Second week of summer and it’s another beautiful weekend. Before you head out to grab a couple canisters of gunpowder and metallic salts to celebrate this great nation of ours, why not catch up on this week’s top stories? (Or not, you know. It’s not like we put any effort into these. Don’t feel bad or anything.)
Top Story of the Week
A tale of two crossovers: the Nissan Rogue takes on the Mazda CX-5. One is an unknown upstart, the other the editors’ darling. Spoiler alert: the Rogue comes dangerously close to dethroning the perennial favourite, but is undone by a literal pain in the butt.
Test Drives
Jeff Wilson celebrates 30 years of the minivan with a Chrysler Town & Country. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an upscale Dodge Grand Caravan – that’s exactly what it is.
James Bergeron spent a week with the BMW M235i. And before you ask, yes, it has electric power steering, and it’s great, in fact, it’s absolutely satisfactory.
James also spent some quality time with the well-balanced Subaru WRX. This iteration of the WRX is so good, you might almost forgive the absence of a hatchback. Almost.
Automotive News
You’ve likely seen the spy shots of the upcoming Honda CR-V, but we thought you might want to take another look. Won’t be too long before these start hitting the streets en masse.
The 2015 Subaru Outback has officially been announced. Starting at $27,995, the Outback has been redesigned for the 2015 model year, with new drivetrains, safety tech, and finetuned handling.
We got our first look at the 2015 Ford Edge. Showing off a more aggressive design, the Edge actually sees its most radical changes under the hood and on the interior. Ford is targeting international markets with the Edge – there’s a long-wheelbase version built for the Chinese market.
What’s Hot on Social Media
Justin Pritchard gives us an update on life with his longtime crush, the 2000 Dodge Viper GTS. Is there such as a thing as too much anthropomorphization?
Jonathan Yarkony returned the Jaguar F-Type Convertible over a month ago (we can’t confirm or deny if he proceeded to curl up in a corner and cry) and not a day goes by that he doesn’t look out the window wistfully. We’re accepting donations here at the office to reunite them.
Brendan McAleer explores another man’s obsession: the Honda 1300 Coupe 7. Soichiro Honda’s pursuit of perfection nearly bankrupted his company, but the result was a machine that built the foundation for the Civic and Accord.
That’s it for the digest this week. Stay safe on the roads; and remember, if you’re holding a lit firecracker: palm up, fingers open.
