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Driveway: Reviews for Honda Civic, Mini Clubman, Toyota Prius, Lincoln MKX

Matthew McConaughey is back to hawk his favourite car company, with a couple commercials that are stylish, alluring, and pretty confusing.
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2016 Mini Clubman

Currently on Driveway, our editors and field team are taking a look at some of the fall season's hottest new offerings – the Honda Civic, Mini Clubman, Toyota Prius, and Lincoln MKX.

The Honda Civic

Editor Keith Morgan reviews a faithful model here, the "flagship" Honda sedan:

"Honda has pulled out all the stops to guarantee its all-new flagship Civic continues as Canada's top-selling car for the 18th consecutive year... Truly, it is hard to imagine the manufacturer's position in the compact market segment faces any serious challenge. Early examination suggests he tenth generation Civic will set a new benchmark in looks, performance, safety and fuel economy, to name but four areas important to today's car buyers."

The new Civic starts at $15,750, plus taxes. The Touring version bases at $26,990.

Read Keith's full review of the 2016 Honda Civic on DrivewayCanada.ca

Honda Civic

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The Mini Clubman

Driveway contributor Gord Scott heads to European's Nordic country – to Stocktolm, Sweden – to sink his teeth into the increasingly stylish Mini – and its newest model, the 2016 Clubman:

"It's hard to stand out in this stylish city full of blondes, boats and boutique prices – but a shapely rear end helps. The 2016 Mini Clubman's caboose earned its share of stares during a recent debut on the cobblestone streets of Sweden's capital.

"This third-generation Clubman is the biggest Mini yet, taking the famous BMW-owned brand from "subcompact" to "premium compact" territory."

...

"The rolling, lake-studded Canadian Shield-like landscape northeast of Stockholm does present inviting stretches – but the tempting country roads are home to the very vigilant police force, and dreaded Blue Meanies.

"Once the Clubman broke free from these constraints, its inner go-kart was revealed. There was never any doubt that there was more Mini than usual to throw around, but fun could be summoned – especially with Sport mode selected."

Read Gord's full review of the Clubman on DrivewayCanada.ca

Mini Clubman

Mini Clubman

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The Toyota Prius

Keith Morgan returns to the wheel, this time behind the dash of the brand-new Toyota Prius – the famous green machine, the stereotyped favourite of the carpool lane/soccer-parent scene.

Here's Keith:

"Toyota believes the fourth generation Prius is destined to break into new markets with what it describes as ground breaking environmental performance, technological advances and a new design.

"More than nine million gas-electric hybrid cars are now in service globally – Toyota-made vehicles account for eight million of them and the Prius makes up half of Toyota's total.

"Environmental performance alone is no longer enough to make a car stand out in a now-crowded segment, so Toyota rebuilt the Prius from the ground up. The result is a sleeker, sportier form, refined interior, advanced safety functions and promised sportier drive."

Read the full review of the Prius on DrivewayCanada.ca.

Toyota Prius

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The Lincoln MKX

In Montreal, our own Bob McHugh hops into a revived, classic American brand – and its new MKX:

"The Lincoln brand has been on a sales revival roll of late, especially since we discovered that movie star Matthew McConaughey is, and long before anyone paid him to drive them, captivated by Lincoln vehicles.

"Well, he's got another one to drool over now, the all-new Lincoln MKX."

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"Our test-drive tour through the Eastern Townships of Quebec confirmed that the MKX is a worthy wearer of the Lincoln badge. This picturesque area of La Belle Province is dotted with quaint little villages huddled around magnificent church buildings. Many of the roads, however, still bear the scars of those bitterly cold winters that Quebecers are accustomed to enduring."

Read Bob's full review of the Lincoln MKX on DrivewayCanada.ca.

Lincoln MKX

Lincoln MKX

By the way, if you're wondering whether Matthew McConaughey's gonna have another Lincoln commercial coming out, specifically for the MKX, he's way ahead of you.

The following nearly three-minute trailer was released by Lincoln in September:

Oh yeah, and this one: