even a full-size pickup
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Domestic Compact Sedans
Compact cars are still an important part of the Canadian auto marketplace, but you wouldn’t know it if you visited a General Motors, Ford or Dodge dealership. These domestic brands, formerly known as the Big Three, have abandoned most of their car models in favour of satisfying the market’s appetite for SUVs. That makes the
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Used Compact Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more affordable as the technology improves and the cost of making EV-specific components like batteries and motors comes down. But while new electric vehicle (EV) prices are decreasing, they are still more expensive than comparable gas and hybrid models and may be out of reach even with government rebates. One
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2022 Mini Cooper SE
by Chris Chase Like many automakers, Mini is looking to the future of driving by experimenting with electric vehicles. Right now, it sells two cars you can plug in to charge: One is the Cooper Countryman SE, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) subcompact SUV, and the other is the all-electric Mini Cooper SE three-door, which is
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2021 Mazda3 100th Anniversary
by Chris Chase For a number of years now, Mazda has been making a measured move upmarket. I would argue it started with the original Mazda3 in 2004, a compact car that looked, felt and drove like something more sophisticated. Mazda made its intentions overt more recently when it added top-end Signature trim lines to
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Small Cars, Big Performance
These days, vehicles with 300 hp – or more – aren’t hard to come by. Many family sedans, minivans, and SUVs can be optioned with engines that approach or exceed that threshold in order to provide satisfying everyday performance. But the 300-hp marker means something much different in a sporty compact car. What feels mundane
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2020 Models Least Likely to Cause Buyers Remorse
By Chris Chase J.D. Power has named Porsche and Dodge the industry’s top brands in the 2020 version of its annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study. The APEAL survey measures which vehicles are most likely to make their owners feel good about their purchase. It’s a less tangible thing than the organization’s initial
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The Safest Cars for New Drivers
by Lori Straus Although car safety has increased dramatically over the years, safety ratings still show some cars are overall safer to drive than others. In this blog post, we’ll share with you tips for evaluating a vehicle’s safety as well as a few recent listings of the safest cars on the market. What to
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