There was something missing in my life this week and it wasn’t till Tuesday that I figured out what it was.

The Canadian International AutoShow is usually on at this time of February – kicking off on the Friday leading into the Ontario Family Day long weekend and continuing till the following Sunday – and I’d be ensconced in a room at the Intercontinental Hotel, which is attached to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where the AutoShow is held.

Not this year. I’m hunkered down in my house, waiting to be vaccinated. But just wait till a year from now when the AutoShow returns with a vengeance. Here’s a hint: there will be a lot of electric cars on display. The world is going electric and the Toronto show has always been cutting edge. I don’t want to wish my life away but I can hardly wait.

Remembering all this, of course, got me thinking of my personal auto show highlights:

Last year (the show managed to squeeze itself in before the first lockdown), there was a black tie featuring F1 Managing Director Ross Brawn, Indy 500 legend Johnny Rutherford, Canadian champion Ron Fellows and promising young female racer Megan Gilkes, all interviewed by race driver and TV announcer Townsend Bell. It was great stuff.

I did an interview once on the Toronto Star Stage with Steve Podborski, a World Cup and Olympic skier known as one of the Crazy Canucks. Those guys were kamikazes. Our subject? Podborski’s national charity, Parachute, which is dedicated to injury prevention. A suicidal skier preaching injury prevention? That was fun.

In 2007, the show celebrated 50 years of Formula One in Canada featuring everyone still alive who was responsible for that very first F1 world championship race in 1967 at CTMP (a.k.a. Mosport).

And then, there was a real highlight. In the autumn of 2012, there was a black tie at the convention centre honouring some of Canada’s most successful racing drivers: Fellows, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and Joanne Villeneuve, widow of Gilles.

That was a night to remember. The race drivers were all there, plus all the dealer-principals belonging to the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and many, if not most, of the employees of all those dealerships. The place was packed. The women were all gorgeous and the men all had on their tuxedos.

Read that again: the men all had on their tuxedos.

Now, there’s been something going on the last 10 or 15 years that bothers me. Invitations state black tie and yet more and more men are showing up in suits. Some people think that’s okay; I don’t. A suit is not a tux. I think when you’re supposed to wear a tux that something is taken away from the occasion if you just wear a suit.

The president of the TADA that year was Sandy Liguori and he is one of my favourite people. A very successful businessman, Sandy goes all over the world to attend F1 races. He also believes in formal dress. He sent out the invitations to that soiree and they clearly said BLACK TIE ONLY. Then, on the night in question, a Friday, if I recall correctly, he left instructions with all the security people that any man NOT wearing a tuxedo was to be denied entry, whether they had a ticket of not. No black tie, no admission. No exceptions.

Okay, as editor of Wheels in those days, I had arranged to have a Star photographer attend to take pictures. The great Vince Talotta arrived to do the shooting and he was wearing a suit but it was not a tuxedo. The security guards took one look at him and wouldn’t let him in to photograph the party.

“Excuse me,” I said, “I am editor of Toronto Star Wheels and this man must be allowed in to take pictures.” And the guard snapped back, “I don’t care if you’re the editor of the Toronto SUN, he ain’t getting’ in.”

Vinnie then started turning on the charm, which was his calling card, but even that didn’t work. I finally found Beth Rhind, who used to handle PR for the auto show and, at one time, had the contract to publicize the convention centre. “I’ll get him in,” she said. And she did.

Vinnie banged off some great photos that we put in the paper on Saturday and we laughed about that night for years. “You gotta hand it that guy (the security guard),” he’d say. “He was one of the few people I couldn’t b-s my way past.”

I haven’t seen Vinnie for awhile. I knew he’d been fighting cancer but he was such a larger-then-life character I figured he’d live forever. You know, Vince = invincible.

But I opened up my email the other day to find a note forwarded from the Star’s editor, Irene Gentle, to say that Vince Talotta, my pal Vinnie, had died. He leaves his wife and a young son and he was only 53.

Because of Covid, I will never know but I wouldn’t be all that surprised if he went to his grave wearing a camera around his neck – and a tuxedo, just in case.

Norris McDonald is a retired Star editor who works for the AutoShow under contract. He reviews the weekend’s auto racing every Monday at wheels.ca 

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If one of the reasons for the 2021 Toyota Venza nameplate being brought back is to make you forget about the Camry, consider it mission accomplished.

Ok, so that’s probably not what Toyota execs had in mind, but it also stands to reason that they knew some sales of their long-standing bread and butter sedan would be cannibalized by yet another crossover.

The 2021 Toyota Venza is essentially the Japanese market Harrier, rebadged for our consumption. Based on the TNGA-K platform that’s also under the Camry and the new Sienna, the Venza gives Toyota a complete arsenal of crossovers with which to woo consumers.

The Venza sits in between the RAV4 and the Highlander in size and price starting at just under $40K. It competes with the Honda Passport, Chevy Blazer, Ford Edge, Nissan Murano and a few others.

The common theme among these crossovers is an extra dollop of style and content making them somewhat of a more premium proposition.

Where the Venza separates from the rest of the competition is with its standard hybrid powertrain. In fact you can’t have it any other way. The last Venza, discontinued in 2015, was available with a V6 and was a big reason for its popularity. This hybrid drivetrain isn’t as refined or as smooth as that V6 but the resulting boost to economy is a welcome trade-off.

Power for the new Venza comes from a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder gas engine and a trio of electric motors, two up front and one in the back. Total output is rated at 219 hp. The rear electric motor gives the Venza an on-demand all-wheel drive system that doesn’t depend on drive shafts or any sort of physical linkage for power transfer. When slip is detected, the motor will power the rear wheels independently, providing additional traction.

The system is completely seamless and it’s less complex than a traditional mechanical system but not really intended for any sort of off-roading outside of snow or dirt covered roads or light trail duty.

You can get the Venza in three different grades starting with the base LE ($38,940), moving up to the XLE and topping out at the Limited trim seen here. This “fully loaded” Venza rings in at $47,690 and that’s a pretty premium price.

But the Venza does have a premium air about it and a sense of elegant style that makes it feel like they’ve borrowed a few pages from the book of Lexus, especially when stepping into the cabin. The dash has soft, leather-like surfaces with coppery piping, tastefully applied faux woodgrain accents, and comfortable front seats that are both heated and ventilated.

It’s spacious too, with enough space for a quartet of six-footers. Cargo area is below average but with 816 litres you should be able to stuff quite a bit back there before having to fold the seats down. There’s also the Star gaze panoramic glass roof that appears frosted at first but instantly goes clear at the touch of a button, so you get diffused sunlight while avoiding the head-cooking rays you typically get from a large transparent pane of glass on the roof. It’s a neat party trick that was once reserved for six-figure Benzes but you can now find it on a mainstream Toyota.

Where it goes wrong, for me at least, is with the capacitive touch panel for the climate controls and stereo. While other Toyotas use hard buttons, the Venza forgoes this for a fingerprint attracting glossy black panel that’s difficult to use when driving. Worse yet, there’s no volume or tuning knobs, so you have to rapidly tap on a fake button to raise or lower the volume or change the radio station.

Some might like the aesthetic but when you realize that you’ll need to keep the glove box stocked full of micro-fibre cloths just to keep it clean, you might not be so enthused. And the base Venza doesn’t get this touch panel, using a traditional set up of buttons and knobs in its place.

The Venza is a relaxed, easy cruising family vehicle. And if that’s what you’re looking for then it’s a great choice. If you want any sort of personality, or fun-to-drive characteristics, you’re not going to find it here. The 4-cylinder is not as brash as it is in other Toyotas, which is nice, but it still sounds unrefined and coarse when you give it the beans.

When just schlepping around which is likely what you’ll be doing, the Venza is hushed and comfortable even at highway speeds. If you close your eyes, the Lexus equivalency becomes stronger. It’s not far off the feel of that more aspirational brand and I think that’s the Venza’s biggest takeaway.

Of course being a hybrid, you expect efficiency, and with a figure of just 7.0 L/100 km after a week of my typical lead-footed driving, you get just that. You don’t need to do anything special or learn any new driving techniques. The Venza’s brain will take care of portioning out the power in the most efficient manner. A full EV mode is available but is only good for short distances at low speeds, like in a parking lot.

In this near premium crossover segment, the Venza offers exactly what consumers are looking for: a comfortable, and semi-luxurious vehicle that ups the ante with an efficient hybrid powertrain and some pretty cool tech. Move over Camry, the Venza is back.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Millennials have had to put up with a lot.

First, they gave us all trophies and then had the nerve to criticize us for all getting trophies. Then they told us we could be whatever we wanted as long as we wanted it bad enough… and then got mad at us for wanting things.

But despite all that, we navigated two recessions, paid off our student loans, worked our way up the corporate ladder and now we can finally afford nice things.

Namely, you might be thinking about finally getting yourself a “nice” car — something that proclaims to the world that you made something of yourself, despite living in your parents’ basement until you were 26.

Sure, you still don’t have crazy, break-the-bank money. But you don’t need it to get into the growing “entry-level luxury” market.

Here are five of the best options.

Genesis G70

Starting at $43,000

If you care nothing for the status of a well-established name plate and want to present a modicum of decorum without any pomp or circumstance, you may consider turning to the relatively new Genesis brand — a luxury spin off of Hyundai.

While the entry-level Genesis model, the G70, is often praised for its well-tuned chassis and upscale interior, what’s most notable is how aggressively the G70 undercuts its German competition on price. And let’s face it, a bargain price will always be the first, second and third reason to buy a Genesis. The fourth will be that some people may suspect you know something they don’t (you don’t).

Cadillac CT4

Starting at $35,998

It’s remarkable that we’ve entered a time where Cadillac is seen not necessarily as a symbol of status or wealth, but as a blue-collared alternative to the blue-blooded aristocracy of the automotive elite.

Of course, “young people” (Millennials are of course no longer the “young generation” but nobody over the age of 40 seems to know that) never really saw Cadillac, outside of the Escalade, as a… well let’s be kind and say, “contemporary” nameplate. However, this has been to our general detriment. Because while we’ve been coveting the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4, which always felt just out of the reach of our budgets, Cadillac has been producing ever more accessible models in a desperate attempt to onboard buyers who aren’t actively dying.

Case in point, the CT4 that, after freight and fees, still comes in under a $40,000 starting price. Add on some goodies, like AWD and the 2.7-litre turbocharged engine available on the CT4-V with 310 horsepower, and you’ll have yourself a proper sports sedan for under $50,000. Oh, and your grandparents will think you’re rich — despite still not understanding exactly what it is you do for a living (“something with computers,” they tell their friends).

Mercedes CLA

Starting at $43,600

There’s a good chance that you might be absolutely dead set on having a German luxury car because… well, let’s face it, it’s a flex. But if that’s the case, then you have to ask yourself which one to get — a question that used to be really hard to answer.

A decade ago, the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class were ferociously deadlocked in terms of price, performance, options and unreliability. But now, the 3-series is absolutely hideous, the A4 has all the personality of a wet sponge and the C-Class will make you look like a stock trader who makes Soundcloud beats in their spare time. It’s also too expensive.

The solution is in the Mercedes CLA. While almost identical to the entry-level A-Class in terms of equipment, the CLA’s swooping bodywork helps give it the presence of Mercedes’ more expensive offerings. The CLA also has about 30 horsepower more than the A-Class and receives some sportier suspension, steering and stability control tuning.

Also you can point out to people that you didn’t buy the “cheapest Mercedes” and that’s important.

Lexus IS

Starting at $42,950

Yes, the IS’ powertrains are dated. Yes, you have to spend another $10,000 to get the really good one with AWD, 311 horsepower and all the infotainment bells and whistles.

Despite all that, without hesitation, this is the one I would personally go with. For a few reasons, I think the build quality is top-tier. I like the piece of mind of Toyota engineering. And I think the 2021 redesign makes the IS the best-looking entry-level luxury sedan (certainly the most striking) on the market.

Oh, and they finally got rid of that god-awful touchless screen that made you navigate with an actual mouse — which I can only imagine Lexus outsourced to the writers of The Onion to engineer. It was so frustrating to use, it would make you question whether Lexus was playing some kind of Andy Kaufman-inspired prank on you. It’s gone now and the world is better for it.

But what I like most is that a Lexus is neither a flex, nor does it come off as some kind of bargain-hunter special. If it were a watch, it would be a TAG Heuer, not a Rolex. It’s dignified, it’s luxurious, it’s well made, but it doesn’t make you a show off to own one.

Acura TLX

Starting at $44,105

The TLX’s little brother, the ILX, is a really great car that I like a lot. But the ILX is, for all intents and purposes, a really upscale version of the last generation Honda Civic. So if you’re really looking for the “you’ve made it” model, you’ve got to go for the TLX.

The last generation TLX was, in my opinion, an uninspired barge of a vehicle that served only to remind you of the crushing sameness of everyday life. This new generation, however, is a much, much different story.

With 272 horsepower from a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine being sent through a 10-speed automatic, the TLX is no longer a sleepy giant unable to get out of its own way. The updates to the exterior styling also help make the TLX a more exciting proposition. It looks sleek and sharp and like it wants to scythe through corners. While not as striking as the Lexus IS, the Acura TLX maintains that same “dignified, but without the bling” presence.

The interior, however, is the stand out upgrade. No longer inspired by what I assume was the back of a Dell laptop, the TLX’s new interior feels focused and purposeful — like a fighter jet.

Sure, the TLX may start at a higher price than its rivals — it can hardly be called the bargain of the group. But it brings to the table something really important. Something that the last TLX had none of; and something its competitors could use more of. And something which is slowly fading from so many models and brands.

It has a sense of joy.

And after all the struggle, after navigating through two recessions, paying off your student debt, working late, dealing with unruly clients and even more unruly bosses… isn’t what you want most to have just a little more joy in your life?

The post Five Entry Level Luxury Cars for Your First Big Break  appeared first on WHEELS.ca.

For 2021, the “Recharge” name arrives in the Volvo line-up, representing the latest step for the brand towards getting one million electrified cars on the road by 2025.

In 2021, “Recharge” has a couple of meanings – it can mean fully battery-electric, as is the case with the 2021 XC40 Recharge small crossover or it can mean plug-in hybrid (PHEV), as seen here with the S90 T8 Recharge sedan.

It is available only as an Inscription trim, meaning fully-loaded and starting at $76,050. My tester, however, has a host of options that run the price up to just under $90K, which is no small price to pay.

Some of the features added are: massaging front seat and ventilated rear seats; power operated trunk; HUD; rear air suspension; heated steering wheel; 360-degree parking camera and more. Most of that stuff I can understand having to pay extra for, but to have to pay extra for a heated wheel in a top-trim car in Canada that starts at over 75 grand? That’s a little on the rich side.

The Recharge is a real Swedish smorgasbord, though, when it comes to its powertrain. It’s not just turbocharged, not just supercharged and not just EV-powered – it is, in fact, all three of these things. They combine to offer 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque, fed either to the front wheels, the rear wheels, or all four wheels.

How is that, you ask? Well, read on.

The S90 doesn’t have your typical AWD set-up in that there is no driveline from the engine to the rear wheels. Instead, the rear axle is powered by its own 87 hp motor, so there’s your AWD. There’s also your RWD, too, because when in full-EV mode (which Volvo says is good for 34 km), only the rear wheels get power. The gas engine, meanwhile, will send power to the front wheels and to the front wheels only if the battery is depleted. You can let the computers decide for themselves how to power the vehicle, or you can select from four different drive modes that prioritize certain elements; Pure mode, for example, keeps the S90 in full-EV mode if you have the juice. Hybrid mode optimizes fuel economy and Power mode makes use or both the gas engine and EV motor but also quickens gear shifts and stiffens up the suspension.

All that tech – and the weight it adds — could have gotten in the way of the drive, but truth be told, it really hasn’t. It should come as little surprise that the S90 drives smoothly – it’s a flagship Volvo, and Volvos, if nothing else, are very smooth-riding cars – but what the super- and turbocharging do is make for a very smooth power curve. The supercharger gets things going at low revs, while the turbocharger steps in as revs climb. Add the EV power on top of all that, and you have a big sedan that can hustle, and do so fairly efficiently (I saw 9.4 L per 100 km during my test) while it’s at it.

Speaking of the range: 34 km is fine, but I rarely saw more than 23 km or so on a single charge. It was a somewhat cold test week, though, which is going to affect range and being a PHEV, you can plug-in every night and assuming you have a short commute, you could very well be driving in EV mode almost all the time. That’s the beauty of a PHEV and the S90 goes the extra mile by providing both a “Hold” and a “Charge” mode for the EV system.

What these do is either maintain battery level or use the gas engine to charge the battery. Why would you want to modify this? Well, if you’re on a road where the gas engine is at its most efficient – eg, an open highway – you can select “Hold” and save your EV power for when the gas engine is least efficient, that is to say in traffic once back in town.

I just wish it wasn’t so hard to get to both the EV controls and a number of others, including the lane-departure system, cross-traffic alert and so on. All of that is accessed through the vertical nine-inch infotainment display, but you have to swipe left – I think – from the main screen, then navigate a text-heavy display that tends to pull your attention away from the road ahead more than I’d like.

One thing I don’t mind admiring, though, are the interior accoutrements. All the materials are of top-notch fit and finish, the Orefors crystal shift lever fits the environs well and I love the Bowers & Wilkins audio both for its sound quality and just how slick its speakers all look, punctuated by a roundel atop the dash. A little unsure about the start/stop joystick, though; it’s finicky in its operation, it seems like it might break and a button would just make more sense.

This is one comfortable car, though. The front seats are adjustable a number of ways and the massage feature is nice to have but the real story – the real story – is actually the back seat. It is a massive place to sit with limo-like legroom and a centre armrest that’s big enough to make it almost seem like the rear seat is actually two separate buckets as opposed to a single bench. Rear seat occupants also have their own controls in addition to heated seats – and if speced – cooled seats as well.

Better still: even with all that room back there, the trunk measures 500 litres, more than enough for your wares and the charge cable with its very Swedish-chic carry bag.

The real star, though, is the powertrain. It’s a well thought-out PHEV and the added super- and turbocharger rounds everything out and shows that Volvo has delivered a flagship sedan that’s not just about the high-techniness of its EV elements. It’s a car that can provide a fun drive, too.

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Just when you thought that Porsche couldn’t possibly manage to improve its street legal race prepared GT3 anymore, out pops the new 2022 911 GT3 and improve it they have.

The naturally aspirated flat-six boxer engine now produces a phenomenal 502hp and 345 lb-ft of torque, that puts all the power down to the rear wheels through either a seven-speed PDK transmission or an optional six-speed manual gearbox. The engine, which is almost identical to the track only GT3 cup race car, benefits from six independent throttle bodies that increase the sharp throttle response adding to the already racing pedigree performance. The GT3, using the standard PDK transmission, can now reach 100km in a blistering 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 314km/h.

The biggest change in the GT3 is the introduction of a new double-wishbone front suspension that has been redeveloped from the Le Mans winning RSR – the first time a double-wishbone system has been added to a Porsche production car. This increases handling especially when entering corners at high speed and manages relieve some of the pressures placed on the dampers ensuring the front wheels stay secure and flat on the surface throughout cornering especially on uneven surfaces.

To manage the new front set up the rear suspension has been upgraded with additional ball joints being added to the lower wishbones to help relieve the additional high stress levels incurred at the back end. Special shock absorbers have been added in the rear to increase performance especially when on track. Rear-wheel steering is still standard that increases cornering stability at high speed and aids in tight maneuvers when at low speed.

To handle the additional handling capabilities the front brake discs have been increased by 28 mm to 408 mm, but while being larger the weight has been reduced by 17 per cent. Additionally, new road legal, high performance track-ready tires have been approved as an option for the first time.

Up front the GT3 benefits from an adjustable front spoiler lip and diffuser with cooling intakes being integrated into the lower part of the carbon fibre hood. New side skirts specifically designed for the new GT3 have been added ensuring smooth airflow around the wheels.

What makes the new GT3 stand out is the huge manually adjustable swanneck rear spoiler and a newly designed rear diffuser, this combination – when set up for track use  – can increase the downforce by up to 150 per cent.

Don’t expect any of the luxuries normally associated with Porsche in the cabin. The interior is sparse with all the focus on racing and speed. Four-way adjustable seating is made available as standard with lighter carbon fibre,  full bucket seats being offered  as an option.

New to the GT3 is the new PDK gear shifter in the centre console that can be used to change gears by pushing forward or pulling back and can be used as an alternative to the steering wheel mounted shifter paddles.

A much improved instrument cluster now includes a Track-Screen function that condenses the amount of information shown to the bare minimum. All of the information  that a driver needs to see during high performance driving or racing is now tightly situated around the analog tachometer that allows the driver to take in all needed information with one single glance.

Just to prove how much the new 911 GT3 has improved from the last model, a time of 6:59.927 was achieved around the 20.8 km long Nürburgring Nordschleife which is 17 seconds faster than the outgoing model. To make this even more impressive it was achieved during a regular fine tuning session of the vehicle.

The 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 should be available in the fall of 2021 with pricing being made available closer to then.

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