The 2013 Hyundai Accent

2013 Hyundai Accent GLS here

Starting at $13,749
This one $18,949

1.6L 4-cyl./ 6-spd automatic, providing with Power/torque: 138 hp/ 123 lb.-ft.

Short review: loved the lack of dashboard screen; the interior is ergonomic; and it’s a sporty ride that handles the same.

Favourite line:

This is a sub-compact, not a wizard car.

HAcomeon. Wizard car.

My point is: for what it sets out to do, and at what price, the Accent does it well; any more, and you may want too much.

Read the full review on Autonet.ca

 

2013 Dodge Dart Review

“Overall, though, I think it’s a great first effort for the automaker’s entry into the compact segment (the smallest car Chrysler has ever built!)” – Autonet.ca

Read it online here.

Arrow – an awesome secret compartment beneath the passenger seat.

Story behind the article.

 

Autonet.ca Covers the Canadian Auto Show

We used Scribble Live for the first time, and live blogged the 40th Annual Canadian International Auto Show! We crushed it (seriously, our feed was trending).

Find most of my stuff in the 2nd half of the feed.

(see the post on Autonet.ca)

Meet more of Your Autonet.ca team

Notre équipe français, salut!

From L to R – Alain McKenna, me, Marie-Eve Cote, Jacques Deshaies

You’ve met Dan and on the right is Jack Kazmierski, our tech expert.

Note – because the team is all freelancers, we don’t really hang out, so this is a rarity. I’ve now blogged 70%of the team, nice.

Click here to meet more of the team.

 

 

My First Detroit Auto Show #NAIAS

I’ve been to lots of other auto shows, but never here. I arrived Sunday afternoon and that evening, Infiniti took me to lovely dinner at this very old mansion.

It’s a big year for Infiniti – not only did they have a world-wide reveal of a gorgeous new sedan, but they re-named their entire line of vehicles.  Everything now starts with a Q.  I wrote about it on Autonet – Infiniti adds a Q

Introducing the all-new 2014 Q50 – coming this summer.

http://www.autonet.ca/auto-news/auto-shows/2013/01/14/infinitis-shapely-future/

It boasts a world’s first technology, the ‘Infiniti Direct Adaptive Steering’, which transmits the driver’s intentions to the wheels faster than a mechanical system can. I’d like to try that.  Read more on Autonet.ca

The show was SO FUN.

Non-car nerds: NAIAS – North American International Auto Show. It’s the largest, most important show of the year. You reveal and debut your new car here.

Joe is my editor, I’ve introduced you before.

His texts are grey, mine are green.  Haha.

An auto show is like this super-clean fantastical land, filled with the finest machines in existence and that smells so good.

Nissan unveiled their new concept car – the Resonance.

Slick eh. The whole roof is a window, and I’m pretty sure the sideview mirrors are cameras.

I have a TON of fantastic car photos, I’ll blog them over the next few weeks.

The Wi-Fi at the show looked like this.

Where I uploaded from, in the media room.

The reaction to me seems to be polarizing – love or hate, no in-between.  I think it’s a mix of…. I’m from the blog and new media world, not a trained journalist; and I have a national weekly auto column, where I can write about whatever I want; but I couldn’t name all an engine’s parts, and I don’t know when the last auto manufacturing facility was built in North America.  But I never pretended I could. Besides, boring.

I’ve always said: I like cars, but I love driving.  Do I ever love driving.  And I’m pretty good at it.

My view on the flight home.

Then at 9pm I hit the wall, done.

Look for some great show photos, over the next few weeks.