Distance: 1,416km Location: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick Date: June 9-13, 2022 Up front: This is the “I’m in mid-level management in the government” car. It’s also the “we’re sorry we don’t have any upgrades left” rental car. It’s a mediocre machine with average comfort and good build Read more
Distance: 517 kmLocations: Ontario, New YorkDates: 14 to 16 September, 2024 Up front: Mercedes has managed to make a variety of plastics look expensive in this base model CLA. The brushed “aluminium” is hard plastic, the perforated “leather” is rubber, the seats are Artico, and the piano black is also Read more
Distance: 1,611km Location: Ontario, Quebec Date: September 15-17, 2022 Up front: If you’re one of those obese Americans with enough oil in your belly to power a city for a whole year, you might find this truck comfortable. Unfortunately, I’m a healthy adult and neither of my elbows can reach Read more
Distance: 49 km Location: Ottawa Date: November 2-4, 2022 My car got hit by an uninsured pickup truck driver who did not carry his driver’s license, so my insurance company covered the cost of a rental car with Enterprise while I got a replacement bumper. Up front: The driver’s seat Read more
Distance: 292km Location: Vancouver Date: June 30-July 2, 2022 Up front: I wish cars would keep their dimensions across model years. The 2021 Jetta is the same size as Passats of the early 2000s. Sometimes, people just want a small car that’s easy to park and manoeuvre around the city, Read more
Distance: 456kmDate: June 29-July 1, 2024Location: Yukon, Alaska Up front: The faux leather seats are comfortable with two-way lumbar support on the driver’s side only. The large portrait centre screen looks like it’s useful for GPS, but the lower third is occupied by climate controls and there’s no way to Read more
Distance: 1.2 kmDate: February 17, 2024Location: Florida Up front: The driver’s seat is an open hatch on the front right because it’s British. When it rains, which it did, the driver’s compartment floods and the foam seat is soaked. The seat is not adjustable, so your foot won’t reach the Read more
Distance: 1041 km Location: Missouri, Kansas Dates: 28-31 March 2024 Up front: There are abundant leather surfaces on everything you touch. The fake wood trim classes up the interior as does the matte chrome strips. Control surfaces are logically laid out and the screen sometimes pairs with Apple CarPlay. If Read more
Distance: 1,732 kmLocation: Ontario, Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire, MaineDate: 20-23 October, 2023 Up front: Audi’s base model compact executive sedan has one major edge over its German peers—it comes with standard leather seating instead of an imitation fabric. The seats are comfortable with a memory feature and fully adjustable lumbar Read more
Distance: 1,386kmDate: February 16-20, 2024Location: Florida Up front: It’s solidly built for its $35,000 price point. The door closes with a satisfying thump, the buttons are clicky, and hydraulic pistons hiss healthily. The one glaring issue with the interior is the wide and deep panel gaps. There are cracks where Read more