Review: 2017 Ford Flex Limited EcoBoost - Running Out The Clock

Since Ford began building the first-generation Fairlane Concept-inspired Flex in Oakville, Ontario, I've been blessed by the birth of seven nephews and nieces plus two of my own children.

It takes time for that many kids to be born.

THE GOOD + Huge interior + Ideal ride height + Big power if you dip into it + Neighbours don't have one + Looks terrific

THE BAD – Hilarious torque steer – Horrifying fuel economy – Busy ride on 20-inch wheels – Many signs of old design – So much money

In other words, the Flex has been around for a while. Built off a platform altered from its Freestyle/Taurus X days – a platform initially inherited from the first-generation Volvo S80 of the late 1990s, the 2009 Ford Flex entered production in June 2008.

Ford updated the Flex with an optional EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 in 2010, altered the styling for the 2013 model year, and added SYNC3 infotainment for 2016. By and large, however, the Ford Flex that was delivered to Canadian consumers prior to the, er, delivery of another nine children in my family – you may have read about the latest. – is the same Ford Flex available after the delivery of those nine babies.

And it shows. 

Fortunately, the inherently positive aspects of the Ford Flex's boxy design are just as obvious in 2017 as they were in 2009. With only one or two model years left before Flex production ends, Ford Canada delivered a 2017 Ford Flex Limited EcoBoost to GCBC Towers so we could discover if the good outweighs the bad.

Child seats: installed. Fuel tank: filled. Four sunroof shades: peeled back. 

365 horsepower? Accessible.

WHAT IS IT?
Ford Canada's soon-to-grow utility vehicle lineup currently includes the entry-level Escape (perenially one of Canada's top-selling SUVs/crossovers) the larger Edge, the Explorer (Canada's top-selling three-row utility vehicle), the body-on-frame Expedition (replaced for 2018), and this Flex, essentially a traditional tall wagon with NBA levels of headroom.

2017 FORD FLEX LIMITED Base Price: $33,689 * As-Tested Price: $58,339 * Colour: Blue Jeans Assembly: Oakville, Ontario Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 3.5L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 365 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 350 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm Curb Weight: 4828 pounds Length: 201.8 inches Width: 75.9 inches Height: 68.0 inches Wheelbase: 117.9 inches Tires: Hankook Optimo Tire Size: 255/45R20 Passenger Volume: 4412 litres Cargo Volume: 566 litres C/V Behind 2nd Row: 1223 litres Max Cargo Volume: 2356 litres EPA City: 15 mpg EPA Hwy: 21 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 15.7 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 11.2 L/100km Observed: 16.0 mpg Observed: 14.7 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1790 in fees.

The Flex is tall, at 68 inches, but it's also low, with only 5.9 inches of ground clearance. Its boxy shape masks minivan-like length of 202 inches that makes the Flex substantially longer than vehicles such as the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, and new GMC Acadia. 

In fact, the Flex is about as long as the Chevrolet Tahoe, which places the Flex in a strange zone where few crossovers live. This isn't a rugged, truck-based 4x4 that can tow large RVs. 

It's really just an indirect replacement for Ford's Country Squire. 

Slotting into a narrow niche has proven lucrative for vehicles such as the Subaru Outback and Jeep Wrangler. The Flex, on the other hand, is consistently unpopular and rarely sought after despite its high (or low, depending on your perspective) style quotient.

The 2017 Ford Flex is available in base $33,689 SE trim with a 287-horsepower 3.5L V6 and front-wheel drive. Step up to the $40,689 Flex SEL and you're still stuck with the 3.5L naturally aspirated V6, but all-wheel drive becomes a $2000 option. 

It's on the $47,489 Flex Limited, where all-wheel drive is standard equipment, that the twin-turbocharged 365-horsepower 3.5L V6 is part of a $6800 303A package, including active park assist, adaptive cruise, heated steering wheel with power tilt/telescope, power-folding third-row seats, plus heated and cooled front seats. 

The base price for a Flex EcoBoost is therefore $54,289, to which Ford's press fleet added a $600 Cargo Versatility Package (floor mats, roof rails, tow package), a $900 Appearance Package (black wheels and roof), the $1750 multi-panel vista roof, and $800 navigation for a grand total of $58,339. 

It's discounted at the moment by $750, if that makes the pill any easier to swallow.

HOW BIG IS IT?
Here's how the Flex fits into the Ford utility vehicle hierarchy. The Ford Escape is 178 inches long with 2795 litres of passenger volume and 962 litres of cargo volume behind the rear seats. 

One rung up the ladder, the Ford Edge is 188 inches long with 3225 litres of passenger volume and 1111 litres of cargo volume behind the rear seats. 

The 198-inch Explorer adds a third row, driving passenger volume up to 4295 litres in all – cargo volume behind the second row is 1243 litres. 

In the outgoing Ford Expedition Max, the elongated Expedition, length stretches to 221 inches while providing 4765 litres of space for passengers in three rows or two rows of space and 2421 litres of cargo volume.

The Flex, meanwhile, is 19 inches shorter than the Expedition Max but only loses 7% of the Expedition's passenger volume and 3% of its cargo volume aft of the second row.

DOES IT WORK?
For a family, yes.

On an on-ramp, yes.

At Circuit Mont-Tremblant, no.

In your wallet, probably not.

Let's take them one at a time. The Flex doesn't have the sliding door benefits of a minivan, but the second row is expansive and child seats are easy to install. Flipping or folding the Flex's split second row isn't as magically straightforward as in some newer vehicles – the seats are very fixed – but there's sufficient space out back and room to get back there, too. Abundant headroom and light pouring in through various sunroofs only adds to the feeling of space you just won't get in other non-minivans. Add to this the lengthy feature count and the Flex is a terrific place to spend time. Indeed, if Ford could get rid of the wind noise that inevitably accompanies a brick-like shape, upgrade some interior materials, and extinguish the early signs of creaking and groaning around the rear doors, the Flex would be downright refined.

Refined and quick. Though there's off-the-line hesitation caused by the Flex's excessive 4828-pound curb weight and the inertia of 20-inch wheels and turbos spooling up, the hesitation is brief. And then you're met by prodigious power and a six-speed automatic transmission that thankfully hides in the background, going about its business wisely and never drawing attention to itself. Expect acceleration from rest to highway speed in little more than six seconds, but you'll really notice the EcoBoost's thrust while overtaking from 70-120.

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

The throttle pedal only takes you so far, however, and when it comes time to hustle the Flex down a road you've managed to enjoy in a Honda Pilot, well, you won't. Unhappy changing directions, the Flex rolls like the 4828-pounder-with-no-athletic-intentions that it is. The steering is numb, brake feel isn't terribly progressive, and there's little about the Flex that actually encourages swift progress. As a highway cruiser with enough gumption for easy overtaking, the Flex EcoBoost is outstanding, and it'd only be better on smaller wheels with less aggressive tires. But it's not the low-slung sporting crossover you may be expecting. 

The Flex also doesn't live up to the Eco part of its EcoBoost badge. We averaged 14.7 L/100km over the course of a high-mileage week, and you shouldn't expect better. The Flex is rated at an even worse 15.7 L/100km in the city. An F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost won't drink as much.

(Want more on this Flex? We reviewed the same Limited EcoBoost with a U.S. bent over at The Truth About Cars.)

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
No, and few people ever have. Since launching in 2008, 28,312 copies of the Flex have been sold in Canada. Sales peaked in its first full year of 2009 at 6047 units but fell to an all-time low of 1789 units in 2015 before perking up to a four-year high of 2587 units in 2016. That ranked the Flex 68th among utility vehicles in Canada, ahead of the Mazda CX-9 but behind the GMC Yukon XL. 

In the United States, a market that's roughly nine times larger than Canada's, 236,897 Flexes have been sold since 2008. Flex volume peaked at 38,717 units in 2009 and fell to an all-time low of 19,570 units in 2015 before rising slightly to 22,668 units last year. The Flex was America's 64th-best-selling SUV/crossover in 2016, ahead of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport and Volvo XC60 but behind the Lexus GX and Mercedes-Benz GLA. 

In January, the Flex accounted for 3% of the Ford SUVs sold in Canada and the United States.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
If you desire a vehicle that feels newly designed, you must. If you're looking for a vehicle that isn't a minivan, a Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition Max, or a Dodge Durango, but you require the sort of space those vehicles offer, the Ford Flex is quite likely the answer. 

Consideration of the eight-seat Toyota Highlander would be wise. Highlanders are powerful, relatively spacious, intelligently designed, eminently reliable, and hold their value exceptionally well.  

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Historic Monthly & Yearly Ford Flex Sales Figures
2017 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost Review
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Review
2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Review

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If you can sacrifice some space, consider the Mazda CX-9, which is an absolute joy to drive and wins points on style, as well. At this high-end price point, you could consider the Suburban/Yukon XL or the new Nissan Armada. There are reliability concerns with the Dodge Durango, but it offers big league space and available Hemi power. 

Or you could wait for the 2018 Ford Expedition that Ford revealed outside the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium earlier this week.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
If you require EcoBoost levels of power, you're going to need to spend more than $50,000. But the regular Flex will surely merge onto the highway just fine with 287 horsepower. 

In SEL trim with all-wheel drive, the 201A package (power liftgate and a 110v outlet, ) and the multi-panel roof, the 2017 Ford Flex is $45,189, or a hair under $45K with current discounts. 

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WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
You can be old and still very good at what you do. Tom Brady. Tony Bennett. Cheese. The Grand Canyon. Porsche 911 964s. 

More likely, however, you can be old and still be very good at the things you do best. 

Approaching its ninth birthday, the 2017 Ford Flex doesn't have the seat-sliding mechanisms of newer competitors. It's overweight, which results in intolerable fuel economy and acceleration that won't wow you as much as you thought 365 horsepower would. There are odd buttons and excessive wind noise and a structure that can't handle the harsh impacts created by these 20-inch wheels.

But the Flex is huge inside. It's still the individualistic choice, standing out from the pack like a Mustang GT in a parking lot full of Camrys and Altimas. And the Flex, at least for the moment, is still modern enough; just sufficiently modern to be worthy of consideration. 

Particularly if your local Ford dealer is willing to play ball on the extraordinarily high EcoBoost base price.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Flex was supplied by Ford Canada's press office.

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Review: 2017 Cadillac CT6 Twin Turbo AWD - This Big New American Car Ain't No Big Ol' American Car

Barge-like handling. Yacht-like responses. The nimble, light-on-its-toes feeling of a Winnebago.

These are the kinds of terms used in the past, sometimes endearingly, to describe the handling of large Cadillacs. 

THE GOOD + Looks like $150,000 + Outstanding 3.0L TT V6 + Proper interior space + Handles like a CTS + 34-speaker Panaray audio

THE BAD – Doesn't feel like $87,000 – 8-spd easily kerfuffled – Very stiff ride for full-size lux – Most of the buttons suck – CUE

For a time, it didn't matter whether the terms were spoken endearingly or in anger. Cadillac was the standard of the world. Cadillac buyers didn't want the steering feel of a Lotus Elan or the delicacy of an MG Midget. 

Cadillac buyers wanted space, a whiff of exclusivity, torque, and pillowtop comfort. 

But then Cadillac rested on its laurels. While Cadillac was still fighting Lincoln, European luxury gradually ate into the Detroit luxury brands' North American territory. 

Then along came Lexus, a Japanese brand which added peerless reliability to a blend of technology and refinement unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

Cadillac was caught flat-footed. Sales in its home market were nearly cut in half between 1986 and 1996. Then, after a decent resurgence in the early part of this century, sales plunged by a quarter between 2005 and 2015.

Cadillac wasn't playing its old game, nor was Cadillac good enough to play the game that the imports were dominating. Kept afloat by successful SUVs and crossovers, Cadillac's car portfolio was steadily improving but was nevertheless perceived by luxury car buyers as an afterthought.

Yet Cadillac persists. As a result, augmenting the largely ignored ATS, CTS, ELR, and XTS is this flagship, the 2017 Cadillac CT6. It's not a replacement for all those front-wheel-drive wreath and crest airport limos of the past (or present.) It's not intended to evolve into your great aunt Ethel's future hearse. It's a big, traditional, American luxury car. 

Or perhaps, not so traditional. Barge-like? Yacht-like? Winnebagoesque? Not exactly. The new Cadillac CT6 3.0 Twin Turbo has much of the visual presence of a traditional Cadillac flagship: long, low, wide, and extravagant. But its on-road behaviour is something altogether different.

WHAT IS IT?
Similar though their names may be, this is not a replacement for the Cadillac CTS, a smaller sedan that more directly tackles the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, and Audi A6. The CT6 does, however, tread some middle ground, with pricing that resembles those German midsize cars and dimensions that resemble their bigger brethren: S-Class, 7-Series, A8.

2017 CADILLAC CT6 3.0TT Base Price: $61,915 * As-Tested Price: $87,115 * Colour: Black Assembly: Detroit, Michigan Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 8-speed automatic Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 404 @ 5700 rpm Torque: 400 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm Curb Weight: 4165 pounds Length: 204.0 inches Width: 74.0 inches Height: 57.9 inches Wheelbase: 122.4 inches Tires: Pirelli Sottozero Tire Size: 245/40R20 Passenger Volume: 3433 litres Cargo Volume: 433 litres EPA City: 18 mpg EPA Hwy: 26 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 13.0 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 9.1 L/100km Observed: 18.8 mpg Observed: 12.5 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2050 in fees.

In rear-wheel-drive form, the 2017 Cadillac CT6 is offered with a 265-horsepower 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder in base and Luxury trim levels. All-wheel-drive CT6s, starting at $66,240, come standard with the 335-horsepower 3.6L V6 in base, Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum iterations, with the Platinum reaching $97,290 before options. 

We drove a 2017 Cadillac CT6 with the 404-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6. The base price with the twin-turbo engine, in Luxury guise, is $75,775. There's also a $79,010 Premium Luxury and a top-tier Platinum trim at $101,890. 

Our 3.0TT AWD Luxury model was reinforced with a $4255 34-speaker Bose Panaray sound system; an Active Chassis Package ($3895) that included magnetic ride control, active rear steering, and 20-inch wheels; an Enhanced Vision & Comfort Package ($2515) with a rearview mirror camera, panoramic sunroof, cooled front seats, and heated rear seats; plus $825 Stellar Black paint. 

Grand total: $87,115, which GM Canada currently discounts by $2000.

HOW BIG IS IT?
Cars come bigger, but not by much.

Nearly nine inches longer, two inches wider, and an inch taller than the Cadillac CTS, the 2017 Cadillac CT6 makes extensive use of aluminum to keep its weight in check. Compared with the CTS V Sport we tested in 2014, this CT6 is only 181 pounds heavier.

The Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic, the standard among full-size luxury cars, is marginally longer, wider, and taller than the CT6. It also weighs 15% more.

DOES IT WORK?
Prepared though this and other reviews may make you, you'll still be surprised at just how well the 204-inch-long Cadillac CT6 takes a corner. It's not just the lack of body roll and grip, it's the degree to which the car won't become unsettled mid-corner and the ease with which a swift change of direction is met with instant response. The steering isn't nearly as lively as the CTS's, but there's generally little sense of extra girth in this bigger sedan. 

Take note, however, that all CT6's won't handle the same way. This car's 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires are part of it, but the Active Chassis Package also includes rear steering, which improves agility. The rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts at higher speeds, albeit only mildly, instead of turning the opposite direction as they do at slower speeds when the goal is to decrease the turning radius. 

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Magnetic ride control is part of the same package, but it doesn't make the CT6 a decidedly relaxed rough road companion. (On the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, all the roads are rough.) Just pliant enough in Tour mode, the Cadillac CT6's rear end simply rides too stiffly for a car of this type in Sport mode. 

The payoff, of course, is the exceptionally responsive handling. Sport mode also gives provides sharper throttle response and better weighting for the steering. Cadillac needs to permit these functions to be selected independently, so the shocks could remain in Tour's more relaxed setting while other systems remain in Sport.

With or without Sport mode's greater responsiveness, the 3.0L twin-turbo V6 is a beast. Lag is nonexistent, torque is abundant all across the rev range, and what sound makes its way into the quiet cabin is the kind that cause you to keep the throttle pinned.

It'd be helpful if the V6 wasn't mated to this eight-speed automatic. Perfectly acceptable when the CT6 is being hustled, lighter throttle applications and slower speeds often send the CT6's transmission into a fit of confusion, ending in a harsh shift. Also lacking refinement is an stop-start system that is dreadfully conspicuous. 

The CT6's cabin isn't faultless either. While the rear quarters are by no means in want of space, the CT6's centre rear tunnel is massive. Further abaft, the trunk has a slim opening, and an odd trunk shape limits space to 433 litres, less cargo volume than you'd get in a Camry. 

Those interior traits are obvious before you've left the dealer lot on a test drive. Less predictable is the inconsistent functionality that became a hallmark of our week with the $87,115 CT6. The mode button that selects Tour, Sport, and Snow modes responded, at best, a quarter of the time. Bluetooth was unresponsive. Regardless of driveway angle, the driver's door never wanted to stay open, no matter the position. The Cadillac User Experience touchpad appears to be an afterthought for an automaker that's struggled to earn CUE toushcreen plaudits – just use a proper knob/wheel like the Germans. Many of the capacitive touch buttons remain difficult to use, with a Home button that rarely wanted to take the screen home. Even in the gauge cluster, tasks were sometimes completed lethargically. 

At a lower price point, these faults might be overlooked. At another brand, where resale value and long-term reputations counter quality woes, these faults might be overlooked. But if these issues crept up on a test drive with a Cadillac sales representative within minutes of leaving a showroom that doesn't quite offer the upmarket experience of a BMW store, the CT6's exceptional driving manners won't effectively counteract the idiosyncrasies.

Then again, the 34-speaker – yes, thirty-four – Bose Panaray sound system will make a performance at Berlin's Konzerthaus sound comparatively underwhelming – and turn touchpad troubles trivial.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
In Canada, not really. The first CT6s were imported from Michigan in April. Only 250 have been sold since. 

For every CT6 sold in Canada, the nine-times-larger U.S. market has taken possession of 37. 

Mercedes-Benz Canada sells nearly 90 copies of the much more costly S-Class every month.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
Let's assume you want a big sedan but don't want to pay more than $100,000, a psychological breaking point. This rules out the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, and Porsche Panamera. 

But the Audi A8 3.0T starts just below $90,000 and the 340-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ starts just above $90,000. Those cars are likely to hold value better and provide a superior dealer experience. The CT6, optioned up to match those lofty price points, will be better equipped, better to drive, and quite possibly better to look at. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
To reach this $87,115 price point, you'll need to add $11,490 worth of options to the CT6's 3.0TT AWD Luxury trim level. 

And yet many of those options were central to our enjoyment of this car, central to the getting a truly luxurious experience. If the only thing that matters is performance, we'd direct you to superior performance in a less costly, slightly smaller Cadillac CTS.

As for the CT6, we would be inclined to accept less power in the CT6 3.6 Premium Luxury with the Bose Panaray sound system and the accompanying Comfort Package for a $79,655 total, or $77,655 with current discounts.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
This is not a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.

Thank goodness.

In a prior era, an era of Fleetwoods and DeVilles and Eldorados, it would have never seemed conceivable that the best driver's cars in a variety of luxury car segments would be Cadillacs. 

But do Cadillac sedan buyers, those that remain, want Cadillac to be a better BMW?

The full-size Cadillac CT6 shines brighter and brighter as the road becomes twistier and twistier, as traffic dissipates, as the sun comes up. 

Is that when a proper Cadillac – particularly a full-size, 17-foot-long Cadillac – ought to shine? Or should a proper Cadillac display unruffled manners on rough city streets; should it be easily operable and eminently refined?

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Cadillac CT6 Sales Figures
2014 Cadillac CTS V Sport Driven Review
2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic Driven Review
2016 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Driven Review
2013 Tesla Model S P85 Driven Review

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Conventional automotive sports sedan theories suggest that the buyer who wants this much athleticism will inevitably pursue a smaller car, a CTS or perhaps an ATS. The buyer of a full-size luxury sedan, a veritable limo, surely doesn't need a bona fide sports sedan.

Or does he? What's so wrong with Cadillac overachieving? What's so bad about an automaker that manages to create a lightweight full-size luxury sedan that merges the best of both worlds? The CT6 is a big Cadillac that works out at the gym in the afternoon and then changes into a tuxedo for an evening gala.

Cadillac has succeeded at bringing midsize verve into the full-size category, at merging full-size presence with midsize vigor. I won't fault Cadillac for allowing me to have fun in a category all too often reserved for stodgy stoicism.

Now Cadillac has to fix the niggling faults, the technological foibles and build peculiarities, if the CT6's price point is going to reach to $87,000 and beyond. There's little room for imperfection in this stratosphere.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The CT6 was supplied by GM Canada's press office.

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Review: 2017 Honda Ridgeline Sport - Decent Pickup, Exceptional Vehicle

We don't want automakers to introduce copycat sports cars. There's room for diversity in the sports car arena; room for a Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5, Nissan 370Z, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Porsche 911 to coexist. 

We don't expect SUVs and crossovers to fit into two narrow size categories and approach the market with identical attitudes. We want different vehicles; Mazda CX-9s and Chevrolet Suburbans and Jeep Wranglers and Porsche Macans and Subaru Foresters. 

THE GOOD + Top notch ride quality + Exceptional handling + Smooth V6/6-speed auto + Hugely flexible + It's different

THE BAD – It's pricey – Little fuel econ. advantage – Ineffective infotainment – Small rear door opening – Looks soft

Yet for some reason, there's an expectation that pickup trucks need to fit inside a very specific mold. Take the stencil off the shelf. Adhere to the rules and regulations set forth in Houghton's Book Of Pickup Politeness, circa 1883. Do not deviate from the preordained path.

As a result, there are essentially three pickup truck size classes north of the Rio Grande: midsize, full-size, and the slightly larger heavy duty. Competitors are directly comparable in size and largely the same in terms of horsepower and capability. Thinking outside the box involves – wait for this novel concept – the addition of a diesel engine. 

A diesel? In a pickup truck? Gasp. Palm over mouth. 

That's not to say pickup trucks haven't rapidly advanced. In fact, pickup trucks are arguably improving at a faster rate than the traditional car sector, making great leaps forward in terms of power, efficiency, and refinement.

But the pickups trucks of today are still, to state the obvious, pickup trucks. 

Except for this one. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline can tow (somewhat) and haul (quite a bit) and ferry five individuals (quite comfortably) and bound through the mud (there's even a mud mode). There's a cabin with four doors and a sufficiently lengthy bed. So it's a pickup truck. 

But the new, second-generation Honda Ridgeline is entirely unlike the ten other pickup truck nameplates on the market.

WHAT IS IT?
Unlike every other pickup truck on the market in Canada and the United States in 2005, the first Honda Ridgeline did not arrive with a body placed on a separate frame – known as body-on-frame construction – but rather as a unibody; essentially a rugged, pickup version of the Honda Pilot and Odyssey. 

The first Ridgeline wasn't a sales flop, at least not at first. Both in Canada and the U.S., Ridgeline sales peaked during the truck's first year on the market and then began to plunge. North of the border, sales plunged by two-thirds between 2006 and 2011. After selling more than 50,000 Ridgelines in the U.S. in 2006, Honda sold only 45,000 during a three-year span between 2012 and 2014. 

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

2017 HONDA RIDGELINE SPORT Base Price: $38,415 * As-Tested Price: $41,415 * Colour: White Diamond Assembly:Lincoln, Alabama Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 3.5L SOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 280 @ 6000 rpm Torque: 262 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm Curb Weight: 4484 pounds Length: 210.0 inches Width: 78.6 inches Height: 70.8 inches Wheelbase: 125.2 inches Tires: Michelin Latitude X-Ice Tire Size: 245/60R18 Passenger Volume: 3084 litres Bed Volume: 960 litres Bed Trunk Volume: 207 litres EPA City: 18 mpg EPA Hwy: 25 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 12.8 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 9.5 L/100km Observed: 19.8 mpg Observed: 11.9L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1825 in fees.

Fast forward to the launch of the 2017 Honda Ridgeline and all other pickups on the market are still body-on-frame trucks. The all-new second-generation Honda Ridgeline? Once again, it's a unibody pickup, limiting its towing capacity and payload – to a degree – but completely benefiting its packaging as well as its ride and handling characteristics.

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is available in Canada in five trim levels, all with the same 3.5L V6, six-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive. The basic $38,415 Ridgeline LX comes standard with heated front seats and remote start, proximity access, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto plus Honda's suite of extra safety gear: collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assist.

More costly Ridgelines are mechanically identical. The Sport, tested here, adds tri-zone auto climate control, a power driver's seat, darker 18-inch alloys, body-coloured mirrors, a sunroof, fog lights, and a power sliding rear window. Key to the $44,415 EX-L's upgrades are front and rear parking sensors, heated rear seats, leather seating, a power passenger seat. The $48,915 Ridgeline Touring has truck bed audio, navigation, cooled front seats, upgraded audio, and memory for the driver's seat as well as auto high beams, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic monitoring.  The $50,415 Ridgeline Black Edition is essentially a blacked-out Touring.

HOW BIG IS IT?
Compared with the full-size truck you likely know best, the Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 with the shorter of two available bed lengths, the Honda Ridgeline is 22 inches shorter from bumper to bumper, slightly more than an inch narrower, and roughly five inches lower at the roof. The F-150 Supercrew offers 20% more passenger volume (including an available three-person bench across the front) and a bed that's two inches longer, half an inch wider, and a bed that's nearly five inches deeper.

More comparable in size is the Toyota Tacoma DoubleCab. With the shorter of two available beds, the Tacoma is two inches longer but four inches narrower and equally tall. That bed is nearly four inches shorter and a difference-making 8.5 inches narrower. 

Closely related to the Ridgeline is the Honda Pilot: 15.5 inches shorter than the Ridgeline, an inch lower, and identically wide. 

DOES IT WORK?
In the ways in which the 2017 Ridgeline works, it works very well, indeed.

But it's not perfect.

On the positive side of the ledger, the new Ridgeline rides, handles, steers, accelerates, and brakes exceptionally well. Free from the constraints placed on a vehicle that requires extreme pickup truck capabilities – the Ridgeline is lower and has worse approach, departure, and breakover angles than a Toyota Tacoma, for instance, and can tow only 5000 pounds – Honda's truck is free to inherit the benefits of car-like construction and a road-centric suspension setup. Not only does the Ridgeline tackle rough roads better than any other pickup, it rides better than most vehicles, full stop. Thank the long wheelbase. 

Steering is quick, without the large dead spot at the straightahead owned by most trucks. Tossed into corners on our favourite twisty roads, the Ridgeline feels far more like a compact, 3500-pound crossover than a 4500-pound pickup. 

The 280-horsepower V6 is eager to rev and turns the Ridgeline into a quicker truck than its midsize rivals. We also saw decent fuel economy of 11.9 L/100km. That's not enough to save you much money compared with an F-150 2.7L EcoBoost, but given the winter tires, four occupants, city driving, and sub-zero temperatures in which our test was conducted, the results were impressive. 

The Ridgeline Sport's roomy rear seat, vast in-bed trunk, broad bed, and slate of standard safety gear certainly alter the value equation. This unique blend of flexibility makes comparisons with conventional trucks difficult. Other midsize trucks don't offer such a wide bed. No other truck offers a trunk. Other midsize trucks don't offer such rear seat comfort; the full-size trucks that do so are far more challenging to park downtown.

Some of the Ridgeline's perks nevertheless come at a cost.

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That large rear seat is awkward to access through a slim rear door aperture, for instance, and it becomes downright annoying when loading an infant seat or unloading a lanky toddler. 

Installing their seats won't be easy, either, since Honda requires you to loop the tether around a thick bar at the top of the seat and then slide the tether back down beside and underneath the outboard seats (or between the anchors in the middle row.) The anchors aren't easy to access, either.

In the front row, drivers conduct operations through an infotainment unit that Honda's already rejected. The new CR-V uses a proper volume knob; the new Odyssey's touchscreen system is entirely different. The Ridgeline's system, on the other hand, is one smooth, slow, sad surface. 

Out back, the Ridgeline's in-bed trunk is brilliant, deep, and drainable. But beware, smaller adults won't be able to reach what's inside unless the dual-action tailgate (which isn't damped) opens to the side. You can't do that just anywhere. 

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Yes, and no. 

Compared to other pickup trucks, the Honda Ridgeline is decidedly uncommon. December was the best month yet for the second-generation Ridgeline in the United States. Yet at 4085 sales, only 10% of midsize pickup buyers and 1.5% of all pickup buyers opted for a Honda. 

Back in Canada, Ridgeline sales reached a six-year high despite only being available since mid-summer. But August, the new truck's first full month of availability, was its best yet, and Q4 monthly volume was down 29% from that summer peak. Ridgeline capacity is constrained somewhat, so Honda is moving all Acura MDX production from the Alabama plant it shares with the Ridgeline, Pilot, and Odyssey to Ohio. This is likely to provoke greater Pilot sales, however, rather than a huge Ridgeline uptick.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
If you really, truly, deeply want to buy a Honda Ridgeline for everything the Honda Ridgeline stands for, it's possible that nothing else will fit the bill.

But there's no shortage of exceptional, desirable machinery in the modern pickup truck world. We feel strongly about the Ford F-150 SuperCrew and its affable 2.7L EcoBoost V6. The Toyota Tacoma holds its value like nothing else and remains true to truckiness. There are also diesel-powered versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon available for the fuel-conscious midsize truck buyer.

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Monthly & Yearly Honda Ridgeline Sales Figures
2016 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost Driven Review
2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Driven Review
2017 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve Driven Review
2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Driven Review

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Keep in mind, there are reasons beyond size and capability and capacity that cause many thousands of Canadians to purchase or lease a full-size truck each month. Even with limited advertised January discounts, the 2017 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 is currently discounted to $42,299, a very Ridgelineesque price. And it's often much less costly.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
The $41,415 Honda Ridgeline Sport is a very handsomely equipped vehicle. 

If you want leather, or even a leather-wrapped steering wheel, you'll need to step up to the $44,415 Ridgeline EX-L. 

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is singularly focused on delivering driving fun in the sun. A garbage truck is singularly focused on collecting garbage. 

Besides providing its driver endless joy on a twisty road in July, a Mazda MX-5 can't really do much else. Sure, you can take a small load of groceries, and if your passenger is small enough, he or she can squeeze in, too. 

A garbage truck, meanwhile, is not suited to providing any fun in the sun, particularly on a twisty road in July. Sure, you could load items other than garbage, but you best be careful not to squeeze such items with the compactor. 

You see where we're going with this. The second-generation Honda Ridgeline is one 17.5-foot-long compromise. It's not designed to be enormously useful in any one specific area. 

The bed is shallow; the bed's trunk is small. But there is a bed, and there is a bed trunk.

Towing capacity is limited compared with other trucks. But the Ridgeline can tow 5000 pounds, which is more than most crossovers.

The rear doors don't open nearly wide enough for this to be a true family car. But the cabin is expansive and comfortable.

There's no available V8 engine; no turbocharged V6, either. But the 280-horsepower Ridgeline shuffles power through the six-speed automatic swiftly, so the Ridgeline is nevertheless quick regardless of rpm and returns tolerable fuel consumption.

The Ridgeline doesn't offer an optional extra-long bed – 64 inches is the max. But the Ridgeline is only 210 inches long, overall, and can be parked much more easily than an F-150 with a similarly sized bed. 

The Ridgeline is never going to be all that capable off-road, but the benefit of its trucky limitations are obvious on a twisty road, where the Ridgeline is the best-handling and best-riding pickup truck available.

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is far from singularly focused. In fact, the 2017 Honda Ridgeline is one gigantic compromise. And compromise doesn't have to be a dirty word.

For the truck buyer who absolutely requires truck-like capability, for the family car buyer who needs the ingress of a minivan, for the RV tower or the backwoods lumberjack or the trailrunner, the Ridgeline was not specifically designed for your needs. 

But for everybody else?

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Ridgeline was supplied by Honda Canada's press office.

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2017 Toyota Corolla XSE Review - Every Inch A Toyota

It's the one car permanently on display inside GCBC Towers: right-hand drive, two doors, British Racing green, round headlights, imported from Japan. 

THE GOOD + Ultimate reliability rep. + Serious rear seat legroom + Real-world fuel economy + Affordability + Standard safety kit

THE BAD – Utter absence of joy – Dreadful steering "feel" – 140 bhp feels like 100 – Still doesn't handle – Sub-par cabin materials

The third-generation Toyota Corolla won't go down in history as one of my favourite cars, but it's a delicate beauty. More importantly, this particular car was a gift given to me by a good friend, an ESL student from Japan who was boarding at my parents' about a decade ago. He'd emailed his mother and asked if she could send over something small and uniquely Japanese for a rabid automotive enthusiast.
She shopped well.

The eleventh-generation Toyota Corolla that launched for the 2014 model year – and now entering 2017 while celebrating the Corolla's 50th anniversary year – is not seen here in right-hand-drive, two-door, BRG, round-lit, Japan-built guise. 

Rather than being a car that builds Toyota's reputation, the current Toyota Corolla is a car that is successful because of Toyota's reputation. 

Of course, we can't expect a new compact car to hold the allure of a mid-70s stalwart. Charm and charisma? Hardly. New cars are designed to be robust and reliable, secure and safe, efficient and economical. 

And that's the way Corolla buyers like'em. Few things in life are as certain as Corolla predictability. 

Predictably reliable.

Predictably safe. 

Predictably penny-pinching.

And, alas, predictably miserable to drive.

WHAT IS IT?
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the venerable Corolla nameplate, the all-time best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world. 

2017 TOYOTA COROLLA XSE Base Price: $17,980 * As-Tested Price: $26,900 * Colour: Blue Crush Assembly: Cambridge, Ontario Drive Type: front-wheel drive Transmission: continuously variable Engine: 1.8L DOHC 16-valve I4 Horsepower: 132 @ 6000 rpm Torque: 128 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm Curb Weight: 2875 pounds Length: 183.1 inches Width: 69.9 inches Height: 57.3 inches Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Tires: Bridgestone Blizzak Tire Size: 215/45R17 Passenger Volume: 2749 litres Cargo Volume: 369 litres EPA City: 28 mpg EPA Hwy: 35 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 8.3 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 6.7 L/100km Observed: 32.2 mpg Observed: 7.3 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1690 in fees.

Production of the sixth-generation Corolla began in Canada in 1988. The current Corolla, refreshed for 2017, is assembled in Cambridge, Ontario. 

The Corolla sedan is marketed in Canada across three trim levels – CE, SE, and LE – but with various trim levels filling all the gaps. A manual transmission is available on the base Corolla and the least costly SE. This XSE is essentially a Corolla SE, supposedly the sporty Corolla, with the added equipment from Toyota's most luxurious Corolla, known in the U.S. as the XLE but in Canada as the LE with an Upgrade Package.

All Corollas are now equipped with Toyota's Safety Sense-P: pre-collision with pedestrian detection, auto high beams, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist. Differentiating the 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE from most of the lesser Corollas are rear disc brakes, a seven-inch touchscreen, navigation, pushbutton start, proximity access, a sunroof, SofTex "leather" seating, a power driver's seat, and 215/45R17 tires on alloy wheels. 

HOW BIG IS IT?
Compared with Canada's best-selling car, the Honda Civic sedan, the 2017 Toyota Corolla is nearly an inch longer, an inch narrower, and nearly two inches taller. The Corolla's cabin is 2% larger, according to the official specs, though rear occupants will think the difference is greater. 

Set to be replaced in the coming months by an already-revealed model, the Corolla's Camry big brother, is nearly eight inches longer than the Corolla, nearly two inches wider, and half an inch taller with 4% more space for passengers and 18% more cargo volume.

DOES IT WORK?
As transportation: yes.

Even if it's 13 inches longer than it was 25 years ago, the 2017 Toyota Corolla, at just a hair over 15 feet long, is still a small car. 

Yet inside, it's a cavern. Slotting in front-facing and rear-facing child seats were a breeze. Legroom is expansive, aided by an almost perfectly flat floor. With a big, squared off trunk hanging off the back, this is one of a few compact cars that can easily be used by young families. Add the Corolla's safety credentials, low price of entry, real-world fuel economy, and likelihood of longevity to the mix and you'd almost certainly have a winner.

Unfortunately, the Corolla is slow. The Corolla handles poorly. The Corolla steers dreadfully. And the Corolla doesn't always ride that well, either.

On-road behaviour may not be front of mind for the majority of Corolla buyers. Okay, it's definitely not. But just because we don't all require Miata-like reflexes or Golf GTI-like sharpness or AMG-like acceleration – and just because many of us do require low MSRPs – doesn't mean we have to accept this level of dynamic incompetence. 

Acceleration, at least with the easily-tolerated continuously variable transmission that most Corolla buyers choose, is tepid. Car & Driver testing suggests nought to highway speed requires 10.5 seconds. Acceptable in a Prius, that's far off the pace of the segment in which the Corolla competes.

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Grip, particularly when clad with this car's Bridgestone Blizzaks (as cars in this region typically are for nearly half the year), gave up quickly and easily and unhappily. The Corolla doesn't want to be tossed around corners as though it's a Mazda 3, and as the week wore on, I certainly lost my desire to do the tossing. 

Positive steering feedback isn't an easy characteristic to find in modern cars, but the Corolla goes so far in the opposite direction thanks to its total lack of communication and laggardly responses. The rack is much slower than that of the Toyota Corolla iM, not exactly a paragon of modern electric-assist steering. 

And while the Corolla does not make its way down a poorly paved road in a flustered fashion – the ride quality is not busy – the Corolla still greatly suffers from particularly sharp impacts.

With interior material quality a letdown and a general lack of cabin cohesion marrying a dynamic ineptitude not seen in great swaths of the Toyota lineup, the 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE does not come across as a great car.

But it's big inside. And in cold temperatures while wearing winter tires in mostly city driving, we averaged a miserly 7.3 L/100km. And it's likely invincible. 

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IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
7% of the new cars sold in Canada in 2016 were Corolla sedans. Yes, thousands of Canadians are buying and leasing Corollas every month; 3732 per month on average.

The Corolla is Canada's third-best-selling car, though sales slid 3% in 2016 as overall Canadian passenger car volume fell 7%. 

South of the border, the Corolla family is America's second-best-selling new car. Only the Toyota Camry sells more often. 

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
At $26,900, there's no shortage of options, as the Corolla XSE not only competes with higher-performing versions of competing compact cars but also significantly more refined midsize cars. With HondaSensing, the Honda Accord LX is priced at $28,445, for instance.

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Monthly & Yearly Toyota Corolla Sales Figures
2017 Honda Civic Hatchback LX Driven Review
2017 Mazda 3 Sport GT Driven Review
2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited Driven Review
2015 Toyota Camry XSE V6 Driven Review

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More directly, two jumps up from Subaru's basic model, the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza Sport with a CVT costs $27,390 and provides all-wheel drive as standard equipment. Like the Corolla, the Honda Civic holds its value extremely well. All-new for 2016, the Civic is a far more engaging car to drive and provides a far superior cabin and costs $25,450 in Civic EX HondaSensing trim. We also advise consideration of a 2017 Mazda 3 GS (with the optional sunroof package and an automatic) for $24,595 and the 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE at $25,794.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Hugely spacious and filled with safety gear that, at the very least, is optional on most competitors, the $17,980 Toyota Corolla is a stand-out value.

But the Corolla XSE we're driving is 50% more costly than Toyota Canada's basic Corolla, a car equipped with the same underwhelming engine and generally lackluster interior. The Corolla's value game is progressively washed away as the price approaches and then enters Camry territory.

At $23,695, the Corolla SE with a six-speed manual transmission and an upgrade package (rear disc brakes, sunroof, heated steering wheel, 17-inch wheels) is a somewhat more enticing compact car. The $21,280 Corolla CE with the continuously variable transmission is perhaps the most Corollaish of all Corollas.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
Few cars present such a dichotomy. Perceived by some to be the best car in the world, the Corolla will by others be deemed to be the worst.

Is reliable, spacious, economical transportation the perfect definition of car? Or are cars meant to be driven; are they supposed to interact, converse, and connect? Is transportation an aspect of your day you must overcome, or is your car the very part of your day that helps you overcome?

A famed trio of British television presenters were known to point out that true car enthusiasts must, at some point in time, own an Alfa Romeo. The head of University of California San Diego’s Contextual Robotics Institute, Henrik Christensen, says, "Kids born today will never get to drive a car." 

In the middle of those two poles, you'll find the 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Corolla was supplied by Toyota Canada's press office.

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