Friday, February 20, 2015 Richmond Review · Page 13Friday, February 20, 2015 Richmond Review · Page 13

Question of the WeekThe Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has named the Subaru Legacy 2.5i and the Ford F150 as Best Car and Best Truck in its annual Canadian Car of the Year. What was your favourite car last year?

Safety Tip:If winter doesn’t typically mean snow or ice where

you live, other conditions like darker morning and afternoon commutes and heavy rain can make driving this time of year challenging. Drive safely this winter – slow down and increase your following distance.

follow us…

/Driveway

@DrivewayCanada

OF THE WEEK!

?QUESTION

Go to DrivewayCanada.ca for question of the week

DrivewayCanada.ca | Welcome to the driver’s seat

Braving the winter in search of summer wineThrough rain, fog, snow and ice, we drove in search of Syrah in the Okanagan Valley.The 1,000-kilometre journey was a good winter test of the all-wheel-drive 2015 Acura MDX elite edition. But it was also a quest to collect exam-ples of the fermented homegrown Syrah grape to be poured by Okana-gan winemakers at next week’s Vancouver Interna-tional Wine Festival.Drinking and driving don’t mix but for this Okanagan wine fan, the reward came at day’s end or when somebody else took the wheel at midday!The idea for the jaunt came when I learned Honda’s premium brand was a festival sponsor. My focus sharpened when Syrah was named the feature grape and it was revealed that 55 wineries from Australia would show off their version of the French grape – the big and often fruity Shiraz. Past tastings told me B.C. could hold its own in this duel. Indeed 16 of our best winemakers will uncork Syrah. The Driveway car pulled into eight of those vineyards but it was not an easy drive. Though the forecast snow did not materialize in the Fraser Valley, gusts did test surefootedness. The true winter test was found along the twisty Hope-Princ-eton highway. In the summer, it’s a fun roller coaster ride but hidden black ice and patches around every corner made it a steering wheel gripper.

The long straights in Manning Park tempt-ed me to open up the 3.5-litre SOHC, V6 and let all 290 horses roar. A sudden slip towards the ditch and a rear sway put paid to that notion and I was grateful for traction control. Rain swept us through the Similkameen Valley but cleared as we dropped down into Osoyoos. First stop would be Black Hills Estate Winery, on Black Sage Road, in Oliver. It has magnificent views of the Okanagan valley. Its

interpretation of Syrah is mouth-filling and much closer to its Rhone Valley origins than that Oz style. The same can be said of that served by TIME Estate Winery across the road, which opens to the public this summer.Minutes later, we had swept across the valley to the castle-like structure that is Road 13, where owners Mick and Pam Luckhurst entertained and sent us packing with a variety of blends. The overnight stop was neighbouring Tinhorn Cellars, where its generous co-owner and winemaker Sandra Oldfield extracted a delicious Syrah from her private cellar.The next day, a yellow orb appeared above while passing by the beautiful Vaseaux Lake and into Okanagan Falls. We spun onto Eastside Road and skirted Skaha Lake to Penticton. It’s a quiet, fast road and it enabled me to play with paddle shifters.

The view from Poplar Grove over Okana-gan Lake is spectacular as is the Syrah, which, like the best of the winery’s reds, benefits from the extra aging afforded by cellaring it for a couple of years longer than the norm. A three-kilometre side trip to Red Rooster netted a Reserve Syrah, which exuded yummy plum and cherry from its neck, once opened! One more stop before a relaxing evening spent staring over the lake while sipping on a suite balcony at the Summerland Waterfront Resort. The snowy and very icy single track to the new Sage Hills Vineyard in Summerland required careful navigation. The reward was a barrel tasting with winemaker Andrea Lee and vineyard manager Keenan Thrussell. The new vintage had yet to be bottled but a rosé version hit the spot later!Time to return to the coast via Sandhill Wines in Kelowna. Howard Soon, a B.C. born industry pioneer, makes Syrah from vineyards in the south of the valley and a special ‘small lots’ version from a

single vineyard.By the time the rear two rows were lowered to accommodate the purchased cases of wine, the seven-seat MDX was strictly a two-seater. Despite its load, it leapt up to the Pennask Summit on the Okanagan Connector as fast the outside temperature dropped to minus five. The Coquihalla Highway was bathed in sunlight and the descent to Hope was smooth and quiet but for the rattle from the bottles.Bring on the Aussies! If you can’t get to the festival tasting room, tour Okanagan wine country this summer… with a designated driver, of course.

Power: 3.5-litre SOHC, V6, 290 hp, with 6-speed auto paddle shifters and grade control.Fill-up: 12.7/8.5L/100km (city/hwy)Price as tested: $63,990Base price: $49,990

keith.morgan@drivewaybc.ca

Of the 27 BC wineries featured at the upcoming Vancouver International Wine Festival (February 20 until March 1), 16 Okanagan Valley vineyards will pour wine made from this year’s featured grape – Syrah. Our Search for Syrah in an Acura MDX took us to eight of those wineries.

▸ Black Hills Estate Winery: 4318 Black Sage Road, Oliver (blackhillswinery.com)▸ Road 13 Vineyards: 799 Ponderosa Road, Road 13, Oliver (road13vineyards.com)▸ Tinhorn Creek Vineyards: 537 Tinhorn Creek Road, Oliver (tinhorn.com)▸ TIME Estate Winery: 30861 Black Sage Road, Oliver (timewinery.com)▸ Sage Hills Vineyard: 18555 Matsu Drive, Summerland (sagehillswine.com)▸ Poplar Grove Winery: 425 Middle Bench Road North, Penticton (poplargrove.ca)▸ Red Rooster Winery: 891 Naramata Road, Penticton (redroosterwinery.com) ▸ Sandhill Wines: 1125 Richter St, Kelowna, (sandhillwines.ca)

Wine festival info - vanwinefest.ca

Visit the Acura MDX tour gallery at DrivewayCanada.ca

‘‘Drinking and driving don’t mix but for this Okanagan wine fan, the reward came at day’s end.’’Keith Morgan

Que Syrah, Syrah!

Question

a a || come to the driver’s seatWelccelcc

our gallery at DrivewayCanada.ca

What’s Better than finding money in your old jeans?

OUR BLOG . . . seriously. Check it out blog.blackpress4good.comShowcasing heartfelt community stories from around the province.

Page 14 · Richmond Review Friday, February 20, 2015Page 14 · Richmond Review Friday, February 20, 2015

by Bob McHugh

The Automobile Journal-ists Association of Canada has announced (... drum-roll, please) Subaru Legacy as the 2015 Canadian Car of the Year and Ford F-150 as the 2015 Canadian Util-ity Vehicle of the Year.

The completely redesigned 2015 Subaru Legacy was engineered in Japan and is now built in the U.S. Legacy is the only car in its class with standard all-wheel-drive. A variety of engineer-ing changes, including Active Grille Shutter system

and a new (CVT) automatic transmission, have helped achieve a substantial im-provement in fuel economy.

The greenest Legacy comes with a PZEV version of its 2.5-litre horizontally opposed (Boxer) 4-cylinder engine and the top line edi-tions come with a 3.6-litre engine. The new Lineartronic CVT has a lock-up torque converter and a manual paddle shifter operating mode.

Legacy boasts one of the roomiest interiors in the midsize sedan segment and has received “Top Safety Pick” rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It’s also probably more af-fordable than you think, as new Legacy has a start price

of just $23, 495 (manual) and $24,795 for the CVT edition.

To reach the final stage of this annual competition Legacy first claimed the Best New Family Car (under $30,000) award, when the initial category winner votes were tabulated. The other three auto candidates for this (best of the best) top award were Hyundai Gen-esis, Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC and the Volkswagen Golf.

Utility Vehicle of the Year, the Ford F-150 is familiar with the AJAC awards po-dium, as it already scooped the 2015 Best New Technol-ogy Innovation Award earlier this year. And this is the F-150’s second overall

Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year Award, having also claimed it back in 2004.

Ford uses a special heat treatment that nearly doubles (compared to steel) the strength of the military grade aluminum (magne-sium) alloy body panels used in the new F150, making them more resistant to dents. A lighter truck body increases payload and towing capability and it also has positive influences on braking, handling, ride and acceleration.

Massively popular, the F-150 is already the top-selling vehicle in Canada and has been for the last five years. Ford F-series has been the best-selling truck in Canada for 49 consecutive

years. Other finalists for this award were the Porsche Ma-can and Subaru Outlander.

Voting for Canadian Car of the Year started when 73 automotive journalists from all parts of Canada gath-ered, last October in Niagara Falls, Ontario, for a five-day test-drive evaluation event known as “TestFest.”

Same-day, back-to-back testing is done to ensure fair and objective comparisons. At this year’s event 1,640 test drives were made by journalists and this yielded approximately 106,405 data points and over 500 catego-ry ballots. Complete voting data and performance test results are available on the AJAC web site: www.ajac.ca

 bob.mchugh@drivewaybc.ca

driveway

And the winners are Subaru and Ford

Subaru Legacy. Ford F-150.

An offer on the hardest-working van.THE 2015 SPRINTER 2500 144” CARGO VAN. TOTAL PRICE* STARTS AT: $44,960. LEASE OR FINANCE AND RECEIVE 3 YEARS NO-CHARGE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE.†

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:• Best-In-Class Cargo Capacity3

• Best-In-Class Payload Capacity3

• Best-In-Class Fuel Efficiency4

Lease APR Lease Payment Includes

5.99%1 $5781 $3,0002

60 Months $5,0001 Down Delivery Credit

**Fees and taxes extra.

© 2015 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Lease offer based on 2015 2500 144" Cargo Van (Stock #S1501121). National MSRP $41,300 *Total price of $44,960 includes freight/PDI of $2,895, dealer admin fee of $595, air-conditioning levy of $100, PPSA up to $45.48 and a $25 fee covering EHF tires. **Additional Options, fees and taxes are extra. 1 Lease example based on $578 per month (excluding taxes) for 60 months. Lease APR of 5.99% applies on approved credit. Down payment or equivalent trade of $5,000, plus first payment and applicable taxes are due at lease inception. Cost of borrowing is $7,885. Total obligation is $44,473. Lease offer only valid through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. 2 Please note the $3,000 discount has been applied/included in the calculation of the monthly lease payment, it is only valid on 2015 Sprinter Cargo Vans delivered before February 28th, 2015. † Three years of scheduled maintenance covers the first 3 factory scheduled maintenance services or 3 years, whichever comes first; and is available only through finance and lease through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. Scheduled maintenance interval for model year 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is the earlier of 1 year or 25,000 km. The specific maintenance services included are described in the applicable Owner’s/Operator’s Manual and Service/Maintenance Booklet. 3 Based on a comparison of the Automotive News classification of full-size commercial vans. 4 Based on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard Testing of 2014 model year Sprinter 2500 cargo van, 144" wheel base, standard roof, at 50% load capacity, and at highway/city speeds according to the standards of the “CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW HEAVY–DUTY MOTOR VEHICLES [Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations – Part 1037 ]” as conducted by Mercedes-Benz in September 2013. Stated fuel consumption based on highway driving cycle. Your actual fuel consumption may vary. Not for comparison purposes. Fuel efficiency test results determined using Government of Canada approved test methods are not available. Offer is non-transferable, non-refundable and has no cash value. Certain limitations apply. Vehicle license, insurance, and registration are extra. Dealer may lease or finance for less. Offers may change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Boundary Dealer for details or call the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Sales Centre at 604-676-3778. Offer valid until February 28th, 2015.

Sprinter Sales and Service Centre | 3550 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver, BC D#6279 604-676-3778 | vancouversprinter.ca

Great rates get you started.Great people actually get you there.

54 month RRSP/RRIF/TFSA GIC

1.95%**

TAX-FREE SAVINGS ACCOUNT

2.00%*

or

Rates subject to change without notice and available only in-branch. *WestEarner® TFSA Account only. Interest calculated daily and paid monthly. ** Interest compounded annually, paid at maturity.

Talk to an account manager about your retirement plans at 4991 No. 3 Road in Richmond.P: 604.238.2800 cwbank.com/retirement

Your ICBC one-stop collision repair facility

TRISTAR COLLISION#160-12440 Vulcan Way, Richmond

(604) 821-1133Just behind the Richmond Home Depot