Contrary to popular belief, print is not dead. Nor does it need to be saved. Yes, the advent of the Internet, social media and numerous digital options for accessing and digesting automotive content today is amazing – not only when buying a car, but when finding where best to service it, how to spend the least amount on fuel, how to drive it on a track, how to find or install the right child seat for your most precious cargo and/or a myriad of other topics. Many of these conversations are inspired by print, whether directly, or when TV, radio, entertainment outlets or your Facebook friends comment on posted print stories.
Thus, for the expanded 2016 edition of the Ignition New Vehicle Buyer’s Guide, we not only wanted to provide more information than ever – and we have – but we also want readers to know that it’s also a resource as well as a conversation starter that will be followed up and continually expanded and updated online.
Our previous guides have focused almost exclusively on luxury and performance vehicles, loosely defined enough to provide details on a wide range of vehicles, in recognition of Ignition Luxury & Performance Magazine’s enthusiast roots. This year, with the explosion of SUVs and truck sales, we’ve expanded our guide to include ALL consumer vehicles: small cars, family cars, utility vehicles (SUVs, crossovers and minivans), pickup trucks, performance cars, luxury cars as well as luxury utility vehicles.
We’ve expanded not only the number of vehicles, but also the amount of information provided about each one. A mini review of each vehicle will summarize its personality, or what’s new this year. We’ve partnered with Natural Resources Canada to provide detailed fuel efficiency as well as environmental ratings for each car, plus a directly comparable annual fuel cost estimate that helps translate what those litres per 100 kilometres (L/100 km) figures mean to the pocketbook – and those figures are more accurate than ever (see why on page 40).
We’ve also teamed up with the resale value experts at Canadian Black Book to provide useful forecasts on what each model will be worth in four years, displayed as a simple percentage figure that is especially helpful to consumers considering leasing. Plus, our expert team of editors and designers will highlight key safety, reliability and driving cost figures in amazing infographics and charts.
We didn’t set out to create an encyclopedic tome that would never leave someone’s desk. We wanted to create a comprehensive automotive resource that could become the definitive automotive buyer’s guide, but could still be portable and engaging enough to take with you anywhere. The comprehensiveness will expand online very soon, making this site one of the best research sources for vehicle buyers in Canada. Consumers will be able to sort and search through the criteria that matter most to them, whether that be price, horsepower or cargo room, for example. The guide will then be your own, customizable as want it, but with our expert opinions and general data on each vehicle, plus external links for further research.