DoubleClutch.ca Magazine

01/26/2025

“It’s weird to drive a straight-six that revs that high. Every little blip of the throttle sounds properly exotic, backed by a familiar Bavarian baritone harmony that builds in volume and pitch until about 6,500 rpm, where you’d usually be shifting into the next gear.

Beyond that, it turns into a different animal. The song turns into a scream, a manic mechanical wail. It would almost sound wrong; a cry against the laws of physics if it didn’t feel so right otherwise. It’s so smooth and wind turbulence is so well-controlled that speed sneaks up on you. It isn’t alarmingly quick like BMW’s modern turbo engines, but it’ll comfortably put your licence in jeopardy without you realizing it. And you’ll want to let it keep going after you do realize it.”

Full story: https://doubleclutch.ca/2025/01/23/enthusiasts-corner-2003-bmw-m3-convertible-e46-review/

01/24/2025

How it started vs. how it’s going. 😶

01/24/2025

One day, you'll realize the wind in whatever-hair-you-have-left matters more than lap times. Hearing the BMW M4's S58 sing its silky song with no tin roof and sound insulation in the way is pretty great, too.

Life's too short to ignore smiles-per gallon. The 2025 BMW M4 Competition Cabriolet gets that, writes Nick Tragianis for DoubleClutch.ca

01/23/2025

💛 for the stick M3 sedan, or 💚 for the M4 CS.

01/21/2025

The BMW M4 CS is so urgent in all of its actions that it's hard to comprehend, and so well-sorted in its ex*****on that it's impossible to not be impressed.

A test drive, comprehensive review, and detailed photo gallery of the 2025 BMW M4 CS by Nathan Leipsig for DoubleClutch.ca

01/20/2025

Progress has been a point of ire with every M5 since the E34. People complained the E34 lost the raw edge of the E28. People complained about the E39’s recirculating ball steering. People complained that the E60 looked the way it did. People complained the F10 was too overweight, numb, and sterile for its own good. People complained the F90 was AWD—in addition to being too overweight, numb, and sterile for its own good.

So, take the armchair critics’ complaints about the newest M5 with a grain of salt. The world demanded a motorsport-bred executive sedan, and BMW delivered just that. It’s excessive in every regard, because motorsport has come that far. People say they’ve missed the mark with this overweight compliance car, but this new M5 is anything but. It’s a comfortable, practical, and yes, even surprisingly frugal luxury sedan—that’s been force-fed prototype race car DNA. It’s astonishing, all the more so at its $158,900 price tag.

FULL REVIEW: https://doubleclutch.ca/2025/01/20/2025-bmw-m5-review/

01/20/2025

The BMW M5 is packing a few extra pounds, but you sure wouldn't know it.

The 2025 BMW M5 feels like hunting for rabbits with a heat-seeking missile launcher, writes Nathan Leipsig for DoubleClutch.ca

01/18/2025

2025 claims its first victims—this year will be the last for the M8 and RC F. RIP in peace, you angry V8 monsters. 🥺

01/17/2025

Most EVs today give you a full charge after a full day at the office. Not the Nissan Ariya.

The Ariya has all the right ingredients, but it's let down by a frustrating charging experience, writes Nick Tragianis for DoubleClutch.ca

01/16/2025

A decade is a very, very long time in the auto industry. Still, the Volvo XC90 defies this, aging like fine wine. Fashion comes and goes, but style—and *really* good seats—is forever.

Hit the link in our bio for the full review!

01/16/2025

Honda is one of the few still offering a sweet, normally aspirated V6 in a segment slowly-but-surely becoming all-turbo-four. Here's how the Pilot stacks up two years into its run.

The 2025 Honda Pilot Black Edition remains a solid choice in the midsize crossover segment, writes Imran Salam for DoubleClutch.ca

01/14/2025

The GMC Hummer is the antithesis to what EVs should be. It exists for one reason and one reason only: to be sick, bro.

Hit the link in our bio for the full review!

01/13/2025

The GMC Hummer Pickup isn't your typical EV. It exists to be sick, bro, and it flaunts it every chance it gets.

I spent my whole time with the 2025 GMC Hummer EV Pickup in stitches, writes Nathan Leipsig for DoubleClutch.ca

01/10/2025

Talk about good timing: just as we named the Ford Ranger our Truck of the Year, so did the folks behind the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards!

We obviously agree—most trucks have a “sweet spot” in the lineup, but the Ranger doesn’t miss no matter the flavour. The base four-cylinder Ranger feels more refined and frugal than everything else in the segment, the Raptor is practically a rally car, and with the 2.7L EcoBoost V6, the Ranger is probably the best midsize pickup for the money.

Oh, and the Civic Hybrid is the North American Car of the Year for 2025. Something something something great minds.

Check out the rest of our winners here: https://doubleclutch.ca/2025/01/01/annual-awards-2024-car-of-the-year/

01/09/2025

Of our crop of Annual Awards winners from the year that was, the Civic Hybrid was a no-brainer.

The 11th-gen Civic won us over long ago—heck, it was our overall Car of the Year in 2022. It’s handsome inside and out, drives and handles beautifully, and has more passenger space than some crossovers it competes with, at least on price.

Adding the very, very good hybrid powertrain from the Accord makes an already pretty perfect recipe that much better. It’s zippier than the Si, and its fuel economy is hard to beat.

All in all, a well-deserved win for our Mainstream Car of the Year. Check out the rest of our winners here: https://doubleclutch.ca/2025/01/01/annual-awards-2024-car-of-the-year/

01/08/2025

MINI nailed the task of giving a universally beloved car a fresh makeover without losing the fun-loving personality that made it a cult icon. But it's too bad you can't get it with a manual anymore.

A test drive, comprehensive review, and detailed photo gallery of the 2025 Mini Cooper S by Ben So for DoubleClutch.ca

01/07/2025

"Dude, that's sick" has to be the unofficial slogan of the Ford Bronco Everglades.

The Bronco Everglades is a well-executed and head-turning overlanding machine, writes Nathan Leipsig for DoubleClutch.ca

01/07/2025

We drove so many fantastic sports cars last year, we had to split the category *three* ways. Here’s what took the $50K-$100K bracket: the six-speed BMW Z4.

Right from the get-go, it won us over. For obvious reasons. Whether it was rain or shine, at home or in the hills of SoCal, it dug itself into our hearts and held on with each downshift. Once in a while, BMW reminds us it still knows how to build the ultimate driving machine. The stick Z4 is exactly that car.

Check out the rest of our winners here: https://doubleclutch.ca/2025/01/01/annual-awards-2024-car-of-the-year/